The meaning of Christmas

Christmas is friendship, compassion, love and devotionIts holding hands with the one you love as the gifts you so carefully chose are opened

Wrapped with care and considerable amounts of packing tape…a ribbon shining bright upon the surface

Reflecting the joy on the lucky recipients face
Christmas is appreciation for everything and everyone

Its a time for giving and a time for sharing…when we all become as one

Its the time of year our hearts go out to those we love and have lost

But also to those that we don’t know at all…for those people Christmas is tough
Christmas is that moment you wake up in your bed to see that Santa has been

All the presents both small and large nestled under the tree

Your hands are warm as you sit in front of the crackling fire

Hoping you have been given all the things you desire
Christmas is playing in the ice cold snow

Making snow people based on people you know

Carrots from the kitchen for his big bright nose

Buttons from mothers sewing kit for the shirt

Positioning him in a pose
Christmas is about decorating the house

Its putting up the strings of lights shining bright like stars

Hanging the baubles on the tree…Christmas carols played full blast

Ceramic figures and cotton wool snow adorning the windowsill

Its all hands on deck on this winters evening

The night becoming still
Christmas is a time for mince pies and Brussels sprouts

Watching as the children round the table carefully pick them out

Its time to don our paper crowns in colors of red and gold

As we toast to another festive season…as tales of last season are told

Gift tag poems (written on gift tags for family and friends at xmas)

Siblings

The love of a sibling is like no other kind
Its deep and profound with hearts thats intertwine
So this Christmas i would like to share this love with you
As we are brother and sister and I’m happiest when I’m with you

Lying riddle

If roses aren’t red
And violets aren’t blue
The present you are holding
Must not be for you

Strawberry picking

Fields of rich red colour
Stretched across the land
Laden with berries sweeter than candy
You place them upon the palm of your hands

A burning candle

The match strikes and the clock chimes ten
The flame burns out and you strike it again
As the wick catches light your hand moves away
As it burns down the glass
Your worries seem far away

Guiding hand

Christmas is a magical time of year the year
Where we drink and pay heed to those we hold dear
That’s why this Christmas for you my heart will glow
for you put out your hand to me and showed me where to go

Friendship

These gifts symbolise a friendship that’s strong
One that can never be broken
A friendship that was formed many years ago
Through compassion, care and emotion

Linda

I still remember the day we met
The way you made me smile
As you told me stories of what you were like as a child
Of your mischievous behaviour…of how you were a wild child

I seem to remember thinking what do we have here?
I’m not saying your always in trouble
Though my mood improves whenever you are near
You can always make me chuckle

writing about you is starting to become fun
And it’s not long since I started
Your personality is like a ray of sun
you bring the humour to the party

Any problems that may arise we need never fear
For any time we need a friend you are always near
And when we need a shoulder to cry on
Someone to lend a hand
You are always willing to help and guide us
Like only you can

I’m almost to the end of this poem..these are the final lines
But Linda you are one in a million and a very rare find
So thanks for making everyone laugh and here’s to many more
Let’s toast to Linda and Andy to whom this poem is for

The forgotten

She walks a jagged walk down the cold concrete path ,misplacing her feet, stumbling in the bitter cold breeze
Her skirt once worn to a joyous occasion now torn, each tear telling a different story, flapping like the sail of a kite
She wears a face of pity, of anger and betrayal as her aching feet carry her further along on her journey
She has no destination in mind, she has no abode, she just walks…and walks…and walks
Behind her she pulls every scrap of her previous life that has survived, its difficult to pull but not because of its weight
Rather because under the hood that hides her sorrowful eyes…she cries tears that sting as they cascade down her cheeks
She has to stop once every few minutes just to catch her breath…she is not as young as she once was
As she stands amidst the hustle and bustle of a busy town she is forced to take in everything she once had
People eating fried food with wooden forks and drinking hot beverages she longs to sip
Its been many years since such delicacies have met her lips
Which are dry and chapped with the faint taste of sand…it tastes bitter upon her tongue
As she uses every last bit of energy she has left to travel to a safe place she realises has all the time in this cruel world to herself
She can feel her back aching, her feet blistering, her brain working overtime…she is broken but broken can be fixed
Her head aches and her eyes are heavy as she decides which doorway she will sleep in tonight
The locket that loosely hangs round her neck, swaying as she treads serving as a cruel reminder of a previous life
She rips apart the cardboard box and makes up her disposable bed for the night
The weight of the day causes her to drop to the ground
Just before she drifts into sleep she opens the locket with trembling fingers and holds it tight as she allows her eyelids to shut out the world

