Down Through The Years- A Collection of Poetry

Chris Campbell

Down Through the Years

A Collection of Poetry

Table of Contents

1 A Thousand Years

2 Wishes

3 Breaking Up

4 Autumn

5 Broken

6 Don`t Give Up

7 Winter

8 The Coming Of Spring

9 Bonfire Night

10 Leaving

11 Halloween

12 Nightmare

13 Summer

14 Angel

15 Forest Fire

16 Reign Of Terror

17 White Christmas

18 Coast

19 Steam Fair

20 Demon Voices

21 Jail

22 Freedom Bus

23 The Transcontinental

24 Reflections

25 Rain

26 The Final Apocalypse

27 New Beginnings

28 The Haulier

29 The Dark Dog

30 Illuminations

31 Reminiscing

32 Nostalgia

33 Valentines

34 Unhappy Memories

35 The Devils Playground

36 Spring Flowers

37 The Beast From The East

38 New Girl In Town

39 Blizzard

40 Heroes

41 The Moor

42 Circus

43 Easter

44 Egypt 1951

45 Blossom

46 Fog

47 The Games

48 Steeplechase

49 Kernow

50 The Social Club

51 Rescue

52 Modern Britain

53 Bluebell Woods

54 Typhoo

55 Blue Watch

56 Dragon

57 The Dalesman

58 Drought

59 Storm

60 Fibro

61 Homeless

62 Tyrol

63 Hurricane

64 The Big C

65 The Studios

66 Bells

67 Forefathers Memories

68 Trenches

69 Daily Fix

70 Philosophy

71 Harbours

72 Snowflakes

73 Lifeboat

74 Leaves

75 Christmas Shopping

76 End of Year

77 Baubles

78 Foot Girl

79 Khan

80 River

Chris Campbell is a retired professional driver and lives near Portsmouth in Southern England. He has been writing short stories and novels for a little over four years since retiring and more recently, poetry. This collection of eighty poems, have all been written over the past eighteen months since mid-2017. He has some novels published on Inkitt.com, search for ChrisCampbell66 on there, and he also has a Face Book page, Chris Campbell – Author, where you will find synopsises of all his work. Some of the poems in this book have been published, three of which are appearing in a new book published by Poetry Space entitled “Across The Page – A Collection of Poetry” which comes out at the end of January 2019. There are also published works, poetry and prose in local papers and other writing magazines.

1

A Thousand Years

We`ve known each other for a thousand years,

In a different time and place,

Our souls keep seeking each other,

All down through the years,

But the question is,

Will you love me forever,

As we journey on together.

Our bodies may die but our souls live on,

And destiny decreed,

That we were meant for each other,

To be together for eternity,

But the question is,

Will you love me forever,

As we journey on together.

In all our previous lives,

We`ve been with other people,

So we`ve never fulfilled our destiny,

Of being together for ever,

The time maybe coming,

When all that is behind us,

But the question is,

Will you love me forever,

As we give in to our fate.

2

Wishes

When pain stops me sleeping,

I`ll be sitting on my own in the dark,

Dreaming and thinking about you.

Twitching limbs and aches may stop me sleeping,

But it doesn`t stop me dreaming.

Wishing we weren`t so far apart,

Wishing you were by my side,

Wishing I could call you mine,

Even for a short time.

We may not have really met,

But I feel I know you as if we`ve never been apart,

I love the pictures that you send,

And the stories you relate,

And wish we were side by side,

Going through our lives together,

Without a care,

Just you and me.

Wishing and hoping,

That one day we`ll be as one,

Don`t know where or when,

Think our time is near.

Wishing that you felt the same,

So looking forward to our time,

Wishing and hoping,

Never giving up

As the dawn approaches,

And signals another day,

My night dreams give way to daydreams,

As I wait in vain for your call,

Telling me the time is right,

For dreams to become real,

Wishing and hoping the time will fly,

Until you`re in my arms never more to part,

Wishing I could call you mine,

Not just for a while.

3

Breaking Up

When you wake up in the morning,

I`ll be gone,

I`ll be far, far away by then,

It`s plain for me to see,

I don`t belong here anymore.

I`ve known this for a long time,

But doing it was hard,

Now I`ve found the courage,

I`ll be on my way,

To pastures new and greener.

I hope you find the happiness,

You deserve,

And find someone to treat you right,

I`ll be long gone,

And never looking back.

Parting is always hard,

But I know this is the way,

We must go our separate ways,

Our love ran out of fuel,

A long time ago.

Find yourself a new love,

After you`ve had time,

I`ll be long gone,

To where I do not know,

But here I say goodbye.

4

Autumn

Dappled sunlight

On shiny leaves

Made damp by

Overnight rain

Autumnal colours

Reds, Browns and Yellow leaves

Still hanging onto life

On the trees

Mounds of leaves

Dead and drying

All withered now

Great places for kids and dogs to hide

Hungry birds

Eating fat balls and seeds

Squirrels gathering winter feed

Hedgehogs foraging

Wood smoke on the wind

Blue tinged and fragrant

Clouds scudding

Across leaden skies

Halloween and bonfire night

Chill in the air warm jumpers on

Soon autumn colours will cede

To barren branches

They stand forlorn and bare

Leafless fingers pointing to a greying sky

Soon the cold will deepen

As winter comes

Soon the snow will come

Transforming the world

Into a wonderland of white

People skating on frozen ponds kids frolicking

Lighted trees and decorations

Twinkling lights in windows

Christmas is approaching

Another year says goodbye

5

Broken.

Battered and broken,

Bleeding and scared,

Sitting in the gutter I call home,

Trying to find shelter from the rain.

I could be gone in a heartbeat,

And who would even care,

A few might mourn my passing,

For a while,

Then I`d be a memory,

Quickly fading.

The devil put me here,

And I`ve suffered at the hands of people,

For their amusement and enjoyment,

But listen devil,

You can break my body,

And make me bleed,

But you`ll never break my spirit,

I`ll be back just you see,

Stronger than before.

Now when I look back,

In anger and disgust,

At what you made of me,

I know I`m stronger than I`ve ever been,

Before.

When I see others,

Battered and bleeding,

Sitting in their gutters,

I reach out to them,

To offer hope I never knew,

So remember me for what I am,

I`m the one that fought back,

From being battered and broken,

Sitting in the gutter.

6.

Don`t Give Up

We know we`ve grown apart

Happened years ago,

But no matter what

Don`t give up on us

The magic flickered

For a while

Then departed

Don`t give up on us

We may have gone our

Separate ways

But there`ll always be something

To hold onto

No matter how old

Or wherever we are

There`ll still be a tie

Don`t give up on us

It’s not yet time

For dying

So all is not lost

Don`t give up on us

One day soon

Perhaps

We`ll realise

What we threw away

Until then,

Remember the love

We shared for so long

Don`t give up on us

7.

Winter

Pretty patterns on the windows

From the overnight frost

Grass white and stiff

Crunchy when disturbed.

Forest animals

Huddled

Under trees for shelter

From the biting winds.

Ponds frozen

Ducks sliding on landing

Bare branches

Silhouetted against a leaden sky.

Old men in cloth caps

Selling roasted chestnuts

From barrows

Up to their ankles in pristine snow.

Carols playing through loudspeakers

Shop windows gaily decorated

Excited children running and sliding

People loaded down with colourful parcels.

Short day’s long nights

Blue lights flashing in the dark

Grim faces people crying

Another Xmas party ends in tragedy.

Time for church in the morning

To hear the Christmas story

Nativity plays and joyous carols

Everybody singing.

Roasted turkey and goose

Plum pudding and brandy

People sleeping by the open fire

Feeling stuffed and content.

8

The Coming of Spring

In the parks and gardens

Trees are shedding leaves

Falling like snow

On the cold ground.

Like snow

They blow in the wind

Making drifts of brown

In sheltered places.

Dogs and children

Play in the leaf mounds

Small animals also

Preparing for winter.

Squirrels building dreys

In the old trunks

Using holes made by falling limbs

And woodpeckers.

Soon the ground

Will be carpeted in browns and yellows

Leaving bare branches

Creaking in the wind.

Soon the snow

Will come

Turning the coloured carpet

To white for a while.

Icicles hanging from branches

Forlorn and naked

Birds and animals absent

Sheltering where they can.

For several months

The world is white

Pristine clean and quiet

Then warmth returns.

Gradually the white retreats

Green shoots appear under the snow

As spring flowers push upwards towards

The light and sticky buds on the branches.

Soon the world is fresh and reborn

As new leaves appear

And snowdrops bloom below

The world awakes from the cold.

Animals awake

Birds return and sing

To welcome spring

As the world welcomes a new season.

9.

Bonfire Night

Bright lights

Making pretty patterns

In the dark sky

Wood smoke tinged with gunpowder.

Children gaily waving

Sparklers

Catherine wheels and roman candles

Bangs screeches and whistles

Deep thumps

As rockets are launched skywards

To explode in a myriad of colours

High above.

Dressed straw figure

Born aloft by willing hands

Tossed onto the blazing fire

In a centuries old ritual.

Fathers with children

Poking chestnuts on sticks

Into the base

Of the blazing inferno.

Mothers standing back

Guarding the youngest offspring

Men with barrows

Selling hot dogs and burgers.

The smell of fried onions

Makes your mouth water

Sweet and fluffy candyfloss

To complete their feast.

When the fireworks finish

The night is still young

The funfair comes alive

Wild rides and loud music.

People jostling

To reach the sideshows,

Children delighted when they win

A Goldfish in a bag.

Cuddly toys

Won on the shooting gallery

Mums happy when they win at bingo

Babies getting restless now.

As the fire dies down

A mist drifts in

Blurring outlines

And hiding distant things.

People snuggle into

Thick coats

To protect from the chill

As they head for home.

10.

Leaving

Then one day

She said to me

I`ve got to leave

And go away.

And I said to her

What have I done

To make you leave

And be alone.

She said to me

It`s not you

It`s me

I need to go but not alone.

I asked her why

And she said a name

Never heard the name before

But she had to go.

I was devastated

To lose her love

She said it was for the best

And went to pack her things.

The very next day

I awoke all alone

My love had gone

Away from me.

I cried for her

And begged as well

But she said to me

There was no going back.

She said she was happy now

Free of me and my love

She said she`d never loved me

Just a stop gap to fill in time.

She said she didn`t love me

She said she didn`t care

She said I should forget her

And she said goodbye.

I never saw her

Anymore

But I hear her voice

In my head everyday.

11

Halloween

All hallows eve

When ghouls and spirits

Roam the earth

Children in gruesome costumes.

Fiendish outfits

Witches and monsters

Scary masks

Children trick or treating.

Pumpkins carved

Into fiendish faces

Lit from within

In windows and on doorsteps.

Old lady

Sitting by her fire

Curtains drawn and trembling

Dreading the knock on her door.

Scared and uneasy

Afraid of the gruesome kids

Outside

Shivering with fright and apprehension.

Parents who should know better

Encourage kids to bang on doors

Demanding

Sweets or treats.

Not caring that people

Might be afraid of what tricks might be played

It`s all about the kids after all

No sweets make lots of noise.

Accosting strangers on the street

Pestering and begging

Turning nasty when ignored

Thank goodness it`s only once a year.

Old people

Thankful

When the noise dies down

Peace returns.

12

Nightmare

Waking in the dark

Sweating and trembling

Feeling scared and disjointed

Unexplained unease.

Flashing images

Race through my mind

Makes no sense

But provoke strong feelings of disquiet.

Impending doom

Screams from I know not where

Cold and damp

Pressing down on me.

Need light and warmth

To steady my racing heart

Make tea too hot

Mouth and throat burning.

Try to relax

Impossible

Try to read

Also not working.

Takes ages to settle down

Need to face the window

In case something comes

Disturbed now.

Can`t go back to sleep

Afraid

Of what the darkness holds

Sense tells me to relax.

Still uneasy

Waiting for morning to come

Hours more darkness

Still on edge.

Half asleep

But awake at the slightest sound

Looking all around

To make sure it`s safe.

Finally fall

Into a fitful doze

As images of the nightmare

Eventually fade.

13.

Summer

The sun returns

And warms the earth

Various shades of green

In the fields and on the trees.

Crops ripening

Turning gold and yellow

Lazy days of summer

Stretching away into the future.

Fathers preparing equipment

For the annual family camp

Children looking forward

To the long break from study.

Trips to the seaside

Long golden beaches

Children paddling and building sandcastles

Waves lapping at the shore and filling rock pools

Treats for everyone

Fish and chips

Candyfloss and cream teas

Fun days for everyone.

Fishing and boating

On slow moving rivers

Picnics in the country

Walks in shady woods.

Farmers and helpers

Working long hours

Gathering the harvest

Before the season ends.

Traction engines and threshing machines

Wheatsheaf’s stacked in fields

Hay stacks taking shape

In the endless sunny days.

That is just a memory

Of summers long ago

Now it`s tractors and combines

Out in the fields.

Summer is a time of pleasure

For many who like the heat

Some prepare to travel

To countries even hotter.

Hot days long in hours

Short sticky nights

Not much sleep to be had

While summer lasts.

For me I prefer

Cooler climes

You can`t beat England

In the summertime.

14

Angel

Had no money

For Christmas presents

But the kids

Wanted a tree.

Got one from the local woods

Cheap from the woodman who took pity on us

Green tinged with blue and grey

Potted tall and bushy.

Homemade decorations

Made from paper and foil

Basic and plain

But the kids thought it was great.

Wanted an angel

For the Christmas tree

Hard to find

In the shops.

Finally found one

Expensive when you have no money

But she was cute

So we got it.

Woman on till

At the garden centre

Said she`d bring

Good luck and cheer to our home.

Decorated the tree

A week before Christmas

Took angel from her box

And placed atop the branches.

Angel seemed to smile

As we placed her there

A glow appeared from within

And shone like a star in the night.

On Christmas morn

The glow remained

And where there had been emptiness beneath the tree

Was now filled with wrapped presents.

Being poor we had nothing for the kids

But somehow a miracle had occurred

There was food on the table

Left on the doorstep by a kind hearted soul.

The till lady was right

Our angel had indeed

Brought good fortune and cheer

To our humble home

15.

Forest Fire

Young adults in the woods

Vandals

Swinging on and breaking branches

Matches in pockets.

Pulling gates from hinges

Allowing animals to escape

Uprooting rare plants

Tipping earth into streams.

Uprooting vegetables growing

In fields

Smashing any windows they find

In buildings.

Making piles of leaves

And straw with branches

Setting afire

Green wood lots of smoke.

Standing by watching

Laughing as the fire takes hold

Strong wind blowing

Fans the flames.

Soon the trees are afire

Crackling and spitting sap

Fire is crowning to the treetops

Racing in the wind.

Animals panic

Running for their lives

Houses and farms threatened

Still they stand and laugh.

Slight shift in the wind

Fire now crowns in the trees

Behind

Undergrowth on fire.

Panic begins to set in

No escape routes left

Surrounded and screaming for help

As the fire rages all around.

New fires start

Their clearing rapidly shrinking

People from miles around

Can see and smell the fire.

