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The Sisters sing at evening to the Lord And from my house I join them in their prayer To sing and pray gives honour to the Lord The soul grows great as breathing in fresh air   In early days I learned to love the Lord And served at Mass in early morning light NowContinue reading “Night Prayer”

Proud Boys What kind of boast is that! Ku Klux Klan Who hide under a hat And set the cross aflame Intimidation game And gather crowds And say the world is flat   And Himmler Who said we must be cruel And kill the outcast If we wish to rule Einsatzgruppen Death squads in theContinue reading “Live Truly”

Slinaun in Gaelic means shoulder The thing you sling a sling on Slinaun A shoulder of a hill Fascinates me still Grandfather’s house Pronounced ‘Shlinaun’   That’s how they say it in the ‘Wesht’ They are full of lovely names round there you know Knockmoyleen Kilmaclasser Aghagowla Ballintleva Clooncanavan Gortnaclassagh I fell in love withContinue reading “Shoulder Of The Hill”

Brexit Covid Climate Breakfast Dinner Tea Imperium of Boris Woe woe is me!   Emperors in olden days Bread and circuses Keep the masses entertained With easy mistresses   Island nation comfortable Tea and country houses Lots of money second jobs Ignore complaining noises   The well to do don’t know the score They simplyContinue reading “Britannia”

Yes I too remember Adlestrop The same as Edward Thomas saw The day he came and stopped Surprisingly ‘mong country fields One day it was in June In ‘64   A hot day too And we three on a trip Father Mythen Chris and I A break from all our study Soon exams would demandContinue reading “Adlestrop 1964”

Who could hope for more If the Lord had not gone before And lost his life in love for us And lost it on the cross Who could meet his dying day With calm serenity and pray My life I hope to win When all is lost   My father lost his speech In finalContinue reading “The Way”

Six years in the army Then six years of war Enough for my father He didn’t want any more Not for him reunions Or marching in the street He wanted to forget it all The nightmares in his sleep   He joined to escape from poverty From the misery of the mine And found himselfContinue reading “Avoiding War”

  I have never bought a poppy in my life Never worn one never wanted to I respect those who wear them Respect the memory too But I don’t believe in armies I don’t like the things they do   Would I have been a ‘conscy’? I don’t know Back then and young Might haveContinue reading “Where Poppies Grow”

I visited Orvieto In the summer of ‘82 Newly arrived in Italy Learning what to do Learning the lingo A month in language school A day out with classmates Italian so cool   Visited the Duomo Walls of black and white A hill town in Umbria A wonderful sight Now I live in Stirling ItContinue reading “Orvieto”

Chetlum The fellow called it My father had to laugh Cheltenham he meant A fond and fervent gaff Some pal he made in Nellie’s The little local pub In the days of his retirement And mammy’s lovely grub   And today I had a ‘daddy’ day I watched the horses run At Cheltenham of courseContinue reading “A Day At The Races”

Death and taxes so they say Everything else is negotiable And here am I this sunny day Feeling rather sociable   Saturday morning freedom song No school no work to do Take my time the day is long The sky is Saltire blue   A little foraging for food A walk in God’s fresh airContinue reading “The Present Tense”

Never ever reinforce a negative This the rule that Sandra gave to me My boss in mediation To oversee my work She brought it home to me Positive-ly   Negatives abound in every story They batter us Seek to win the day This is wrong and that is wrong Why don’t you go away! TheContinue reading “The Good Life”

  I watched the film A Time To Kill last night Always was a bit behind the curve Been listening to Amy McDonald This is the Life How did I miss her? Must have swerved   Anyway the film I did enjoy It brought to light the bias we employ Eager for our own The rest we canContinue reading “Human Bias”

It was drizzling then Like it’s drizzling now The night I went to Bolton On my own And stood on the Embankment Floodlights and falling rain And watched a team in old gold Do for us again   Wolverhampton Wanderers Played us off the park I stood there gabardine mack Red school cap I wasContinue reading “Old Gold”

My grandma’s brothers John and Owen Trumble Strong young men The sort that didn’t grumble Went off to war in France and Middle East Didn’t come home Never knew a feast   My father’s uncles Handsome chaps they were Commemorated now On Tyldesley stone John died out in Flanders May 1916 Owen near Jerusalem CloseContinue reading “Armistice”