Be Strong

I never wanted to see you this way

Our time together we bless every day

It won’t be long until we find a cure

Until then we’ll continue to fight the war

 

The endless time sat waiting around

The doctor calls we leap to the ground

The appointment made no turning back

We pray we’re on the recovery track

 

Watching your child suffer in pain

Drives you crazy some say insane

Watching him leave for the theatre room

Life stops still in the pit of doom

 

Hours pass by I haven’t stopped pacing

Time ticking slowly as my heart is still racing

The worst case scenario entering my brain

Speeding as fast as a runaway train

 

News comes through my child is fine

It was touch and go on life’s cruel thin line

Just to hold them in my arms so tight

I shed a tear as we continue the fight

We have to stay strong and not get riled

Giving up my life to be there for my child

A brave smile as more treatment lies ahead

Listening carefully to what the doctors said

 

And now thankfully a full recovery is made

Hospital trips begin to slowly fade

I thank you all for you support and love

We stayed strong throughout all of the above

Blinded by you

The first time we met

I stared amazed at you

The feeling unknown

As warmth shone through

 

It wasn’t a date

Just a moment in time

No beauty police around

To convict you of your crime

 

My nerves began to show

I grabbed my coffee drink

The poetic words you spoke

Made me sit up and think

 

Body language tells a story

This an epic tale

I tried to speak convincingly

But my words began to fail

 

I’ve never been blinded before

But your beauty shone so bright

Knowing I haven’t got a chance

I wish you meet the man that’s right

An Ordinary Man

Living beyond just an existence

Keeping loved ones at a distance

Quietly striving to achieve

Never giving up, will always believe

 

Has an opinion unwilling to give

Eternally searching for the life to live

No one around to share the passion

A girlfriend is just someone else’s fashion

 

Just an ordinary guy

No more questions, don’t ask why

Flying around like a butterfly

No one hears my silent cry

 

Always the nice guy unable to hurt

Unable to read if it’s friendship or flirt

A secret crush he admires from a far

In his eyes she is truly a star

 

Escapes to destinations far and near

Will he return is always unclear

Trapped in a job he loves to hate

His mind not in a perfect state

 

Just an ordinary guy

No more questions, don’t ask why

Flying around like a butterfly

No one hears my silent cry

 

Willing to help at a personal cost

His mind wanders feeling empty and lost

No one questions, no one asks why

For this, my friend, is an ordinary guy

Putting Something Back

It’s not often we give something back

Thinking of others is something we lack

Don’t get me wrong some people do

We all need to do more including me and you

 

Taking time out to meet and greet

Just listening to someone is such a huge feat

Giving someone time and simply a voice

Giving something back is of course your choice

 

A community project you developed and established

A sense of fulfilment when it’s accomplished

Visiting schools, residential homes and more

Giving something back is great but not the law

 

You’ve been lucky to achieve and find success

Giving something back can release the everyday stress

It’s not about you and the possibility of self promotion

It’s about giving something back, community devotion

Just to be there

A rock when I was feeling the pressure

You guided me when I was down

Like a float in the deepest rough water

You held me up as I was about to drown

 

Always there with a shoulder to cry on

You put your caring arm around me

Sharing my problems and my thoughts

You didn’t say you but we

 

Unconditionally I returned the favour

Giving you help and some advice

Dropping everything to be by your side

I wouldn’t dream to think twice

 

We’ve never had a relationship

A friendship that has a special bond

Maybe this was always meant to be

And God waved his magic wand

 

I thank you for your friendship

Your love and special care

I’m grateful for eternally knowing

You will always just be there

The Long Road

No one said it was going to be easy

Making hard decisions along the way

The wind will shift from bright to breezy

Your thoughts will continue to sway

 

Obstacle after obstacle in your path

Trying not to break down or give up

Problems caused that feel your wrath

You’ve filled your emotional cup

 

A fork in the road you make your choice

Guided by something within

A quiet message from a hidden voice

Making sure you don’t ever sin

 

A tunnel ahead that gives you some hope

You move towards the dim light

A life that’s changed and now you can cope

The decision you’ve made was right

 

Strength within suddenly comes to the front

Through times of need and heavy load

Life at times can be a struggle and blunt

Travelling along on life’s longest road

My Secret Valentine

A phone call I never thought you’d make

An accelerated conversation without a break

Talking like we had known each other forever

Hoping you arrive thought this horrendous weather

 

The simple things like holding your hand

Like we did when we met and walked in the sand

Our hearts beating to a synchronised beat

The sand peering through our naked feet

 

The cuddles at night that no one else sees

A warm embrace with my hand on your knees

Falling a sleep I watch you with a loving glance

Remembering our first slow moving dance

 

Thank you for choosing to be with me

Our future together looks great, you’ll see

When people ask I’m proud to say you are mine

I’m dreaming that you could be my secret valentine

Price per pupil

Children are not like sheep

Shouldn’t be placed in a classroom pen

Squashed together saving money

Poor decision made time and again

 