Fire brigade attend

Unaware of the fire starters

Fight the fire from the perimeter

Not going too close.

Hours later the flames are out

Firemen go through the woods

Looking

For pockets of fire.

In the clearing

Buried in ash and debris

A grim discovery is made

Four young men burned to a crisp.

Families in shock

Grieving

Saying he was a good boy really

Not anymore most unrecognisable.

Damage runs to millions

Acres of woodland and fields destroyed

Dwellings and farms burnt out

Equipment destroyed.

It will take years

For the forest to recover

All this

In the name of fun.

High costs indeed

Lives snuffed out in their prime

So much destruction

Because they were bored.

16

Reign of Terror

Woken in the early hours

By bangs and crashes

Gangs of men rampaging

Kicking doors and breaking windows.

Extra loud crash as front door

Is kicked in

Hinges broken

Can`t close the door anymore.

Violent groups of men

Terrorising

The neighbourhood

Running amok in the flats and landings.

Many residents panicking

Call the police

Not coming not interested

Told no one available so fend for themselves.

Empty flat along the landing

Broken into and set afire

People call the fire brigade

They arrive with three engines.

Firemen can`t get out

Pinned down by stones and rocks

Thrown from the landings

Fires taking hold black smoke billowing.

A neighbour has a dog

Let`s it loose

Man squirts something in its face

Aerosol means instant death.

Dog`s body thrown from landing

To land atop a car

In the car park

Below.

People trying to get away

All escape routes cut off by the gangs

More calls to the police

Same response.

Fire now out of control

Five flats burning brightly

Glint from naked blades

In the fire`s glow.

With the property destroyed

Attention turns to the people

Many girls and women raped

While their partners watch helplessly at knifepoint.

Police finally attend

One lone officer on a bike

Quickly overpowered

All his equipment stripped and stolen.

Handed to gang members

As spoils of the night

Policeman beaten and left senseless

On the cold car park bleeding and dying.

The tide turns after some hours

With the arrival of some soldiers

From a nearby barracks

Brief gunfight in the early morning light.

Firemen can finally get out

Fighting the fire

But too late to save the flats

A total of seven burned out.

Dawn sees a scene

Of devastation

Gutted structures

Bodies and people crying.

How can this happen

In a modern age I hear you ask

This is not some foreign warzone

But London.

The police make excuses

For their incompetence

But no one listens or believes

Middle Eastern terrorists to blame.

17.

White Christmas

A couple walking

Hand in hand

In the park

Up to their ankles in snow.

The playground is barely recognisable

Strange shapes beneath the snow

Still pristine and white

Later the children will come and have fun.

The man carries

A large bag on his back

Filled with gaily wrapped parcels

Presents for the grandkids.

They walk on through the snow

Still a way to go

To get indoors and warm

Ready for their Christmas feast.

When they reach the road

The snow there is thinner

But slushy and dirty

From the slow moving traffic.

Outside a church

A band is playing carols

Musicians in great coats hats and scarves

Passers-by stop to join in singing the carols.

The man reaches into his bag

And extracts a bright package

For the children in hospital

He says knowing they would be there.

Roast turkey pigs in blankets

Roasties and Brussels sprouts

Plum pudding with brandy sauce

Presents round the tree.

After the feast

The adults doze in front of the log fire

Children go outside to play

On new sledges and build snowmen.

As dusk falls

The snow starts falling again

Fast and hard with big flakes

Soon covers the blemishes in the previous coating.

By evening it is impossible

To leave

The snow is deep now against the door

All traffic has stopped and wheel marks quickly disappear.

Daughter makes up makeshift beds

And everybody settles down

Hoping the morn

Will see a thaw.

The older couple are worried

About their cats back home

Phone a neighbour

Who goes in to feed them.

Boxing morning dawns

Bright and clear

Overnight the snow has frozen

Making it crisp and crunchy underfoot.

After a second feast of cold meats salad and pickles

They set off for home

Unencumbered by the bag of parcels

But with walking sticks instead.

To aid their balance

On the icy surface

Quite a struggle getting through the park

But they finally arrive home.

Safe but cold

Glad to be indoors

Lights the fire

And the cats snuggle on their laps.

Glad to have their owner’s home

Well-fed and warm

Children outside sliding on already treacherous pavements

It will be hard walking on that tomorrow.

18

Coast

Waterfowl wintering

On the salt marshes

Many species but outnumbered

By geese.

Already several thousand there

And more arriving every day

Every so often they take to flight

Their beating wings sound like a rumble of thunder.

The sky is momentarily darkened

As they fly and wheel overhead

Soon they settle again

And just an occasional honk is heard.

The reed beds in the estuary

Are home to all sorts

Of creatures

Animals birds and in the water among the roots.

The tall reeds

Provide welcome shelter

A safe place to live and nest

Where people leave them alone.

The sand dunes behind the beach

Topped with tufty grass

Are always changing

In the prevailing winds.

The sand blows in the wind

In mini clouds waist high

That sting any exposed skin

And drift along like mist.

In the ever changing landscape

Of the dunes

The only fixed points of reference

Are the few stumpy trees bent by the wind.

In many places there are wide beaches

With shallow blue water and waves gently lapping

And sometimes large rollers breaking

Ideal for surfing.

The water is warm and blue

In summer warmed by the sun

Soon becomes grey and angry

As the weather changes.

Small harbours dotted around

Busy with fishing smacks

Tourists walk on the piers

And jetties watching.

Tall cliffs of chalk

Fringe the beaches

Hundreds of feet high

Glowing white in the sunlight.

The cliffs are fragile as many notices say

Rock falls are common

With whole sections of cliff

Tumbling into the sea below.

The coastline continually changes

Where once there were cliffs

Now is rock strewn beaches

Making rock pools where crabs dwell.

As the surf crashes in

The beaches are washed away

Exposing rocks below

Where more life can dwell.

The coastline seems endless

Stretching further than the eye can see

No two sections are the same

Ever changing.

19.

Steam Fair

The highlight of the social calendar

Is the annual village steam rally and funfair

Held on the common

Just outside the village.

A week before

Sideshows and displays

Are being set up

Car parks marked out on the edge of the common.

Next to arrive

Is the travelling funfair

With all their fast and exhilarating rides

Their trucks quickly churn up the grass.

The funfair will open

When the steam engines arrive

Rides coconut shies

Rifle ranges candyfloss and toffee apples.

Soon the food vans arrive

And get ready for business

Hot dogs burgers

Chicken and chips.

The steam engines start arriving

Some on big transporters

Many more in steam

This year steam cars and lorries as well.

The big engines

Quickly turn the common to mud

Ankle deep and sticky

But everyone is happy.

One showman`s engine

Drives farm machinery

Threshers and balers

Wood saws for tree trunks.

New this year is

A huge steam driven organ

Once again a big showman`s engine

Polished and gleaming.

Static displays of

Vintage cars and lorries

All gleaming

And in pristine condition.

In the arena

People are showing off

Steam cars and lorries

The traction engines have their own show area.

Hordes of people

In wellie boots and hats

Cameras round their necks

Loving the spectacle and smell.

The smell of hot oil

And smoke is carried on the wind

A smell like no other

Has people flocking from miles around.

Another visitor arrives

Unexpected but welcome

Not steam but a huge diesel

Tank transporter and tank from world war two.

Children climb all over the vehicles

Owners watch carefully and

Keep them away from the fire boxes

Red hot with glowing coals.

The rally concludes

With all the steam vehicles

Taking to the road for a trip

Round the village.

After the rally and fair have gone

The common is unrecognisable

What had been grass

Is now a mud patch.

It will recover in time

For next year

When they will all be back

For another rally.

20.

Demon Voices

Voices

From the deep recesses of my mind

Whispering

Clamouring to get out.

They say things

I don`t want to hear

Trying to make me do things

I don`t want to do.

When I`m down and low

They get louder

Persistent and persuasive

Can I hold them at bay for a while longer?

One day they will break out

And my world

Will change irrevocably

I give in I can`t take it anymore.

People say there is nothing wrong

But they don`t live with the pain

Doctors no help saying

Get on with it there`s nothing to be done.

When the voices surface

I`ll change into something

Not nice or pleasant

Hoping it won`t last for long.

They are vicious

And spiteful

The things they suggest repel me

But I am helpless.

Can I weather the storm?

That is fast approaching

Maybe

But I don`t know.

They sap my confidence

And self-respect

I am swept along

On the rapid tide.

Finally I turn the corner

And see light again

Can I repair all the wrongs?

All I can do is try.

You have to realise that

It wasn’t really me

That did those awful things

And said those hurtful words.

The inner voices take over

And make life unbearable

I thought to end it all

But lacked the courage.

After years of suffering

I`m now finally rid of them

Expunged from my mind and memories

To bother me no more.

21

Jail

They say I did the crime

Now I do the time

Judge sitting behind his desk

Stern faced and grim.

They found me guilty

The sentence was passed

Take him down the judge ordered

And I was dragged below.

Kicking and screaming

Protesting my innocence

Deaf ears

No one listening or helping.

Placed in a small cell

The loud clang of the iron door

Tiny window too high to see through

Heavily barred.

Taken and put in a van

Handcuffed and with leg chains

Taken miles away

To the prison where I would spend many years.

Cell barely big enough for me

No bed or anything

Just a pile of blankets on the floor

And a bucket in the corner.

Feeling depressed

Lonely and uncared for

Staff don`t care

Simply laugh at my discomfort.

Appealed hoping to get out

No chance

Sentence stands

Thirty years in hell.

Taken out each morning

Into a yard

Surrounded by high wire

Guards watching my every move.

Not allowed visitors

Frightened and bored

Officers come with clubs

In the night.

Beaten daily

Black and blue

No one cares

Shall I end it all?

Tried to finish it

With a smuggled blade

Caught with it on a cell search

More time added.

The years roll by endlessly

Things don`t get any easier

With the passing of time

Try to make things out of matches.

Officers destroy my work

Leaving my model in ruins

Crying with frustration

Get a kicking for doing so.

One visitor in twenty years

The prison chaplain

Trying to save my soul

From eternal damnation.

I am an old and broken man now

I have been in this hell hole for most of my life

They say I am being released soon

My punishment done.

Don`t know how I will cope

On the outside

The world has changed so much

And I have nothing.

No home or job

No friends or family

No money to get anything

What will become of me?

I`m out and free

If that is the right word

Free from prison

But still shackled by memories.

It isn`t working outside

Commit further offences

To get locked up again

At least they fed me.

Judge was soft

Didn`t send me back

Gave me probation instead

Can`t take anymore.

Walking by the river

Owning nothing but my clothes

Jump from a high bridge

Goodbye world and all my troubles.

22

The Freedom Bus

I was waiting in the rain

For my bus to work

A few minutes earlier than normal a bus arrived

A strange one I had not seen before.

The door opened and the driver said

Come aboard my friend

This is the freedom bus

And I`m here to take you home.

I climbed inside

Glad to be out of the rain

There were several other people aboard

Sitting quietly but looking happy.

Apart from a young man

Who was sobbing

Quietly

Into his handkerchief.

We have one more stop

The driver announced

Then we can be on our way

Home.

As the bus departed

It seemed to rise up

Like a helicopter

But there was no sensation of it.

Looking back

I saw a form that looked like me

Lying on the pavement in the rain

Surrounded by a group of people.

Within what seemed like moments

We stopped again

In a place I didn`t know

And an old lady was welcomed aboard.

Once again we rose up high

And again after what seemed like moments

We were outside a huge building

Another figure appeared by the door.

An angel without a doubt

Her serene expression

And folded wings

Gave her away.

She beckoned us

Inside

Her whole presence

Welcoming and full of compassion.

We were all taken into a room

Where a man waited

I knew without being told

That this was Christ.

This is my father`s house he said

There is room here for everybody

This is what you call heaven

Your home for evermore.

In what seemed like the blink of an eye

We were all transformed

Into glowing spirit beings

Which were met with joy from all those present.

We were told that our first task

Would be to return for a short while

To attend our own funerals

As spirit beings to watch over the proceedings.

After that heaven was ours

To explore and enjoy

We could eat and drink whatever we desired

All earthly cares and ills forgotten.

Everlasting peace

And tranquillity

I thought I might be sad to leave

But I knew I was in a better place.

All our families and friends

Mourned our passing’s

But I knew we would meet again

Sometime ahead in peace and happiness.

23

The Transcontinental

Big black engine

On the single line

Black smoke billowing

Above and behind.

Smuts in the eyes

Of the driver and fireman

Long line of carriages

Snaking along behind.

Running fast

Across the plains

By rivers and lakes and across high bridges

Where the train reflects in the still water.

Heading westward

A stop is made

Steps placed by the carriage doors

To assist passengers to and from the low platform.

Further west another stop

To take on coal and water

Another engine is coupled at the back

To help on the steep grades.

As they climb through the foothills

Yet another engine joins

At the head this time

Combined power is just enough to drag the heavy train upwards.

Once across the mountains

The extra engines remain

To provide braking power

On the long descent.

Running fast down the grade

Passing fast flowing rivers

And dense forests

Racing towards the ocean.

Finally after three days

The train approaches the coast

Running slower alongside the ocean

Heading for the terminus.

Passengers disembark

Glad the trip is over

Three thousand miles they`ve travelled

Coast to coast.

Four time zones

Three crew changes

The journey is now at an end

Time for the engines to rest awhile.

24

Reflections

Reflections of life

Fleeting images in my mind

Highs and lows

Merge to form a picture.

Reflecting is a memory

Of things that might have been

Some good some bad

Many best forgotten.

Looking back on time

Is like a time machine

Memories suppressed

Now surfacing for the first time in years.

Not only mind reflections

But in water also

Inverted images

In clear blue water.

I like the images

On the water surface

They look pleasing and restful

Continually changing with ripples.

Colours change

Depending on the clouds

And sunlight

Then fade as darkness begins to fall.

With the darkness

Comes oblivion

No more reflections

In the dying day.

As night progress`s

Reflections turn to dreams

Some nightmares

But mostly pleasant.

Tomorrow will be a time

For more reflections

As life goes on

Hope to see some good ones in the water.

25

Rain

Woken in the early hours

By the sound of water

Torrential rain beating and running down

The windows.

Gutters leaking and overflowing

Water cascading down the walls

Dripping from door frames

And porches.

Street drains can`t cope

With the deluge

Pavements submerged

Roads beginning to flood.

Soon the roads are impassable

Deep water

Running fast down the slopes

Making mini lakes.

People in long mac`s

And sou`westers

Wellie boots in bright colours

Totally soaked and miserable.

Looking like drowned rats

Hair plastered to their heads and shoulders

No coat is sufficient

To keep them dry.

Raining continuously for

Several hours

Villages cut off

By rising water.

Livestock trapped

In flooded fields

Trying to find a higher spot

To stand bedraggled.

The standing water

De-stabilizes the ground and hills

Mud slides follow

Burying everything in their path.

Eventually the rain ceases

Still overcast more to come

Clean-up begins

With shovels squeegees and machinery.

After days of greyness

The sun makes a brief appearance

Everywhere is steaming

As the sun warms the land.

