Poems
Camels
I’ve studied the habits of beasts of burden The Oxen, Mule , Donkey and Horse But now I’ve researched on a different animal None but the Humble Camel of course Always in evidence since pre Biblical times In Asia, Africa and Australia too As beasts of burden & Human...
Yesterday’s Menu Today
“Twere four” she said, expressing train of thought As I whilst reading ‘Special’ licked my lips “Had ordered more, tho none as yet have brought” (By way of explanation; midst her quips) Upon the board, there mark’d for all to see Twas ‘Liver of the Lambs’ (to grace...
The City of San Buenaventura
I decided to look on the West Coat At California a State of the U S of A To create an image of life there Back to the times of yesterday Ventura was the place that attracted me The City of Buenaventura as it was known Shisholop in Chumach the native town From which...
Winged Coronets
Midst iridescent hue of coal black wings Their oily feathers clipped (whilst hid from sight) Twud seem a tad extreme, in cause of Kings Whose realm may fall (should they perchance take flight) Imagining ‘Beelzebub’ at play Satanic beaks point out from watchful eyes...
THE THREE BROTHERS
A man walked into a saloon at eight o’clock one friday night Went up to the bar and ordered three pints of beer The landlord said “It’s unusual to order three pints of beer for yourself” The man replied “Two are for my brothers who are not here” When the landlord...
Second Sight
Reflected in tired eyes you’ll surely see A timeless gaze encompassing denial Resulting from said prayer and hopeful plea Such weariness of heart thru endless trial Tis true they are the windows of our soul Revealing of emotion and held thought Yet clear becomes...
DAY TRIPPERS
On Skegness golden sandy beach The sea is often out of reach Don’t worry that its out of sight The children still squeal with delight As up and down the beach they run Whether there is rain or sun And after finding that lost sock They all head for the Skegness clock...
STAR-STRUCK DREAMER
Last night I had the dream of dreams Amid the lights and audience screams Had they all come to hear ME sing? Oh no! I stood next to the King Then Elvis smiled that crooked smile And sang “Suspicion” for a while Then “wowed” them with “Heartbreak Hotel” Savouring each...
THE HILLS AND HOLLOWS
Just a-top of green Hall’s Hill We walked in single file Where sunny days gave us a view For mile after mile Through a gate, a stone wall lay Dividing wheat from corn And trees demanding to be climbed Where trousers soon were torn Soft skin was scraped against the...
Sustain my Faith” (I Pray)
To share thy burden is no more than due When facing Man’s uncaring soul this day Within my heart each step I take anew In silence (tho tis hoped your pain convey) So many times I’ve turned the other cheek Whilst praying for such strength I wouldst implore “Sustain my...
What’s that you say?”
“You talkin’ to me?” - “You talkin’ to me?” Repeated now at hearing latest news How could such words in truth, more dreadful be For one whose plans in life ‘at best diffuse’ Twud seem but plaintive plea falls on deaf ears “So much to see, so much to say and do” Pray...
ROYAL WOOTTON BASSETT 2011
Just off the M4 motorway, there's a Wiltshire market town, It's name will be historical, and will wear a Royal Crown, Four years have simply flown, not many weeks pass by, We've not heard of Wootton Bassett, no matter how we try. This all changed spontaneously, four...
A COUNTRY WALK
As we walked down that country lane I felt I would not be the same The two of us were hand in hand Both unaware what fate had planned How innocence had led the way To be together on that day We marvelled at the azure sky As butterflies and birds flew by Our senses...
“Make your Mark”
Cacophony of sound assaults mine ears When e’er our leaders vie to hog limelight No manners they display with hurtful smears By pressing home their party line, through slight In ‘power play’ with thoughts of each opined Tho points are scored (not one will count as...
The Beginning of Civilisation
The Ice Age, the Iron Age and the Bronze Age, Have all contributed to the development of man, But it is still less than six thousand years, When civilisation as we know it first began. Up to that time man had hunted, and collected herbs and berries, What they had to...
AN EARLY START
I woke early in the morning and nothing could be heard But as I listened carefully I could hear the singing of a bird It was the early morning chorus bidding welcome to the day And listening to its singing that bird was heard to say Wake up, wake up everybody the sun...
