THE DEVIL PASSED ACROSS THE MOON

The Devil passed across the moon
And dark his shadow fell.
I recognised his evil form,
Though he was new from hell.

The Devil passed across the sun,
I smelled his scorching hair.
He looked to where I stood in fear
And I could only stare.

That night he flew into my room
And stood before my bed.
I held my bible to my heart,
The book so seldom read.

The Devil faded with the stars,
So dark his shadow fell.
I held my bible to my soul
And knew that all was well.

Peter Jeevar

MY BIG SISTER

My big sister sweet and true, always telling me what to do.
Dry the dishes, sweep the stair, and don’t you put your shoes down there.
It’s important that you look your best, you must fit in with all the rest.
And if that wasn’t bad enough, she lectures me on good foodstuff.
When the busy day is done, we pillow-fight and that’s great fun.
Of course, I let her win you see, because my sis’ is good to me.
In the morning rush, brush your hair - still telling me to take good care.

Pick your school bag off the floor, then ushers me towards the door.
Reminding me of my packed lunch, and stay away from the naughty bunch.
She reads me stories without ends and tells me all about her friends,
At times I wonder what I would do without my sister, sweet and true.

Janette Horn

Born in Airdrie, Janette Horn has interests including swimming and walking. “I was born in 1947 and saw much hardship as a child. My father died when I was eight and I had to work from a very young age, missing out on my education,” she remarked. Janette is now retired and is the widow of George. She has four children and six grandchildren. “I would love to be Cleopatra for a day and the person I would like to meet is Sir David Attenborough. I have met him once already and his work fascinates me,” added Janette.

CONVERSATION BETWEEN MOTHER AND CHILD

How do you know if love is real?
How do you know if it’s true?
It’s when you care for somebody else
More than you care for you.
But how do you know if you love them more
If you’re never put to the test?
You’ll know, because you’ll always choose
Whatever for them, is best.
Well, suppose they did something awfully bad?
Suppose they wanted to leave?
Then you’ll let them go, if that’s what they want
And try very hard not to grieve.
But how can you try very hard not to grieve
When your heart may be breaking in two?
Well, that’s what I meant when I said you must care
For someone other than you.
True love, my child, is not easy to give
Unselfish, it always must be
If it’s given freely, with all your heart
They’ll not want to leave you, you’ll see.

Joan Hunter

HELP

I’ve been trying hard to diet
For so very, very long,
And when my willpower weakens
I eat everything that’s wrong.
Instead of getting thinner
I seem to have just grown
And I know that I shouldn’t
Have tried to go it all alone.
I’ve joined the local slimming club,
I’m still not extremely good,
I still go off the rails at times
And don’t eat what I should.
But now instead of giving up
When I go off the track,
I have you ladies to support me
And help me find the right way back.
When I reach my target
I shall say right from my soul,
All you girls at slimming club
Got me to my goal.

Farina Jenkins

FAITHFUL PETS

This poem is dedicated
To pet lovers everywhere.
From guinea pigs to rabbits,
To pets of all descriptions.

They comfort us in times of need
And always they’re beside us.
They cheer us up when we are low
And share the happy times and sorrows.

We love our pets as they love us
And miss them when we are apart.
And when we’re home, we share our joys
Because they are our friends.

And with the passing of the years
And time for them to go.
We shed our tears as we say goodbye,
Rest in peace in the garden of our Lord.

Jim Carlin

IT ISN’T ENOUGH

To be lonely,
Desperate for a chat,
Some respite, some light,
For wherever one goes
There are millions
Experiencing this very familiar plight.

It isn’t enough to be grieving,
To have lost someone
Who can’t be replaced in your heart,
For in every street or village,
Road or town,
Someone else is breaking their heart.

It isn’t enough to be hurting,
When body and heart feel pain,
For illness and crime,
Disabilities and wars
Are repetitive, happening again and again.
So grasp happiness with both hands
Like a magnet,
And be happy whilst one can.

Joan Kernick

MEMORIES OF BIRMINGHAM

Oh, how they’ve spoilt Birmingham,
The city of my birth,
Where honest, loyal, working men
Held hands with Mother Earth;
Where people marched through factory gates
On Mondays dead on nine
And worked their hearts out honourably
And shared the odd Woodbine.

Spaghetti Junction, N.E.C.,
Nightclubs and modern slum,
The funny dreary accent,
That’s how men think of Brum.
Yet I remember Birmingham,
The city of my birth,
Being as rich with laughter
As any place on Earth.

Oh, how they’ve spoilt Birmingham,
The city of my birth,
Rebuilt and remoulded it,
And wiped it from the Earth.

Sandra Holmes

PHOTOGRAPHS

Pictures of you
When colour was new
And that vibrant blue
Really suited you

These black and white pictures
With their contrast of light
You appear so very slight
Against the stars at night

Sally Ann Travis

THREE SISTERS

My grandmother died early, is how I start this poem,
Her three remaining daughters,
Were sent to Orphans’ Home.

