The Faery Ball

Beneath a mystical moon the fair folk swoon
But the golden rays of the morning appeared too soon.
Bedazzled and frazzled I crawled from my den
And perched on a toadstool with my parchment and pen.

The beloved one, Piyra, the elf from the South
Kneeled beside me, prose dripping from his mouth.
He poured me another cup of dandelion tea
And a slice of honey bread made lovingly for me.

Whilst sitting in the shade sipping from a chalice of jade,
The witch of the stars gently beckoned to me.
I bid my farewells and left Piyra some spells
And then star glided home to my willow tree.

 © Jo Mummery 26/10/11

To a Lady, With a Guitar by Percy Bysshe Shelley (My favourite poem)

Ariel to Miranda Take
This slave of music, for the sake
Of him who is the slave of thee;
And teach it all the harmony
In which thou canst, and only thou,
Make the delighted spirit glow,
Till joy denies itself again
And, too intense, is turned to pain.
For by permission and command
Of thine own Prince Ferdinand,
Poor Ariel sends this silent token
Of more than ever can be spoken;
Your guardian spirit, Ariel, who
From life to life must still pursue
Your happiness, for thus alone
Can Ariel ever find his own.
From Prospero's enchanted cell,
As the mighty verses tell,
To the throne of Naples he
Lit you o'er the trackless sea,
Flitting on, your prow before,
Like a living meteor.
When you die, the silent Moon
In her interlunar swoon
Is not sadder in her cell
Than deserted Ariel.
When you live again on earth,
Like an unseen Star of birth
Ariel guides you o'er the sea
Of life from your nativity.
Many changes have been run
Since Ferdinand and you begun
Your course of love, and Ariel still
Has tracked your steps and served your will.
Now in humbler, happier lot,
This is all remembered not;
And now, alas! the poor sprite is
Imprisoned for some fault of his
In a body like a grave -
From you he only dares to crave,
For his service and his sorrow,
A smile today, a song tomorrow.
The artist who this idol wrought
To echo all harmonious thought,
Felled a tree, while on the steep
The woods were in their winter sleep,
Rocked in that repose divine
On the wind-swept Apennine;
And dreaming, some of Autumn past,
And some of Spring approaching fast,
And some of April buds and showers,
And some of songs in July bowers,
And all of love; and so this tree, -
O that such our death may be! -
Died in sleep, and felt no pain,
To live in happier form again:
From which, beneath Heaven's fairest star,
The artist wrought this loved Guitar;
And taught it justly to reply
To all who question skilfully
In language gentle as thine own;
Whispering in enamoured tone
Sweet oracles of woods and dells,
And summer winds in sylvan cells;
- For it had learnt all harmonies
Of the plains and of the skies,
Of the forests and the mountains,
And the many-voiced fountains;
The clearest echoes of the hills,
The softest notes of falling rills,
The melodies of birds and bees,
The murmuring of summer seas,
And pattering rain, and breathing dew,
And airs of evening; and it knew
That seldom-heard mysterious sound
Which, driven on its diurnal round,
As it floats through boundless day,
Our world enkindles on its way:
- All this it knows, but will not tell
To those who cannot question well
The Spirit that inhabits it;
It talks according to the wit
Of its companions; and no more
Is heard than has been felt before
By those who tempt it to betray
These secrets of an elder day.
But, sweetly as its answers will
Flatter hands of perfect skill,
It keeps its highest holiest tone
For one beloved Friend alone

Cosmic Child

See the bird fly so high
See the sunset in the sky
See the moon shine so bright
Lighting up the darkest night

Look towards the distant star
Watching us from afar
Make a wish in the dark
Hold on to your dreams
Never give up.

I am the cosmic child
I am free and I am wild
I can travel beyond the sun
And talk with the golden ones

Feel the earth beneath my feet
Dancing in the summers heat
Feel the joy of being young
With my face towards the sun

Spread my feet in a silver stream
And sink into a magical dream
Of unicorns and dragons that fly
A wake with a tear in my eye.

I am the cosmic child
I am free and I am wild
I can tavel beyond the sun
And talk with the golden ones.

© (Jo Mummery - aged 14)

King Of The Deep

White swan against azure sky
Looked like a gleam within the eye
Of a great white whale
With happiness in his tail

Looking down on ancient shores
One could only watch with awe
As magnificent white horses
Ride the tide by his side

King of the deep a giant of the ocean
His tail can signal every emotion
For surviving is hard
With the ways of man
If only we would change
He knows that we can.

© (Jo Mummery  - aged 11)

Elemental Love

From the broken hearted
The fire slowly dies
From the ashes
A phoenix will rise
Nature brings beauty
With every dawn
Tears melt in the sun
And a rainbow is born

See the true colours
Of our love grow
Cherish its beauty
Never let go
See our true colours
So vivid, so clear
Never let love disappear

Deep in my heart
A firebird will rise
Keeping our rainbow
Forever in the skies
Bird of fire
So beautiful and bold
Mythical creature
From days of old

Rise from the ashes
As pure as the dove
The eternal one emerges
Bringing elemental love
Carry our colours
Into the sky
As a new age is dawning
For you and I.

© Jo Mummery.

Free Spirit

Take my hands off the wheel of life
And let fate try and steer it
When a word cuts me like a knife
I pretend not to hear it

If death looked me in the eyes
I'd be brave and never fear it
For I've been through this and survived
Forever a free spirit.

© Jo Mummery

30th September

On this day an angel was born
He wrote songs of magic
And sang of the unicorn

He lived his life fast
As he knew he couldn't stay long
But left his loving spirit in every song

And wherever he walked
The sun shone like an arc
We will never forget you
Our beautiful Marc.


*© Copyright Jo Mummery 2011