Poems

In the darkness I would take... Sunlight glistening in a crystal pool A maharaja’s princely jewel Peacocks’ tails enwrapped in silk A cow called, Daisy, whom I’d milk That bounden promise few men keep A feathered bed where I might sleep. Into the darkness I would...

The age of maturity has now come We celebrate you are Twenty One. Edacious Time consumes our dreams Nothing’s as constant as it seems. To gather from the fruited-thorn You wait the coming of the dawn Opening your heart to Life’s sweet song. Now- like the cat that got...

Back in the day when facts were hard to find He was a “Fount of knowledge” close to hand When “Breaking news” was gossip of a kind Old “Ossie” shared his own more healthy brand To worldly types, a local character Who was to them, a fixture in ‘The Bar’ In feigned...

‘Portcullis’ doth no longer bar the way Where history abounds, connection’s made ‘Neath thoroughfare, I ventured forth this day As ‘Guido Fawkes’ concocting some charade ‘Great Hall’ bade welcome to my walk through time In tracing steps of Kings and Queens consigned...

Now I’m not the brightest No glib conversation But I dislike a phrase That’s sweeping the nation When a presenter asks If this thing or that Has made any difference In a program chit- chat Then up comes the answer That fills me with rage From the interviewee Who tries...

The world is my oyster But I still long to be In a quiet English garden ”Neath a big leafy tree Now Rome has its tourists With its long history But cool English gardens Are much lovelier to me I’ve seen Rome and Venice (Though never Capri) I’ve seen all the sights...

The poems always come to me or I feel so. I usually turn away, pretending to be busy. It is as though they hide at nooks and corners waiting to turn up as soon as I come. The longer I turn away, the more they arrive one after the other in torn clothes like mendicants,...

Rolling waves crash towards the shore Lowering their heads like charging bulls Losing momentum with the drag of the shingle, They dissipate; falling back against the angle Weakening their diminishing strength On the pebbled shore, two siblings, Test their wits at the...

Tick, tock! The clock starts ticking We’re born, we live and we die Each of following our chosen path Until our time is nigh Tick, tock! We have the power within ourselves To choose which path to take And to guide us, a guardian Angel To help us learn from our...

The old horse and tumble have long gone The Little Grey Fergie croons its sweet song... The rigid Old Order. Head Horse, Second Horse. Fleets of hay. Two hours to bait a horse. Braided tails, burnished-brass trappings. Coats polished to a glossy shine. Ostlers,...

The whitecaps are raging on Newfoundland's shores, The ship is awaiting the Motherland's call, Dark clouds are looming and wild the wind roars, The mighty Atlantic's challenge once more, Sailors are bidding their loved ones farewell, Out from the harbour and into the...

The mason took his mallet and chiseled into stone, The name of my Grandfather – a man I'd never known. His grave is somewhere over there beside the River Somme, His picture hangs above the fire in my Grandmother's home. And silent in the city square a cenotaph does...

Where are you now, my gentle giant? Friend of my childhood, my brave standard bearer. I remember so well the battles we fought. Waterloo, Inkerman, Ladysmith. We were so brave. You carried me, reigns held taught. The Red Dragon of Wales, our standard proclaiming....

My dreams, of late, are vivid. I wouldn’t call them nightmares, But I don’t enjoy them And wish I didn’t have them. I swim under water And when I touch the bottom I push to surface; when I’m there I wake up as I gasp for air. Or I drive on a motorway, Hurrying to...

Meatballs, mashed potatoes, peas; Simple food designed to please, Topped with gravy, so you feel That you have had a decent meal; With fruit and squash to wash it down There’s no better food in town. Cooked with love and served with care, It’s the best grub...

He shuffled along the dusty road As though he were late for school His lip trembled slightly, he seemed close to tears Had he been found out breaking the rules? He looked very worried, as onward he went, His eyes shifted left, and then right Was he late? Well he could...

I’m strangely feeling rough tonight From toiling in the bright sunlight Digging trenches ain’t much fun When you’ve just turned seventy-one Fetching barrow-loads of gravel Has made my body just un-ravel The constant use of concrete-mixer Means I need a back-bone fixer...

Standing here ‘neath a darkening sky Yet another day nearing it’s end Here in the heart of the countryside Where a horse can be a man’s best friend But here we see not one , two or three But nine horses as in a team they work Pulling a cart with a heavy load Hard...

Fitzwalter was her given name as born A Lady who was schooled in gentle ways Her Father was to ‘Richard’ as forsworn Engaged o’er foreign fields in ‘Crusade’ days Whilst ‘Lionheart’ didst fight with Saladin His ‘Brother John’ usurped authority Once green and pleasant...

Once studied at Sorbonne midst hardships reign In betterment of self and world at large Still then to find her way, tho’ sharp of brain Of Pater’s love, such hopes she’d yet discharge Producing works of Art to feed and clothe When loss of bearings sparked initial...

I spied a glistened heart shaped shell, when lapped by oceans ebb and flow Its movement ‘twixt the strands of kelp caressed my sole as I strolled by With many more ahead if I should wish to choose afore I go Yet once again my gaze was drawn to loving form which caught...

‘Nursery of Giants’ on sun baked sub-Saharan plains In tangled mass of neck and legs, this shadowed calf inhales of life Membrane birth of cradle sac upon Savannah floor drops down Licked clean away by rasping tongue, no trace of scent for predator Splayed of stilted...

