"What A Life Is For?"

The lad lay on the London street
His hand clutching his chest
He saw his life flash by his eyes
He'd tried to do his best
Just sixteen years that's all he was
No trouble making lout
He'd just been in the wrong place
At the wrong time
There's no doubt
A gang of maybe six or eight
Had prompted an attack
No reason for the violence
No strength to fight them back
A flash of light across a blade
Was all he really saw
The pain set in just seconds after
He had hit the floor
And now he'd be a number
A statistic in a book
Another lad who'd died
Whose life was mercilessly took
A common daily problem
Hardly shocking anymore
A senseless disregard for life
And what a life is for.

The End    by David Whitney   c 2021

"With A Kiss"

Oh! Mum I wish that you were here
As Mother's Day is very near
Though we don't need a special day
To say those things we want to say
To tell you how we miss your smile
And wish that we could hug a while
To let you know just what you mean
To let you know how we've all been
Since you left us those years ago
How still our hearts pine for you so
For you were all the world and more
You taught us what true love is for
To cherish those who mean so much
So hard now you are out of touch
But rest assured you're always here
Beside us always have no fear
A Mother who we'll always miss
Our love to you sealed with a kiss.

The End   by David Whitney   c 2021

"Look Of Despair"

Clara looked out of the window
A woman stood waving her hand
The woman was Clara's first daughter
But Clara did not understand
Bewildered she had many questions
Why were masks hiding faces away
Why was there no hugging or kissing
Had the care home gone into decay
The woman outside looked familiar
Though Clara could not put a name
With masks over everyone's faces
Everybody looked much just the same
Clara wished her husband Henry
Could visit her like just before
But dementia had fuddled her memory
Her husband had died in the war
The woman was still stood there waving
Why on earth did she not come inside
And why was she waving at Clara
And why had she suddenly cried
Clara sat down in the corner
Nobody would bother her there
She could still sit and talk to her Henry
Though she spoke to a vacant arm chair
Each day was the same but now different
No visitors came anymore
The TV was all about Covid
What on Earth was she still living for
Tears held inside started falling
She felt so abandoned and lost
The care staff were doing their duties
But warm hugs weren't a part of the cost
She tottered her way to the window
The woman outside was still there
Clara remembered her daughter
And she waved with a look of despair.

The End
By David Whitney     c2021

"Tomorrow Will Be A Good Day"
(a poem inspired by the passing of Sir Captain Tom Moore)

Captain Tom inspired us all
He surely earned his wings
He lived his life and gave us hope
And what commitment brings
It brings us all together
When the days are dark and long
It brings a ray of sunshine
So we all can carry on
Unselfishly it makes us see
That we are not alone
It paves the way for progress
In a world to us unknown
With strength and understanding
We can all conquer our wars
Tom proved that age is nothing
No deterrent to the cause
So now that Tom has left us
He expects us to be kind
And to think of one another
Now he's left us all behind
To fight this fight and seize the day
When all seems to be lost
To battle on and win this war
Regardless of the cost
"No virus will defeat us"
I can almost hear him say
"Don't mourn for me remember this
Tomorrow will be a good day"

The End        by David Whitney c2021

"Social Distanced Friends"

That close feeling of being hugged
The warmth of someone near
The knowing that somebody cares
The love of someone dear
How hard it is to stay apart
No hand for you to hold
How precious is that skin on skin
Now distance is so cold
The urge to run and hug a friend
The longing for their touch
The hurt you feel inside your heart
When friendship means so much
We hope and pray it soon will end
That life can be worth living
That all the love we have inside
Can once again be giving
Until that time all we can do
Is hope this lock down ends
So we can hold and hug and kiss
Our social distanced friends.

By David Whitney                     c2021

"Treasure"

The child was barely six days old
His cot a cardboard box
His little body wrapped in rags
No hat no gloves or socks
He'd been placed on the doorstep
Of a Church on Christmas Eve
An hour before the Midnight Mass
A note said "Feed him please"
No name or information
Just a sweet Angelic face
With eyes like tiny sapphires
Begging for a warm embrace
A plea went out around the town
To find his desperate mother
But nobody came forward
No sad story to discover
And so the little boy was found
A home where he could live
And a couple who would offer him
The love they longed to give
For they had tried for years and years
For a baby of their own
But fate had not dealt them the cards
For reasons still unknown
And so they got to keep the boy
Their prayers at last were heard
And so they named him 'Treasure'
Their lives blessed by this one word
So if you yearn for something
That you feel is out of reach
Remember prayers get answered
When you practice what you preach
And give a thought to 'Treasure'
Who was the answer to a prayer
A little child found wrapped in rags
The hope born from despair

by David Whitney                      c2020

"Tomorrow Will Be A Good Day"
(a poem inspired by the passing of Sir Captain Tom Moore)

Captain Tom inspired us all
He surely earned his wings
He lived his life and gave us hope
And what commitment brings
It brings us all together
When the days are dark and long
It brings a ray of sunshine
So we all can carry on
Unselfishly it makes us see
That we are not alone
It paves the way for progress
In a world to us unknown
With strength and understanding
We can all conquer our wars
Tom proved that age is nothing
No deterrent to the cause
So now that Tom has left us
He expects us to be kind
And to think of one another
Now he's left us all behind
To fight this fight and seize the day
When all seems to be lost
To battle on and win this war
Regardless of the cost
"No virus will defeat us"
I can almost hear him say
"Don't mourn for me remember this
Tomorrow will be a good day"

The End        by David Whitney c2021