The eldest one was Ethel, with Florence second born,
Amelia the youngest,
All three were now alone.

The sisters weren’t there very long, Aunt Melie took them in,
She brought them up as if her own,
’Till wedding bells did ring.

Ethel married Joseph, Florence fell for Fred,
Amelia and Harry
Were next in line to wed.

The sisters became mothers, and then grandmothers too,
We never will forget them,
No matter what we do.

Although no longer with us, they’re never far away,
The story of three sisters,
Will live another day.

Gordon Cowell

LIMBO

Not dancing. No, definitely not dancing.
Just a slow snail’s pace as the days creep by
’Till the time is done and we can face again
Some semblance of normality.

But life will never be the same again.
Experience, that oft-times harsh tutor of reality
Has changed us all forever
And the days that flew as merry as a lark
May never come again.

But wait. What pit of gloom is this
That tries, but fails to smother hope?
The Lord has promised good to me.
And in His strength we’ll cope.

Meg Gilholm

MY NEW SONG

Jesus, lover of my soul
Your Holy Spirit makes us whole
In spirit, soul and body,
He Cleanses me, and makes me free.

A new song put he in my heart
A new time now is going to start
He lifts me to a heavenly place
I’m with Jesus seated, by God’s grace.

Valerie Burch

BE STILL

Be still vile world,
Now hush your raucous voice
And let me be alone with this
Sweet lover of my choice.

The day has been a weary time,
Now let the night be bliss
I only wish to hear his voice,
And know his tender kiss.

Retreat, retreat, loud shuddering world
And shun our solitude.
Let not one murmur from your face
Disturb this interlude.

For only spurred by dreams of him,
I’ve trod your pitted paths.
Be gracious, callous world and let
Me have my love at last.

Frankie Shepherd

WHOSE LANGUAGE IS IT ANYWAY?

The tongue that reaches every tongue
Becomes everyone’s tongue,
Every tongue speaks that tongue.

English language isn’t English people’s
Since the day it crossed the borders
And reached every land.

The dominant Latin of Europe
The prominent Spanish of Europe
The supreme French of Napoleon
The Volapuk of German Schleyer
Have lost their power over English.

The efforts of Zamenhof of Poland
The attempts of Guiseppe Penao of Italy
The hard work of Louis’ Ido of France
The Novial of the Danish Otto Jespersen
Finally gave way to Ogden’s English.

Thus simple English flowed through colonialism
From east to west and north to south,
Learning the curves of multi-cultures
To be the second language of the world.

Anantha Rudravajhala

THE SECRET

If I tell you a secret, will you answer true,
That you will never tell a soul what things I say to you?
I just can’t wait to tell you, it’s such important news,
I received it only yesterday and I really want your views.
It all happened very suddenly and took me by surprise,
So I thought I’d better tell you before we close our eyes.
It is a special secret and what I say is true,
I have just discovered that I’m in love with you.

Jan Imeson

DUTY

Woodcutters cut down the wood
Farmers grow a good crop
Fishermen net up the fish
Dairymaids milk some cows
Builders build the houses
Midwives help with their babies

Now make me a fire
Flames reach high as the spire
Let the good work carry on
Thoughts never gone
Let mind and body rest
To all of us best

Sarah Reast

KITTY

Gazing out of the window one night
I felt tired and weary as I climbed the stairs
And I put out the light
Thinking something was not right
I walked down and opened the door
Much to my surprise, there stood
A small wee cat
He looked hungry and thin. I asked him in
And gave him biscuits and cream
He licked the plate until it was clean
Then he sat down in my favourite seat
And now as I sit on the floor
I do not think it was wise on a cold dark night
To gaze out of the window
Or open the door

Gloria Diane Preston

YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE POSH TO BE PRIVILEGED

It was Jodie’s ambition to be a celebrity,
To appear very frequently on TV,
She knew she had a great personality,
Pushy and posh and oh so cool
She attended the very best boarding school.
She had of course, her mandatory dream
To become very rich
And purr like a cat that has got the cream.

Jade wanted to be a celebrity
So everybody would see her on TV,
She played truant from school very frequently
So she hadn’t learnt anything, but they’d think that was quaint.
She could drop all her aitches and keep saying, ain’t
She had of course, her mandatory dream
To become very rich
And purr like a cat that has got the cream.

