Written for Mary my 85 year old mother in law who lost her husband John to cancer 10 years ago*

Of long walks across Scotlands  rain washed hills
Long days walking the Lakeland peaks with your dogs constant at your side
Strolling the gentle Surrey hills beneath sun dappled boughs
Accompanied by bird song music

Of days long past and memories held dear

Black sad Christmas and mothers will weep
For sons and daughters taken so young
Paris, Tunisia, Afghanistan, Iraq
Pointless wars???
Perhaps
But then, but then
A thousand other conflicts
Shootings in America
YOU , yes you who ascribe to the right to bear arms
Oh yes, the right to own a gun
The right to turn it on your own
Weep not my daughter
Shed not bitter tears my son
For daddy died an honorable death
For you
Mothers, fathers weep not
For they died for a noble cause
(wrong, they died because the military was the only job they could find)
And still the parents grieve
And still the children weep
No longer just black and white
Now every race and colour who ever lived

Happy Christmas

She was just a little stray dog
Wandering Moscow's cold grey streets
Then claimed in the name of science
By men who must succeed
And so into sputnik 2 they strapped her
And sent it on its way
Little Lemon still unaware
That this was her last day
She still had many years to live
But never had the chance
The scientists said they had a greater need
And so science had to claim her

Life is an eroding cliff face
Continually battered by ever rising tides
What we knew ten years ago
Is forever gone
We stand, yes we stand
Now into ever increasing violence and hatred
We open our doors wide to the oppressed fleeing hatred
And yet once here some, but only some
Will stand on the soapbox of life
Spreading their own form of hatred
ISIL
The modern form of ******
Oh yes
For they have their own agenda for ethnic cleansing
BUT HOW DO WE CHOOSE?
Who to love, who to hate.
We don't, we can't
Because our sentimentality has let them into our midst
Perhaps our children, great grandchildren
Might learn the lessons

Just watched the remembrance service
Just as I do every year
Commemorating all those brave boys and girls
Who over the years made the final sacrifice
Did they do it for God queen and country
No
They gave their young lives for the comrades beside them
Apologies to you believers
But they didn't die with Gods name on their lips
They died scared, covered in blood and ****
Yes
We should remember them