On the cusp (An AI Rhyme on Liminal)

 

In liminal spaces, worlds align,
Between the dusk and dawn’s first shine,
A threshold where the unknown gleams,
Awakening soft, elusive dreams.

The liminal holds the in-between,
Neither here nor gone, unseen,
A place where changes come to play,
Transforming night to blushing day.

So speak of liminal with care,
A word to mark the thinly air,
Where old meets new, and paths entwine—
A magic word, a subtle sign.

N.B.

1. Internet and Social Media Culture: The rise of online communities, especially on platforms like Tumblr, Reddit, and TikTok, has popularized niche and academic vocabulary. "Liminal" often appears in discussions around aesthetics, art, and psychology, especially in the context of "liminal spaces."

2. Liminal Spaces Trend: There's a growing fascination with "liminal spaces," referring to transitional or in-between physical places (like empty hallways, deserted malls, or vacant parking lots) that evoke a sense of eeriness or nostalgia. This has become a distinct aesthetic in photography, digital art, and even storytelling.

3. Interest in Transition and Threshold Concepts: "Liminal" describes thresholds or transitional phases, which resonates with contemporary themes of personal growth, change, and societal shifts. People use it metaphorically to describe mental, social, or existential states of being in-between.

4. Academic and Psychological Discourse: The term originates from anthropology and psychology, referring to phases during rites of passage or states of ambiguity. Its crossover into popular discourse reflects growing interest in self-exploration and transformative experiences.

5. 1. Cultural Zeitgeist: In times of uncertainty or rapid change (such as during and after the COVID-19 pandemic), ideas about "being in-between" or "on the threshold" may have felt especially relevant, contributing to the term's rise.

The other day upon the stair (AI Rewrite)

 

The other day upon the stair,
I met a man who wasn’t there.
His eyes were clock ticks in the air,
And whispered secrets nowhere fair.

He wasn’t there again today,
Yet baked a cake of moonlight’s grey,
That vanished when I tried to sway,
Into a dream that slipped away.

I wish that he would just unbend,
Or fold himself around the bend,
But he’s a riddle with no end,
A sock that’s lost its other friend.

No feet, no face, just breezes twirled,
He’s not there but there—a ghostly world,
A jigsaw piece that’s never pearled,
A silent scream, invisibly hurled.

Using AI we produced a take on this William Hughes Mearns 1899 poem, 

"Yesterday, upon the stair, 

I saw a man who wasn't there. 

He wasn't there again today, 

I wish, I wish he'd go away"

Night of the Meagle (AI Version December 2025)

 Picture by Steve Clarkson

 

Upon the slopes of Mount Impossible,
I slipped into a dream,
Where stood a curious Meagle—
Stranger than it might seem.

At first, I was confounded,
Uncertain what to make,
Likely it, too, was puzzling
The nature of my wake.

Clutching tight to reason’s thread,
I stumbled into doubt—
For such a creature, half and whole,
Defied all sense throughout.

A primate’s legs, a winding tail,
No hands or arms in sight,
Buzzard eyes and eagle’s beak,
Grim and sharp as night.

I searched for words to speak,
And all I breathed was a hiss—
The Meagle turned with sideways glare,
As if to say, "Amiss."

“Of all you see, and all concealed,
I am the regal Meagle here,
No questions may be asked of me,
No pondering or leer.”

“Look once more, reflect, be still,
Before you dare to proclaim
Your riddle wrapped in serpent’s sound,
And speak my curious name.”

Oh, regal Meagle, clearly now,
My folly I deplore,
With deepest bow and humbled heart,
I ask forgiveness evermore.

The Meagle flicked its tail with grace,
Then vanished toward the light,
And as it climbed the mountain’s peak,
I faded out of night.

The Weddding Day

 

We celebrate your union

At this special time of life

We wish you many happy times

Blissful husband, loving wife

May laughter fill your days ahead,
With kindness in each word and deed.
Together face what life may bring,
In love and trust, your hearts agreed.

Through all the seasons, come what may,
May joy and peace be ever near.
Hand in hand, with spirits strong,
Your bond grows deeper year by year.

From Within

 

Picture by Sea Wilson

Looking at history
Through a deep blue eye
Where the rock-holding ages
Looks back with a sigh

Whispers of time’s shadow
Carved in silent stone
Echoes of hearts long buried,
Flesh to dust, alone

Beneath the endless sky,
Truth and myth entwine,
Lessons etched in layers,
Waiting to define.

Faking Rhymes No.2

 

Driving in the wintry sun

My eyes all jingle jangle

Too much glare, I just can’t see

As I suffer the autumn angle

 

The frosty breeze begins to bite,
While shadows stretch and mingle,
The road ahead, a silver blade,
Cuts through the evening’s tingle.

 grip the wheel with cautious care,
Through winter’s whispered wrangle,
Each mile a dance on glassy lace,
Too cold, to disentangle

 

All the poems on this blog are now collaborations with CHAT GPT

Faking Rhymes No.1

  

I set off with a cheerful grin,
My journey home was set to begin.
But lo! The skies began to grumble,
And English clouds began to mumble.

 

The motorway turned into a stream,
Wipers flapping like a dream.
Cars ahead with brake lights glowing,
In a queue that’s barely flowing.

 

“Just an hour,” I told my mate,
But the rain had other plans for fate.
Junction signs looked like a blur,
And puddles played a splashing spur.

 

Lorries lurking, spraying spray,
My hair now frizzled, gone astray.
Radio drowned by thunder’s roar,
My mind started to gently snore.