Geoffrey Martin

THE PATH OF LIFE

Life can be very sad
Or it can also be glad
It’s up to you to make the best of every day
Helping others along life’s busy way
Sometimes we are given two paths to take
Often the wrong one is accepted, a big mistake
If we only knew what was in front of us
Then we wouldn’t make a fuss
Of all the small things every day
That we have to contend with in some way
Life is not meant to be easy here
We all have a lesson to learn, it would appear
We do not always know what the test will be
So it’s up to you and me
To go forward with faith every day
Doing a good turn always along life’s way
We are all here for a purpose, there is no doubt
That is what life is all about

Enid Skelton

UNDER MY BED

Under my bed is a deep dark cave
Where a mean monster lurks down within.
Large and fierce, I hear him growl.
I dare not look, he’ll eat me whole.

Under my bed is a scary spider’s home,
Where he weaves a wiry tangled web.
I hear him crawling, scuttling by
If I put my hand in I’ll be stuck like a fly.

Under my bed, waiting in a corner
Lies a long snake, coiled like a spring.
Sometimes I hear him slither along
If he spies me he’ll curl round me and pull me in.

Under my bed is a huge black hole
Where rats hide in squelching slime.
Or maybe lizards, beetles or creatures unknown
I hear them scratching, digging and scarper.

Under my bed is a place of surprise
It’s where my pet cat likes to hide.
Keeping away the monsters, spiders and snakes,
Purring and stretching, keeping me awake.

Martine Gafney

HOW QUICKLY IT FLIES

Time ticks away
How quickly it flies.
At one there is life
Fresh and unknowing.
At three there is youth
Alive and flowering.
Tick-Tock.
At six life is set
Most friends already met.
Tick-Tock.
At nine darkness hovers
Days long gone of lovers.
Tick-Tock.
At ten life descends
On kind words it depends.
Time ticks away
How quickly it flies.
It seems like yesterday you were born
Now one slowly dies.

June Lewis

AN EMOTIONAL BREAK

Events normally occur, day by day merging into a memorial frieze
Most of them have merely subtle effects which just sour or please
Yet on occasion an incident happens which has much greater impact
And recently one such event was for me consequence packed.
Carelessly I fell and broke my hip as I hit the ground
And cried for help with a desperate sound.
The sky was soon hidden by the heads and shoulders of anxious mates
And comfort was liberally offered in various states
Until the ambulance siren was eventually heard
Whisked to hospital by an efficient and careful team.
I began to hope this was only a terrible dream
Naturally it is merely a question of time for the body to heal
But I have found the experience a monumental one to feel
Friends and family have appeared from far and wide
And I am not ashamed to say that I have even cried
The love and care I have seen from all
Will forever hold me in thrall
My daughters and wife have all shown their devotion
Daily by their labours to deal with ensuing commotion
How lucky I am to have uncovered this consolation.

Allen Jessop

WINKS IN MY LAP

The cat in my lap lies cosily dreaming
Of mice he has caught by skillfully scheming.
He twitches his paws, his whiskers aquiver,
Then turns in his sleep with a pleasurable shiver.

He started his life as a small orphaned kitten,
Determined and funny, tail straight in the air.
I fell in love from the moment I saw him,
Tiny and wobbly in his black and white trim.

He settled among our two cats and eight rabbits,
Endearing to all with his cute kitten habits.
His soft little ears, like new leaves in spring time,
A soulful expression, he knew he was mine.

The cat in my lap still lies there dreaming,
Years have rushed past and now he is leaving.
He is still quietly purring as on our first day,
His gentle goodbye as his life slips away.

Ann Pendleton

GRATEFUL HEART

When I was young I sang in a choir
When I was young I was not for hire

Now I am older I work for a living
Others are pleased
For our talents are for giving
Sometimes we might be paid for our work
Sometimes a thank you is enough
For a happy heart is a generous heart
And in giving there is also getting

Lucky then that we don’t always
Get what we deserve
God’s love is so great that
Sometimes it is too big for our plate
And then it is our duty to share
And in doing so do not despair

Barbara Tozer

HOMELESS BROTHER

A little help is all he asks
From those of us who wear our masks
And never look upon his face
Or in his eyes, just in case
We catch a glimpse of ourself there,
In filthy rags with unkempt hair.
No-one knows how he must feel,
The outstretched hand longing for a meal.
For we pass by without a care,
While our brother has so much to bear.
We harden our hearts and don’t say a word
To one who weeps and is never heard.
But one day we will hear his cries
When at last we realise
That the bad ones who we so despise
Are really the good in disguise.

Joy H Bates

Dedicated to my beloved family and friends who have made my life so rich and full of joy.

Born in Slough, Joy H Bates has interests including drawing, painting, crafts, reading and walking. “I started writing poetry eight years ago because I wanted to express my feelings of love for the beauty and richness of the English language and its people,” she explained. “My work is influenced by experiences that occur and my poetry always rhymes and has a hidden meaning. I would like to be remembered as one who taught others how to be wise, creative, gentle, loving and fun.” Aged 60, Joyce is a housewife with an ambition to write work that makes a difference in the world. She is married to Don and they have two children, Terry and Dee.

© Terry Thornton - 2006-2008 United Press Ltd