Author Archives: tyldesleyboy

  What good is done by putting the boy to death? I answer ‘none’ No good is done to him or you or me But he must pay we say And yes he will pay With years of life in prison for his crime   Some people need to stay there all the time ButContinue reading “Do Good To Those Who Hate You”

Schadenfreude reared its head today It’s not a pleasant feeling I must say A wry smile a silent chuckle A quiet hip hooray But more than that is dangerous It destroys our health I’d say   It’s just a game of football Oh no it’s more than that And Glasgow tribes are famous For theirContinue reading “A Game In Govan”

On a height above the road With views out to the sea My grandmother’s resting place Seems right seems right to me   My grandfather in an older spot Lies buried in Kiltane Where Owenmore flows quietly by To the sea to the sea again   My mammy near Croagh Patrick Where waters of ClewContinue reading “Into Thy Hands”

Tears of love are shed I am sorry for your loss we say More than that we cannot say For words don’t cover it Only silent grief and pain And cups of tea And cry again   And live through days of numbing grief To fall asleep a dark relief Then to wake and findContinue reading “Creeslough”

  It’s important To interrogate oneself And not just live your version of the world Interrogation wakes us up A good dig in the ribs Stirs us to be our better selves Not living in our fibs   My father in his final years Sat in his cosy chair And spoke to me ex cathedraContinue reading “Interrogation”

  The French call it ‘Crime of passion’ When people overcome With feelings that they can’t control Destroy the beloved one   Isolated living Online dating ways Join strangers together Blissful early days   But infantile upbringing Emotional ignorance Soon puts an end to singing No experience   Poor girl suffers violent death Crazed boyContinue reading “Girl From Canada”

What silly games we play Mister Putin They blew your bridge You blew your cool And hit Kyiv hard this morning   And that chap in North Korea Playing games Missiles here and there Isolated stare This is what we do when left alone   Stalin on his deathbed Died alone Hitler in his bunkerContinue reading “Silly Games”

Physically fit is one thing Healthy mind another Healthy spirit vigorous soul Holds the self together   Lepers cleansed by Jesus One returns to say Thank you for my healing I am whole this day   Children on the Internet Made to feel unclean Take their lives exit this world A suffering unseen   FaithContinue reading “A Healthy Life”

Luke 11:27-28   I was waiting at the school gate when my grandson appeared. In his hand he held a picture that he had made and he showed it to me. ‘That is very good’, I told him. In response he said to me, ‘My mammy will be so proud of me.’ It made meContinue reading “Be Good”

‘Were there many out?’ my father used to ask my mother when she returned from shopping. His mobility much reduced, he lived mostly in his home and relied on mammy for the news of the world. Sometimes she would have something to report. At other times she might say, ‘No, they were all at homeContinue reading “Loud And Clear”

Like Larkin I do a spot of ‘church going’ these days Not actual you understand But via Internet I visit many places Sermon hunting too To see the health of Christendom In Twenty twenty-two   Little churches I love best Cosy congregations Better than those barns they built For Sunday obligations Leaven in the doughContinue reading “A Church”

  Luke 11:5-13   This passage in Luke is very famous, very well known because of its attractive expressions. Jesus tells us to ask, to search and to knock. These three activities are all forms of prayer and the Lord guarantees that asking will get an answer, searching will always find and knocking always opensContinue reading “What Shall I Ask For?”

My father didn’t stir from his chair Those last three years A bungalow his lair A mug of tea the paper Warm house mammy there Study the horses place a bet Channel Four on air   Good food on the table Comfy bed Mammy to look after him Always well fed Visits from the familyContinue reading “End Of Days”

Saint Bernadette is in Leeds today, not Lourdes. At least relics of Bernadette are in that Yorkshire town. Her kneecaps are there, among other bones and a strand of hair. But there is no paramilitary involvement here. This is the travelling show of holy relics brought from place to place so that the Catholic faithfulContinue reading “Bernadette”

Last night I watched Jeremy Paxman ‘putting up with Parkinsons’. Paxman is endearingly straightforward, a quality that in other arenas, and former days, could come across as formidable and frightening for those on the sharp end of his questioning. But last night we saw a pleasant and endearing person, still straightforward in his speech, butContinue reading “His Own Medicine”