THE FORGOTTEN ARMY
So they signed a bloody armistice In nineteen-forty-five And the soldiers all came home again Those which were still alive. Our army was in tatters Reduced to very few And the P.M. called the cabinet To see what they should do. Discussions seemed quite endless And...
There flows a sea…
There flows a sea of poppies Down from London tower A sea of red to commemorate The 11th month,11th day and 11th hour. So many lives lost Both young and not so old To give us the freedom we have today Their stories should be told. The young man who lied about his age...
Ordinary Wife
I often turn back time in my head And ponder would I still follow where you led To your parallel universe where nothing is as it seems It belongs in either nightmares or sweet dreams In a candy floss universe or a demon inhabited domain Chocolates and champagne or...
PROCRASTINATION
Oh dear, she thought, as she lay in bed. Ihave a busy day ahead. I should get up and have a shower, but think i'll have another hour, Finally, she got out of bed, looked at the jobs that lay ahead. And promptly she went back to bed.
MY LOVE
Now old and stooped, his hair now grey, the years has taken his looks away. How handsome he was when he was young, girls flocked around him in a throng. I thought he would never notice me, but then he turned and smiled. I felt in a trance, when he asked me to dance....
Betrayal
He packed his bag,and was to leave, I love another, he had said, and she means the world to me. I watched him as he drove away, no tears were shed by me. At last i had my freedom back, to do just as i pleased. Another woman has him now. I'm glad he's not with me
Born Again
Your the angel in my darkness The void that fills my hole Your The every beat that pumps my heart The meaning to my soul Your eyes see good that lies beneath The tainted skin above Your the Noah to my ark The relaser of my dove You woke me up to taste my dreams...
GROWING OLD
How did i get this old she thought, staring in the mirror on the wall. I used to be quite pretty in my day, so long ago and far away.That lined old face had seen so much of life you see, good, bad and sometimes sad, it all came flooding back to me.The years had seemed...
Happiness
The sun shone brightly in the sky. Snow all gone, and winter done. The smell of perfume in the air, beautiful flowers everywhere. How great to be alive on this glorious day, she thought as she walked along her way
THEY DIED FOR US TO LIVE
Now in silent rows they lay, no more to see the break of day, in foreign fields so far away. No more for them, the battle done, guns now silent, and all as one. Husbands, Fathers, Sons, a generation lost for ever, but forgotten never. Sleep tight you warriors brave,...
The Little House
I looked around the little house, now all quiet and bare, I had spent my childhood there, Mum, Dad, siblings three, so many memories coming back to me. I looked at the garden, now so bare, beautiful flowers had once grown there. I took one look around the house that...
I THINK IT’S JUST ONE OF THOSE DAYS!
Today when I woke I was sore My back can not take any more My shoulders and arms will not raise Oh its gunna one of those days!... This morning I get in my car Key turns but the engine wont start Now on the phone to AA Oh I think its just one of those days!... Finally...
War Casualty?
Is it the battlefield or is it in the kitchen At the sink staring out of the window Is it the spare room the no man’s land Is it she crying silently into the pillow With the noise of battle coming from Her husband’s rantings in the living room Is it the banging of the...
The Note
Duty called today – So I’m sorry I won’t make it to dinner tonight. Kiss the kids goodnight for me and tell them I am sad that I can’t be there to tuck them in. I won’t be there for the parent’s night either. I hope it goes well. Send my apologies to the Browns but if...
Intelligence & Authority
I have no right to say no, Make sure you are right to say go. So, apply your intelligence, So you can use your authority, To do what is right. Don’t lie about intelligence, So you can abuse your authority, To use your might.
Four Ten Thousandths of One Percent
I don’t want you to remember me every day of the year I don’t intend that your life is impacted I don’t hope you spend more time thinking of me then your loved ones I don’t crave a reminder on every street Please enjoy your freedom Discover new passions Laugh at...
He Turned Into a Monument
With sad eyes I gaze down upon my comrades. I see them everywhere. A hospital bed plays host to a friend in a coma, or worse awake, but immobile. Fixed to the bed like a monolith encased in its foundations. Still. Maybe they lie in the soil. Grave after grave. Line...