A few days ago

They said we had a drought

Now we`re flooded

No happy medium.

The reservoirs are full

Once again

The only things to benefit

From the downpour.

Livestock lost

Crops ruined

Property damaged and flooded

More rain is forecast for tomorrow.

26

The Final Apocalypse

Storm clouds

Gathering

Across the world

Nothing to do with the weather

Tensions rising

Between nations

Political blustering

Armies massed and ready.

People getting scared

About what might be coming?

Old shelters being re-vamped

Just in case they say.

Time for drills

Sirens re-activated

People instructed on what to do

To stay safe.

Some people can`t go to the shelters

Their places are outside

Fighting the enemy and fires

And trying to preserve civilisation from certain destruction.

Missiles tested to land and explode

In the oceans away from the population

Many capable of worldwide strikes

Governments scared and twitchy now.

One missile goes astray

Lands on a city

Thousands perish

City and its surroundings destroyed.

Nations retaliate

Too late to stop now

The world is on the brink

And will surely end.

Mushroom clouds

On the horizon

Another missile strike

People perish in the blast.

Vaporised

As if they`d never existed

Everything turned to ash

And dust.

Radiation very high

No one can venture outside of the shelters

The government says

It`ll be over in days.

Where have we heard that before?

Back then it was ordinary bombs

Not this time

Nuclear arsenals play their part.

War lasts for a month

Ninety percent of the population dead

Worldwide

Planet devastated and virtually destroyed.

Time for the survivors

To start again

Trying to build a new civilisation

Against all the odds.

Few people believe that it will work

Power has gone to the heads of

All the politicians that survive

A battle to see who will reign supreme.

Nuclear war is no longer

A deterrent

Now a way of life

Caused by human greed and lust for power.

Overtime the earth recovers

But once great cities are no more

The whole planet has changed

How long can human life survive?

If they survive a hundred years

They will have been lucky

Radiation is killing those

The missiles left behind.

The warning from the governments that survive

Stated that there must never be another nuclear war

Too late

The damage is done.

The world ends

Through mass destruction

With even the atmosphere polluted

Nothing can long survive.

Earth continues to travel

Through black space no longer a pleasant planet,

Just a dead wasteland spinning aimlessly

In the eternal darkness of space.

27

New Beginnings

It was quiet and still

Outside

Nothing was moving

Not even the wind.

It was new year`s day

A time of new beginnings

Farewell to the past year

Something new awaits.

It`s a time of rebirth

In nature

And for people

Some say its religion being born anew.

Nature is recovering

From months of drab dreariness

The New Year

Certainly is a sign of hope and longing.

Of better things to follow

New growth

Renewed energy

Happiness spreading as people recover from Christmas excess`s.

New shoots appear

In gardens and hedgerows

Animals venture out once again

Birds nesting ready for spring.

We look back on the past year

Our hearts full

Of good intentions and resolutions

How long will they last I wonder?

With the New Year

Comes renewed hope

That maybe this year

The world will know peace.

No more pain or suffering

As scientific advances

Rid the world of disease

And peace and prosperity reign.

Every New Year

Is filled with expectations

For the coming year

I hope this time they`re fulfilled.

28

The Haulier

Dedicated to Alan Durling

Driving through the night

Heavy load behind

Not glamourous or fun

Fun doesn`t feature in the equation.

Five nights each week

Away from home

Many miles away

Sleeping in the cab for security.

Don`t get home very much at all

Sometimes weeks go by

Rest periods taken in strange cities

Itching to get mobile once again.

The loads and routes vary

Change almost by the day

Carrying everything from needles and pins

To flares and high explosives.

Bit of a thankless occupation

Seldom get a thought or mention

Until something goes wrong

Then all hell is let loose.

Form the backbone of logistics worldwide

When you sit at home in comfort remember

It was probably a truck

That brought you your food clothes and bed.

All live by a motto that the goods must get through

Luck plays a part

As one day it may run out

And your days behind the wheel are over

When that time comes

Will anybody even care or miss you

Probably not

Taken for granted all the time.

Not a job for a family guy

Too much time away

My companion on the long trips

Is my dog.

Getting older now

Hard to lift her into the cab

When I can`t do that anymore

That`s the time to retire.

29

The Dark Dog

The day is dark and gloomy

Matches how I feel

Depressed and desperate

Unending.

I try to be positive

But the dark dog

Won`t let me

It`s snapping at my heels now.

Getting ever closer

As I sink ever lower

Barely a glimmer of light

At the end of the tunnel.

Can I make it through

To the other side

If the dog has its way

No way will I reach the light.

I need help from somewhere

I cry out and plead

No one answers or cares

They just walk on by.

Friends say pull yourself together

There`s nothing wrong

Stop being silly

Get on with it.

They don`t realise

The turmoil and pain

The dog causes me

When it bites my ankles.

Once it has its teeth

In my flesh it won`t let go

No matter what I do

Seems the only way is to end it all.

Doctors just say

Take your medication

It`s all in your head

You`re as fit as a fiddle.

They don`t know the dog

Or how wild it can be

I need to fight

But how and with what.

The dog makes me helpless

Don`t know which way to turn

Any help is welcome

But no one cares.

The dog takes some beating

But I think with help

And understanding

I`ll make it.

Kicking out at the dog

As I inch slowly forward

Along the tunnel

Towards the glimmer of light.

As people can`t see the dog

They assume it isn`t there,

Just a figment of my imagination

Little do they know or understand.

It`s very real to me

And I look out for it all the time

Hoping that one day it will leave me alone

And stop sneaking up behind me to reclaim its prize.

30

Illuminations

Model boats

Serenely floating

On the placid water

Of the River Derwent.

As night falls

The boats come alive

With gaily coloured lights

And decorations.

They traverse the river

Mostly under radio control

From operators on the banks

To thrill the hordes with the spectacle.

People flock from miles around

To witness the yearly pageant

The town along the river

Is also decorated with colourful lights.

People watch from the cliffs

And cable cars

Above the town

Seemingly miles of gaily coloured lights.

The boats progress slowly

Downstream

Through the ornamental gardens

And out the other side.

There are prizes

For the best boats

In several categories

The top prize is won by the usual man.

He has won best in show

For a number of years

No one can come close

Over a thousand lights on his boat.

A funfair is also in town

To entertain and thrill the spectators

Fast food and candy floss

A great evening had by all.

Once the pageant finishes

Everyone tries to leave at once

The roads are soon clogged

Gives the police a headache.

Hours later the hordes have gone

Only the town lights remain

Shining in the darkness as the souvenir shops close their shutters

All the model boats are packed away and gone for another year.

31

Reminiscing

Sitting in the pub with a drink in my hand

Talking to old friends

Reminiscing

Of times long past.

Old newspaper articles

And pictures

Of the local area

A hundred years ago.

Fleeting memories

From childhood days

Recollections of favourite haunts

Now forever gone.

Favourite places

Now covered in concrete

For roads and buildings

In the name of progress.

Even since my own childhood sixty odd years ago

Things have changed dramatically

Familiar things gone forever

Never to be re-created.

Things were so much simpler then

No electronic games

Or modern technology

Just a phone box at the streets end.

In those long gone times

Even the people were different

Policemen on cycles

Had to pedal hard and long on emergencies.

Postmen knew everybody

And wore uniforms with smart caps

Knew where everyone lived

And looked out for them.

One picture shows my road

A hundred years ago

Only a few buildings

Are recognisable now.

No cars and very few people

Rag and bone man calling from his horse cart

Rags bones any old iron

Kids playing in the gutters.

So different today

With cars whizzing every which way

New buildings towering

Above and dwarfing the old.

Prefer the olden times

Much more relaxed and easy going

Too much stress nowadays

Reminiscing is a wonderful thing.

32

Nostalgia

In olden days

When cars were new-fangled contraptions

Horses were the normal transport

For many folk.

Those that couldn`t ride

Walked

Or if they could afford it

Rode in horse drawn carriages.

Men rode ungainly pedal machines

Called penny-farthings

Uncomfortable and hard to control

On cobbled streets.

As motor cars become more common

Organisations were formed

To aid the new motorists

When they broke down.

Soon men in smart uniforms appeared

On motor cycles with sidecars

Ready to assist with breakdowns

Or simply point the way.

They always saluted

When they saw a car with their badge

In olive green or air force blue

They were the gallant knights of the road.

Motor buses gradually appeared

To link the towns and villages

A life line of transport

For the common man.

Railways linked the towns and cities

And many villages had halts

Where the trains would stop

On request.

In those long gone times

Most people worked near to home

Travelling more than a mile

Was practically unheard of.

Buses and trains

Made travelling much easier

Many villagers left the local farms

To work in the towns for better wages.

The typical English village

Was often a long street

With side lanes branching off

Leading to dwellings or fields.

Most villages had a church

Cottages a few shops

Mostly thatched

And a pub beside the village green.

Near the green was often a pond

With ducks eager to be fed

With bread brought by children

With their mothers.

Larger ponds had swans

Riding majestically on still water

Below the surface their powerful legs

Worked hard to keep them in one place.

The village green was the centre

Of rural village life

Maypoles for dancing in the spring

Cricket on the warm summer days.

At autumn harvest time

The villages were swelled by

Travelling iterant workers

Often Romany gypsies looking for work.

They worked on the local farms

Tending the land and animals

And spent their wages in the pub

Until harvest was done and they moved on.

In winter the snow

Made the green a playground for children

Wrapped up warm against the cold

Enjoying their fun.

The war memorial by the road

Stood proud above the snow

Covered in the names of local hero`s

Still adorned with faded poppies glimpsed through the snow.

Cars rapidly grew in number

And soon most streets in towns

Had a dozen or so

Even one or two in the villages.

With easier reliable transport

Many villagers left for good

Their homes becoming holiday places

For the well to do.

With dwindling populations

Village life declined

Once thriving communities

Became dormitory villages.

New houses sprung up

Almost overnight

And the once strong sense of belonging

Disappeared for ever.

Now people just pass through in their cars

With hardly a glance

The old folk still remember better days

Sitting and chatting in the pub and gardens.

33

Valentines

Love is lurking

Everywhere I look

The shops are full

Of gaily coloured cards and gifts.

Young men browsing the collections

Looking for the perfect gift for a special girl

Probably the only time of the year

They venture inside a shop.

The girls fare better

As they are used to shopping and browsing

The shops make a fortune

Out of young love.

Florists in town

Also do well

With the eternal favourite flowers

Red roses to be romantic.

For those young men that can afford it

Restaurants also do well with advance bookings

Each lad hoping that his flowers and gifts

Will win his girl`s heart.

It has always been traditional

Not to sign the cards they post

They worry about this

How will their beau know who it`s from.

Cards with specific words

Like boyfriend or girlfriend

Give it all away

And take away the mystery and guesswork.

Some lads get jealous

When their girl gets loads of cards

The girls laugh

Enjoying the attention.

On the day all the cards are opened

And proudly displayed

For all their family and friends to admire

Many girls get multiple cards.

Proves how popular they are

But some boys are upset

That they only have one card

Unsigned of course.

In a cosy restaurant

A nervous boy

Is waiting for the pre-dinner wine

The glass contains a surprise.

The girl spots the sparkling diamond ring

In the bottom of the glass

With a whoop of delight

She accepts his proposal.

The restaurant explodes in applause

Complimentary drinks all round

She is quickly on her mobile

Telling her mum the news.

One more happy valentine couple

Everyone wishes them well

They have vowed to love each other forever

I hope they`re not disappointed later.

34

Unhappy Memories

My childhood was not a happy time

I had a horrible man for a father

Who had no time for me

Or my mother come to that.

I had few friends

So spent a lot of time alone

The few friends I did have

Never came to our house.

Father disapproved

And discouraged them from calling

My only form of escapism

Was my model railway.

On occasions he was known

To wreck my layout on purpose

As he said was in his way

Even though it was nowhere near him.

What went on behind closed doors

Was not for my knowing

But I often heard the fights

Through the walls.

When I turned eighteen

I was told to join the army

I didn`t want to but looking back

It was about the only good thing he ever did for me.

When my army days were over

I got a small flat in town

As he made it clear

I was not welcome in the old home.

On returning to civvy street

Every move I made was watched

By a network of his friends

Who reported back on everything I did.

If I so much as held a girls hand in public

The inquisition started so no privacy at all

Doing anything else would have been

Practically criminal as far as he was concerned.

I seldom visited or spoke

To my father although I saw

Mother frequently

She was down trodden and had a hard time as well.

Years later when he passed away

I didn`t even know

Until a few months later

As we hadn`t spoken for a number of years.

Do I miss him?

Not one bit

I wish it had been different

Then we might have got on together.

35

The Devil`s Playground

In the beginning there was creation

God gave the land to Satan

To make into his hell

The desert was ideal and it worked.

Land that God didn`t want

As it was so forsaken and unusable

The devil made it his home

And created hell on earth.

Sand dunes stretching for miles

As far as the eye can see

Hot and dusty

Sand blowing in the wind making dust devils.

The landscape is constantly changing

As dunes move and reform

In a land of shifting sands

But not devoid of life.

The baking sand is home to

Scorpions and snakes and other nasty things

Even the camels don`t like

The biting and stinging things.

Camels can move easily in the loose shifting sand

Like ships on an ocean of sand

Used to carry goods

But even the herders don`t walk on the sand.

Water is scarce

As is vegetation

The oasis`s are few and far between

The water is soon turned to mud by thirsty animals and nomads.

Foul tasting and smelly

Dirty and not good to drink

But for some nomadic tribes

It`s a lifeline.

During the day

The sand is too hot to walk on

But as night falls swiftly

It rapidly cools.

By midnight it is several degrees below zero

No shelter to be had for man or beast

One of the most desolate

And inhospitable places on earth.

It`s an adventure to drive

Across the vast emptiness

But risky and dangerous

Not recommended for the faint hearted.

The desert will never be tamed by humans

It remains a wilderness for all time

Hell on earth

Indeed the devils playground.

It is pointless trying to map

The region

As the landscape and contours

Are continuously changing.

No familiar landmarks

To aid any lost travellers

Just the devils voice in your head

Among the whispering sands.

36

Spring Flowers

Snowdrops and Crocuses

Bluebells and Daffodils

Spring flowers in profusion

Colour in a bleak landscape.

New shoots in bright green

Appearing on the trees

New growth on lawns

Poking through old grass blackened by frost.

Lily of the Valley sprouting

Look like mini rockets

As they thrust upwards

Towards the light.

Soon the land is covered in colour

As Tulips also bloom in fields

Wildflowers in the hedgerows

Blossom on the trees.

Small animals emerge

From long hibernation during the cold winter

Ready for a new season of foraging

And mating.

Birds singing gaily

Start to build nests for their young

Soon the mating rituals will begin

As the land warms after winter.

Dry stone walls and borders

Colourful flowers growing in the gaps

Aubrietia Lobelia and Alyssum

Makes an attractive scene.

Apple and flowering Cherry trees

Covered in pretty blossom

The blossom is fragile

And won`t survive any high winds.

