Poems
Safe working from the floor
I’m perfectly safe working from the floor . I’ve worked at height on Emley Moor To trim an Apple tree is not an Arm Wrestle I wouldn’t have to use a trestle, A stack of metal would act as my floor Then I could get busy with my Saw Finishing the job without a care ,...
Sappers friend
Please dont believe the world will end because now you’ve become a Sappers friend Loyal , humorous a bit of a lad A caring loving smashing Dad A loving , providing husband too Who all your life will take care of you. Able to cope with most of the S**t And absorb the...
KITCHENER’S FINGER
We enlisted, signed up, didn’t make a fuss Singing Tipperary we marched off to war, Days of glory ahead were all that we saw. Little did we know of what lay ahead, A man-made place full of death and dread Where heroes stood and cowards fell, There in that stinking...
COMING HOME
I’ve been away at the war, Things are not the same anymore, I don’t sleep well at night, I hear comrades crying out in fright. It’s not what I dreamt about at the front, I’m sorry, but I have to be blunt, I thought of the home that once I knew, While the bombs and...
‘THE FEW’
Not since the wartime, when I was just a kid, When Jerry came a calling and in the shelter we hid, Now, since the pandemic, I’ve written poems by the score, I’ve come to the conclusion, that I’m not proud or sore. I’m going into battle, with all my poems ablaze,...
THE PHANTOM BOMBER
In the 1940's during the second World War, American bombers were based here by the score, At airfields in East Anglia from where they flew, RAF bomber squadrons were also based there too. Taking off and landing both by day and night, It must have been an awesome...
THE SILENCE
Across the battlefield all was silent, Even the guns had ceased their roar, The terrain looked like hell on earth, Even the birds sang no more. The weeks and months of carnage, When death and agony took its toll, Trench and barbed wire filled the scene, It was as if...
Animal War Memorial
When the horse rears up to canter Off to war, he smells the battle From afar and hears the shouting And the thunder of the captains. On him rattle the quiver, the Flashing spear and the javelin and, With fierceness, he swallows the ground. And on November’s darkening...
Maelstrom to Monochrome
Sinuous in my silk gown, I slip seamlessly though the enveloping white mist, its droplets, glinting like diamonds, caught in the tendrils of my hair. The mist is ice cold, alive and swirling and I am flung around like spun sugar. Scarlet streams of blood, leave my...
Autism aND Me
Autism Spectrum Disorder is a term that I dislike, it makes me feel I’m damaged, like an old and broken bike. Unlike that old and broken bike I’m actually on fire, I think of many different things, I create, and I inspire. Tenacious and fixated, and...
The Dawn
July twenty seventh two thousand and nine A mammogram check, well worth the time I wait in the car so I don’t have to pay Then Debs made that call on her mobile to say I might have the cancer, (I heard her voice shake) The seconds took minutes, please let me awake? I...
P T S D 1
Remember, too, those military men With memories buried deep Lifelong scars within their soul Interrupting them when they sleep The horrors of the battlefield The screams of the wounded and the smell With destruction all around them These things they remember well...
P T S D
Remember too those Military Men With Memories buried deep Lifelong scars within their soul Interrupting them when they sleep The horros of the battlefireld The screams of wounded and the smell With destruction all around them These things they remember well Although...
Freddy Gilroy
Freddy Gilroy Scarborough We’re back in Yorkshire once again In Scarboough on a Winter’s day Where Ray Lonsdale has created another Statue To sit here on the Promenade on display The twice than lifelike subject this time Sitting here facing the Sea at North Bay...
Brothers in arms
Brothers in Arms It’s hard to interpret this image As we sit and sadly stare As though left by a Guardian Angel To remind all of us who care The thoughts of many Military men Of battles fought won or lost The smell the noise and the sadness Perhaps their colleagues...
Tommy
Artist Ray Lonsdale Tommy Imagine if you will the thoughts of this Soldier Sitting not far from Seaham’s shore Home once again on British soil Away from the horrors of War All this depicted by the Artist Of this moving image we see The setting here in loneliness...
