Dear lord protect
The soldiers on the line
And grapes upon the vine
The policemen on the beat
The homeless on the street
The elderly and the frail
The Transgressors in the jail
The young and the vulnerable
The well off and comfortable
Fire fighters at their station
Carers with their dedication
The judiciary and the medics
The believers and the sceptics
Those in planes and boats and cars
The planets and the stars
Crops growing in the soil
Those hard about their toil
The river, the lake and the dam
The lion the wolf and the lamb
The animals on the farm
Protect them Lord from harm
Tuesday, 13 February 2007
CRIMSON SNOW
Each November
We remember
At the Royal Albert Hall
And we remember
With dignity
With respect
They stand in silence
And we remember
In silence
Petals fall
Like crimson snow flakes
And we remember
Gently falling
They settle
Upon hat and tunic
And we remember
Each petal
Once a life
Floats in silent homage
And we remember
Red poppies
Springing eternally
From the bloodied fields
And we remember
Falling petals
Falling in millions
To recall the fallen
And we remember
We remember
At the Royal Albert Hall
And we remember
With dignity
With respect
They stand in silence
And we remember
In silence
Petals fall
Like crimson snow flakes
And we remember
Gently falling
They settle
Upon hat and tunic
And we remember
Each petal
Once a life
Floats in silent homage
And we remember
Red poppies
Springing eternally
From the bloodied fields
And we remember
Falling petals
Falling in millions
To recall the fallen
And we remember
I REMEMBER
I remember
Those with no future, But only a gallant past
I remember
Those who never lived, To enjoy the fruits of their sacrifice
I remember
Those who will be forever young, Those who will never be old
I remember
When the sun sets on their past, And rises brilliantly for our future
I remember
Father’s, sons and brothers, Husband’s, friends and lovers
I remember
That lost generation of men, Who went to war for our tomorrow
I remember
Poor man, gentleman and scholar, Who stood shoulder to shoulder
I remember
Those who fell before the foe, For a future they wouldn’t know
Those with no future, But only a gallant past
I remember
Those who never lived, To enjoy the fruits of their sacrifice
I remember
Those who will be forever young, Those who will never be old
I remember
When the sun sets on their past, And rises brilliantly for our future
I remember
Father’s, sons and brothers, Husband’s, friends and lovers
I remember
That lost generation of men, Who went to war for our tomorrow
I remember
Poor man, gentleman and scholar, Who stood shoulder to shoulder
I remember
Those who fell before the foe, For a future they wouldn’t know
TOMMY
We walked towards the enemy
Hidden in the mist
That lay like a silent shroud
We picked our way
Across the open ground
Until the silence was broken
As overhead, a shell burst
Raining death and shrapnel
Knocking us to the ground
Throwing us hither and thither
Like skittles in an alley
Broken bodies lay in the Flanders mud
Of “no mans land”
Before me Tommy hung on the wire
His body vivid red
Cut from neck to groin
Even a baker such as I, knew
He was beyond earthy aid
“Shoot me” he pleaded
His face etched deep with pain
I knelt before him contemplating his request
Then his face relaxed
And he called out “mother”
Though not in pain or anguish
Not a cry for help, but a greeting
An exclamation of joy
As he was returned to her arms
War had diminished my faith
But in that instant it was restored
By a single death, my friend Tommy
Hidden in the mist
That lay like a silent shroud
We picked our way
Across the open ground
Until the silence was broken
As overhead, a shell burst
Raining death and shrapnel
Knocking us to the ground
Throwing us hither and thither
Like skittles in an alley
Broken bodies lay in the Flanders mud
Of “no mans land”
Before me Tommy hung on the wire
His body vivid red
Cut from neck to groin
Even a baker such as I, knew
He was beyond earthy aid
“Shoot me” he pleaded
His face etched deep with pain
I knelt before him contemplating his request
Then his face relaxed
And he called out “mother”
Though not in pain or anguish
Not a cry for help, but a greeting
An exclamation of joy
As he was returned to her arms
War had diminished my faith
But in that instant it was restored
By a single death, my friend Tommy
THEY FELL
They fell
Like ripened corn
Cut with scythe’s stroke
In seasoned hands
They fell
Like cherry blossom
Set free
By an April breeze
They fell
Like skittles toppled
By a wooden ball
Skilfully played
They fell
Like mighty English oak
Cut in thousands
To build the mighty fleet
They fell
Proudly and unwavering
Before their enemy
Uncompromising in their duty
They fell
Like the valiant
Cut down before their time
A generation forever lost
Like ripened corn
Cut with scythe’s stroke
In seasoned hands
They fell
Like cherry blossom
Set free
By an April breeze
They fell
Like skittles toppled
By a wooden ball
Skilfully played
They fell
Like mighty English oak
Cut in thousands
To build the mighty fleet
They fell
Proudly and unwavering
Before their enemy
Uncompromising in their duty
They fell
Like the valiant
Cut down before their time
A generation forever lost
REMEMBRANCE FOR UNCLE JOHN
John Holt 1887-1916
“Your country needs you”
We heard Kitchener say to us
We took the Kings shilling
Without any fuss
Lads and Pals all marched
Crowds cheering jubilantly
Then crossed the English Channel
To halt the advancing enemy
The distant we gain in battle
Against the loss of a comrade
Is measured in inches at best
As we play out Hague’s Charade
We came as proud young men
To halt the invaders advance
Only to live and die
In the mud of western France
In the cloying mud of France
Once rich and fertile soil
No longer appears like earth
And now is as slippery as oil
The mud colours everything
Even we try and fail to stay clean
Mud has consumed the landscape
And hides the dead unseen
Subtle hints of another time
Some old Tree stumps remain
A jagged piece of wall sometimes
Will it ever be normal again?