 

A squirrel dashed—it’s bold, it’s keen,
Across the lane, a tiny scene.
I swerved, I braked, with trembling hands,
While traffic churned in soggy lands.

 

“Oh motorway gods, please hear my plea,
Let me home safe, with a cuppa tea!”
The rain kept falling, relentless, true,
As miles stretched on in dreary hue.

 

At last, I reached my humble place,
Rain-soaked, wind-blown, bedraggled face.
But now, with towel and dry embrace,
I laugh at this wet motorway race.

All the poems on this blog are now collaborations with CHAT GPT

Flowers

Peruvian lily, bold against the stone
You rise like hope where harsh winds carve the air
Not soft or fragile, but a force of your own
A splash of fire wild beyond compare

Each speck upon your petals, like a tale
Of mountain storms you’ve braved without retreat
You whisper strength where others might grow pale
Rooted in earth beneath fierce sun and heat

You don’t just bloom—you claim the rugged land
A quiet roar, a vivid, fearless light
A fearless heart that dares to take its stand
And holds its ground through day and darkest night

O Peruvian lily, strong and bright
You teach us all to thrive within the fight

The Money Truth

It started with an apple

A core of cost reduction

Repeated in exactitude

Then placed in mass production

 

No longer made where once invented

In a penny piece parade

Allowing other interventions

In clear precision’s higher grade

 

No longer leading by initiative

believing money was the key

In superhighways overtaken

Where cash became the new debris

 

 

Light Minded

They're commemorating mad events

To reset a way of life

One can only wonder if

Achievements born of strife

In battles to reverse results

By removal in a flash

A constitutional explosion

In an expressive bible bash

Disaffected and disgruntled

In a huddle, made a plan

To change by fait-accompli 

And monumental harmattan

What a bump it could have been

As the house and King departed

Though not to be, but well remembered

In many night skies, blazes started 

Seeing the Light (AI Rhyme L C Style)

 

In the garden where sunbeams play,
Danced a gleam both bright and spry,
Twirling ‘round the tips of day,
Whispering secrets to the sky.

A flicker flitted, cheeky, sly,
Leapt from leaf to laughing stream,
Painting rainbows in its eye,
A dazzling, dainty daydream.

Light, a lantern in the night,
Told tall tales with glimmered gleam,
Turning shadows into flight,
Chasing dark away, it seemed.

So, if you spy a winking spark,
Catch it quick—a lively sprite!
For in the heart of light and dark,
Lives the magic of the bright.

Entirely written by AI

Single Minded

What happens when I fall asleep
Leaving wakefulness behind
Does my mind drift into slumber
Or just wander and unwind

Sometimes, if I jolt awake
Confused and in a tangle
My thoughts feel scattered, incomplete
A jumble I can’t tangle

At times, it seems my restless mind
Is far too busy spinning,
Caught up in looping chatter,
Both of us a left dizzy grinning

I can’t say that it troubles me
Though it’s hard to intervene
For a mind that knows its business
Who’s to say who’s in between

From Here On In

 

Living under blankets 

Covering my face

In a place of many layers

A heavy, suffocating place

 

Pretending that I’m elsewhere

Disowning all my past

Emerging in another time

Where I knew it couldn’t last

 

Every day brought new reminders

Of things I once withstood

Until I made a break for it

Over effects misunderstood

 

The Thing Is

 

The ‘Thing’ is often on my mind

Like background music playing

Sometimes it is another ‘Thing’ 

Like a paragraph read or saying

 

‘Things’ we take for granted

Like Things we need to do

And everybody has them

Like in bundles or a few

 

No longer troubled by a ‘Thing’

Like by my lack of deeper stuff

If too many things are in the way

Like putting golf balls in the rough

 

Learning ‘Things’ is still important

Like as time goes by, you’ll find

But ‘Things’ are made from many ‘Things’

Like taking too much space in mind

Times Table

 

The speed of light and speed of sound

Are relatively known by many

But the speed of time just passes 

In terms of pace, it doesn’t have any

 

Although in truth, time has no speed

The passing can be measured

In hours, minutes and seconds

Without argument endeavoured 

 

I’ve heard it said, “How time flies” 

Though I’ve never seen its wings

Ultimately all about the atmosphere

Where pros and cons are kings

 

Everybody counts on time

Though how much for all is uncertain

An accident or illness may 

Bring down the final curtain

 

Wars and fights are thieves of time

Stealing hopes and plans, depending

Even with a life untroubled

Time for all must have its ending

Dolly Put the Coffee on

 

Dolly put the coffee on

Dolly put the coffee on

Dolly put the coffee on

We need our caffeine hit

 

The descaling light is blinking

It’s time to flush it through

Irrespective of the rigmarole 

No coffee can ensue

 

Although we’ve flushed it three times

The descaling light still blinking

So Dolly cannot serve our coffee up

In despair, our hearts are sinking

 

Dolly put the kettle on

Like Polly would agree

The coffee maker’s given up

We’ll settle for a cup of tea

 

We would buy a coffee maker new

Be warned, there are restrictions

The pods we have no longer fit

Machines are full of contradictions

 

Very many types and features

Coffee kinds and range of strengths

It is a carry-on too far

A cuppa shouldn’t need so many lengths

 

All Through the Night

 

Picture by Jon Carling @JonCarling

Levitating under moonlight

Beneath a peaceful light

Getting ready for her dream

To take her through the night

 

The song of life is sending out

Sonata messages serene

A lullaby creates a trance

In this pleasant lantern scene

 

Answers bring awakening

New knowledge breaks the day

For then it’s time to reappear

And pack the night away