Commando Lochaber
Commando Lochaber Now here’s a subject that takes me back To times when I were a mere child Enduring life in W W 2 So this photo left me beguiled I remember the enemy Bombers As they flew nightly overhead And we were led to a shelter Instead of staying in our bed...
H M S Victory
H M S Victory Here we have the oldest ship in the British Navy The longest Vessel in the world to survive 246 years of Service to the Royal Nay Which was launched in 1765 H M S Victory was Flagship for Lord Nelson In the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 Armed with 104...
To Comrades at Christmas
It’s Christmas again; it’s wet and cold. A season of giving of history old. When most of us stay so warm and so dry, and memories fleeting of those who have died. Remembrance Day is far from us now. For most, it’s forgotten, vanished somehow. But veterans stand and...
Where have all the rabbits gone
Intro :- (The Company Admin staff that walked at lunchtime noted a lack of the usual Rabbits and wondered where they had gone. ) This was the answer submitted for the company news letter but for some reason not published. :- Where have all the rabbits gone Where have...
Lily
Lily For us a bad day, feeling so sad We lost our Pal called ‘’ LILY PAD ” Her Visits to the vets to no avail And in the end were proved to fail A terrible time it could make you cry Is She up there watching from the sky? The Mill lane road is not what it ought The...
BETHLEHEM
BETHLEHEM At an inconvenient time Mary travelled to Bethlehem And, on arrival, found no room – Only a stable in which to Stay. But the animals, used to Seeing birth, warmed the cold air with Their rhythmic breath, gave her hay to Lie on, their manger in which to Place...
PAYING THE PRICE
PAYING THE PRICE A simple poppy of red and black, Reminds us of those never coming back, A stone memorial instead of a grave, Records the names of lives they gave. In uniform and civilian suit, Men silently stand to take the salute, A minutes silence for their eternal...
My Second Poem – Poppies
POPPIES In the stamens of red poppies See the eyes of dead men marching, See the glitz and glam of Empire, All the swagger, stomp and strutting, All the bugles, drums and bagpipes, Swirling kilts and horses clipping, Nostrils twitching smelling battle, Hearing thunder...
My First Poem – TOM
TOM “It’s only a scratch,” Said Tom, yet I’m still Here, still able to wheel myself round and See others that I’m told are worse than me And remember, with crystal clarity, Rorking carrions above the clearing Smoke and feel their wings flap-splatting in the Blood.”Get...
THE EMPTY CHAIR
THE EMPTY CHAIR There it stays, the empty chair, Where once our Rory sat there, It stays there empty day by day, It’s been like that since Rory went away. Rory enlisted to do his bit, The army took him, found him fit, Whisked away to a bloody war, That’s the last of...
HOMELESS AND HELPLESS
HOMELESS and HELPLESS The streets are cold, the pavements bare, That’s what it’s like when home’s nowhere, Life turns on a sixpence, I’ve heard them say, World turned upside down in just one day. I have my story, you have yours, It never rains but it always pours,...
IN MEMORIAM – 11th NOVEMBER
IN MEMORIAM - 11th NOVEMBER There are war memorials all over this land, Silent and cold wherever they stand, As silent as those who paid with their life, Left their loved ones, family or wife, As cold as they ground in which they lay, Probably in some soil so far...
THE FALLEN
THE FALLEN The order came, it was to do or die, Soldiers offered a prayer to the sky, To do their duty that fateful day, Cross the battlefield where enemy lay. A hail of bullets, a crash of shell, No-mans land was a living hell, Noise and smell attacked their senses,...
Blood Red Poppies
BLOOD RED POPPIES Poppies, poppies, as far as can be seen, Growing by the wayside or in a foreign field, Blood red and growing in masses wild, Where many a soldiers fate was sealed. Small and fragile like someone’s life, Growing together in a haze of red, In many a...
passchendaele 1917
The land is killing me the soil weights a ton I had to carry all my kit helmet and gun. The land is killing me the mud and stones of passchendale are heavy and keep me on the ground. I cry out for my mother please listen to my cries the tears are so heavy as the fall...
Knife Crime Poem Two
As each day and night goes by you can hear the sound of a familys cry another young person has lost their life at the hands of somone carrying a knife. A moment of madness the snap of a mind why cant young people be loving and kind the grief and sadness will never be...