As the land slowly warms

Nature goes into overdrive

With animals birds and plants

Making the most of the warmth.

Small reptiles make an appearance

Frogspawn and tadpoles in ponds

Absent through the colder months

Cold bloodied so need the warmth to survive.

Soon the fields, gardens and hedgerows

Are teeming with life

Animals, birds and insects

Re-populating the countryside.

People notice

These seasonal changes

Feel rejuvenated

As nature is re-born.

37

The Beast From The East

The beast from the east is coming

So the media say

Coming from Russia

They say.

The beast is supposed to

Bring snow and blizzards

I think the metrological office

Is working with the big supermarkets.

To cause panic buying

It`s working

The supermarket shelves

Are getting empty.

People hoarding supplies

For a couple of days tops

Anyone would think

It`s to last them years.

Old library stock pictures

In the papers and on television

Showing cars buried in deep snow

People struggling on snow covered pavements.

Little do they realise

The pictures are about forty years old

The media whips up panic

In the population.

The media says the snow

Will be deep and unpassable

There will be major power outages

And mobile communications will suffer.

Old people really worried

Thinking they`ll be trapped indoors

For weeks without food

Over reacting for sure.

They say there`ll be no transport

Buses and trains snowed in

Planes grounded ships trapped

By ice in harbours.

I don`t think the beast

Will come

Or even if it does

It won`t last long.

Two or three days

And it`ll all be forgotten

Back to normal

The end of media hype.

38

New Girl In Town

There`s a new girl in town

All the boys love her

Even though they don`t even

Know her name.

Hair of gold eyes of blue

Those eyes really flash at you

Rosy cheeks and a dimpled chin

Every man`s desire.

They hang around her by the score

Hanging around outside her door

So far she remains impervious

To their advances.

Many boys have asked her out

But she turns a blind eye

She seems to be seeking

Something or someone.

My courage fails me

As I would love to join the throng

I know she`s way out of reach

But I can but dream.

She has no name

That anyone knows

A girl of mystery and promise

For the elusive beau whoever he is.

Whoever she chooses

Will be lucky indeed

Having her on your arm

Would be heaven on earth.

Months have passed

Since she arrived in town

The boys are still dreaming

But her manner doesn`t change.

One day she is no longer around

No one knows

To where she has gone

The boys all pine and mourn her going.

Suddenly her face appears

In the papers and on television

A new pop sensation is born

All the boys are fans now.

She was in town resting and writing songs

Now the big time beckons for our star

The boys will never forget their awestruck love

And will buy her records and anything else they can get.

I`ll never tell a soul

Of my feelings for the girl

Of my sleepless nights of dreaming

And worshipping from afar.

Soon she is a big star with her face

On every billboard and television

The town goes crazy

When she comes to perform in town.

Her concerts are sold out

Weeks in advance

She surprises everyone when she comes on stage

With a local boy.

He`s been chosen

To be her beau and escort

One of the boys who had

Stood by her door for ages in eternal hope.

She noticed the boy in the throng after all

Who waited silently in hope of catching her eye

The eyes that flash like diamonds in the night

Famous now a new girl no more.

39

Blizzard

Little flakes of white

Falling from a leaden sky

Falling hard and settling

On already frozen ground.

Snowflakes being blown in the wind

Looks like swirling patterns

Outside my window

Reminiscent of starling’s murmurating.

Bare branches on trees

Starting to bend under the weight

Of settled snow

Branches touching the ground in places.

Birds and squirrels

Who live in the trees

Are having a hard time now

Many using the hanging bird feeders for nourishment.

Puddles frozen in the park

Children building mini slides

On the small banks there

For their sledges.

As darkness falls

The wind picks up again

Blowing the still falling snow

All around in zero visibility.

Drifts begin to form

In sheltered corners

Paths getting treacherous

With compacted and frozen snow

Roads are still passable

With care

But by morning

Even they will be buried under a carpet of white.

Media telling people to stay indoors

Most are heeding the advice

Not pleasant outside

In the freezing conditions.

By midnight the blizzard

Is in full swing

Gale force winds even rattling

The double glazing in the windows.

Snow falling rapidly and hard

Large flakes now

Blanketing everything

Without exception.

People awake to a new dawn

A landscape changed overnight

To a wonderland of white

Pristine snow stretching unbroken.

No tracks or footprints

To see on the pristine surface

Nothing is moving

To disturb the tranquillity.

The roads are now a few feet

Beneath the snow

Even the ploughs can`t cope

It will remain like this for a few days.

Transport at a standstill

No supplies getting through to shops

Shelves nearly bare

As people panic buy.

The hardest winter

For twenty years or more

With temperatures plunging

To an all-time low.

The snow looks nice

But people will be relieved

When the rain comes

And thaws the lying snow.

People pray that the rain

Will not freeze overnight

But in that respect

The forecast is optimistic.

40

Heroes

Servicemen and women

Unknown and long forgotten

Gave their all for the freedom

We enjoy today.

They bravely fought

For their country and flag

Against all the odds

They won through.

To fight another day

Different time and place

But the task remains the same

To overcome the enemy and survive.

Their names are long forgotten

Just inscriptions on tablets of standing stone

War memorials and mass cemeteries

Are all that remain of their strife.

They paid the ultimate price

For what they believed was right

Too many people don`t understand

The sacrifices they made.

From all branches of the forces

On land at sea and in the air

They bravely fought shoulder to shoulder

With their brothers in arms.

They are remembered at best

Once a year

In the poppy appeal

But to most they are simply names without meaning.

Still young men and women

Enlist in the services

To do their bit to make

The world a better safer place.

They aim to see the world

And to learn a trade

But underlying all this

They are prepared to pay the ultimate price.

Not enough is done

To support these proud people

When they complete their service

Cast on the scrapheap and left to rot.

Let this be a lasting tribute

To these brave and selfless people

It`s not everyone

Who can proudly wear the uniform.

Popular heroes include

Pop stars and sports people

But the real un-sung heroes

Are the ones who wear the colours.

To defend through thick and thin

No matter what the cost

The ultimate sacrifice

Is never too much to ask of them.

And if the situation arises

They do this willingly

Hoping that their sacrifice

Will enable others to live in peace.

41

The Moor

Wide open and desolate emptiness

Intersected by wavy dry stone walls

And narrow country lanes

Leading to isolated farms and cottages.

High windswept hills

And rocky tors

Stretching as far as the eye can see

In all directions.

The occasional glint

Of sunlight reflecting on

High level lakes

Nestling between the hills.

Heather covers the ground

Now in bloom with tiny flowers

Gives a purple and mauve tinge

To the landscape.

Hardy people brave the wind

To explore the high moors

Perpetual and prevailing

Carrying rain and sometimes snow.

The moor is home to

Hardy animals and birds

Horses and Kites to name but two

Likewise hardy flora thrives.

Heaths and small flowers

In sheltered corners thrive

While heather and bracken

Take over the exposed moorlands.

Deep shadows cast by the fleeting clouds

Mask the valleys

And make the tors appear

Dark strange and unforgiving.

Sheep roam the moors

Hardy varieties

To withstand the extreme

And sudden changes to the weather.

Looking north and south

From the high windswept moor

You can see the sea

Glinting in the sunshine.

Many miles away

But visible due to the height

Looks serene and pleasant

But can and will change quickly.

They say many ghosts and spirits

Roam the moor at night

Even dogs do not go far in the dark

Near their owners on edge and nervous.

A lonely church stands on a high tor

Visible for miles but no road to get there

Just a muddy and uneven track up the steep tor

Must be awkward for wedding parties in their fancy clothes.

Waterfalls in deep hidden valleys

Hard going climbing back to the country park

Totally inaccessible in the winter

Pity as the falls are beautiful when they freeze.

In the centre of the moor

Where four roads meet

Stands a forbidding looking

Victorian prison behind high walls

Still occupied

By dangerous criminals

No escape from here

The moor is not kind to walkers or fugitives.

42

Circus

Heavy lorries towing trailers caravans and cages

Trundling in convoy through the night

A thousand tyres kissing the tarmac

As they roll onwards.

As dawn breaks

The first lorry turns off the road

Into a large field

Closely followed by the others.

Excited children up before dawn

Are already lining the fence

The cry goes up

The circus is in town the greatest show on earth.

The lorries head for three distinct areas

Those with equipment head to the centre

The caravans go to the right

While the towed cages go to the left.

Once all the lorries are in the field

The place becomes a hive of activity

The caravans are parked off towards the side

While the cages are formed into a three sided rectangle.

The unloading of the heavy equipment begins aided by a big crane lorry

Circus staff feed and water the animals

Then they take the elephants out of their cages

For a walk round the field.

They will remain outside now

In a specially prepared area

Surrounded by low metal fences

So the public can see them easier.

Twenty elephants all holding their leaders tails

With their trunks

Five babies bring up the rear

And the children coo and marvel at the huge creatures.

The cages contain many sorts of animals

Which will perform tomorrow in the big top

Lions Tigers Bears Monkeys Horses Wolves and Dogs

All need feeding and exercising.

With that task done the staff clean the cages

Then erect rope barriers in front

To stop visitors getting too close

To the animals within.

The animal zoo will open later

A full day before the first performance

The big top is unloaded and spread on the ground

Ready for the many men to erect it.

Building the big top takes all day

As they have to construct connecting canvas tunnels

Between the cages the caravans and the big top

Also build the tiered seating enough for five hundred people.

The box office is set up inside the field gate

And another tunnel is constructed to the big top entrance

Generator lorries are fired up

To provide lights and power.

The next day in the afternoon

The first performance gets under way

Opened by the ring master

Resplendent in his red coat and top hat.

Clowns cavorting making everyone laugh

Some children are scared of the clowns

With their painted faces

And hide in their mothers coats.

Things are taking place high above

The saw dust ring

With trapeze artists and tight rope walkers

All doing their thing.

The band is playing from a raised stage

Above the entrance tunnel

The ring is filled with prancing horses

Dappled greys dancing reminiscent of the Spanish Riding School.

All the animals take their turn

To show off in the ring

The big cats are firm favourites

With the large brown bears next.

All the animals except the horses and dogs

Are enclosed in a ring sized metal mesh fence

To prevent them escaping

And terrorising the patrons.

There are jugglers

And bare back riders

Men dressed as cowboys

Who display their shooting skills.

After twelve performances

It is time to pack up and move on

To the next town

To thrill more audiences with their skills.

The children are sad to see the circus

Leave their town

And once again line the fence

This time to say goodbye.

43

Easter

The day dawned bright

With spring sunshine

Promising

A glorious day to follow.

Hard boiled and painted eggs

Hidden in the garden

For the children to find

In the Easter egg hunt.

There are about five hundred eggs

Hidden in the large garden

Enough for all the kids to find

A prize for whoever collects the most.

A huge chocolate egg

About two feet high

Is the prize

The kids all hope that they win.

Indoors are many more chocolate eggs

Adoring the mantelshelf and sideboard

The children and adults alike

Will stuff themselves on the chocolate later.

A massive Easter feast is planned

For family friends and neighbours

Turkey goose venison and gammon

With all the fancy trimmings.

After the feast is devoured

Everyone adjourns to the garden

And the great egg hunt

Gets under way.

Each child is given a wicker basket

To hold their haul of eggs

The children scurry everywhere

Hunting the elusive eggs.

The adults watch their antics

From comfy chairs on the patio

Sipping drinks

And chatting.

Also in the garden

Are fluffy yellow chicks

And tame rabbits

Which the children adore.

A girl wins the contest

With a basket of two hundred eggs

She surprises everyone

When she announces that she is giving her prize away.

It`s bound now for the children`s ward

At the local hospital

To brighten the day

Of those children less fortunate than her.

After the egg hunt is over

It is time for high tea on the patio

Freshly baked hot cross buns dripping with butter

Tasty with hints of cinnamon and orange.

After tea it’s a short walk

Along the lane to the church

For the traditional Easter service

Taken by the vicar.

The religious significance

Is wasted on the children

Who are more interested

In the chocolate eggs and food.

Even the adults miss the point

Treating the story as a pleasant fairy tale

The vicar also admits

That the whole meaning is lost to commercialism.

44

Egypt 1951

The sun shines brightly

On my old Egyptian home

My father was a serving soldier

And I was born a few miles away.

I don`t remember anything about the place

Everything I know was related to me by my mother

She told me how it was

In a foreign country all those years ago.

The street was long and dusty

Lined with palms and other tropical shrubs

Our house was one of many

Similar properties.

Sun dried and whitewashed

Mud bricks

Made the two storey residence

Thick walls and small windows to keep the inside cool.

Palms swaying in the constant breeze

That is what brings the sand

From the desert

That coats everything in a thin film of sand and dust.

A glint of water nearby

Reflecting from the waters of the Suez Canal

Many large ships passing by

As they traverse the waterway.

Along the canal banks

The vegetation flourishes

A hundred yards inland

It is too dry and arid for most plants to survive.

The street is empty

With very few motor vehicles

Mostly bicycles donkeys and camels

Many of the vehicles were military with a few exceptions.

My father had his own car

A left hand drive Morris Oxford

One of the few civilian vehicles

But one befitting his rank.

He used to swim regularly

In the Great Bitter Lake

One day whilst swimming

He lost his false teeth.

I was told that week`s later

A large fish was landed by the local fishermen

Inside was a set of false teeth

My father`s I wonder?

Mother told me about the glorious sunsets

When the sky took on brilliant hues

Of red orange and gold

As the sun sank in the west over the pyramids.

I saw photographs of these

As my parents had a huge album which I couldn`t lift as a child

Of the views the house and family friends

All in black and white which didn`t do them justice.

I was only three months old

When the family returned to England

We boarded a ship at Port Said

For the eight day voyage through the Mediterranean and beyond.

Apparently the voyage was rough at times

And mother was quite ill with sea sickness

Spending a lot of time in the cabin

With a bucket by the bed.

Eventually the ship docked

At Tilbury on the River Thames

Then it was a train journey via London

To Southampton on the south coast.

My family stayed with some close friends

For a while

On a small holding

A few miles from the city.

My father`s car was shipped

Back to England

Arriving a month later than my family

On a large cargo ship direct to Southampton.

After three months my parents

Rented a flat in the New Forest

And it was here

That I spent the next nine months of my life.

They say that you are influenced

In later life by your pace of birth

Must be true

I have always had an interest in Egyptian antiquities.

45

Blossom

Spring has certainly sprung

When the trees turn pink

It`s Cherry blossom time

In England`s pleasant land.

Pretty fluffy flowers

Shroud the trees

In delicate shades of

Pink Yellow and White.

Apple blossom is white

In the orchards

Likewise Orange blossom

With a delicate perfume.

The Oranges grow in large tropical greenhouses

And in smaller orangeries

The Cherries grow in gardens

And parks.

Intermingled with flashes of bright yellow

From the Forsythia bushes

Very pretty and nice to see

But doesn`t last very long.

We might get a few weeks

Of colour

Before the wind carries the flowers away

Leaving fresh green leaves in their place.

In the hedgerows

There is also colour

From the pale Primroses

And Violets growing in profusion.

