Gone Too Soon

Christina

By Michael James Treacy

Message Michael James

.

At first encounter,

she slapped

my backside

and declared,

“I don’t recognise

that bottom!”

.

Then she skipped away

on one of her missions

to share a cuppa

and a slice of humanity

with a lonely soul.

.

At her behest,

I carried bags

of food and toys

to a household of children

in a life of despair.

.

When summer came,

I refurbished her garden bench

which led to a tearful promise

to use it for evening chats

with her husband’s spirit.

.

In September,

I found her with a wilted rose,

weeping for the babies

of Afghanistan,

of Somalia,

of Ukraine,

of Gaza.

.

And in December,

surrounded by tinsel

and Christmas memories,

a pernicious cancer

stole her from the world.

Out and About when Autumn Leaves had Fallen

Pembrokeshire

A late autumn break, a snippet from history, a poet’s house of inspiration, a sad period in time, a salacious rumour… cake too!

After 65 Decembers

An Impossible Dream

One final hurdle prevented the realisation of a dream

Still Singing Those Songs

Jimmy Cliff

Music has an uncanny ability to transport us back in time.

Then Someone Said

Old Man Rap

Everyone should try to create a rap... senior citizens too!

People Like Those: Aigneis

From a Bus to a Crassula

Tread soft amongst the Irish, for they'll steal your heart away.

The Problem with an Orange

Still Good To Eat

A poet struggles to find an elusive rhyme.

The Song of Bert and Harry: Sugar

Potentially Dangerous to Health

If you are offered sugar in an exotic location, make sure it’s not high-fructose.

People Like Those: Jonathon

Another Life Well Lived

A tribute to friendship, and a life well lived against the odds.

Times Like Those: Hat Thieves Beware

You Have Been Warned

It’s good to know your companions will always have your back… regardless of how old they are.

The Song of Bert and Harry: The Name of that Pub

It wasn't the Banana Arms

Old men may be chatting about medication, past glories and bowel movements… or trying to remember where they went last night.

People Like Those: The Welsh One

Baring My Celtic Soul

From Cardiff’s seafront to the peaks of Snowdonia, from Shirley Bassey to JPR Williams, this poem is about belonging, identity, and that Celtic spark that shines brighter than midnight stars. Read it, feel it, and tell me... where does your heart call home?

People Like Those: Stan and Betty

They Overcame

We've all got stories, tales, yarns to tell... fiction, faction or non-fiction, but few of us have life stories that last for a hundred years.

She Loved Me Not

The glint in her eye was too risky

A hapless young man's quest for love in limerick format (what else?) is thwarted again and again. Caution! No smut on display.

21st Century Song of Summer

peeps a-scoffin' al fresco pies

It’s sobering to think that while summer is celebrated in some parts of the world with music festivals, sporting tournaments, flower shows, fringe festivals, craft fairs, parties in the park, etc, people in other parts of the world are struggling to put nutritious food in their children’s bellies. And in yet other parts of the world, they are too busy firing missiles at each other. My poem, therefore, is sadly only about modern summer living in some parts of the world.