Sunshine gone away
Was that summer passing by?
Days now shortening
Month: June 2017
If On a Sunny Summer’s Day
If on a sunny summer’s day
I walked along a rambling way
Through trees and fields of new mown hay
What profit would it bring me?
Or if in autumn I did ride
Upon a boat washed by the tide
To find a place where I could hide
What pleasure would it give me?
Perhaps in winter I could run
And slide with children having fun
Or throw a snowball at someone
What lessons would it teach me?
If in the spring I watched the trees
Or saw the way a sparrow sees
The spiders and the humming bees
What happiness would greet me?
In summer, autumn, winter, spring
Whatever weather they would bring
If I could give to you a ring
What wond’rous love would fill me.
Standing Tall
Standing tall in unity
Looks like a nice family
But all males to prevent inbreeding
The Wild Place Project, Bristol
Long Hot Afternoon
Long, hot afternoon
Clouds drift on a lazy breeze
Summer blues and greens
Meercat
Meerkat, The Wild Place Project, Bristol
Laugharne Castle
What awesome stories could be told
Of knights in armour, riding bold
Defending maids in days of old
And marching on to glory
In battles fought and battles won
As armour shone in summer sun
The knightly steed would yield to none
Despite the great furore
But now the castle’s falling down
No kingly head to wear the crown
All memory is just a frown
As children learn the story
Students of literature may recognise Laugharne Castle. On the other side of the castle is Dylan Thomas’ boathouse where he wrote much of his work, including, I believe, his play, Under Milk Wood.
Paparazzi
Don’t look now, but I think the paparazzi have arrived
A Sudden Movement
A sudden movement
Stealthy summer creatures hunt
In the undergrowth
Long Lonely Road
So far have we come, but so far yet to go
A road, Oh so lonely, that very few know
The challenges faced when you’re searching inside
Where so many others their painful lives hide
Afraid to be thinking, their lives filled with sound
To smother the mem’ries, that inside abound
They try to forget all the troubles they’ve faced
E’en though all the turmoil is etched on their face
They cannot abide seeing others distressed
It only reminds them how their lives are messed
And so, they give up, leaving suff’rers alone
With no one to comfort or give them a home
A child that’s in need is a poor lonely soul
With nothing to live for, a life with no goal
Till in steps a carer who’ll give of their best
To give them a place where they’ll find peace and rest
The challenge is facing your own distant past
To give the poor children a love that will last
A love that will conquer the pain and the hurt
The lack of attention, the hunger, the dirt
Deep into their conscience the carer must dig
To battle their fears that the task is too big
To deal with their own long held issues and pain
To stop them from rising again and again
A long, lonely road that so few can travel
To help these young ones as their lives unravel
So few can make it, despite all the beauty
A long, lonely road that is not just duty
Fighting the system, even fighting their friends
The work of a child advocate never ends
The dangers and threats may seem never-ending
Often it seems that the rules just need bending
For Mother and Father are just facts of life
If babies are loved or their lives filed with strife
But Mum and Dad titles, they have to be earned
By love and by courage that will not be turned
So search deep inside. Find the courage to act
Make love for your children a matter of fact
And if you do care for a child not your own
Remember, this road you don’t travel alone
The Assassin
Taking careful aim
The assassin marked her target
Aligned the crosshairs
Over her victim’s heart
She thought she knew his weakness
Thought she could not fail
She checked her aim once more
And pulled the trigger
She smiled, self-satisfied
Watched the deadly projectile
Headed straight for his heart
But it was her heart that missed a beat
As his integrity got in the way
And the only thing to die that day
Was the bond between them
Harcourt 51 