see the grave of Karl Marx. He
wouldn't be happy
The Yesterday's of Tomorrow
tomorrow has yet to come
but
today
you find yourself reminising on all the 'yesterdays' you once had
those 'yesterdays' that brought you happiness and joy
only...
don't over-look the happiness and joy that
today will bring
they will be there
and then...
then these become the memories
the happiness and joy
that will make
the 'yesterdays' of tomorrow
Made a Home
We didn't the plot
find
foundations dig
concrete pour
we didn't
the mortar mix
the bricks to bind
a wall to make
the wood that
on its back
carried the tiles
stayed strong
us
dry inside
we didn't
the glass
place
in a frame
a window makes
the cold and the wind stay away
us
kept warm and dry
We grew
flowers
planted - grass
lawn mown
plot - our plot
tended
security made - safe
we loved
we grew love - warmth of heart
foundations
emotional - foundations
grow - a nest built
a place
to return
to
call home
where our flock
grew
here
then fledged
to the world - discovered
we
made a home
A Plaque Of Our Very Own
Hiding behind walls and locked gates
the expensive headland houses
cling to the very view that adds to their price
clad in Cornish slate
keeping the consequences of that view safely at bay
so that those who are able to afford
can stay warm and snug inside -
should they ever chose visit.
Walk down past a pole groaning with signs
"Private road! No cars, no parking, no cycling!"
past the many benches
smothered with plaques
reminding us all of our own fragility
the path taking us to the very cliff edge
towering over a beach
made from layers of ancient folded volcanic rock
waiting to take us if we fell!
The shiny new lifeboat station looks on knowingly from across the bay
looking for all the world
like it's face is in shock
waiting to disgorge its lifeboat
a crew ready when called if we do fall!
Amidst the rugged beauty - there is danger!
In the distant
the tide turns
readying itself to charge in once more
like bull to do battle
with the structures we build
walls and houses - the very beach isn't safe
these places we love
these places are vulnerable
like we are
...maybe we could have a plaque on a bench of our own
War Is Never
I am a pacifist
I believe war is never the answer
I believe one life lost in a war
is one too many.
I was never a soldierI never fought in a war
I was never pushed out of the back of an aeroplane
to dangle by a thread
dropping to a probable death
high over enemy held territory - and neither was my father.
He and his father - my Grandad
lived in a pit village
my Grandad worked in a coal mine
coal mining was a reserved occupation
and as such
miners were not called-up to fight for their country in conventional ways
he worked to dig out coal
the coal the country needed to fight a war
for its power stations
power for its factories
factories to make munitions
munitions to fight a war
coal to power the trains to get it to where it was needed
so my Grandad was never a soldier either- unless you count being in the 'Home Guard' as being a soldier
ready in the evenings and weekends when he wasn't working at the pit
he never belonged to a regiment
he never fought and died in a famous battle
he never lost endless comrades.
he never got any medals
and is not buried in a far off land
Now don't think I don't care
don't believe I can't see what those who fought and died - gave
for I know so many gave everything.
My relatives gave
but they gave in a different way.
My thinking is shaped by my history
as much as yours is too
I don't sit and muse over my Grandparents medals - as perhaps you might
I don't have their uniforms in my loft
nor have I copies of their war records.
If you think harshly of what you've just read - read my words again.
...I believe war is never the answer.
Funerals
Funerals - great aren't they!
They are a good time for extended families to get together
for some families
a funeral is the only time they get together
It's always good to meet up
it's a great opportunity to renew old grudges
with relatives you never got on with
to sit around and try to work out what people are really thinking
and to smile at people you don't know ...but should
and try to work out if you're related to them or not
and if so - how
...and why!
there's often food
you get a free lunch or afternoon tea laid on
full of things you can't eat
or simply don't like
it usually rains
you're in a cold church you're not familiar with
you get to sit on hard pews
and sing songs you don't believe in
from a religion you don't subscribe to
all in a somber mood
then spend an afternoon in a village hall
making small talk with strangers...
"Yes I know, they were big weren't they!"
but you do get to pay your respects for the passing of someone close - well an extended family member anyway!
Funerals - great aren't they!
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