As I stand looking in the mirror Who is it that I see? For I no longer recognise The person reflected back at me Naturally my youthful glow Has long since passed with age And the silver streaks in my thinning hair Are somewhat kind of vintage I’ve not yet reached the...

From Hampton Court down to ‘The Tower’ by Royal Appointment heads did roll Through 'Traitors’ Gate' they disappeared when viewed from riverside, ‘No More’ To meet untimely fate when fixed beneath the Ravens deadly stare Yon’ personage of highest blood and office met...

Gillian sits at her table A colouring pen in her hand Filling in blanks on a picture Transforming something so bland She carefully keeps to the edges Choosing each colour with care Red for a cluster of roses Yellow for daffodils there Whilst people around her are...

I got to say that this one’s hard for me You’ve got me thinking like way out, out of my tree I was believin’ till my thoughts ran aground How can I read you when all quaint, profound and I Get to a comma and it’s tough to call Words could mean everything, or just be...

I sat upon the well-worn steps The organist played- as if for me The world complete in harmony... Though growing cold the sun would shine And Life, it seemed, a thing sublime. The gathering silence in the wall An ominous darkness comes to fall. ‘The body of a young...

Children rely on their parents To nurture them as they grow Providing them with all they need That’s the way life goes From babes in arms to stroppy teenagers All the years in between Parents do what they must do To fulfil their children’s needs They continue on the...

It has been suggested That I reimburse the Government The cost of my free bus pass And winter fuel allowance Because I have sufficient Not to need these benefits. Well, I suggest that Duncan Smith Shoves a Dunkin’ Donut In his mouth to keep it shut And suffers...

If you try to think of the Universe And the Planet on which we live Various thoughts will come to mind And opinions varied you may give The solar system is quite complex With a mixture Asteroids Comets and such Along with the floating Metorites Tho nobody considers...

Two lives entwined as tho in one The common factor is love Two hearts beating with desire As tho designed from heaven above Sudddenly a rift has appeared before them Could this possibly tear them apart Neither knowing the reason why One may be left with a broken heart...

Where would we be without friends? Completely lost I’d say Why you ask, do I say that? Well, let me tell you, my way I’ve been blessed with many friends Of which I can proudly boast For each one has a special place When I need them most I have friends to share my...

A remember when a wus young Not sae choosy then as a’ve become Checkin’ bands and Barbie clones Downed a few warm Bevy’s, had nae girl o’ my own Then the biggest ‘chick’ around our block Did her “Thang,” in a pair o' plastic Croc’s Whilst thae other girls were dancing...

He flew across the stage in leaps and bounds Performed ‘En Pointe’ a feat so rarely seen Interpreting through dance, composers sounds Remarked upon as “Greatest ever been” Aged nine he joined the Ballet world’s elite No ‘Corps de ballet’ hopes would he convey With...

She wore her coat of many colours with sensual and proud aplomb Threw on her simple print cotton gown of French Rose and headed for the bathroom Emerging freshly showered in creamy Honeysuckle White She let slip the Paris Green and in the reflection of Silver saw the...

The miles may have parted us; True, I do not see you every day, For this war has taken me away. But know this: That borders and time differences cannot stand in the way Of my heart and how it feels about you. Love always finds its way. All my waking moments are filled...

Those Army boots look too big for you, But then again, I have always thought that. With your big blues eyes just visible from under your Officer's hat. Joining up was all you ever wanted to do, I knew it all along. 'Soldiers' being our favourite game-of course we...

How many people's funerals Will I attend before I die? And I'll say they were lovely guys As they are lowered in their graves. It's what you do in public When you're frightened to make waves. I understand it's dangerous To say bad things about the dead. They could...

Have you ever sat back and thought Of who you would like to be If changes were to be made to your life With a different identity ‘tis said you are what you are in this world Perfectly plain to see But given the chance to alter that Just who would you like to be Would...

History is made in many forms Not known to one and all Some of the facts are documented Others older persons recall A conflict that is ever in my mind Well past my Service time When the biggest Armada since World War 2 Left the U K shores for the South Atlantic clime...

It starts with just the one And that’s not a problem In fact it’s quite fun Then it’s “just the two” Still it’s not too bad But it clouds your view May as well drink the bottle Feelings now unfeeling Rearing to go in full throttle Moving up another gear What’s the...

I’ve seen it all, men come and go, I’ve seen fresh track marks in the snow, I’ve seen the charcoal black of night, I’ve seen the lonely bird in flight, I’ve seen men live and seen them die, I’ve heard them scream and heard them cry. I’ve seen men march, I’ve seen them...

Bring me sunset in a cup That I may drink its pleasure Taste its sweetness and its fire And know a love beyond measure of poppies flocked in golden wheat In the dying blood of the sun Bringing me consolation Bring me the moon on a saucer That I may lap its treasure...

My huddled form against the night, reclines atop park bench In threadbare clothes which ne’er hold heat and catch on splintered frame With conscience pricked by memory of what was once, now hath become As truth engages with my lips to speak of me unkind ‘Though clang...

I’d wake up to bird song. We had no double glazing To cut out all the noise. But then it didn’t matter; There wasn’t so much traffic Grinding in our streets. There wasn’t central heating. In winter it was freezing. We would all wear dressing gowns, Beds were topped...