Poems

Derwentwater, enveiled in spectral mist Upon whose shores young lovers kissed. Watendlath, perched high above the lakes In quiet contentment morning waits... The beauty of the Lodore Falls Rich pastureland and drystonewalls. Through the Jaws of Borrowdale down road,...

Haweswater's drawn low by the long summer drought Tree-crested Wood Howe stands solitary now. The valley lies bare and untouched by the plough Chapel Bridge bows over a hollow of ground. Deer from Martindale Forest once reived your crops Though many would come, only a...

Seasons are noticed in the countryside Far more than a City or Town As that is where one is nearest to Mother Nature And is seen in the colour of her gown In Winter she may wear a cloak of sheer White With Silver tinges of Frost here and there But this is the time...

They lie, the men who tell us in a loud decisive tone That want is here a stranger, and that misery's unknown; For where the nearest suburb and the city proper meet My window-sill is level with the faces in the street -- Drifting past, drifting past, To the beat of...

At night the harbour became a large canvas, lights from ships and cafe thronged marinas, dancing and quivering in artistic fluency. But towards morning the canvas faded, and once again the harbour became an abstract of fishing boats and buff coloured gulls.

Sleepless in Somalia I think of a woman from the north Her face swimming gently over me like an energetic sea, and her eyes the colour of sunrise penetrate my soul leaving me bleeding love in the midnight sea. Relentless and hungry I follow her lead her lips gentle...

The town that stood upon a hill was seen reflected in a sea that sung ballards to a sleepy beach. Shimmering softly with the night, the streetlights and cafe neons, silently wash gently ashore.

The old man was found on a beach staring blankly out to sea, his forgetful memory trying to retrace his sailor days when he journeyed the oceans with the carefree ambience of youthfulness, and remembered the vibrant deliciousness of yesterday. The sea he knew was a...

They ate flowers and leaves, boiled glue for soup Took on a gaunt and haunted look. The starving children, death all around That constant shelling pound pound pound. The women of Leningrad held the city Would no-one hear their pleas for pity? Their husbands, and sons,...

The first evening star in the heavens to shine Represents your granddad that old love of mine And when you hear thunder crashing way overhead Yes that’s him, your granddad falling right out of bed On birthdays a message in a glass bottle we save We cast it with love...

I see their faces every day Names of strangers to me, Someone’s Father, Brother, Son Why does it have to be? Do they ever feel alone While fighting far away? Do they dream of going home On that bright sad day? Are we grateful to them And do we give them thanks?...

The soldier stood and faced God, Which must always come to pass. He hoped his shoes were shining, Just as brightly as his brass. 'Step forward now, you soldier, How shall I deal with you ? Have you always turned the other cheek ? To My Church have you been true?' The...

The politicians discussed war and decided the fate of unknown soldiers, whilst drinking sweet tea and having lunch at an exclusive restaurant. They laughed and joked at obscurity, whilst for dessert they enjoyed double helpings of backslapping.

The shadows I discovered on a garden wall resembled soldiers from the Great war, escaped from the poppy fields of Northern France. They were dressed to attention with their rifles slung and stood proudly in the wall with military precision. "Thank you for my freedom",...

They stand around the grave of the man who left them early, damp eyed all of them and as grey and chalky as exhaust fumes. It rains quietly, dropping somnolently without fuss and birds watch silently from wet oak limbs. The faceless lower him into the earth and...

The politics don’t matter, the wherefores and the whys, If you’re against the foreign policy, the soldiers shouldn’t be criticised. They joined to serve as best they can, make the world a better place, Defend our nation’ interests, they serve with honour and good...

On a mountainside in southern Spain tall trees in full greenage climbed silently in single file. Marching with military sturdiness like a long forgotten battalion of Republican soldiers, still ceaselessly advancing towards General Franco. Branches swaying in the...

'Their blood is as precious as your blood.' Though, few would deny that truth When it's your life, or their life The message of universal love is of little worth Sinned against -whose cause is just? So much air and so much dust...

Hi “Techie” I thought I’d write a few lines In answer to the touching poem you wrote For the words you chose were informed & with knowledge To outline the concerns that you quote For no man is an Island or so they say To share thoughts and problems is great For not...

Shoulders back, stood tall and proud An officer addresses the new recruits New to battalion, just passed out of training Young soldiers stand quivering in their boots His opening refrain full of cursing and swearing Their first impression of their leader they see A...

Though the stir of drums may play its part Your sacrifice would touch our hearts... Men fought with courage on the ground They made us all feel justly proud. And as they marched off colours high Some would live-and some would die. And those who returned, as the...

It’s not like I’ve not done it before, This isn’t to be my first taste of war, Been collecting medals since before I could vote, Many sandbag stories from which to quote. I tell everyone it’s just like Iraq, And from there I’ve always come back, But this time it’s...