Education is the greatest gift

A teacher can give a child

Loving, caring and inspiring them all

But the system is driving them wild

 

Decisions being made all from data

No care about the child’s need

The child a number in the system

All for the government’s greed

 

And so a generation suffers

While the politicians play their game

Moving the goalposts every year

Schools will never be the same

 

The teachers coming into the profession

Stay calm and don’t forget to rest

Your hard work won’t be rewarded

I wish you all the best

Heart and Soul

I don’t have much to give you

But what I have is my heart and soul

A relationship you may not be after

But this is ultimately my goal

 

A Chance meeting one day is all it took

You blew my mind away

My eyes fixed on your beauty outside

And it’s there I want them to stay

 

There was more that meets the eye

A true vision we both shared

How could I take it to the next level?

To show you that I care

 

My heart you’ve touched so easy

And my lonely soul you’ve woken

The dream I have is still alive

The life I desire not broken

Dealt Another Hand

Like a pack of cards your life has been shuffled

You’ve been dealt another hand

Your life taken an unexpected detour

Not what you had planned

 

Surprisingly you’ve met someone new

When your chips were firmly down

A friendship from nowhere with lots in common

Like a king with a perfect crown

 

From gambling your life steadily away

To winning the perfect game

The dealer dealt you your favourite hand

Now life will never be the same

The Tudor Rap

The Tudors were around a long time ago

These are the things that you need to know

They ruled England from 1485 to 1603

Henry VIII the most famous wouldn’t you agree

 

He had six wives when he was the great king

Think he liked wedding cake and a wedding ring

Two divorced, Two executed and one that died

Kathryn Parr the only one that gladly survived

 

Girls stayed at home while boys went to school

The rich would have a ‘whipping boy’ which seemed so cruel

They started at seven and finished around five

The poor would suffer and the rich would thrive

 

Rich clothes were made of fine wool, linen, or silk

If you were poor you wore an apron covered in milk

Rich ladies wore gowns over their padded skirts

Rich men wore white, frilled at the neck, silk shirts

 

Theatre was popular and showed work by Shakespeare

15, 000 people watched, the actors showed no fear

Jousting was popular and played by the nobility

The poor played football to show the sporting ability

 

They had no police to dish out the English laws

The harsh punishments cruel and made them drop their jaws

Hanging, beheading and whipping just to name a few

Even boiled alive like a pan of Irish stew

 

Tudor houses are known for their black and white effect

When you visit a home you have to show your respect

Wooden frames and spaces filled with sticks and wet clay

Who would have thought they would have last until today

 

The Roman Catholic Church was the religion of choice

Until Henry VIII decided to raise his angry voice

The protestant church was born with a similar belief

No one argued with him, as he was the chief

 

The War of the Roses now there’s a great fight

The same family at war but which one was right

The House of Lancaster who’s rose was dark red

The white rose of York defeated and quickly they fled

You’re beautiful to me

I hear the comments

I see the sneers

I’ve witnessed the hurt

Throughout the years

 

I’ve seen your face

I’ve wiped your tear

You hide away

You live in fear

 

I’m there for you

In everyway

Walk by your side

Day after day

 

Your time will come

They all will see

But always remember

You’re beautiful to me

Unaspirational Cycle

No hope of escaping, just follow the pack

No value on life, treading this social track

A concrete jungle moving from house to house

No real belonging, no real spouse

 

Working the same job or no job at all

Hitting your head against an imaginary wall

The same old conversations with the same old faces

One row of shops in these unforgotten places

 

Generations of families lived there for a while

Living near each other no more than a mile

Not going anywhere but if they do it’s on mass

A local day out for the working class

 

How do you break this social merry go round?

Aspirations a secret you keep on the ground

Squashed ideas that you want to scream and shout

Don’t be stupid, they say, you begin to doubt

 

A spark of an idea that can light the flame

Don’t want to accept being just the same

Break the cycle and begin to believe

Have aspirations beyond and begin to achieve

Leaving Too Early

Turning on the news to another sad story

Another actor gone in the height of their glory

The price of fame creates unwanted attention

Life cut short no life extension

 

Are the highs too hard to achieve once more

An accepting speech to those who you adore

The continued highs using intoxicating drugs

Being surrounded and protected by a circle of thugs

 

Detached from the real world living the dream

Floating around in life on the eternal stream

The highs wear away and the demons take over

Wanting more wishes in search of a four leaf clover

 

But sadly one risk that had an unhappy ending

The messages pour in the tweets are sending

Heaven’s stage has added another member to the cast

Your films live on our memories will last

Peaks and Troughs

Life is a journey

That we all take in our stride

Sometimes we walk alone

Others we have our friends by our side

 

On the journey peaks

The highs we often remember

The birth of a single child

In the cold windy month of December

 

The haunting Troughs

The dark times when we are at our lowest

Striking unexpectedly

The revival as always at its slowest

 

In your rutted life

May you have more ups than downs

Love unconditionally

May your journey be more smiles than frowns