Knife Crime Poem One
Another day another night one more stabing after a fight Family and friends fighting the tears what can they do to save other familes fears. One more young persons life has been lost it is such a waste of a life and a terrible cost grief and sadness all around you can...
Living With Cancer
This is for anyone going through this with family or friends. My life with cancer is still my life it brings withit all the trouble and strife Most of the time I am in pain but this is my life time and time again. My life with cancer it is not so good somtimes it...
IN MEMORIUM – 11th NOVEMBER
There are war memorials all over this land,Silent and cold wherever they stand,As silent as those who paid with their life,Left their loved ones, family or wife,As cold as they ground in which they lay,Probably in some soil so far away.Some were called and some were...
A Poem For Veterans
I wish you could tell them just how you feel about the torment and fear And pain in your heart, about the sadness you felt , not just for yourself but for friends you held dear They were your comrades and you held them close, just when you needed them the most To hear...
Two Platoon Contact Wait Out.
2 platoon "Contact Wait Out". "Contact Wait Out." Two platoon goes to ground. "Can anyone see the enemy." Is shouted As the platoon look around. A machine gun post. Dug in and well out of sight. For the platoon to take this position. It's going to be a tough fight....
The Bench
The Bench. Overlooking the River Humber. Standing proudly on display. A Poachers Memorial bench. A tribute to those who've passed away. Why a bench, a question you'll ask? A tribute and a mark of respect. For people to sit and think. To take a break, and take time to...
Lifted off the Streets
A taper in the sinking blackness, the only glimmer of hope in the mosquito infested cell. A thin, tick mattress and a scratchy blanket bringing no comfort was all he had to lie on. Constantly shifting to stop the rabid scraping, with encrusted fingers, of the raging,...
B.V
The B V. Across rough terrain Or trundling into battle. The BV would be strapped in. So the bloody thing didn't rattle. The BV was a life support machine. More important than the vehicle itself. It or they sat just above the first aid kit. On the back door, on a...
Safe Working from the floor
Safe working from the floor I’m perfectly safe working from the floor . I’ve worked at height on Emley Moor To trim an Apple tree is not an Arm Wrestle I wouldn’t have to use a trestle, A stack of metal would act as my floor Then I could get busy with my Saw Finishing...
Sappers Friend
Sappers friend Please dont believe the world will end because now you’ve become a Sappers friend Loyal , humorous a bit of a lad A caring loving smashing Dad A loving , providing husband too Who all your life will take care of you. Able to cope with most of the S**t...
Just a Boy
Just a Boy The prisoner was marched out at dawn Looking lonely and forlorn Hands tied, blindfolded and afraid Sick, tired and betrayed Just a boy who got shell shock Sentenced to be shot His mother cried when the telegram came Executed as a coward: he was to blame No...
Raymond Lee
Respected by his brothers another Spartan falls another gone too early to answer Sparta’s call Another friend and brother a warrior at arms no finer man you’ll find to keep us all from harm You were loved so dearly so many of us wept but memories last forever loved...
Listen between the words
“Read between the lines” is the one we mostly know but we must change our thinking to help our losses slow. It isn’t yet enough to say it’s ok to share your woes because regardless of intentions they won’t put truth on show. So if the signs have made you call and...
Listen between the words
“Read between the lines” Is the one we mostly know But we must change our thinking To help our losses slow. It isn’t yet enough to say It’s ok to share your woes Because regardless of intentions They won’t put truth on show. So if the signs have made you Call and...
Farewell
The news was expected her time was to close The news stories written of our fine English rose Our thoughts and our thinking said she’d be fine Our long-reigning monarch who stood against time But come the day did on the 8th of September That our Queen had now passed a...
A Name On the Menin Gate
A Name on the Menin Gate He went to war like a lamb My Great Uncle Daniel Blindly walking into the Lion’s Den Did he think it was a lark? Or just happy to play his part A war to end all wars Over by Christmas they said Those with a wise head Opted for safety instead...
Mac and Vera
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What Makes A Man
Once your war is over Once your rifle’s stowed away Once you’re home safe and alive To see another day You’ll stand tall beside your comrades And remember those you’ve lost You’ll burst with pride yet deep inside Your mind will count the cost And you’ll bottle those...