The old oak tree stood alone Shivering, shaking, stripped to the bone Leaves all gone with the autumn air Winds had blown, left him bare. Men had come in the early morn Talk of old wood, new wood to be born Came with their axe came with their saw Strong rubber boots...

Where huntsmen once would sound their horn The River Tay flows gently on. The ancient oak grown gnarled of form Still stands, though, Birnam Wood has gone. How brave Macbeth would come to rue The day his hand King Duncan slew. One day, The Birnam Oak will fall And...

The mighty oak stands tall and firm He towers above them all He is wise and old And the strongest of them all It takes a lot to make a mighty oak fall The pine tree sways back and forth in the wind Bending this way and that His flexibility is his strength As the wind...

Urban breakdown, society in turmoil, we used to live simply, off the working man's toil. Communities stuck together, in good times and bad, Good family values are what we had. Then life became too busy, chasing materialistic ideals, no time to talk to each other; over...

Though artists, and poets, found you worthy of praise By the pull of the lade and the turn of the wheel They would harness your power and your dignity steal. And out children spilled like ants from their hill For they, too, would live to serve Owen's Mill. And if your...

The Rowan stoops to listen to our dreams A red squirrel leaps amongst ivied trees. The weir stands guard over the river's source While waves lap gently on pebbled shores. For ever we will cherish this day The fading wisps of ling; a lonely harebell. The lordly screes,...

How do you know how it feels to be me? There’s a lot more to me than what you see. Have you felt the same hurts and pain? We’ve lived different lives,we are not the same. I’m simply trying to rebuild a life worth having; in this hard world. I’m surviving the trials of...

I stand so small in this big wide world. Looking up to the heavens; stars in vast array. What wonder is this too much to contemplate? Does my life matter in this amazing creation? Where does my destiny lie? Where will it end? How can my mind take in this infinite...

The moonlight bids farewell to day An owl swoops low above its prey. A moth's bedazzled by the light The shadows tiptoe out of night. Within the prison of your mind Your demons will your weakness find. You listen-that sound you hear's A heartbeat pounding out of fear....

In early spring, the crocuses Push their little heads above The winter frozen ground. The daffodils spring forth Extending golden heads to the sun they love. Forsythia and lilacs burst into bloom. The buds of perennials and trees Turn into flowers and leaves with room...

When with the deep sincerity and trust Of youth, I gave my heart, receiving one, Then hopes, ideals, ambitions, all which must Bloom once in human life before the sun Of love's first dream, sprang into blossoms rare And wonderful, tinged with the rosy light Of hidden...

Your lies, deceptions, and conceit Would make the hearts of sinners weep. Not to have entered the reckoning is no bad thing Who aspires to what becomes a king? Though a man may sit upon a throne What true contentment has he known? That trick of gold that is a crown...

Touchline shouting, that's all I ever hear, I'm so confused and filled with fear. I'm only ten years old and football should be fun, But with all this noise I don't know which way to run. "Get back in defence!" my manager shouts. Dad shouts, "Get up front and deal...

Down our street it's ever so neat, You rarely hear the sound of children's feet. Tidy gardens and pretty flowers, No factory chimneys or towers. Commuters who come home in their company cars, That look at us as though we're from mars. We are supposed to be seen and...

No cat dish upon the floor No sniffing the air at outside door No litter tray to wash and clean Not a cat hair to be seen No all seeing eyes lifted in the air Watching us as we get in our chair No gentle leap that does no harm As one black cat jumps on the arm No...

The word is more powerful than the sword The Bible is the Word of God... A wall full of poetry to heal the mind Some simple, others tangled webs of thought. By those who slept in concrete beds Who braved each day without true rest. To kill or be killed, to fight or...

This is my time, I've lived your time, I've found a new rhyme; Time to move, Time to grove, Time to search a new life, Turn my back on this strife. Searching and spinning, Looking and waiting, This is me, moving on, Old life gone. What's on offer? Something new?...

It's the time of year for the family treat, time to leave our little street. Stopped the milk, stopped the papers, don't forget to tell the neighbours. The car is packed to the hilt; it looks as though it's on a tilt. On the motorway in a jam, this is no way to get a...

I do not need to, Strip you naked You did that yourself. I don’t need your finery For even in jeans I’m at ease with myself. Silk does not a person make Nor rags define a tramp It’s in our inner selves Where the truth lies. And your lies, Expose the truth.

Georgie boy is whispering Deep inside his head George Boy is singing Deep inside his head, Georgie Boy is going crazy, Crazy, crazy, crazy, You do when you’re live Your life in the deep. Georgie Boy is sixty and Lives his life underground Out of sight and out of mind,...

The second attempt at crossing failed When we were hit by Bullets, shell and gas, I became a passenger When my legs were taken, I lay in the blood and the mud And cried and cursed with the rest, Then the rain came down And washed away our tears.