Do not conform

Benjamin doesn’t love Elizabeth but rather peter from down the street
So much so that every time they cross paths his heart skips a beat
But apparently it’s a sin to love another man…it’s everything wrong with the world
But Ben doesn’t want jcb diggers rather diamonds and pearls
He plucks up the courage to tap on the door of his lover at no 26
But his hand pulls away before his skin meets the door as the realisation starts to click
He doesn’t want to be beaten tonight for being “one of those”
For people to turn round and say to him “it’s your fault..it’s the life you chose”

Now On the same street at number 3 next to the railway lines
Lives a man who is not a man because real men fight
This fellow loves a very pretty and beautiful lady named Joan
But after running from a fight one cold winters night she left him on his own
Now he eats takeaway food from foil containers every night
And on xmas day he puts up the tree and pretends it’s Joan turning on the lights
For Clive is not “a mans man” rather “a pathetic weak mite”
Its these words that circulate in his head when he goes to sleep at night
He would drink his sorrow in whisky and gin if he liked the taste of spirits
But Clive is tea-total and would sooner drink lemonade

In the boxing club three roads down stands a lady so buff she resembles a man
But she cares not what others may think for she is who she is and she cares not about conformity
This boxing club has stood upon this same ground for as long as she remembers
She has been been running this haven for most of her adult life
She is going out tonight to a local boozer in town to spend her earnings on whisky and wine
To celebrate the 5 year anniversary of her journey to become a man

Its busy tonight with dog walkers and shoppers, the youth hanging round street corners with cigarettes in their mouths
Benjamin is scared and nervous as he walks into town
He hopes he doesn’t meet the thugs that frequent the local social club
For last time this happened he went home with bruises and a mouth full with blood

Clive knows a better direction which avoids any trouble
Cut down the alley way on tremont street then cross over on the double
Straight down the bottom of the road then a quick left turn
He feels in his pocket for his medication, his migraines have returned
His fingers poised above the number 9 on the keypad of his phone, the back of his neck red and burnt
he reaches the door of the local pub and concern gives way to regret

Joan shuts up the gym for the night and puts on her evening attire
Consisting of a sharp suit and diamond wedding ring that glints in the sun
She turns the key in the lock and focuses in on the satisfying click as the mechanism tightens
She hasn’t been out like this in a while and her anxiety is heightened
Standing outside the wildfire arms is Clive in his satin dress
He looks across the street with eyes of admiration as he sees he is truly blessed
She tells him she misses him and cries over him every night
He tells her its ok and she says ”its alright, lets just let bygones be bygons and enjoy the night”
Stumbling along the curb side all three heroes of their trade walk back to their homes
As they invite Benjamin in to their comfortable abode

The moral of this story is we don’t have to conform to society…we are all unique in our own ways
Gender is defined by atoms not behaviour…we were all created equal…by god..our saviour

As my soul flies free

I see you all sitting there in your black, neatly ironed clothes, broad chested, hats upon your heads…hands rested serenely upon your lap
I watched you as you came through the door, you glided down the centre of the church and proceeded to sit crossed legged with your head in your lap
But please don’t cry for me my darling for I have not truly gone, my body lies in this wooden casket but my soul lives on
Please do not weep, I have not forgotten about you all…my time has come to leave this earth that is all…my story has been spun
As you sit there and think about times we spent together..do not let the tears creep through
I have had a most enjoyable life and I’m honored to have spent it with you

As the vicar takes a stand holding his head high above the pews in which you sit, he welcomes one and all
But don’t look at my coffin and cry because I have already left my earthly rented vessel
My soul is already flying high, above the swallows and the hummingbirds
I will not forget the love I was given when I walked upon solid earth