A Poem For Veterans
I wish you could tell them just how you feel about the torment and fear And pain in your heart, about the sadness you felt , not just for yourself but for friends you held dear They were your comrades and you held them close, just when you needed them the most To hear...
Upon Receiving a Wartime Letter of Condolence
The hand that had caressed himNow held a pen she kept for best.When she was a child,she would lose herself,In the cloudy blue grey swirls of its shaft.The words would not come at first.Then hesitantly they arrived.‘much appreciated’; ‘great comfort’;So...
Summers’ End
Slipped dress off plastic hanger felt it’s crisp cotton lightness fingertip touch of buttercups and daises a sash of lilac stroked her sun-kissed skin. Breathed in a new memory of meadow-sweet and cup-cakes and small bare feet, running through warm grass. Folds of...
Passchendaele Mud
I saw a poet drowning in Passchendaele mud head jerked back, gaping mouth blood spouting the hardest composition of his life. I saw a poet struggling to breathe the truth of war; an audience not hearing his epitaph. I saw a poet die in Passchendaele mud tattered pages...
At One With…
Laying down her sketchbook, young artist Freya, knelt by the flower bed musing on her inner thoughts, as ladybird chases aphid through petals and stalks to edge of the world. Soul of earth, in my veins. Alive in nature, never sleeping, resting but never sleeping, I am...
Displacement
In no concept of time my inner song silenced when I was displaced from earthen roots – limb torn... Imbedded now in silted lake bed two thirds submerged waterlogged in depth of darkness... Nightmares , fear of fully drowning brachial artery just breaking surface -...
Taraxacum officinale
Dried I am tea In root I am coffee I cleanse, I purify, restore balance. As wine I am a flavourful tonic; never meant to be the gardeners nemesis but the Chef’s friend tossed in a summer salad garnished with pansies. I am dandelion and when I seed I blow away - in...
On the theme of; It had started out like any other day…
Have you ever met a mouse? I mean really met a mouse a mouse that converses in human tongue. I did once upon a time. I found her in the library peeping out from Lewis Carroll. “Ssshh” she said. “The children are asleep.” I turned from ‘The Old Curiosity Shop’ my...
“Tae a Virus”
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Memories
Here I sit on a lonely park bench, I try hard to forget the shallow, dark trench, I try hard to forget the filth and blood, And the bodies of friends lying in the mud. I try to forget that feeling of fear, As a German patrol drew closer and near, I try hard to forget...
Illusion 2
Multiple colours here are seen Golds and Yellows, Grey and Green Opal Brown and Red as well What it all means is hard to foretell Looking from above at what is seen Could be depicting a fearsome ravine Waters rushing down each side Creating havoc as they collide With...
Demons of the Night
Thoughts go rushing through my head As I sit here and write As another day is ending Once again the fading light I close my eyes for inspiration Looking neither left or right Will I be accompanied By the Princes or Demons of the night I’m searching deep within me Both...
WE REMEMBER.
We Remember. We remember them now gone. Those lives of our farther, sons, mothers, daughters. Sacrifices given in blood, upon a foreign place and murky field. Many have left upon great ships. Returned but a few to tread the streets of dear Blighty once more. Of home....
WHERE MEMORIES SLEEP
In Flanders fields where memories sleep In Flanders fieds where the war has reaped In Flanders fields where war was held In Flanders fields where the troops loudly yelled. When the dogs barked, sniffing out the bombs A ton of troops had already gone you can hear the...
KILLER’S HAND
I’ve tried so hard to understand The thoughts behind a killer’s hand How a young boy filled with hate Can murder, maim - not hesitate To kill his classmates, teacher, friends With no remorse for how it ends And we, society, have no shame By saying that we’re not to...
The Day
Eleven,Eleven,Eleven The Day tolled out, Unheard by those who Toiled wearily on Young and Old....
Remembrance anthology
Humbled to have my poem 'Entrenched am I..' included in the Remembrance Anthology - Worcester Poet Laureate - on this Remembrance Sunday; Please copy and paste this link to see many more worthy poems of remembrance; Scroll down to see my poem....
