“I’ve seen that fat woman; she’s in the next street,
You know Mam, the one that you don’t want to meet.
She didn’t see me; I was crafty and hid,
Then ran home as fast as I could with our kid.”
“Quick! Bring in the washing, help fold up this sheet,
Then if you stay silent we’ll all have a sweet.”

“Oh look!  There’s her car she’ll come here I’ve no doubt,
Get under the table pretend that we’re out,
If we don’t keep quiet she’ll know that we’re in.
Why must we be pestered? I think it’s a sin.
I’m fed up with lectures, the silly old trout
For all her fine learnin’ the woman knows nowt.”

“You Amy! Get down! Can’t you keep out of sight?
She’ll look through the window it’s just the right height
To see you and Brian if you stand up tall,
Be careful! It’s too late to go in the hall.
Now listen, I think that’s her knocking alright,
Remember last time we stayed here until night.”

I wish she’d stop banging, the door’s nearly bent,
We wouldn’t have this if we lived in a tent.
I bet all our neighbours will ask ‘what’s to do?’
With excitement like this they’ll be forming a queue.
Their lives are so boring, it’s quite an event.
I hope they don’t realise.  She’s come for the rent.”

You loved your children,
You loved your wife,
This wonderful love
Cost you your life!
Our Dad always spoke of your gentle touch,
No king or country could matter so much.
Yet you did your duty
Like thousands of others,
Breaking the hearts of wives and mothers
Who never forgot you
And neither will we,
You died hoping to make the whole world free.

“Listen Grandma, Listen to my song,
I learnt it at school today.
We were in the room with Mrs Strong,
It was just before the dinner gong,
She taught us to sing it this way.

“I love you and don’t you forget it,
I love you and don’t you forget it.”

I listened with joy as Caitlin sang,
Her face lit up with a smile.
The chords of memory in my mind rang
And as I joined in the words, with a pang
My heart filled with love for this child.

“I love you and don’t you forget it Baby.”

Child of my child they took you away
To a land beyond the wave,
I watched with a broken heart that day,
Trying to hide my tears and to say,
“Goodbye darling girl, be brave.”

“I love you and don’t you forget it,
I love you and don’t you forget it.”

But you are with me wherever I go,
With such love we never will part,
I see your face in the flowers that grow,
I hear you sing in the winds that blow.
A still small voice in my heart.

“I love you and don’t you forget it Baby.”

Love doesn’t fade it lives with the tears,
Though kisses are in short supply,
I close my eyes and forget all my fears,
Imagine you happy and well through the years,
With your song there’s no reason to cry.

“I love you and don’t you forget it,
That makes seven times that I said it,

As I walked through the stillness of the night
I saw the Bats in flickering, flittering flight.
“Don’t let them near your hair” my friends all said
“They’re sticky, tangle and will hurt your head.”
So not to lose my hair or hurt the bat,
While venturing out at night I wore a hat.
For years I felt that maybe this was wrong
But over time the fear grew very strong.
I tried to shield my children from this thought
But still on going out a hat was sought.
Thank goodness I met Derek just by chance
And he cut thru’ my fears with one sharp glance.
Bats are his life, his passion and his pride
“An old wives’ tale” indignantly he cried.

“Communities they live in are the best,
You know they feed their babies at the breast?
They hang in prayer like little mice with wings.
When making conversation sonar sings!
They’re made by God with beauty and delight,
No Dracula persona causing fright.
A bat will never hurt you flying low
But feels your every move where e’er you go.
You must not be afraid, you should be honoured
To see a bat.” And on his words I pondered.
Now walking late I disregard my bonnet
And pensively made up this double sonnet.
By opening up my mind from fear, that man
Ranks equal to my other hero – Bat Man!

Love is much more than a tender caress
Far more than small hours of brief happiness,
For a lasting love is made up of sharing
Both hours that are joyful and also despairing.
It’s made up of patience and deep understanding
But never of selfish and stubborn demanding.
It’s made up of climbing the steep hills together
And facing with courage life’s stormiest weather.
Yet nothing on Earth or in Heaven can part
A love that has grown to be part of the heart
Because just like the sun, the stars and the sea,
This love will go on through eternity.
For true love lives on when earthly things die
It’s part of the spirit that soars in the sky.
Hold the love in your hearts
On your wedding day,
It will nourish and keep you both strong every way.
Here’s to love and contentment in all that you do,
Today, tomorrow,
For your whole life through.