Two Minutes
The time it took me to bleed to death at Vimy. How long I had to hold my comrade while he died on Juno. The time for my compartment to fill with water as we sank in the Atlantic. How long my plane could glide before impact over Korea. Amputation time for my leg in...
Spring
A poem of spring we were asked to write But when I tried I became wound up tight. Does it mean green shoots on trees gently rippling on the breeze As I wonder , struggle and toil The mysteries of the helicoil does it mean some curly steel Round and round just like a...
Shaped in Silence
Tho lips are sealed, my quill expresses doubt In stating facts without consent from me Thoughts unintended vie to have their shout A case of not to be (and then to be) Tis truth they say, that cannot be denied Which spills upon the parchment come what may If then...
LLAP (Mr Spock)
As fascinating as my time has been My thirst for knowledge cannot be denied I journey on to what still lies unseen Perchance a place where logic is applied Infinity now beckons from afar Whilst I wish prosper and long life to all By ‘beaming up’ I search out yonder...
THE ROBIN
Little bird on snow-topped fence Hoping that the snow relents To let him find a worm or crumb Perhaps some cheese, to fill his tum How cruel the winter’s biting chill Preventing him to get his fill Of tasty morsels, hidden ‘neath, The frozen ground on hill and heath...
Caring Quills
Tis grateful thanks I wish to proffer here To whomsoever doth enrich my heart By way of inspiration held sincere Which then through words, hath chosen to impart When e’er our life’s embroiled in anxious phase Twud be of some concern if left alone In facing up to...
SUPERSTITIONS
Are you a person who believes in superstitions, Or one who believes every “old wives” tales you hear, If you do you are not a very rational thinker, Which could cause you many moments filled with fear. Superstition has been defined as a false worship or religion, An...
THOUGHTS IN THE AFTERNOON
I lay back in my deck chair and looked up into the sky, I was fascinated by the clouds as they went on rolling by, In my reverie I was transported to a land across the sea, To a far off place I thought I would like to be. In my heart I landed on a foreign shore, A...
HEARTS OF OAK
As I watched the sapling grow into a mighty tree I was drawn to reflect on our country’s history Its forebears had provided the wood to build our ”Men of War” Which had done so much in the defence of our shore The ”Men of War” sailed out to meet the foe To the roars...
A SAD STORY
Three cats decided to swim the English Channel Setting off from Calais and hoping to land at Beachy Head But I have a sad story to tell you For I must report that all the cats ore now dead They had entered the water at Calais They were numbered one, two and three But...
“Here be Poets”
If ever I must sing as poets do Twud be as greetings sent across the sea Perchance of finding one who’s also true To art form deem’d “to be or not to be” Thru metaphoric post we could convey Held hopes and dreams as scribed by our own hands Eliciting response I’d...
THE JOURNEY
Every journey that we make ca be divided into three, The first part being when set out with hope and anticipation, The second part is our continued progress on the way, The third part is when we reach our destination. The first step we take on our journey is...
MY TOY
When I was just a little boy I had a violin for a toy There were no strings on the violin But I used to hold it under my chin Draw the bow across where the strings should be And play an imaginary melody I dreamt that I could be a violin virtuoso And decided that I...
NATIONAL LIBRARY FOR THE BLIND
NATIONAL LIBRARY FOR THE BLIND I have just received an appeal from the N.I.B Asking for money to provide books for those who cannot see And whilst I have every sympathy with the plea I ask myself why they have to rely on my generosity For we live in a country claiming...
The White Beret
We’re moored alongside the jetty And the Captain’s just come aboard A quick last look at the dockside Is all that we can afford As the Skipper calls to the crew “let go fore’ard” & “let go aft “as well It’s the start of another voyage Which may take us to edge of hell...
THE ROAD TO LIFE
A path with no obstacles can lead to nowhere, At least not to any place that is worthwhile, The road that can lead you to somewhere special, Is often blocked by many a stile. The road which leads to nowhere is wide open, Is one down which many people choose to go, But...
THE PROBLEMS OF LONELINESS
In my dream I was traveling on a journey to the moon, I had set off yesterday, and would be landing fairly soon, The object was to escape from the problems surrounding me, Which I hoped would be washed away in the Sea of Tranquillity. I know there would be no-one...