When the blossom has gone

We look to the woodlands

To discover carpets of blue

In varying hues from the Bluebells.

As the season progresses

More colours appear in the woods and forests

This time in shades of Red Pink Purple and White

From the bushy Rhododendrons.

On the open plains of the forest

There are also splashes of colour

Bright Yellow

From the prickly Gorse bushes.

Lots of flowers on the Gorse

Heralds a good summer to follow so they say

We hope that the old folklore

Is right this year.

Next to burst into bloom

Are the Tulips

In some places there are acres

Of flowers in differing hues and tones.

All the colours of the rainbow

All in tidy rows

Stretching as far

As the eye can see.

People travel miles

To see the spectacular

Displays and marvel at the colours

That nature has provided for our pleasure.

46

Fog

Sitting on the dockside

Looking at the ocean

A fog bank is approaching

As night falls.

Soon the world vanishes

In a grey impenetrable shroud

The street lights emit an amber glow

Fuzzy and barely visible from six feet away.

Not only is vision lost in the murk

But sound is also deadened

Creating an eerie scene

All dark and grey.

The fog carries moisture

From the ocean

Droplets form on your clothes

And drip from your nose and eyebrows.

Other lights appear fleetingly

As vehicles approach

And pass by slowly

People with torches stumbling along.

The silence is broken

But muffled

By the fog horn

On the clifftop coastguard station.

Every few minutes

There is the mournful sound

Of the horn

Bouncing and echoing off the fog.

The lighthouse at the jetty`s end

Sends its beam out to sea

But the beam doesn`t penetrate

And reflects back in a glare.

The fog horn is answered

By another on a ship out in the bay

Making slow progress or at anchor

Waiting for the fog to clear.

People brush past

Just clothes touching

Without even seeing you

You`re just a darker shape in the murk.

A crunch sounds through the fog

Raised and angry voices

But nothing can be seen

Maybe a car hit something.

A local cat stalks

Along the jetty

Hunting for scraps from the fishing boats

The only thing that can see clearly.

Once the people have passed

On their way home

I still sit on the harbour wall

Liking the sense of peace the fog brings.

It`s like being in a cocoon

Not warm and cosy

But chilly and damp

But still I enjoy the peace and solitude.

As the night wears on

The fog gets thicker

And more dense

Soon the street lights are invisible.

The lighthouse is also barely visible now

Every time the light flashes

It simply reflects off the fog which envelops everything

Not much use to the ships out on the ocean.

The fog horn is also pretty useless

Simply echoing around

People would think me mad

For sitting here watching and listening.

Long past midnight

A pale and feeble moon

Breaks through the fog

Promising a respite from its grip.

By morning the fog has gone

And dawn breaks with a glimmer of sunshine

There are several ships

That I can see now.

At anchor in the bay

Safer to anchor and wait

Than to navigate the treacherous coast

Blind.

The crunch I heard

Was indeed a car

It hit a lamp post

And was still there when the fog cleared.

47

The Games

Men and women travel

From around the world

To take part and compete

In the games.

Every four years

So gives plenty of time

To train

For the task ahead.

Many different sports disciplines

Nation against nation

All hoping for the elusive medals

Athletes every one of them.

A huge cheer goes up

From the twenty thousand spectators

As the home nation

Leads all the others into the arena.

Flags flying proudly

Bands playing

Multi coloured costumes

Befitting of the occasion.

Some activities take place away

From then main stadium arena

Like swimming shooting and football

Also water borne sports.

Dotted across the city

In separate little sports villages

The velodrome and the swimming pool

Share their own little village.

Water sports out on the river and bay

Shooting on a range last used by the army

Football in the city stadium

The spectators travel between the venues to follow their interests.

The city`s population is swelled

Almost doubled with competitors

And spectators

Hotels fully booked months in advance.

After the lavish opening ceremony

The games start in earnest

As the day draws to a close

The first medal ceremony takes place.

The home nation is proud

To make a clean sweep

Taking a total of fifteen medals

Across the board all that was on offer.

The games last a week

The main arena is active throughout

With track and field events

Taking place simultaneously.

The athletes have trained hard

Some for four years

And they are well prepared

When the games conclude the home nation is victorious.

They have won fifty three medals

Over half of all of them

Commonwealth countries finish a close second

They excel in the track events.

After a week of excitement

It is over for another four years

The athletes return home

Triumphant and happy.

All their hard work

Paid off handsomely

A great time was had by all

Athletes and spectators alike.

48

The Steeplechase

Fantastic feathers

Fluttering in a gentle breeze

Flowers also adorn the spectacular hats

Wide brims shading the ladies eyes from the sun.

Long flowing dresses

And some quite extraordinary outfits

All competing

To be the best dressed woman there.

The men wear formal suits

With tailed coats

And top hats

Anyone not conforming to the dress code is refused admission.

The royal enclosure is the best location

To watch the racing

But only a select few

Get invited there.

The horses are paraded in the ring

Behind their grandstand with their jockey`s

Led on short reins by the grooms

All wearing coloured jerseys with matching ribbons on their mounts.

The colours are chosen and registered by the owners

Each one has their own colours

Even the royal horses

Carry gay ribbons of colour.

The first race starts

In the early afternoon

By which time the race goers

Have partaken of expensive snacks in the grandstand.

A thunder of hooves

A flash of fast moving horses

As they head down the course

Towards the first fence.

It`s a gruelling race

For horses and jockey`s

Thirty fences to jump

Including water drops and high hedges.

Some mounts falter

At the fences

Unseating their riders

Often the horses continue running without their jockey`s.

A lot of money changes hands

At the trackside tic tac toe booths

Various bookies offering differing odds

People seek out the best deals.

The betting shops in town

Are also doing a brisk trade

Their odds are slightly lower

Than the trackside touts.

Many people nationwide

Will watch the races on television

Not everyone can get to the course

Television tends to give you a better view anyway.

By the time the meeting closes

In three days’ time

Many millions of pounds

Will have changed hands.

Some very rich owner’s trainers and jockeys now

The top prize for the main race is

A staggering

One million pounds.

All the winners are shown off

In the winners enclosure

Prizes are awarded

And the horses get their rosettes presented.

Luckily the weather has been kind

To the horses

Making the going firm

So the horses don`t get bogged down in the mud.

Once the last race is over

The grooms start reloading the horses

Into their travelling horse boxes

Some are in for a long journey home.

49

Kernow

Travelling westward in the early morning

Away from the rising sun

Good as it`s not in my eyes

As I drive.

Various stops along the way

For refreshment

Or to admire the views

Pressing on regardless ever west bound.

Crossing the high river bridge

With the dockyard below

We enter the mystical

County of Kernow.

The scenery changes

And becomes harsher

With open scars on the land

From the working clay pits.

Tall forlorn stone towers

Dotted around everywhere

Old engine houses

For the tin mines.

Abandoned now

And deserted

Still stand as a testament

To industries long departed.

Continuing the westward journey

Towards the distant sea

To the rugged headland

Where land and sea meet.

A lonely rock column

Some miles off shore

Is home to a tall windswept lighthouse

Warning mariners ancient and modern of the treacherous coast.

Three thousand miles of emptiness

Across the ocean

To reach eventually

The new world.

Away from the beaten track

Ancient customs and legends abound

The home of the pixies

Mythical trolls and smugglers.

A high hard to reach castle

Clings precariously to the northern cliffs

Impregnable

With a wizard`s cave beneath.

This magical land

Has a character all its own

From the wild moor with its famed beast

To bustling towns and pretty villages.

The Kernow flag

Proudly flutters from churches

Flag poles and public buildings

Reinforcing the unique character of this land.

Of this mystical and magical

Celtic land

Ornate and fancy crosses are common

Seen nowhere else but Kernow.

Tasty treats

And famous pasties

Fresh fruit scones with jam and double cream

Provides rich feasts for visitors and locals alike.

Time to explore

The towns and countryside

Many places to see and visit

In this land which is forever Kernow.

50

The Social Club

The club is at the heart

Of village life

Meets daily

In the old church hall.

A place to meet friends

Old and new

For socialising

And enjoyment.

Each day a hot meal is served

A godsend for some of the

Older members

All at cheap prices.

The bar is open till late

Everyday

For those who prefer

Liquid refreshment.

Various groups

Flourishing

Within the club

Catering for all tastes.

Knitting and needlecraft

Are popular with the ladies

Darts Cribbage and Dominoes

For the men.

A welcome place

To sit and chat

Gets people out of their homes

Essential for the lonely.

Each summer the committee

Organises a day trip for

All the members and guests

This year`s outing is to a stately home.

On the day

Motor coaches arrive at nine AM

To carry all the members

The short distance to the island on the ferry.

For those that wish

The coaches will also drop off

In the town centre

For shopping in the local shops.

The house is famous

As a royal residence

Donated to the nation

By an old queen.

On the way home

A pub stop is considered

In order

So an excuse to indulge in a tipple or two.

Elections are forthcoming

For committee posts

The members tend to be lethargic

So very few bother.

As a consequence

The same group of people

Continue to run and manage the club

Year after year.

The lease is soon to expire

On their building they lease

Desperately looking for a new home

Or the club will close.

A venue is found at the last minute

A more modern building

With more space

For extra activities.

Thankfully the members

All pitch in and help

With the move

To their new home.

With the future secure

The club can continue

To flourish

And look after the people who use the place.

51

Rescue

Crew sitting in readiness

For whatever call

They are summoned to

Attend.

Kitted out in orange jumpsuits

Hot and stuffy in the crew room

Playing cards and reading

Just waiting.

The weather is worsening

Winds gusting at force ten

Beginning to rain

Large drops and the rumble of distant thunder.

All remains quiet as the storm gathers

Intensity

Lightning flashes overhead

Loud thunder crashes.

At eleven at night

The crew try and get some rest

And shut eye

Hoping for uninterrupted sleep.

No such luck

At around two in the morning

The lights snap on

All woken by the braying of an alarm.

Sleepily they run from the crew room

Across the concrete apron

Made slick and shiny

By the driving rain.

The wind is really strong

Almost constantly at force ten or above

Their feet splash in the puddles

As they race for their bird.

Can they fly in such abysmal conditions

The skipper says yes

They have no choice

A yacht is in trouble off the coast.

Two families aboard

Including three children

Yacht demasted and wallowing

Now taking on water and in danger of sinking.

The engines take a short while

To spool up

Hastened as the skipper left the bird

In stand-by mode.

The bird is brightly painted

In orange and white with search and rescue in black

Lifts into the air

To be buffeted by the howling wind.

Windshield wipers

Just about coping

Skipper sets course for the yacht

Twenty minutes away for the big bird.

Despite the horrible conditions

They spot the floundering yacht

Some five miles off the coast

Tossed around like a toy on the mountainous waves.

The winchman opens the large side door

Sending a blast of wind and rain inside

Readying the equipment

Strapping himself into the harness.

The bird is large enough

To carry fifteen people

So they know they`ll have space

Even though one person is unconscious.

This person will need a stretcher lift

So this is also attached to the harness

One hundred feet above the stricken yacht

The winchman releases the cable brake and descends.

The line swings violently

It needs a special kind of person

To do this job

The most dangerous on board.

The skipper has to fight hard

To keep the bird on station

He is mindful of the fuel

And knows they have limited time to get everyone on board.

After eight hair raising descents

All the yacht passengers and crew

Are safely aboard

Skipper sets course for the nearest hospital.

The nearest one with a helipad

Is forty five minutes away

Right on the fuel safety margin

Using more fuel than normal to counteract the storm.

The winchman and the last passenger

Have just been winched clear of the deck

When the yacht turns turtle

And slips beneath the stormy sea.

Another successful mission

Only minor casualties

So the crew is thankful for that

All safely delivered to hospital.

Luckily there is an air force station nearby

So a short flight to replenish their fuel

Then a twenty minute flight

Back to their own base to await another mission.

51

Modern Britain

Modern Britain

Is nothing like

The Britain

I grew up in.

Things have changed

Dramatically

Over the years

And not for the better.

There used to be patriotism and national pride

Along with a sense of belonging

But that has been eroded and gone forever

To be replaced by multi-culturalism.

Now our hands are tied

And our mouths gagged

By European laws human rights

And political correctness.

Everything now is biased

In favour of any foreigners and refugees

Who come to our shores welcomed by those in power

At the expense of the native people.

We are frowned upon

Or even arrested and prosecuted

For flying the union flag

We can`t do that we`re told.

Foreign minorities and religious sects

Intent on causing discontent

Violence and racial hatred

Can do as they please.

With no fear of reprisal or reprimand

Marching with terrorist flags

Flying on high

With the police escorting them to maintain the peace.

We cannot speak out in protest

For fear of being called racist

Only applies to us

Immigrants can do as they like.

People are fed up and disillusioned

By the failure of successive governments

To properly represent the electorate

Who gave them power in the first place.

The internet and social media

Don`t help despite being useful

Keeping people in touch with

Like minded folk and groups.

But even that is flawed

By a blatant disregard for free speech from us

It`s okay for the foreigners

Who are always protected.

It can only be a matter of time

Until the populace runs out of patience

Then it will be a bloodbath

As civil war rages all part of the immigrants plan.

The people are biding their time

Even the politicians are getting worried by a now divided country

We wait for a strong and capable leader

When the population will rise up in rebellion.

52

Bluebell Woods

Vibrant patches of blue

In shady glades

Under the fresh green canopy

Of the forest trees.

A sign that spring

Is turning to summer

Rarer pink harebells

Add to the glorious colour.

Shades and tones

Of white pink red crimson lilac and purple

Flourish on the rhododendrons

That frequently overshadows the bluebells.

Bluebells are very pretty

But you can`t buy the bulbs

In garden centres or nurseries

As they are considered as weeds.

If you want them in your garden

It means finding a secluded patch

And digging some up

For replanting later at home.

Once established they multiply

Rapidly

So a bucket full of bulbs

Will make a nice patch in a few years.

Squirrels and other small animals

Play and frolic

In the sea of blue

Enjoying the dappled sunlight.

The sunlight filtering through

The green canopy

Is like flashing disco lights

Pretty but awkward to drive in.

They are quite long flowering

Lasting for a month or more

Before dying back

Leaving seed pods in the place of the flowers.

The seed pods pop when ripe

Scattering the seeds far and wide

On the wind

And on animals feet.

The seeds grow into bulbs

Over a few years

And so the cycle

Goes on.

Making splendid carpets

Of blue

For future generations

To enjoy.

53

Typhoo

Typhoo McAllister was a teddy bear

He lived

On his owners bed

Down by the sea.

He had golden fur which matched his big brown eyes

A bit moth eaten with age

A yellow coat blue trousers along with a backpack

Firmly stitched on completed the picture.

His owner Frankie was a schoolgirl

He had been her companion

Since the day

She was born.

Everywhere Frankie went

Typhoo went too

Always by her side

Her constant companion and friend.

Every day after school

Frankie went to the shop

To buy sweets and something for Typhoo`s tea

But of course she ended up eating whatever she got.

One day the family went on holiday

Typhoo went missing

When a gust of wind

Carried him over the side of the ferry.