WINTER CALLS
A chilling wind and threatening sky Both make the daylight hours fly Swirling leaves that dance and play Upon the grass this Autumn day A nippy day for gloves and hat Just say “Hello” don’t stop to chat Then throw your ball and let your dog Enjoy his play before the...
War Poem
“The gunshots be gushing by burst of fire” “after the other with fallen around the darkness of the mud of blood and sheer horrifying sadness of the deepest seas by the longing of screams of our brothers not being able to get to our flowers”. “For what sheer sights of...
To Run With The Hare…
Those wrens that dart there by the tree Could there some deeper meaning be? An allusion that of some truth might seek Of some profound emotion speak. You think that fewer words would do (Was this composed for me, not you.) And, then, again the Muse might come And off...
The Cemetery Poem
A sea of grey What a price to pay A long time has passed, but our memories should last. Rows of the very brave, their lives they gave. They died for us, their bodies lie in the graves today, most still nameless. So wear your poppy with pride, for all those brave men...
A NEW POEM
And even now I sit and dream Not knowing how it might have been Exactly where we two did meet Which hour, which second, on which street Perhaps in summer, spring or fall Or even if we met at all Eventually my dreams of you May one day prove to be untrue
Heritage.
Eyes to the sky and what do we see Another day is well under way Look to the sky and what do we see A blanket of Blue spread before us From here to infinity With clouds below and above Like a scarf gently wrapped around Perfectly placed for the Artist As his...
Lakeside
Sitting by the water at the end of the day I closed my eyes for awhile Thinking of how time was passing by Not noticed by the rank and file Of a society living life as best they might With what seems like the speed of light And here am I sat at the waterside As yet...
Love at Sunset
Gazing into the distance Where the Sky and Ocean seem to meet Twilight wends it’s weary way Another night to greet The daylight fading fast now Blue clouded heaven tinged with gold Creating a perfect background Of a beautiful Sunset to behold Viewed by two young...
Riverside.
As I sit and look at the scene before me In the chill of the evening air Enjoying the peace and tranquillity Without a worry or care Totally entranced by the wonders I see As the details I start to note The calmness of the water in the river Creating an atmosphere so...
Eventide
Settling back at the end of the day At the hush of eventide A stillness o’er the scene before you As though the whole world is pacified All the boats have come to moorings At the end of a busy day From a pastime that gives much pleasure All the sailors well satisfied...
I’ve Welcomed War
Broken battered trenches, and lines of wounded sat on benches, men spluttering and choking as a deadly warning, will we live to see the morning? The air is thick with ghastly stenches, I’ve welcomed war. The gas just loves to hiss and groan, while we’re spluttering...
NO MAN’S LAND
Swans nest where Willows rest As soldiers lay their batons down Weary from the noise and smoke Collapse in heaps upon the ground Sorrow etched on faces black Hell has landed in their brains Peace is lost for soldier Jack He will never be the same Seeing sights, no man...
BRAVE, BRAVE, BOMBER
How easy To leave a bomb on a train How proud You will feel to kill and to maim How brave To leave your mayhem behind Such pleasure To read of the dead , injured, blind Praise Allah You murdered some Kaffir today Men, women, children who got in the way I’ll pray to...
CARLISLE CATHEDRAL
A former officer and former soldier come every Friday to read names from the Book of Remembrance. ‘In honour of fallen comrades- Father, daughter, husband, son Remembered in perpetuum..’ While settling in your chosen seat your own devotions you would keep. As the...
CARAVAN HOLIDAY
CARAVAN HOLIDAY In regimented lines they stand On swathes of once-green farmers land From north to south and west to east Resembling herds of sheep or beast And where the ground is steep to rise Patio doors point to the skies The wooden stiles you loved to climb Are...
MOBILE TELEPHONE BLUES
MOBILE TELEPHONE BLUES In cafes, restaurants and bars On buses, lorries, backs of cars It seems that people can’t leave home Without their personal telephone They’re walking down a busy street Oblivious to all they meet Chins tucked down against their chest As if...