I Know There Is A Heaven
We came upon the wispy trees, and smelt the golden flowers. Then walked beside the babbling brook, and laughed for hours and hours. My heart my sweet her love for me was tender and was ours. Again we laughed and walked along, again we smelt the flowers. Then my...
Green to Gold
Oh! to see the leaves of Autumn Colours changing from green to Gold There before you a beautiful picture Waiting just for us all to behold Heavy dew each morning Dampness about us everywhere Chilly is the atmosphere Here in the morning air Looking around the garden...
Seas of the Dead and of the Living
His daughter holds close The Arctic Star Gleaming new With bright ribbon, Conjecturing. Roaring night embraces Each shuddering hulk Battling to the death A fearsome, screaming ice Now beckoning. No lessening of the dread Hunting and pummelling And surrendering Unto...
Singly And By Multitude The Poppies Come
On finding you Standing proud A single, scarlet poppy Quite ceramic Not waving At the loving crowd Who come but tenderly In droves, remembering With inward tears Lost youth The splintered age Still jabbing accusation At such monstrous waste Of precious souls. Today...
AT A CROSS IN FRANCE
When the fields were full of buttercups And the hedge with hawthorn gay We passed a little wayside shrine On a golden morn in May. I turned to see the Christ who hung On the cross as the men marched by And I looked on one who was fair and young Dear God! How young to...
We Remember
Year after year Month after month Day after day Hour after hour Bullet after bullet Shell after shell Soldier after soldier Brother after brother We remember their sacrifice We remember their names We remember the war We must remember, never again!
“Now you see him, now…….”
“Now you see him, now.......” Where earth doth bind his bones beneath my feet No more to see the precious light of day He lies alone; no stone with words to greet No cross which marks; nor message to convey Anonymous in death was last request No wish for friends to...
The Simplest Mind
Oh how pure the simplest mind... No evil seeds or sins intertwined.. Thoughts are so pure, intentions so true... All that it seeks, is your love from you. Some might say its one slice too short.. But when did you ever think of its thoughts?.. One minute that’s lived,...
Left Behind
Because you left so suddenly And we are left behind The only sound we hear today In our collective mind Is Hearts, still beating, though they’re broken Because we didn’t get the chance To tell you when we could We who are left must silently Repeat the words we should...
“The Beagle Had Landed”
Whilst Earth years passed, didst bear this muzzled stance Aware that all were in it for long haul No yelping sounds across yon vast expanse Yet ‘barking mad’ may be my first heard call For I’ve been lost a decade now (or more) Deployed in search for signs of life on...
IN THE NAME OF GOD
Praise be to God I murdered yesterday All those non-believers Who dared get in my way In His glorious name Those people that I kill Really do not matter It is my Master’s will God He is so good He gives me strength to slay To spread His word of love It is the only way...
‘Our’ Bridge (So far)
At night the sight fair takes your breath away Tis ‘Albert’s Bridge’ as titled long ago Tho oft repaired (resulting from survey) Fragility creates its own tableau A tremble was detected ‘twixt four piers When overuse did take its toll (both ends) With redesign...
Be Mused (again) (In memory of friends now passed)
Will we remember life, when passing on? Or does it mark the end of conscious thought I’ve often pondered friends (now sadly gone) Through ‘Prayer and Plea’ (such answers have I sought) Do they perceive existence as lived out? Awareness of our each and every move...
The Whirlitzer, on Remembrance Sunday, 2014.
Round and round, the horses go, dizzily, breathlessly, taking me with them, Sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes high, sometimes low. The barrel-organ music plays a jolly tune, but a discordant sound to my ears. I step down from off the merry-go-round and sit, on...
The Somme
All the peace had turned to madness Christmas day was done and gone There'd be no more football matches On the land they called the Somme Men shared life with rats Made tea both black and strong For It was a long hard cold winter In that place they called the Somme...
“Tar very much”
Beyond the lapping reach of watermark I stroll’d upon the sands and scrunch’d my toes Where flotsam chose this morn to disembark In ridding self from life of ebbs and flows I chanced to see a shape which shipped ashore From whence it came, one can but only dream...
Rekindle the Flame
Bereft of friends and neighbours to enquire How cruel is life when left to linger on In huddled form; stoked embers for a fire With scuttle short of coal (to put upon) Alone she sits and dreams of days gone by Of gatherings with loved ones ‘round the tree Such joyful...