Was it only yesterday?
A young girl waited for letters to come
Dreamed of a boy who promised to love
For ever.

Was it yesterday?
She looked at the heavenly moon above.
Sure he would be looking too with love
To give her.

Only Yesterday?
He proudly marched home from foreign lands
With gifts of perfume and love in his hands,
Speaking of bliss and wedding bands,
Swearing that they would always be
Together.

Just yesterday?
She unwittingly heard his fickle promise
And whispered false words
To another.

It was yesterday.

I wandered alone down the country lane
Enjoying the fragrance of new fallen rain
When I spied the perfume bottle again,
Near the River.

Remembered the terrible things that were said,
How he’d deceived me into his bed
And I’d hurled Chanel no. 5 at his head,
With a shudder

Finding it now after all those years,
Recalling the love, the joy, the fears
And reliving my wretched pitiful tears.
Heartless lover.

Young Paddy made a puddle                
And we couldn’t help but giggle
Cause the puddle that he paddled in
He’d piddled in before.

His tears began to bubble
And his lips began to wobble
As we pulled him from the puddle
He just screamed a little more.

Our dog Fritz came for a cuddle
Getting mud up to his middle,
Bobby shouted “Look that mud’ll
Never ever clean again.”

Debbie sorted out the riddle.
“Get the paddling pool, don’t fiddle
We can fill it with the nozzle          
From the hose pipe at the drain.

Up came little Mrs Liddle
Bald by too much perm-a-frizzle,
Wore a turban cause her wig’ll
Never stay on very tight.

Bob thought the hose would dribble
Stretched along the garden cobble.
When it shot out with a gurgle,
Well it gave us all a fright.

Mrs Liddle tried to joggle
But the water made her bobble
So the wig and turban wobbled.
Dingle dangled on the wall.

We all scrambled and we scrabbled
But as Deb and Paddy squabbled,
The wig vanished like a bubble
Down towards the waterfall.

Bob with the clothes prop grappled,
Reaching over while we prattled.
Gravitation won the battle
And he fell into the stream.

Then old Fritz a noisy bundle,
Always liked a rough and tumble,
Barking loudly, with a rumble,
Joined his master, like a Bream.

I grabbed Paddy by the ankle
And his cries began to rankle
As he tried to join the muddle
In the water down below.

Then Bob’s head appeared, all messy,
Looking like the twin of Nessie.
Debbie seemed a little queasy              
As her Daddy said “Hello!”

In one hand the wig, all mangled,
Poor old Fritz he nearly strangled
As he tried to find an angle
How to get up on the side.

All the geese came in a gaggle,
Seeing Bobby so bedraggled.
“Come on you lot, stop the haggle,
Give a hand.” Tom Liddle cried.

This made Mrs Liddle sizzle,
Water dripped off in a drizzle.
“When it’s washed you will be dazzled!”
I remarked to calm her down.

Other neighbours, all a goggle
Came to help us in our struggle.
Mr Liddle said. “That dog’ll
Be to blame if they both drown.”

Fritzie jumped out with a wriggle,
Running round he gave a wiggle
Wagging tail a whirling jiggle,
Splashing everyone in sight.

Bobby’s face was red and purple
As he looked at all the people
Watching from the park, a giggle,
Really laughing at his plight.

Squelching, climbed out from the muddle,
Left his clothes in quite a huddle,
Where he’d stripped off in the middle
Of the kitchen like a fool.

Paddy, leaning on the table,
Asked if Daddy was unable
To repair the hose pipe cable
And to fill the paddling pool.

I said “Darling, please don’t grumble,
Daddy’s had an awful tumble.
I will make an apple crumble
If you’ll only start to laugh.”

Then Bob’s eyes began to twinkle
And his nose began to wrinkle.
“Go and get old Fritz.” He chuckled
And we’ll all go in the bath.”