Author Archives: tyldesleyboy

CorryvreckanWhirlpool of the worldOld winter witchWashing plaid at seaCommunism comingPeople disappearWhirlpool of the worldTakes you and me Orwell unawareOf swirling watersIn a dinghy, out upon the seaSuddenly upendedMan and boy suspendedLife or deathWhich one will it be? Safely beached togetherOn an islandRescued by a passing boatAnd homeFearful of that otherCorryvreckanCommunism’s reachHe kept a gun BooksContinue reading “Whirlpool”

All the signs of GodAre there to seeGoodness love and truthHonestyThe beauty of creationThe purposes of lifeThe structure and the senseHumanity Goodness is its own rewardWe seeWickedness and selfishnessAgreeThe happy heart is a loving heartCrime it does not payTry it for yourselfAnd you’ll soon see Death is as mysterious as lifeWhere do we go?Where didContinue reading “God Of The Living”

It could have beenThree hundred years agoAs we drove along the roadIn mountain passesSomewhere In CampaniaWe passed a funeral lineWalking along the roadA Redemptorist fatherLeading a family procession We were heading for MaterdominiSanctuary of San GerardoWe had left the 20th centuryThe modern world behindNot only heading inlandBut arriving in the pastA place not far fromContinue reading “Ecco Materdomini”

I have a house all mineI have a homeI have my health thank GodI live aloneI am widowed now nine yearsBut grandsons comeTo be my joyTo take away my tears I was not ever thus,As Newman saysI struggled in the yearsWhen Margaret diedI hit rock bottomOne day katatonicWelcome to depressionThe dark side Now recoveredNever feltContinue reading “Surprised By Joy”

It is hard for me to realiseHow many now have diedFrom Covid in this world widePandemicThree and a half millionI am toldGoogle’s instant additionPeople gone before their timeNot old Today I have opened windows wideOpened back doorThe sun outsideAnd now a breezeIs wafting in my faceMy lungs expandSo gratefullyThe wind about my cheeksI feel theContinue reading “Fresh Air”

Vivid memoryIn bed seminaryCold of some sortSo confined to barracks13/14 was I?Sat up in that bedSomething wrong hereWorld too small I said Didn’t leaveMore’s the pity never mindGot out in the endAnother storyIt’s the limited editionThat reminds meHow narrow were the stricturesI endured Closed walled collegeLife all lived withinWalks with permissionGo outsideSix years hardNo remissionCrazyContinue reading “Life Sentence”

Got into bed last nightHalf past tenI remember turning out the lightAnd thenNothing more until this morning’s lightOpened my sleepy eyesA sunny sight Where did I go?In those hours of darknessI do not knowNo way that I can tellExcept to say I slumbered wellMy body rested I can tellMy mind is rested tooWhere did IContinue reading “Slumberland”

Scargill and ThatcherDeserved one anotherOne was as bad as the otherStrident noisy one-way streetClearly never the twain shall meetThe nation suffered the bother The clear agenda there to seeI am out to destroy youTory government should not beScargill’s only philosophyTrade Union power an evil setI’ll get revenge for Saltley yetMargaret Thatcher’s bee In the middleContinue reading “The Miners’ Strike”

Mark 12:13-17 ~ The Gospel in Verse Chiefs and eldersBack in the frayLiving to fight another daySend representatives to the fightThey’ll catch him outAs day follows night First an introductory spielHow good you areYou do not reelBefore mighty personagesRanking figuresYou teach good doctrineNo one sniggersSo tell us pleaseIt’s an easy questionShould we pay tax?To Caesar’sContinue reading “A Taxing Question”

Mark 12:1-12 Don’t point the fingerIt’s rudeIt’s aggressiveAnd you won’t be understoodSo Jesus tells a storyWon’t cover you in gloryBut at least you’ll know the truthAnd that is good Elders and chief priestsOut to get himKill him if they mustIt’s nearly certainBut the story of the vineyardAnd its murderous attendantsIs a story that has runWeContinue reading “Simple Stories”

Afternoon dozing in my chairSmell of new mown grassFills the airSmell of earthWarming in the sunTakes me backTo childhood and the glenSmell of turfBurning on a fireBetter than any drugIntense desireFor a landThat set my heart aflameEarth and sky and riverChildren playing game Turf that had settledIn the groundSlean had liftedOnto a moundThere to dryAndContinue reading “Turf Fire Burning”

The month of May a washoutCold and dampNow today31st of MayBank HolidayIt’s like a holiday camp Sun is outEveryone’s aboutOld men and girlsIn shortsI ask you Suddenly it’s summerWill it last?Never mind tomorrowHave a blastJust enjoy it will youHowever short the seasonHowever longTo stay insideWhen outside beckons-Treason– Wrong Seasons of the yearSeasons of the heartComeContinue reading “Seasons”

Miss CunninghamWe called Miss Chewing GumThen there was Miss RushShe had infant threeAnd don’t forget it In Junior schoolIt was Miss EcclesSnazzy dresserMiss GrimesMr Lavin andMiss Downes Teachers I don’t forgetFor when you come to think of itYou spent so much time with themYou could have taken them homeAs if they belonged They were formativeBigContinue reading “Teachers”

Only kindness curesNot softness, kindnessI have seen the painOn men’s facesWhen they cannot see their childrenAnger explodesThey do not know howTo say it rightTo make it rightTo see their children grow And women suffer menFor women feelAs men refuse to feelFor feeling’s painAnd we avoid the pain like the plague But kindness curesFor kindness isContinue reading “Kinder”

I thought my church was black‘cause it wasBut it wasn’t reallyWhat I was looking at was grimeSoot coal dust grit in the airDespair Industrial Lancashire was what I sawAnd lived inFoggy morningsFrosty daysBreath blown grey in wintry air Women’s coats with cotton fluffMiners’ faces black enoughTo leave you wonderingWho were that? Phlegmy coughsYou couldn’t cutGrowlingContinue reading “Lancashire Life”