Sweet Continuance
Tis joy which thou hath wrought from clay this day Creating with own hands, so fair of heart Whose scent assaults the senses (as bouquet) In image framed, twud deem true work of art With eyes dilating at each vision spied Neath furrowed brow, whilst focusing on form A...
Another World in Which to Sing – (for the Children of Peshawar)
As feathered friend didst fall from chosen bough In crumpled heap; no more to trill sweet sound I wondered of a world ‘neath Farmer’s plough With life bereft of song (still’d underground) No more “t-wit, t-woo” twill fill the night No more dawn chorus greets attentive...
Death of the Innocents
How brave do you have to be To murder children at school? Does Allah really approve? Does death make you look cool? ”Those children were really to blame It was so important to kill They were taught in the ways of the west You know that was not Allah’s will” ”Spray...
Poppy Poem
Men falling Wounded crawling Guns fire Bang Bang Bombs drop Bang Bang Nine million dead Some in a hospital bed Poppies blow row by row
Brave
Damn clock, Seems to tick down loud, My heart stops, At the doorstep feeling proud, You’re scared, But you cover your trembling hands, I’ve left, A letter in your bag, To glow bright, For when it gets too bad, Wish I, Could be as close as the words on the page. To...
IN TUNE THIS CHRISTMAS
So here it is Merry Christmas The season to be jolly Sleigh bells ringing down the lane Halls all decked with holly A frosty snowman on the green Wears scarf and battered trilby He looks like he could dance around If not just now - he will be A star shines brightly in...
Happy Christmas Eve
Christmas eve And lights are flashing All around are people dashing Home from work Through falling snow To settle down By firelight’s glow Later on Some of them mingle With their kids At church Christingle Children then Will go to bed Waiting for The man in red With...
PALE WINTER SUN
The rain had stopped. Its incessant drumming Now a dull memory As the low winter sun Cut through the dark grey clouds And lit the lingering mist It wasn’t warm. A cooling wind still blew Moving the piles of leaves First this way and then, that Yet still I blessed the...
SILENT TEARS
She nursed him through that night Watched his lips twitch Heard the obscenities Saw the fear in his restless eyes She was there with him As he re-lived the horrors Of battle and death Witnessed his pain As he felt the bomb-blast Over and over again She held his...
Words from the missing
As day breaks through wind and rain We form a line on rough terrain To face a foe we'll never know, we will fall and die where poppies now grow. Remember us the chosen ones The lads the dads and someone's sons Be not sad just be glad Knowing we gave all we had. As you...
Remembrance
Every poppy is a person, Every poppy is a man, Almost all are under thirty, Death, not their intended plan. Every poppy is a person, Which one ‘s Sam?, They look the same, Each red poppy head blown open, All alike, but each alone. Every poppy stands unmoving, Stalk...
A Moat of Poppies
A moat of red, lives spent and gone Poppies salute in the midday sun. Standing proud and full of life Remembering those who died in strife. Voices whisper in their midst Of loved ones wanting to be kissed. Not forgotten life must go on They are the rock that we stand...
ELEVEN ELEVEN
Yesterday I thought back to the week I spent away. A week in which I had a wreath of poppies I had to lay. I was there to remember a lady, who had sacrificed her life, A wonderful, loving mother, my soul mate and my wife. Before that Sunday morning, I had some time to...
THE GREAT WAR
One hundred years ago may seem a very long time to some, In fact, one hundred years ago was the Battle of the Somme. The men of our country signed up willingly to lend a hand, Not knowing this would be their Death Certificate as they headed for No Mans Land. Why did...
Our Silent tribute
At 11am the nation stood still To honour, recall and remember A silent and static emotional thrill As always this day in November. Our site all stood still on the nineteenth floor Remembering every soldier In respect of our relatives and many more 75 of us shoulder to...
A Soldiers Promise
A mother and son sit at home, Whilst a fine young man is out to roam, Before he left was blessed and kissed, And reassured he will be missed, Once he'd said his final goodbye, He said come here my son don't cry, Now make me proud, just watch and learn, This isn't the...
Memorial Day
The determined soldiers were extremely brave But now they lie in love in their grave. The injured fighters are in our memory Whilst they rest deep in a cemetery. The soldiers showed us good, Sadly we knew they had to shed blood.
