8 Million Stories

By Dennis M Lane

Dennis M. Lane was born in the monochrome days of the early sixties, deep in the industrial heartland of England.

He has lived in seven countries across Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific, each country making its own impact upon him. He has finally settled in South Africa where he has now lived for ten years.

Dennis M. Lane’s writing ranges from poetry, which covers a variety of themes from the personal to the political, and are written in a range of styles and forms; through short stories; to longer forms. His first book "8 Million Stories" a collection of 54 general poems written between 2005 and 2010 was published in November 2010. His second book "The Poring Dark", a science fiction collection of short stories, poems and flash fiction, was published in September 2012. He is currently completing his first novel “Talatu”, a Young Adult Science Fiction tale, which draws on elements of his experience in Nigeria.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dennis M Lane
• Release date: Mar 6, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301024360

Dennis M Lane

Dennis M Lane was born in the monochrome days of the early sixties, deep in the industrial heartland of England. Coming of age during the Thatcher Years, the conflict that he experienced during the Steel Strike and the Teacher’s Strike played a great part in his political development.In 1986 he travelled to Nigeria as a volunteer teacher and this lead to a long career working in international development, which continues to this day.He has lived in 7 countries across Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific, each country making its own impact upon him. He has finally settled in South Africa where he has now lived for 8 years.His writing ranges from poetry, which covers a variety of themes from the personal to the political, and are written in a range of styles and forms; through short stories; to longer forms.His first book was "8 Million Stories", a collection of general poetry, and was published in 2010. His second book "The Poring Dark", a science fiction collection of short stories, poems and flash fiction, was published in September 2012 (two of the poems being nominated for the 2013 Rhysling Award). His third book (and first novel) “Talatu”, is a Young Adult Science Fiction tale and draws on elements of his experience in Nigeria. It was published in March 2013.He is currently completing his second novel "The King's Jewel" the first of "The Helix Key Series" which is a Young Adult series best described as Quantum Leap meets Assassin's Creed with a backbone of Stargate; and is populated by his own ancestors (going back as far as the time of Christ!)

Book preview

8 Million Stories

Poems

by

Dennis M. Lane

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Dedication

For Chantell, the love of my life.

Without you all the words would be without meaning.

Text © Dennis M Lane 2010

Cover Art – Budapest Bridge © Dennis M Lane 2010

www.dennislanebooks.com

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Contents

All You Need Is Love

Transformation

I Am My Brothers Keeper

Nothing In This World Is Changing

Primetime Apocalypse

Escape

Be Mine Today And Always

Haunted Eventide Yearning

We Are Not Alone

Obsession

Embarrassment Through The Ages

She Who Must Be Obeyed

Breathe In. Breathe Out.

The Curse of the Stiff Upper Lip

Floating

Omega Alpha1

Love Is ...

A Thousand Doves In Dreams

Time

New Willow Standing

A Dead Dove

TnT

Straight Tequila Night

Unchain The Child

We Are But Rain

Stevie

The Unsmiling Child

Walk In Their Shoes

8 Million Stories

Time To Stop

Lesotho Colours

On A Plane

Coming Home

48 Million And Counting

The Offering

We Are One

Of Babbage and Cabbage

But A Shadow

Pink

Kids

Letter To Liz

Lollipop Porn

Love’s Spark

She Comes To Me

Waiting

Sweet Release

Turn Of The Season

Generation Y–erd

Eternal

Fairy Cakes

Counting The Ways

Four Wheels Good

Understanding

Alexandros I

Alexandros II

Alexandros III

Alexandros IV

Alexandros V

Alexandros VI

Alexandros VII

Alexandros VIII

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All You Need Is Love

All You Need Is Love.

Lyrics waft from the radio and I sing along.

Laughing, you call me an old fool.

Yet, when the radio falls silent, you pause,

Only the clock’s tick intrudes upon the quietude.

Unheeded, the kettle plumes steam.

New emotion smothers old familiarity.

Even as you catch your breath I see the young girl inside you;

Escaping the bonds of age, your true self emerges.

Dancing, you cross the room.

In your arms once more.

Silently kissing as we did on our first date.

Looking deep into your eyes I see you again.

Old age banished.

Virgin schoolgirl that I first loved.

Effortlessly I carry you to bed.

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Transformation

The Earth turned slowly, calm, serene.

Waters covered the land.

Teeming with life, precious green,

Oceans silently spanned.

Each minute being lived its lot,

Then, dying, slowly sank.

A rain of bones gently caught,

In the vast deep dark dank.

Decades passed, and decades more.

Life from the shallows was torn.

Growing deeper on the ocean floor,

A strange transformation was born.

Countless creatures gave their all,

Till mighty hills had grown.

Bodies ordained by Earth to fall,

Transformed to sturdy stone.

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I Am My Brothers Keeper

Inescapable, the news washes over me

Another quake, another flood...

Messages of despair (or hope) from the rubble

Migrants – Asylum Seekers, the new shibboleths

Yet I, with my accent, made welcome

Banks promote schemes to help us donate

Reasoning that it is an ‘emergency’ we dig deep

Only