The organ starts up like a living being as strategically the pianist plays each note, sounds filling every space
As you all begin to sing the hymns written upon the pamphlets, I too sing with you though my voice is impossible to hear
Words spoken about the life I had, people listening, learning toward the words as they sound

As the funeral is coming to an end I see you walk out of the church, holding hands, heads bowed, ready to lay your heads upon your pillow
I spectate, commiserate, commemorate…I watch you all as you slip into your automobiles, tears that once ran down your tender cheeks now drying upon the concrete
For you have seen the curtain close on my body like the end of an emotional scene in a grand theatre production
Only this is no theatre in which you have all been seated but a holy place of tranquility

The time has come for you to return to your homes, your lives though different will continue on
The grief will come upon you and emotions will befall you but time as they say will heal your soul
Goodbye by family, my friends, my children, I promise I will never forget you!

The city I live in

Hot steaming coffee roasting for a morning Pick me up
Consuming bacon sandwiches laden with ketchup
I take in the morning sun as my eyes slowly adjust
To the light of the sun in a city where wars were won, breathing in the dust

Market stalls set up like tents standing high above the crowds
Selling their wares like hawkers in busy streets
Colours embodied upon thick sodden cloth
Rain falling upon the ground washing away the scum
prints from dirty boots Ingrained like stamps upon the street
As though to say “I reside here”

There are many people in this city of multicultural familiarity
Behind every glinting window pane is a different family
The children play on the streets breaking curfews and running amok
stepping over cracks in the pavement said to bring us bad luck

The castle stands proud amidst the centre of it all
Doors locked, windows barred…proud of all it has achieved
Names engraved upon ancient stone forever to be admired
Patches of the building lost to history…like old wounds that can never be healed

Then there is the holy sanctuary, the house of the all mighty
A peaceful retreat from the busy streets where everyone is family
Come in sit down and lay down your hat upon a hard wood pew
Tell me of your sins my child…know that god loves you!
As Norwich folk we stand together…our hearts beat as one
Don’t be afraid to talk to us we won’t bite come, tell me your troubles, sit beside me under the summer sun

This is the city I know and love..one which I admire
I took my first steps upon the ground to which is now reborn
New buildings are built every day, new families move in
and every day I get up out of bed its this city i choose to wake up in!

Alfie

A wet nose on the back of a hand
A sandy paw tapping on the laminate
Two sweet puppy dog eyes staring into my soul
A canine once so lively now lies motionless and still

When you passed you left a paw print on my heart

Remember them

Running, falling, bleeding…we will not be seen to cry

Enemies close in on us but we will not surrender…we will not comply

Many of us are younger than yourself yet we fight for our king and country

Every one i have ever loved i have lost but I refuse to lay down my rifle

Most of the soldiers that fight alongside me are barely adolescent

But they are tougher than the steel they hold in their hands

Everywhere i walk i see dismembered bodies of young and old

Red stains adorn their chests and bullets rip holes in their tattered battle dress

Take a look at the world we have given you

Hold a poppy in your hands and marvel at its beauty

Every one sold signifies your freedom

Marking our existence 

The river

The river is where is where the herons wait
Then fly swooping low, wings spread, hoping to catch the unprepared
The fish weave their bodies through their murky grave…hoping to be saved but never to be free

It flows as gracefully as an elegant dancer mid performance
It weaves and turns but is always calming..never rough
Unlike the sea it has no need to be fast, it takes its time
As it passes over rocks it splashes then settles…remains calm

The river is where the children swim…wading through the water with smiles upon their faces
They cry names of familiar faces…looking at familiar places on this sunny afternoon!
Feeling the cool breeze upon their cheeks as the water wraps around them
They splash the water and it cascades like rain upon the heads of the innocent

The river is that place you had your first kiss
Laying under the stars…you thought life could never be better
You pulled her tight…locking her in an embrace
As you wrapped her up in your silk scarf…you were young then

Now the river sits alone and destitute
The people that visit ignore its beauty or just don’t see it
The dogs swim but the children are playing in the grass
The birds still sit waiting for their chance but the fish are barely present

The river is where dreams are made and nights are spent
Where we come to relax and where we come to repent
The river is many things to many people
But one thing it is not is eternal