WEDDING AT DALHOUSIE CASTLE
Tattered flags speak of a time long past A coin into a deep well’s cast. That wish for happiness, whatever comes The wheel of fortune ever turns… Though words may be a hollow thing- Love’s promise -bounden by a ring. The Drum Tower where no drumrolls heard- The Crown...
FAILING THE DEAD
One hundred years and still we fail The fallen dead of Passchendaele Who fought a war to end all wars Believing in their righteous cause Yet year on year we fight again Inflicting misery and pain Those Spirits of The First World War Must wonder what their death was...
On Happiness
These words were written in your praise No fireworks, no cannon, no trumpets’ blaze. Though like a queen upon her throne You’ll toast that happiness you’ve known. Though Life may cast a cloud or two Your friends were always there for you. And, come the Autumn of our...
The Firefighter
I'm staring blankly Frankly I'm broken My heart can't be mended Befriended or woken An emptiness consumes me In sorrow I'm soaked My words can't be heard As I'm strangled and choked As tears stripe each cheek With a trail of sadness. My soul is stained black With the...
Lost and Found
I was lost And you found me You walked out of my dreams And into my life And that made all the difference In the world As you entered my life I was all alone in this cruel world And you provided shelter And comfort I did not know what I wanted And you gave me what I...
Imagining End of the World
I saw the four horsemen of the apocalypse Beckoning me to join them on their midnight ride Death, pestilence, plague and war They were ready to ride into the sunset Spreading their hate with them As they led the world to its foretold doom The end days were approaching...
No More Coffee Blues
I love coffee Always have And coffee has loved me back But lately I have sourced on her Soured on the whole coffee scene On the harshness of the morning brew And the promises it makes As I sip of its nectar Drawn into its lair Drinking drop by drop As the caffeine...
The voice of my doom
Walking deep in the woods high above the city near the airport I heard them then saw them hideous black crows looking at me cackling at me laughing at me mocking me calling me names I asked what they wanted they laughed and said nothing but your doom and they flew...
Rapid City No Where
Last summer We drove across the country Just the wife and me 10,000 miles 31 states Three months on the road I now know why people don’t live In South Dakota Hot, dry dusty Windy as hell Black Hills are nice But after seeing Mt. Rushmore There is not much left to do...
Looking Out My Window
I look out my window On the parking lot And see the mad cat That lives underneath the apartment house And look out at the park Thinking of taking a walk The cat looks at me Kindred spirits perhaps Retired waiting to die
Say a Prayer or 2
Say a prayer for those soon to be dead For they will not go home smiling They will not hear the bands, See the celebration or relish the glory Say a prayer for those soon to be dead They will not know the pride felt for them Nor enjoy the freedoms their loss upholds...
QUIET MOMENTS
QUIET MOMENTS I go in quiet moments To sit and be still To a place where the birds Fly over the hill I go in quiet moments To stand and to stare Out over green meadows That harbour the hare I go in quiet moments And let the world pass While I languish and lie In the...
A Few Steps from the Road
I breathe the smell of moistened green Twisting, tangled undergrowth neath Dripping canopy of shadow- light; as Foxgloves pierce through, spear like On single stems of royal bells, deep With nectar for searching bees. A Chiff Chaff greets me repeatedly Calling of its...
Lake Formation/Freedom
Lake Formation Canoes strung in shape of a Spanish Fan unfurled cool down summer’s air Freedom Cast out from lake, rushing over the weir The Vyrnwy runs pure and crystal clear Where oak stands tall and the ash leans o’er Deepened soul of water here runs slower Bathing...
THE SEED WE MUST SOW
THE SEED WE MUST SOW There are so many wars and disputes Over things going back to our roots We fight over small bits of land That are filled with nothing but sand Or mountains both barren and bare With no sign of life anywhere We kill those who would be our foe For...
LIBERTY
LIBERTY Build a house of brick and stone Let it stand for all to see A monument to you alone To you alone and Liberty Set a seed of English oak Let it grow wild and free Strong and stout to evoke To evoke sweet Liberty Free a bird, trapped in a cage Free it for the...
The Ending
When I am gone no more to see, don't be sad for I will be with those I love who are waiting for me. This journey i must take alone, and leave you all behind. Remember all the happy times I keep within my heart. Now let me go, my time on earth is done. No goodbyes, for...
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