Trenches have become home
Trench foot and rats our companion’s
Shellfire is our music hall
Mortars and rifles our musicians
We escape the daily horror
But only within our own minds
Where we explore familiar places
Far beyond the wars confines
The enemy are much like us
Their thoughts take them away
To a peaceful quiet land
On a peaceful quiet day
I sit in my muddy trench
My eyes closed to all but my wife
My sweet and beloved Tilly
The most important part of my life
Many fallen comrades lie
Where they fell upon the field
They saw no sense to fight
But still they refused to yield
After three long years
In the vile and muddy hell
I climbed out of my trench
And with my comrades fell
“Your country needs you”
We heard Kitchener say to us
We took the Kings shilling
Without any fuss
Lads and Pals all marched
Crowds cheering jubilantly
Then crossed the English Channel
To halt the advancing enemy
The distant we gain in battle
Against the loss of a comrade
Is measured in inches at best
As we play out Hague’s Charade
We came as proud young men
To halt the invaders advance
Only to live and die
In the mud of western France
In the cloying mud of France
Once rich and fertile soil
No longer appears like earth
And now is as slippery as oil
The mud colours everything
Even we try and fail to stay clean
Mud has consumed the landscape
And hides the dead unseen
Subtle hints of another time
Some old Tree stumps remain
A jagged piece of wall sometimes
Will it ever be normal again?
Trenches have become home
Trench foot and rats our companion’s
Shellfire is our music hall
Mortars and rifles our musicians
We escape the daily horror
But only within our own minds
Where we explore familiar places
Far beyond the wars confines
The enemy are much like us
Their thoughts take them away
To a peaceful quiet land
On a peaceful quiet day
I sit in my muddy trench
My eyes closed to all but my wife
My sweet and beloved Tilly
The most important part of my life
Many fallen comrades lie
Where they fell upon the field
They saw no sense to fight
But still they refused to yield
After three long years
In the vile and muddy hell
I climbed out of my trench
And with my comrades fell
UNWELCOME NEWS
At once she understood
When she heard the words
Their meaning clear
And in that instant
Her voice broke
And then in her throat
A lump formed
Behind her eyes
She felt the stinging
And a tear formed
Then rolled down her cheek
Followed by another
Then another
The salt taste was in her mouth
Her shoulders shook
Uncontrollably
And her mouth opened wide
But know sound escaped
Tears continued down her cheeks
And her nose
Then her legs buckled
And she fell to her knees
In total despair
Now the sound came
Uncontrollable
With her love lost
Her heart was broken
With her love betrayed
Her heart was discarded
But with all the weeping
She knew inside
That all her tears
Would never extinguish her love
When she heard the words
Their meaning clear
And in that instant
Her voice broke
And then in her throat
A lump formed
Behind her eyes
She felt the stinging
And a tear formed
Then rolled down her cheek
Followed by another
Then another
The salt taste was in her mouth
Her shoulders shook
Uncontrollably
And her mouth opened wide
But know sound escaped
Tears continued down her cheeks
And her nose
Then her legs buckled
And she fell to her knees
In total despair
Now the sound came
Uncontrollable
With her love lost
Her heart was broken
With her love betrayed
Her heart was discarded
But with all the weeping
She knew inside
That all her tears
Would never extinguish her love
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