Frankie was distraught

And inconsolable

Her faithful friend

Was gone.

Several weeks later

Typhoo was washed up on a beach

Filthy and bedraggled

Found by another little girl.

She took him home to maybe keep

But her mother looked in his backpack

Inside was

Frankie`s name and address.

They washed Typhoo

And made him smell nice

Before packing him in a box

And posting it.

The next day

Frankie was getting ready for school

When the postman knocked the door

Despite already running late Frankie tore open the parcel.

She had tears of joy

Streaming down her face

When she discovered

Her faithful friend had come home.

She took him to school

That day

Not something the school approved of

But Frankie didn`t care.

Now twenty years later

Frankie was getting married

Along with her flower posy

She clutched Typhoo in her hand.

The local paper had heard

About Typhoo

And sent a photographer along

To capture the moment for posterity.

The headline read

Typhoo goes to his owners wedding

Together for ever Typhoo and Frankie

The poor groom didn`t even get a mention.

54

Blue Watch

One thirty in the morning

The station is in darkness

Apart from one light

In the watch room.

The crews are sleeping

Fully dressed and ready to go

In the dormitory

Upstairs above the engine room.

One forty five

Everyone is rudely woken

By the lights flicking on

Accompanied by the strident ringing of an alarm.

The crews seem instantly awake

As they slide down the poles

From the landing

To the engine room.

The watchman tears a slip of paper

Fromm the tele-printer

Then goes to a rotating card index

And extracts a card which gives details of the property concerned.

He hands this

To the senior officer

All the stations four engines

Are required to attend.

Two pumps

An aerial rescue unit

And a specialist rescue tender

With all kinds of special equipment on board.

The crews run to their allocated vehicles

Getting into full kit as soon as they are on board

The large front roller doors

Are already open and rolled up to the ceiling.

Blue strobe lights

Come on

With alternate flashing

Headlights.

Within two minutes

The first vehicle

Rolls out through

The doors into the night.

The watchman hurries to the rear garage

Where he gets into a van

Part of his job will entail

Being breathing apparatus controller on the scene.

They are attending

A house fire

Four miles away across town

No traffic so no need for the sirens.

The crews can see the fire

A quarter of a mile ahead

Thick smoke and flames shooting

Thirty or more feet into the night sky.

The senior officer

Calls on the radio

Requesting assistance

To make pumps six.

A couple of hundred yards away

The driver of the leading vehicle

Switches on the siren

A message to the people trapped that help is coming.

Three more stations

Are alerted in response

To the officers

Radio message.

By now the crews are in full kit

Breathing apparatus sets follow

These will be checked

Once on scene.

Historically the father of the modern fire service

James Braidwood

Said that to be effective

A firefighter must enter a burning building.

This is what they will do

Wearing the breathing apparatus

And dragging heavy

Water charged hoses behind them.

They know they only have a short time

Inside

Before being pulled out and replaced

By a fresh team.

Tem minutes is all they are allowed

The heat saps their strength

So even this seems

A long time.

The fire is well out of control

So the call goes out

For yet more reinforcements

Making pumps ten.

The second crew inside

Finds a family huddled on the floor

Of a first floor bedroom

Staying low to breathe easier.

They direct the operator

Of the aerial rescue platform

To position the cage

By the window.

The family is helped into the cage

And lowered to the ground

Thankfully not seriously hurt

Just smoke inhalation and shock.

Three hours later

The inferno is finally extinguished

The building is gutted so will probably

Be demolished in due course.

The crews are stood down

As the stop message is sent by radio

One crew remains on scene

To damp down any further pockets of fire.

The crews are happy with their hard work

Another set of lives saved

Pity the building was destroyed

But that is replaceable lives are not.

All the men are exhausted

And are thankful that their shift

Is nearly over

They will hand over to another watch in a couple of hours.

Red watch`s turn

To protect and save

Lives

In whatever circumstances they are in.

55

Dragon

The fiery red dragon

Lives beneath the castle

As the guardian

Of the crypt and what lies beyond.

The place where

Ancient kings

Rest in peace

For eternity.

The crypt also houses

Jewels beyond belief

Immeasurable wealth

Which no one sees or takes advantage of.

The dragon is fierce

And only allows

Select people

To enter its domain.

The beast is fearsome and scary

With large bulging eyes

Scales on its back and wings

Breathing tongues of fire.

The smell off sulphur

From the fire it breathes

Poisonous

To mere mortals.

The keeper

Is the only person

To bring food for the beast

Usually a sheep or goat to provide nourishment.

No one has ventured

Into the crypt

For centuries now

Since before the dragon was hatched.

Only the keeper

Knows what lies beyond

The crypt

Cannot tell too dangerous.

If you were lucky enough

Or maybe unlucky

To be lured or invited inside

You would find a steep stairway.

Descending into the mouth of hell

Deep inside the earth

Fire and smoke

Piteous screams from below.

You will surely go mad

If you venture this far

Good thing the dragon prevents you

From ever going there.

56

The Dalesman

Dedicated to David Norris-Kaye

Looking through leafless trees

In my garden

To the tall peaks standing sentinel

In the cold light of morning.

Purple heather intermingled

With prickly gorse

Covers the lower slopes

Constantly encroaching into the garden.

It`s a full time job

Controlling the invasive plants

Also the animals

That live wild on the peaks.

Welcoming scents

Assailing my nostrils

Drifting from the kitchen

Where my wife is preparing breakfast on the open range.

Grilled bacon and fried eggs

Blend with the scent

Of fresh bread

And coffee.

That will set me up nicely

For a day spent outside

Roaming the peaks

With my camera.

The day is fresh

And invigorating

As I make my way

Slowly up towards the high peaks.

Bit out of breath

When I reach the old railway

Now a ramblers

And cyclists playground.

Streams tumbling down

The steep slopes

Sparkling in the pale sunshine

As the waters head down to the dales and lakes.

The sun hasn`t reached the dales yet

As it`s still early

The peaks are bathed in sunshine

While the dales hide in the shadows.

Meeting up with friends

On the high peak trails

All out walking or cycling

Making the most of the pleasant day.

Dropping down into a dales village

Time for a coffee and cake

In the tea rooms

Nice to relax after the climb and chat.

Spending time in the village

Snapping the church, cottages and gardens

Bare now but ready for spring

More pictures for my albums.

Time to head home now

Going back through the dales

To avoid climbing again,

More villages and things to photograph.

Pleasantly warm by this time

Despite a chill wind

Coming from the north east

Clouds building and thickening now.

Brings a promise of rain

Be dark early tonight

I`m glad I`ll be cosy and warm

Indoors by the fire.

If the weather is decent tomorrow

I might venture further afield

By bus maybe

Still looking for the perfect camera image.

57

Drought

England`s land

Is green and pleasant no more

Turned brown and dusty

By the scorching sun.

Very hot for two months or more

The hottest and driest summer

For more than

Forty years.

Reservoirs and rivers

Are low or dried up

Where once was water

Is now dried and cracked mud.

Fish trapped in deeper pools

In river beds going dry

The fish won`t survive long

As their meagre water evaporates.

Too hot for animals and humans

People advised to stay indoors

Out of the sun

No way to keep cool.

Careless people

In the countryside

Enjoying the sun and BBQ`s

Sparks flying and glass bottles discarded.

Soon cause

Wild fires

Burning out of control

No water to combat the flames.

Acres of land destroyed

Animals homeless or killed

Property endangered

People praying for rain.

The forecasters keep promising

Rain and thunder storms

But it doesn`t happen

The land gets even drier.

The parks and gardens

Are brown wilderness`s now

With only small patches

Of green remaining.

They say it won`t improve

For at least a month

How much more can we stand

People dropping like flies in the heat now.

Ambulances and hospitals

Are rushed off their feet

Attending to people

Who ignore advice to stay indoors.

The temperature is expected

To peak

With an all-time high

By the weekend.

The heat makes everyone

Irritable and lethargic

Feel sorry for whose

Who must work in the hottest part of the day.

When the rain does come

People will be outside

Dancing in the rain

And splashing in puddles like kids.

58

Storm

The sun has disappeared

Behind black clouds

Only mid afternoon

And the street lights are flicking on.

The sky is really dark now

Vivid flashes of lightning

Pierce the dark clouds

Large splatters of rain on the windows.

Trees swaying

In the freshening wind

Long grasses

Billowing like waves on a stormy sea.

Raining in earnest now

Hard and persistent

Thunder rumbling and getting closer

Fantastic light shows in the clouds.

A thunderclap

Directly overhead

Makes people jump

And rattles windows and doors.

The rain has turned to hail now

Stones the size of marbles

Dent cars and crack windscreens

Bouncing a foot high from the pavement.

Road drains and sewers

Can`t cope

Soon roads and pavements

Are under water.

Some property flooded

Public transport suspended

Council and fire brigade

Pumping out and helping people through the deep water.

Coastal roads are impassable

With the wild sea being swept

Over the promenades

By the high winds.

Depositing sand and shingle

On the road

Some windows broken

By wind flung stones.

An old tree

In the public park

Finally succumbs to the wind

And falls to the ground blocking a path.

The wind is blowing at near hurricane force

Shed and garage roofs ripped off

And sent hurtling across roads

To impact with vehicles and property.

The ground is now white in places

An accumulation of hail stones

In piles nearly a foot deep

And lying on the open ground.

The storm abates after what seems ages

The heavy rain continues though

Adding to already flooded areas

Thunder now fading as the storm moves on.

The winds gradually die down

But the sea will take hours to settle

The sky is lightening again

The street lights go out.

Clouds still scudding rapidly

Across the sky

Now with tinges of blue peeping through

Sunshine beginning to appear in cloud breaks.

Storm related damage

Has cost many thousands of pounds

It will take a while

To recover from the worst storm of the year.

59

Fibro

Arms and legs

Aching and twitching

All night long

Hard to sleep.

Skin feels itchy

All the time

As if something is crawling

Beneath the skin.

Makes life difficult

Some days are worse than others

But people don`t realise

And treat sufferers as if they`re stupid.

They are not stupid

Just in pain

This makes them irritable

Frustrated and absent minded.

It hurts when people say

There`s nothing wrong pull yourself together

Just because they can`t see it

Doesn`t mean it`s not there.

Even the welfare system

Is biased against them

They insist that they find a job

Although on bad days they can`t even get out of bed.

There isn`t a cure

For this complaint

Even doctors don`t recognise it

Take a pill they say.

Pills seldom do any good

Various rubs and creams

Also have

Little or no effect.

They wish they could have

At least one

Pain free day

When they can get on and do things.

They believe they`re doomed

Along with other sufferers

To spend a life

In constant pain.

Some days they feel like crying

The pain is so severe

But all they can do

Is grin and bear it.

It is time this disease

Was recognised

By the doctors and welfare organisations

As until then people will continue suffering.

60

Homeless

Twenty six years

As a serving soldier

Made sergeant major

Never married as the army was his only love.

Now discharged

And on the scrapheap

No one seems to care

No help provided.

Forced to beg on street corners

And sleep rough in doorways

No home no prospects no money

Desperation at his plight wondering where it all went wrong.

A good day sees him find

A cardboard carton

From someone`s new sofa

And a tatty smelly sleeping bag.

Discarded in a bin

As rubbish

But treasure to him

The carton will provide a bit of shelter from the elements.

Used to sleeping rough

On park benches, on flat gravestones in cemeteries

Or under hedges

Set upon several times by louts.

Who want to steal

The few things he has even his carton

Luckily his army training kicks in

The robbers got more than they bargained for.

He gets annoyed and frustrated when he sees

That immigrants who have just arrived

In the country and contributed nothing

Get given houses and welfare benefits.

He served his country

For many years

And no help is

Forthcoming for him.

He moved from town to town

To hide the shame of his predicament

Wants to be somewhere

Where no one knows him.

He is just one more figure

To place on the list of homeless people

Just a number

All personality and pride stripped away.

He desperately needs a job

And visits the job centre most days

It`s a catch twenty two situation

No fixed address so the centre won`t send him for interviews.

The cycle goes on

Endlessly

No job no money no home

Nothing to look forward to.

Sitting on a dusty street

A man passer-by

Recognises him and stops to speak

The old commanding officer from his old life.

The gentleman takes him to a homeless shelter

Across town

And vouches for him

To the warden.

He is taken in

Given a shower and a haircut

New clothes and a decent meal

And made to feel human again.

The shelter allows him to use

Their address as his

Place of residence

So now he can apply for jobs.

Anything will do

He`s gone way past being proud

He is offered a job with the council

As a road sweeper.

Thankful for anything

He accepts and begins

To try re-building his life

It`s been a long time since he felt this positive.

A small bedsit becomes available

And he moves in

Thankful the place is furnished

As he has nothing.

Slowly he becomes the proud and smart man

He once was

Hopefully his years on the streets

Unwanted and uncared for are over.

He campaigns for better treatment

For veterans like himself

Not hopeful of the outcome though

As the government doesn`t listen.

He and others of his ilk

Are conveniently ignored and forgotten

By the authorities

As they couldn`t be bothered.

61

Tyrol

Majestic mountains

Towering above a pretty village

Homes with flower decorated balconies

Nestled beneath.

A typical Tyrolean village

Clean and pretty

Summer flowers in profusion

Makes a pleasing picture.

Twisting roads

Through mountain passes

Steep drops

To fast flowing streams.

Clouds white and fluffy

Floating below the mountain tops

Looks like smoke

Blown on the wind.

Old steam train

Winds its way up a mountain

To the largest high level lake

In the country.

Lakeside town

Very touristy

Typical waterfront

Town with promenades and hire boats.

Town where no vehicles can go

Main Street is pedestrianised

Cobbled

With glass shops galore.

Horse and carriage rides

In old city

Lovely church with huge statues

In bronze.

Bustling city

Cars buses and trams

Mixing with the horse carriages

Cosmopolitan and vibrant.

As evening falls the valleys

Are soon swallowed by the encroaching darkness

While the final rays of dying sun

Tinge the mountain tops with hues of red and gold.

Once darkness falls

The valleys are illuminated

By twinkling lights from the houses

While the mountains become mere dark shadows against a black sky.

Stars twinkle in the darkness

No light pollution from streetlights

Clouds form and scud overhead

A promise of more overnight rain or snow higher up.

Splendid waterfalls

Cascading down the mountain

To end in fast flowing steams and rock pools

Brilliant rainbow colours in the clouds of spray.

The valleys are green and summery

While the high peaks are covered

With the first snow of the season

Superb scenery of contrasts.

High level mountain passes

Practically up to the snow line

Feel you can reach out

And touch the powdery snow.

Won`t be long now

Until the skiers arrive in droves

And the country reverts to its picturesque

Winter guise.

62

Hurricane

Forecasters and scientists

Watching screens

And radar sweeps

Tracking the storm.

The storm is building

In low pressure areas

Way out to sea

Massive depression forming.

The wind speeds are increasing

This makes the oncoming hurricane

Move eastwards faster

Across the ocean.

The scientists are concerned

And issue storm warnings

For any coastal areas

Also inland areas in the storm`s path.