I Wasn’t There
I wasn't there to feel your pain To watch you lie in mud and rain I cant imagine what you saw How you wished for home I am sure There is no way I can ever know How often you let your tears flow To think of what you gave inside I wear my poppy, wear it with pride I...
As bullets blow poppies grow
What the poppies are for. As bullets blow poppies grow, Disturbed ground lies row on row. In No Man’s land the poppies burn, Machines will fire and the ground will churn. Kneel down get on your knees, Don’t worry about the mud and flees. Pray for those who fought in...
BATTLE OF BRITAIN
The drone of the aircraft Flying over our shore Was a regular sound During the Second World War. Though, our brave young men Had other thoughts, As they gave their lives In the battles fought. “Scramble” rang out Round the South East’s fields; Men took to the skies…...
FAR FROM HOME
Please donate a gift for our troops abroad, Just something small…something you can afford. A comb, or toothbrush, or bar of soap, To boost morale, and offer some hope. Marooned at Christmas, far from home, In a war torn battle zone; No home comforts, close to touch,...
THE POPPY
The genus Papava, in a field of swaying corn, Vivid against the ripened gold; Or scattered randomly, along the hedgerows, Petals at risk from the morning cold. Symbolic of the gallant fighting forces Alone, in the mud bogged trenches, These scarlet heads sway in...
OUR BOYS
In muddy trenches, amid putrid stenches, Lost, in some foreign field; With enormous pack, strapped on tired back, Our brave young boys were killed. With just a rifle, they tried to stifle, Onslaught, from the opposition; With bullets flying, they never stopped trying...
I Am A Soldier
I am a soldier who joined the forces I am a soldier with many voices I am a soldier who went to fight I am a soldier who fell at night I am a soldier so proud and brave I am a soldier don't weep at my grave We are all soldiers remember us all Remember the ones who...
Centenary Poem
I wear this poppy on my chest To remember those who lay to rest Coloured red like the blood; tragically spilled Of thousands of men; mercilessly killed But for their country was how they died And today I wear this flower with pride The leaf angled to the eleventh hour...
Men at war
Stomp-stomp! Stomp-stomp! The moonlit sky filled with smoke, Where bullet after bullet made men scream. The heart of evil coldness from clouds above, Circled the men at war. The blood pounded on the ground like an angry dog, As skeletons rattled all rotten. Corpse...
Flanders Field
As I look across the field I see the blood red carpet, As petals sway in the mid-day sun Listen to their attractive sound. As I run through the field, I feel their warm velvet petals Brush against my bare – skin. In my soul I remember the men, Brave and muddy. I still...
NEVER FORGET…
The meandering Thames flows through the cities midst, Lapping gently against the shore. Beside Tower Bridge, in the castle’s moat, A commemoration to lives, lost in the harshest of wars. It is one hundred years since the start of the conflict, And the four year long...
BATTLE WEARY
Khaki clad men ran, stooped, through the trenches maze; Avoiding shells, that aimed to end their days; Through mud and muck, and rat infestation, Past shrieking comrades, fallen, with no sedation. Weapons carried, ready to fire, When called upon, from their rancid...
SACRIFICE
SACRIFICE Boots and tunics clogged,with clinging mud, Comrade’s bodies, falling with devastating thud. Amid the acrid, stomach churning stenches, Brave young men, fought from the trenches. Rifles loaded, ready to fight, They guarded their lines, with all their might....
You died in 1916
You died in 1916 Was your death quick and clean? Was your death slow and painful? Did you think the war will end wars? Well you were wrong my pal! A lot of people probably loved you. Did you have memories of your family? Did they have memories of you? I hope you sleep...
In The War
As 11 o' clock strikes the field is full of silence. No-one surrounding me I want to go back home I can't, the dead are stopping me. Now that I'm alone I don't feel so brave I want to turn around but I don't feel strong enough, but I don't feel brave enough Can I sit...
Do You Know The Trenches?
The Trenches with their banks of mud and rotten wood, Barbed wire stained and rusted With the blood of the innocent, Trembles with the vibration of fresh explosions. Then there’s the mud, Churned up by wave after agonising wave of shellfire, And torrential rain. Men...
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