The hills are a alive with the Sound of gun fire Screaming boys and radio calls, Whirling blades Create a dust storm, Just another day in Helmond Province. Hello Alpha Charlie, this is Mike Charlie One, over Alpha Charlie send over, Mike Charlie request P1 medevac ,...

Tae be wan aye the poorest wis his lot His proudest brag tae be a Scot. While words wid dance across the page An inner hunger ever raged. Though deemed tae be a man aye note He'd never boast a single groat. And, yet, he wis content -it's said Tae be well-nourished in...

Past Dockray Village the Aira Beck flows To enter Ullswater's Western shores. Cascading down the Aira Force The water rushes on its course. We looked upon your towering height Admired the chimera's dance of light. We paused, a moment, on our way A trout within the...

In Indian file they climb the hill, Then turn, as if, all of one will Then off they wing, to who knows where Though few thoughts truly travel there. Derwentwater sits tranquil and still... A misty, green vale is seen beyond Birds chorus, now,in raucous song. All...

Life's so quick; life's so fast, at this rate will I last? How on earth will I stay sane? Living in the fast lane. Peace of mind I have no more, simple life has gone for sure. Always wanted in constant demand, mobile in car, mobile in hand. No time to talk to an old...

Eight long years ago to-day A lot of people were FORCED to go away, Not for being black or white Just being at the wrong site. He probably laughed ,at what he THINKS is power, As his moron puppets flew into the tower, He had his Andy Warhol fame, His life if any will...

I want to research but I can’t too afraid I’ll find a rant of guns, and dangers, and bombing crews that I never want concerned with you But strong is it hard to be with you so far out over seas So pray for you I must do in hopes of one day seeing you now I can only...

To know that your life could end with one call, one news program, one officer at your door, one heart breaking...mine To know that all it would take is one bomb, one gun, one mechanical malfunction To know all I’d have left is one fishing trip, one basketball game,...

I can't sleep I'm always white as a sheet When ever I think Of where you might be But fight for right You'll always stand Now I just wait for tears For future disappointed fears To drain my doubts of you not returning out

If you should wake to hear I'm dead Regret words spoken, words unsaid. Let every day, for you, be blessed Within the darkness there is rest. We all are slaves to passing time We move a little down the line... What matters most is here and now The dappled sunlight on a...

A Borstal Boy came home one day And found his true love had run away And when he asked the reason why With these words she did reply “If you had chosen an honest life Then I would gladly be your Wife But as you chose a life of Crime Go, Borstal Boy and do your time”...

The weight of time pressing urgent on buried nerve, here, beneath the wave tops pushed high by hidden reef two hundred Viking ships were lost, storm dragged to the sea’s quiet depth where all is peace and shadows from turmoiled war ripple and play, now just colours...

Enlightened within his mind and heart He would great inner truths impart... Although, I've composed a line or two The good ones rank as only few... I'm, truly, proud of just one poem- The one reviewed by Leonard Cohen... And, though, I'm told it wasn't him What...

What selfless courage you have shown Whose comrades died so far from home. When all you hoped to leave behind Would be a constant on your mind. Informing all that you would be What prospects will tomorrow see? The sky, the beauties all around The breath of life with...

I was sold when I was ten To feed my brothers and sisters, My mummy said It had to be that way. They took me to a strange place To the place where the Soldiers slept Where me and Victoria who is my friend Would sell our trinkets and ourselves When I was Ten

They fight for them you know They are important Plastic sheeting and jerrycans, The women scream and scratch The men vicious in their need For biggest the best Of the plastic sheeting They are important for survival you see, The sheeting to protect from the Wind, sand...

A fish that swims in the dark And never sees the light Is a very deep fish indeed.

Hate Love In the end Indifference

Standing in the bakery at four am The smell of freshly baked bread Is mouth watering, Outside the snow is falling, The air freezing, and Soon they will start to arrive To wait in line For their daily bread, No one is left out No one goes without At the bakery.

The winters snow Fell like white tears from heaven as if God himself was crying for St Petersburg, Behind the Barricade The Red Flags Stood strong and proud For all to see The Revolution would go on.

As closer to the rocks we drew The storm in violent tumult grew ... Black cliffs rose high above our heads Their lights had lured us to our deaths. Like demons they were waiting there To strip our sails and timber bare. Soon all would sink beneath the waves Or lie in...

Awaken him you say ? Why ? Is it not better to let him sleep See, he is at rest Peaceful. Better that then his righteous anger His swift and bloody vengeance on those Who would disturb his sleep of eons But be at peace yourself For it will surely come to past That...

He’s a scruffy little kid from Moss Side And he plays for the Moss Side Reds He practices each night By the scrap heap Him and his mates play the game One lots United the other lot City Playing the beautiful game. At school he is not the brightest Some say he’s got an...

They tell me that I have sinned A mortal sin at that For loving her I will suffer Forever in my mind Madness will be my curse All for loving her. The religion of the damned Gave me a light to see That heaven was just a step away From the burning fields of France Where...