Landfall is expected

Within hours

Everyone is boarding up windows

And securing anything movable.

The advice for the lowest lying areas

Is to evacuate

To higher ground

To escape the expected storm surge.

Many people heed the advice

And the roads become gridlocked

By cars and other vehicles

Fleeing towards higher ground.

Some people are determined to remain

And they are busy building

Flood barricades

From heavy sandbags.

Wind speeds are now

Approaching one hundred miles per hour

Fierce and dangerous

Threats to property and life.

Animals will perish

If the storm surge happens

It will cause mayhem

Everywhere.

Landfall

Winds now in excess

Of one hundred and twenty five miles per hour

Not the kind of weather to be outside.

The hurricane passes over

Causing widespread damage

Then calm returns briefly

But this is the eye of the storm.

The quiet lull before

Before the second wave of the storm

Arrives

But not as violent.

Damage runs into millions of pounds

Insurance claims will be huge

It will take a while to clear up and repair

Thankfully no lives have been lost.

Several people trapped

In collapsed buildings

Rescued unharmed

By the emergency services.

This is the first hurricane

Of the season

And already another one

Is building at sea.

The forecasters predict

That this will be even more

Severe

People hope and pray that this is wrong.

63

The Big C

Feeling unwell

For no good reason

Losing weight and sleep

Feeling drained and irritable.

Finally get a doctor`s appointment

After three weeks of waiting

Worried and in pain

Wondering what is wrong.

No one to turn to

To share the pain

People can see nothing wrong

So don`t care.

Admitted to hospital

For tests and investigations

Tired of being prodded and poked

Arms sore from repeated blood taking.

Finally a diagnosis is given

Not good to hear

The big C is present in several places

Frightened and apprehensive about what is to come.

The doctor`s say it`s treatable

In most cases

But are unwilling to say what chance

There is of surviving.

Intensive courses of

Radio therapy and chemo

Follow quickly

Left feeling drained and barely alive.

Sick most of the time

Unable to keep food down

Being nourished by a drip

Hair falling out in great clumps on the pillow.

Crying continuously

In fear and pain

Thankful for the powerful

Painkillers.

Always been a fighter

And this is one more fight

To win

And come back from the brink of death.

After six months of hell

Mental and physical

Four stones lighter in weight

Told that C is in remission.

Finally discharged from hospital

Need a new wardrobe now

All the clothes inside

Now hang loosely from a skeletal frame.

Relieved after the first check up

To learn that C has gone

Maybe it`s time to stop worrying

And rebuild the life that was destroyed.

The big C is not particular

Who it attacks

Many succumb to its ravages

But the strong ones fight and survive.

Only a bit restricted by the aftermath

Some activities are no longer possible

Still going however

And glad to be a survivor.

64

The Studios

Early starts for the crew

In work in the early hours

Lots of preparation and checks to do

Before the presenters arrive.

Four in the morning

Gaffer’s sparkies and sound technicians

Getting everything ready

With cables snaking across the floors.

Presenter’s guests and other staff

All arriving now

Guests shown into various

Green rooms throughout the complex.

Studio one is the first to go live

With the early breakfast show

The blue screen used by the weather girls

Has failed.

Electricians unable to rectify the fault

So the weather forecasts

Are moved to the next door studio

Where everything will be linked up by the programme editors.

The gate security staff

Are busy admitting staff and guests alike

And directing to where they should be

Actors start arriving ready to start filming.

Across the complex

A serial drama has its home

The cast will record a total of four

Half hour episodes today.

Some scenes are filmed outside

Ina purpose designed set

Others take place inside the big studio

Number eight divided into smaller sets.

Everything outside is done first

Followed by the indoor scenes

All out of sequence

It will be put together in order later by the editors.

It is their job

To make the jumble of random scenes

Into a finished product ready for transmission

At a later date.

Each episode takes about two hours

With many takes to get it right

And the editors will be working

As the actors film the next episode.

In the central communications hub

The room is surrounded by TV monitors

Watched over by a team of technicians

Who watch what is going on in the complex.

All watched over

By the senior editor

Whose desk is on a raised dais

In the centre of the room.

He can oversee all the action

And relies on the team

Of technicians

To advise him of any problems.

He has a red phone

On his desk

Which gives him a direct line

To the satellite communications centre in Cornwall.

If the satellite links from

Live broadcasts fail

He will use the phone to alert

The Goonhilly teams.

It is their task

To restore the satellite link

As soon as possible

So no news is missed.

The place is like a small town

With people hurrying everywhere

Between various studios

And other sets on the complex.

Make up girls pushing loaded trollies

Rush between the studios and sets,

Doing top up make up as required,

In addition to working in the dedicated make up department.

People are arriving

Contestants in one of several game or quiz shows

Being recorded and security has to keep an eye on them

To prevent them wandering off.

Even later when darkness falls

Work continues

Recording outside scenes for the dramas

As well as ongoing news coverage.

The place is seldom unoccupied

And even when recording finishes

For the day

The news studios continue broadcasting and reporting.

Thankfully today

There has been no need to call Goonhilly

Everything has gone well with just minor inconveniences

For a change.

The blue screen in studio one is still down

The weather girls have been shifted

To several vacant studios

Through the course of the day.

This has given the production staff a headache

Making sure that the weather forecasts

Are linked in seamlessly at the appropriate times

From whichever studio the girls are currently in.

65

Bells

Sunday morning

Dull and rainy

The church bells are ringing

All over town.

Discordant sound

As no two bells are in tune

With each other

Better if they all were in sync.

Joyous sounds to some

To summon the faithful

To morning prayer

From far and wide.

Depressing for me however

As the bells bring back

Long buried memories

Of the day my grandmother died.

On that day long ago

It seemed that every

Church bell in London

Was ringing.

Gods welcome

To another angel

Joining the throng

In heaven and rejoicing.

The bells always bring back

Memories and images

Of times

Long ago.

That day was like today

With wind and rain

Making the sense of loss and grief

Seem even more depressing.

The bells suddenly go quiet

Again all out of time with each other

Signalling the start

Of the morning service.

The bells will start again

After a few hours

To announce to all within earshot

That the family service is about to begin.

I try and drown out

The mournful peals

By covering my ears

And trying not to hear them.

This happens every week

You`d think that after

More than sixty years

I`d have grown used to the sound.

But no

They still cause vivid flashes of memory

I can`t help but wonder

What grandma would be doing now.

66

Forefathers Memories

The land my forefathers knew

Is lost now and gone forever

Fleeting memories of days long ago

Images from a fading and feeble mind.

The familiar things they knew

Have disappeared from their lives now

Eroded by changes in culture

And development.

Successive governments have removed

Destroyed or suppressed

Most traces of the old ways

All in the name of progress.

Those idyllic days

Of long ago

Exist now only

In fond recollections.

Those long gone days

Of childhood and youth

When everyone was proud to be British

And fly the union flag with pride.

Now it is considered a crime

And in poor taste

To fly the flag

Or to be patriotic.

Steady erosion of the country

And its native people

Now immigrants and strangers

Get preferential treatment in all things.

Civil unrest is building in this once great country

As native people are ignored

Treated as second class citizens

In their own land.

If only a scientist

Would come up with a working time machine

And we could return to those days

Of freedom and free speech.

The modern generation

Have no time for the old ways

They will not be remembered or mourned

As those who have gone before are.

All our traditions and age old customs

Are steadily being banned

Or discontinued

In case they upset someone.

In those days of yore

Britain was great

But the great has long disappeared

From our name.

We are now mere puppets

Of a European machine

Ruled by unelected strangers

From far away.

Our forefathers look back

In sadness and dismay

That what they fought for and believed in

Has so easily been cast aside.

67

Trenches

Young lads

Barely out of school

Innocent of worldly strife

Found themselves conscripted into the army

A few short weeks

Of basic training

Then put on ships

Packed in like sardines in a tin.

Shipped to France

To fight an enemy

They knew little about

And cared even less.

It was seen as patriotic

And their duty

To fight for their country

Reality was nothing like the dreams.

Many spent hours

Digging in heavy mud and clay

Making defensive trenches

Eight feet deep and four feet wide.

A thankless task

But essential for survival

Digging rooms out of the walls

To make officers sleeping areas.

And communications areas

No radios then

Carrier pigeons

Had to suffice.

Wet cold and frightened

Enemy shells exploding

Beyond the parapets

Tangled barbed wire barricades.

Firing steps cut into the forward walls

Dangerous to put your head over the parapet

Ladders every few feet

To assist in going over the top.

Mechanical monsters

Rumbling past

Towards the unseen enemy

Tanks they were called.

Nothing could stand in their way

As they moved forward

Crushing the enemy trenches

As they rolled across no-mans-land.

Appalling conditions

And food

Dysentery and trench foot are rife

Medics attend taking wounded men back.

Safer further back

Along the network of trenches

Many miles

All dug by hand.

A bugle sounds

An officer yells

Over the top boys

And leads the way up the ladders.

Met with withering fire

From enemy machine guns and rifles

Some men get caught in the barbed wire

Sitting ducks for the enemy guns.

Limited air support

From single seat bi-planes

They strafe the enemy lines

With machine guns.

Many are blown out of the sky

Pilots killed or captured

Flying operations cancelled

Due to lack of pilots and planes.

Bitter hand to hand fighting

Horse cavalry sent to assist

Many horses and riders

Cut down in their prime.

Hell on earth

Thunderous noise

No peace or respite

The sound of screams fills the air.

A major offensive begins

Poorly led by the generals

Way back behind the front line

In safer areas.

Bloody battles ensue

Fifty seven thousand casualties in one day

To take possession of a river crossing

The Somme.

One and a half million men

Paid the ultimate price

Over a four month period

A whole generation gone forever.

They will never grow old and infirm

As those left behind surely will

Memories that will last a lifetime

And beyond.

Was the sacrifice worth it

Generations that follow

Will question this

And condemn as a waste of time.

Sad thing is

The generations that were

Involved in the conflict

Have now passed on and faded from living memory.

To be remembered for all time

But even that is under threat

From governments who longer care

And selfish people who might be offended.

Did we learn from the terrible times

Endured by those young men

No

It all happened again twenty one years later.

Now it is one hundred years

Since the guns fell silent

The world prays that never again

Will it see such carnage and destruction.

68

Daily Fix

Thrown out of the family home

For keeping bad company

Bringing disrepute

To the neighbourhood.

Parents don`t care

What happens next

Goes partying every night

Too tired to work.

Sacked from her job

As unreliable

Final wages will only

Last for a few days.

No home to go back to

No money to find somewhere new

Spends time in the park

And the bus station.

Begging for a pittance

Enough to buy a cup of tea

From the catering van

In the car park.

Nothing to look forward to

No friends or anybody else

That cares

Grateful for any company and a sympathetic ear.

Unwashed and in soiled clothes

People give her a wide berth

Wrinkling their noses in disgust

As they pass hurriedly by.

Approached by a man

Who offers her a room

To live in

And a hot meal every day.

But there is a catch

She must sleep with him

And perform all kinds

Of degrading sexual perversions.

She doesn`t want this

But is desperate

So obliges

And moves into the offered room.

To help deaden the pain

And humiliation

Of being his plaything

She takes the drugs he offers.

The drug is quite harmless

And mild

To start with

But after a while it ceases to deaden her trauma.

Her keeper

Gives her stronger drugs

Heroin this time

And this blots out the humiliation and heartache.

Before long she is addicted

To the hard drug

And can barely function or even think

Without her daily fix.

She has no money

To pay for her addiction

So is passed around to the

Perverted friends of her keeper.

Her monthly interferes

With the pleasure the men seek

She ends up performing

Even more perverted acts simply to obtain her fix.

Bruised and beaten

Her face barely recognisable

Life is hell on earth

How long can she endure the torture?

Her keeper and his friends

Soon tire of her body

And once again

She is cast out on to the street.

She can`t take anymore

Humiliation hurt and rejection

Decides to end the suffering

A train passing through the station provides an easy way out.

Jumps in front

And dies under its wheels

Her broken body taken to the mortuary

To lie on a cold slab.

Abandoned in life

Alone in death

Even her parents

Do not care enough to attend her funeral.

A simple service

With no mourners

Forgotten by all around who knew her

Another drug victim fades from memory.

A wasted young life

Nothing to show for it

Or hand down to the kids she never had

Sad.

69

Philosophy

I searched my soul

And found no answers

I prayed to a god

I did not know.

I needed a purpose and direction

God and family were no use at all

I decided then at an early age

To make my own way through life.

I decided what I wanted

Set goals

And worked

At it.

Sometimes my chosen path

Led to a bad place and situation

But I persevered

And something good came out.

Mostly things worked out

In the end according to my plan

Hard going and difficult at times

But something kept me going.

I don`t know what the driving force is

Except that it is of my own making

Ambition persistence and faith

In my own ability to make things work.

My simple philosophy

Has served me well

Through life so far

Everything is of my own making.

Independence freedom of choice

But this is being slowly eroded

Stand by decisions good or bad

No going back or regrets.

No backtracking

Or procrastinating

Set a goal and target

And work to make it happen.

Things take time to happen

But patience is a virtue

I`m content to wait

Until things bear fruit.

I can now search my soul

Again

And find answers and peace

This time around.

70

The Final Journey

Woke up alone

In the middle of the night

Feeling strange

And a bit unwell.

Make tea

And sit sipping the hot liquid

Maybe its indigestion

And the tea will help.

An hour later

Feeling decidedly unwell

With pain in my arms

And chest.

Getting worried now

And wonder if I should

Call for help

From an ambulance or a neighbour.

Chest pain getting intolerable

Thinking that this is it

Remember being told by someone

Years ago.

To cough repeatedly

To make my chest contract and help my heart

Pump its life giving oxygen laden blood

Around my failing body.

Manage to reach the telephone

And dial 999

Before I fall to the floor

Gasping.

Trying to cough

But it is so much effort

Can I do it

I don`t think so.

Eyesight fading

And things take on a greyish tint

Vision narrowed to pinpoints of focus

On a tunnel and feel drawn towards it.

Things around me

Are fading into insignificance

Thought I`d be scared

But I`m not.

Feel warm and at peace

I can dimly hear a voice

From the telephone

Asking if I`m all right.

Can`t move to reply

Content to lie in the warmth

I feel surrounding me

Don`t care about anything anymore.

Slipping away and fading

Drawn into the tunnel

By invisible hands

Pulled towards a light.

The light is getting closer

Thought I`d be blinded by its glare

But no

It feels welcoming and not harmful to my eyes.

At the end of the tunnel

I find myself surrounded

By friends and family

Who have already made the journey.

Feeling happy

No longer in pain

Joy and peace

Surround me.

I think I`m dead

But I don`t know for sure

People explain to me

That I`ve made the final journey.

Time ceases to have any meaning

All earthly cares and woes

Along with pain

Become just a memory.

Told that my journey is over

Welcomed into my new existence

Everlasting and eternal

Time to rest.

71

Harbours

Sheltered coves

To huge ports

With blue or grey dirty water

Depending what sort it is.

Small village surrounded by high cliffs

A small cove with rippling water

Fishing smacks tied up along the quay

Pleasure craft bobbing at anchor.

Fish being unloaded

And sold straight off the boats

Local hoteliers and fishmongers

Jostling for the best of the catch.

What isn`t sold straight away

Is loaded onto lorries

And taken far and wide

Across the country.

The private pleasure boats are best reached

When the tide is out and the boats are beached

Then the owners can simply walk

Across the sand to their craft.

Sit and wait for the tide to turn

And re-float the boats

Set off out to sea

For relaxation or private fishing.

A few miles along the coast

Is a bigger harbour

Ferries run from multiple loading docks

To islands and beyond.

Ferries bring cars and lorries

From near and far

Visiting or returning residents

Clogging up the local roads.

Further on again

A large port

Houses grey warships

From across the world.

Small patrol boats

Minehunters

Frigates and destroyers

To gigantic aircraft carriers.

Very busy in the dockyard

And commercial port

Ferries and commercial shipping

Mingling with the warships and small pleasure craft.

Again nearby

Is a huge dock area

Home to many ocean going cruise ships

Huge container ships car carriers and tankers.

The whole area is very busy

With shipping

Some calling

Some passing by to other destinations.

72

Snowflakes

Snowflakes

Drifting down

From a dark leaden sky

To blanket the world in pristine whiteness.

Snowflakes

Driven by a strong wind

Soon covers the ground

Along with everything else.

The barometer is falling rapidly

Signalling the arrival

Of an extreme

Low pressure area covering the country.

Temperatures plummet

As the snowflakes fall harder

Blizzard conditions prevail

Dark and practically zero visibility.

Mounds of fallen leaves

Now buried in the snow

Take on strange shapes

Of mini people and animals.

Roads impassable

Transport paralysed

Nothing can move

In the frozen land.

Snowflakes

Falling continuously for three days

Soon to lie in deep drifts

And smooth ground cover.

Many feet in depth

Buildings half buried

Vehicles invisible

Beneath the pristine covering.

Isolated farms and dwellings

Villages and towns also

Marooned and cut off

From the world beyond their boundaries.

These places begin to run low

On food and vital supplies

Nothing can get through

By road.

Helicopters used to airlift

Supplies but not enough

Also take people to hospital

With hypothermia and frostbite.

Electric cables brought down

By the weight of snow on the lines

No electric power for lighting or heating

Also affects the gas supplies.

Gas is flowing normally

But is useless for appliances

As they need electric power

For the ignition and to function.

It takes many days

For the snowflakes to melt

And turn to water

Floods follow as the drains can`t cope.

Hardest winter

With the heaviest prolonged snow

For many years

But children enjoyed it.

Most rivers and open water

Frozen to a depth of several feet

Ideal for skating and sliding

But not for business`s and commerce.

Animals suffer

And many in the countryside

Succumb to the freezing temperatures

Nature can be cruel.

Snowflakes

Have cost the country dear

Everything paralysed and unable to move

For three months.

73

Lifeboat

Choppy water

Under a leaden sky

Wind freshening

Waves increasing in size.

Sheltered harbour

But the water is still rough

Wind approaching gale force

Deluges of rain.

Driven by the wind

Across the promenade

Waves breaking above the jetty

Covering everything in its spray.

Late season holiday makers

Sitting huddled in waterfront café`s

Gloomily watching the weather

Through rain spattered windows.

Very little movement outside

A few hardy souls walking dogs

On the beach

Battling the wind and rain.

A few delivery vans

And a handful of shoppers

Hurrying from place to place

To get out of the rain.

Suddenly there are men

Running from several directions

A car approaches fast down the hill

All converge on the lifeboat station.

Alerted by radio pagers

To attend an emergency

Very different to the old days

When they were summoned by a maroon fired above the town.

Standing on piers

Twenty feet above the water

A long ramp leads

Down to the stormy sea.

The men rapidly don their

Sea clothing

And climb aboard

The lifeboat.

The coxswain starts the engine

One crewman hauls on chains

To open the door

At the top of the ramp.

Another man releases the cable

Attached to the stern of the boat

They quickly clamber aboard

As the boat begins to move.

Rapidly gathering speed

As the boat heads down

The launch ramp

To the water.

As the boat hits the water

The resulting wave

Covers the boat

Making it momentarily disappear.

Once the boat is afloat

The coxswain engages the propeller

The powerful diesel engine

Propels the boat towards the gap in the breakwater.

Through the gap

And the waves are crested with white

Sea very rough

Quite hard to control the boat as it is buffeted by the wind.

They head out to sea

Gaining speed

They are answering a call for help

From a yacht in trouble five miles offshore.

It takes a while to reach the yacht

Demasted drifting and taking on water

Mountainous seas gale force winds and driving rain

Visibility severely limited.

Two people on board the yacht

One is injured from being hit by

The falling mast

Need to get the lifeboat alongside.

Difficult in the appalling conditions

But the coxswain manages it

After six attempts

The two people are transferred to the lifeboat.

Made comfortable in the cabin

Injuries attended to

One crewman remains on the yacht

A towline is attached to the stern of the lifeboat.

They head back towards the shore

A radio call requests an ambulance

To meet them at the jetty

The yacht is taking on more water and becoming heavier to tow.

The coxswain takes the decision

To abandon the yacht

And let it sink

As it is proving hard to control.

Also slowing the lifeboat down

The crew haul the yacht close

To the lifeboat with the towline

Enabling their colleague to jump the gap.

Tow line is released

Minutes later the yacht

Has disappeared beneath

The wild turbulent water.

The coxswain marks the place

Where the yacht sank on his chart

For possible recovery later

When the sea is calmer.

After a further twenty minutes the lifeboat

Comes back into the harbour

Still rough water

Tossing the boat in all directions.

Tie up temporarily alongside

The jetty where the ambulance

Is waiting

The boat will be winched back into the station later.

When the sea swell subsides a bit

The boat will be dragged

Backwards up the launch ramp

Fuel replenished and clothing hung up to dry.

The boat is ready

For its next call

The crew hope that their services

Won`t be required again that day.

They return to their normal jobs

In the town

Or in one case a few miles inland

Ready and waiting for when the next call comes.

74

Leaves

Green leaves

Turning to orange yellow and brown

As the seasons change

Bringing colder weather.

They cling stubbornly to the trees

Reluctant to lose their tenuous hold

On rapidly baring branches

But will surely drop before long.

Making mounds of leaves

Beneath the trees

Strewn far and wide by the wind

Carpeting the earth with their colourful hues.

Paradise for beetles

And other insects

Who make the mounds their homes

Foraging for grubs and nutrients in the dead piles.

Prized by gardeners

Who collect bags full

Of the fallen leaves

To make mulch to nourish their gardens.

Small animals

Hide nuts and berries

In the mounds

Ready for winter food.

The colours soon fade

To dark shades of brown

Still a bit of colour

Where the leaves are sheltered and dry.

Lying in gutters and gullies

Blocking drains

Lying on the ground also

Brittle and crackly when dry.

They cause delays to the trains

The standard excuse is

Leaves on the rails making them slippery

Commuters fed up as it is the same every year.

Lots of work for the street

And public parks staff

Working hard clearing

All the fallen leaves.

Blowers and rakes

Shovels and forks

Loaded into trailers by glove wearing men

And taken away to be dumped.

Bare branches

Now pointing to the sky

Silhouettes

Against the autumnal clouds.

The woods look bare and naked now

No green canopies so the world is devoid of colour

Just mounds of dead leaves

Forlorn on the ground.

75

Christmas Shopping

People bustling

Pushing and shoving

On crowded streets

And shops.

Protesting and fractious children

Being dragged round the shops and malls

Bored husbands

Trying to appear interested.

Gaily decorated window displays

Coloured lights in strings

On the fronts of buildings

And in overhead decorative pieces.

Twinkling lights everywhere

Chestnut sellers hawking

Their wares

From barrows with braziers below.

Christmas music playing through speakers

All from different sources

A cacophony of sound

Hard to pick out individual tunes.

A group of people

On a street corner

Singing carols

A band playing.

The Salvation Army

Moving through the crowds

Jingling their collection tins

Pressing the shoppers to fill them.

Other food stalls

Selling seasonal food

Some hot and tasty

Others sweet and delicious.

The traffic ceases

The street is empty for a while

The sound of hooves approaching

Is heard.

A large man dressed in red

A bushy white beard

In a wheeled sleigh

Pulled by six reindeer.

Ho Ho Ho he calls

Children lining the kerbs

Waiting and hoping for a treat

Handfuls of sweets are thrown into the throng.

Eagerly gathered up by expectant hands

And devoured by the children

Plenty of sweets for all

As the sack is full.

Christmas trees

Gaily lit and decorated

Form a lovely avenue

Along the street.

A big tree and a wooden castle

Have been erected in the square

All lit up and shimmering with colour

More Christmas music playing.

This will be Santa`s home

For the next few weeks

Leading up to the big day

The grotto is now open for business.

A large queue soon forms

As children pester their parents

For a chance to meet Santa

And get a gift.

Girls dressed as elves

Help with the kids

And show them how

To feed the reindeer with carrots.

People struggling through the crowds

Laden with carrier bags

And boxes

The buses and taxis will be busy.

People will be thankful

When the shopping is done

Time to go home and relax

With a mug of cocoa.

Hot toddy`s for the men

They are worn out with shopping

Even though they haven`t done much

Apart from moan and look bored.

Come Christmas afternoon

It won`t be just

The turkey that`s stuffed

People will be as well.

Long walks after dinner

To exercise after the feast

For many

Indigestion will surely follow.

76

End of Year

Every year

About this time

We all look back

On the year.

We all say that we hope

Next year will be a better one

Regardless of the good times

We only remember the bad.

No matter what we say

New year resolutions and promises

Nothing much will change

With the coming year.

Usually good times

Outnumber the bad

Our memories only seem capable

Of complaining about the bad things.

Many things in the coming year

Will try to drag us down

And dampen our spirits if we let them

Got to have something to complain about.

In the course of the next year

Many good and bright things

Will happen in our lives

Giving us cause for happiness and pleasure.

Maybe we should make

A special New Year`s resolution

To forget the bad things

As they try to depress us.

Remember instead

The many things that

Gave pleasure and happiness

As they`re the memories that count.

Let`s make the coming year

A happy and joyous one

With peace security and happiness

For all not just our friends and families.

The bad times

Can`t win and rule our lives

They only succeed

Because we let them.

Be positive

Think good thoughts

Do good deeds

And you`ll be rewarded.

Do what makes you happy make new friends

Enjoy all the opportunities

That come your way and above all

Be happy.

77

Baubles

Red and gold baubles

On a green Christmas tree

White tipped branches

Look like snow.

Twinkling lights

Angel hair

Provide a shimmering effect

Fairy atop the tree.

Small chocolates

Little crackers

All kinds of decorations

And tinsel in abundance.

Children love the tree

As do cats

Who try to climb it

Yelled at and told to leave alone.

This is a modern tree

Artificial

This is good

As no messy needles to clean up.

In the evenings as darkness falls

The tree looks splendid

With its twinkling lights

And shiny baubles.

They reflect the light

Making myriad patterns

On the walls

As the light catches them from different angles.

Other baubles hang from strings

On the walls

And ceiling

All different colours and sizes.

Red gold silver and blue

Green and yellow too

And special ones

With pictures on.

Other special ones

With pets names

On them

Also loved ones.

Mirror ball on the ceiling

Driven by batteries

Reflects the colourful baubles

All around the room.

It seems a shame

To pack them all

Away

When Christmas is over.

78

Foot Girl

Dedicated to Megan Cook

Corns and calluses

Bunions and ingrown nails

All in a day`s work

For our foot girl.

She has to deal with some unpleasant

Smells and aromas

Bending down at peoples feet

But your feet feel great.

After her ministrations

Modern equipment

Makes her job easier

But somethings are still uncomfortable.

Files and clippers

Lotions and creams

All go together

To aid her task.

A chair that lifts you high up

Feels strange at first

When it tips back

Feels like you`re falling.

But you`re in safe hands

As she works happily

At your feet

Always happy and cheerful.

The girl deserves medal

For the service she provides

But medal or no

She`s the unsung heroine.

Not everybody`s choice

Of a job

Can be nasty at times

But you`ll never hear a word of complaint.

Professionals like her

Are always overlooked

By most people

But she`s just as important regardless.

79

Khan

The Mongol horde

Swept onward

Crushing everything

In its path.

China Russia and other places

Fell under the advance

Across steppe and tundra

There was no stopping the onslaught.

Led by a man who had a dream

Of ruling the ancient world

Genghis Khan was his name

A fearsome warrior and warlord.

He became the greatest Khan

In all history

His empire stretched far and wide

To the very borders of Western Europe.

Most of Asia

And Eastern Europe

Fell

Before his advance.

Mongols became synonymous

With violence

Pillaging and raping

In the conquered lands.

People lived in fear

And quaked in terror

At the very mention

Of his name.

Mongolia became his home

The name taken from

The horde whose

Influence stretched way beyond the borders.

Any one country

That stood in the way

Was simply crushed

And destroyed.

Fires blazed across

The ancient world

Leaving a blackened landscape

Behind the horde.

Now over a thousand years later

His name is still known

And feared by some

A gigantic statue watches across the desert lands.

Genghis on his horse

Looking over his conquered lands

Forty metres high

Visible for miles across the barren tundra.

80

River

After weeks of rain

A new spring appears

High in the hills

From a rocky outcrop.

Cool clean fresh water

Cleansed by the porus rocks

It passes through

Before coming to the surface.

Bubbling and gurgling

As it starts its long journey

To the sea

Many miles away.

Waterfalls rapids and weirs

Fast flowing

Clean and sparkling

For now.

On the journey

Other small streams

Join the flow

To form a wider slower river.

The water is slow moving now

Wide deep and getting dirty now

As it passes farms

And towns.

By the time the river

Reaches the first city

The water is already

Polluted.

With chemicals from farms

Rubbish thrown from bridges

By uncaring people

And oil from boat engines.

Dead fish lying on the banks

And mud flats

Can`t survive

The water isn`t water anymore.

Plastic drifting on the surface

Now brown and scummy

This will do serious harm

To creatures in the estuary and sea.

Huge chemical plants

And heavy industry

Line the banks

Adding soap and other waste to the water.

Parents tell their children

Not to go near the water

As it may harm them

With its toxic contents.

The pollution spreads

Slowly upstream

As more industrial units

Are built on the banks.

Many miles upstream from the city

In the open green countryside

The water is still clean

And drinkable.

Towards the sea

In the wide estuary

More pollution is added

From the sewerage treatment works.

Supposed to carried out to sea

In large bore pipes

But discharging into the river

Is easier and cheaper.

All kinds of rubbish

Floating on the surface

Notices on the banks

Tell people not to bathe in the water.

People sometimes try to end it all

By leaping from the many bridges

But if they survive the fall

Their chances are not good.

In the cold

Polluted water

Lifespan is measured in minutes

As the water is hostile.

When will we educate people

To take care of the river

And preserve the life giving environment

For the many marine creatures and birds.