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Samuel Taylor Jul 2018
Dear Mum,

I found the letter you left for me the other day in a small box you had bought me the last Christmas we spent together. And on that small box says “keep on drumming sam” along with a biblical quote re-written to be about music (which I know was obviously a joke due to our constant bickering towards my hatred towards the construct of religion). Anyway back to the point. I come across this letter from time to time, the last time was the night before my 21st. The night when after reading the letter I went and picked up a big bottle of our favourite drink and preceded to drink it all whilst raising each glass in your name.

Everyone says their mum is the greatest but you really were. You provided me with an amazing childhood with some amazing experience. Yes I know that sounds weird coming from me due to always being morbid.but seriously you did give me an incredible childhood. You sorted me out with amazing education, great holidays and you instantly knew when I was sad sometimes even before I realised I was, like when you knew deep down I was feeling lonely and one day you turned up to pick me up from school and surprised me with the greatest gift ever and the bestest friend I ever had, max.
And Yes we had some bad times throughout my childhood like the arguments I had with Martyn and him storming out and not to return for three months or the violent tantrums I used to have. But we always got through it all. Even when on that day in may 2012, when you sat me and Martyn down along with the rest of the family to tell us that after a second biopsy, the spinal chord tumour that was originally diagnosed as benign was in fact cancerous. From that day on, things got harder as you well know. From going from a nurse who used to see running laps round the ward to provide the greatest care to ending up losing all feeling and movement in your legs meant that you couldn’t do the job I knew you loved so very much. And I know it was so hard for you and I know i probably weren’t any help from time to time arguing and getting funny about you refusing to look up alternative methods of treatment whilst you just wanted to leave it to the doctors and live out your days to the max and yes I said some awful things, which I have now  come to regret very much. But you were a fighter for them 4 years and well as I would always say when you were feeling down “ you are Barbara thompson’s daughter” as you battled through every ounce of the disease with so much strength like grandma did.

The day before you passed I tried speaking to you on the phone and you couldn’t focus. So you messaged me apologising and when I asked if you were going to be fine and should I go back to my uni digs after work you replied “I’ll live” not knowing that hours later Martyn would find out you had gone in your sleep. But them words were true, even if cliche to say you still do live, yes not physically but you’ll live on in memory and in my heart.
I love you mum and although these last 2 and a half years have been some of the toughest years of my life I feel like I have come through it all stronger because of how you raised me all I want was and still is to make you proud. I’m going to finish uni, live out my dreams and hopefully find some form of happiness.

From your little boy,
Sam
Martyn Grindrod Apr 2017
Ludwig Ii

A Bavarian King with no bone bad
A Bavarian King introverted not mad
A king who lived life by night
A king who stayed out of sight

The Swan king was his given name
from Bavarian bloodstock he came Maximilians Death took away his youth
On throne pomp splendoured and couth

Peer pressure never kneel
Twas Opera Ludwig did feel
Robert Wagner was his one true love
Ludwig fitted Wagner hand in glove

A queen, A queen the Bavarians did wish
Lovestruck Elsa dry eyes diminish
Conformity died during Ludwigs reign
His sexuality showed no shame

Lake Starnberg scene of demise
Mystery death .****** or boat capsize
The King ,The King long live the King
Life lived how he chose Ludwig ii

A Bavarian King with no bone bad
A Bavarian King introverted not mad
A king who lived life by night
A king who stayed out of sight

The Swan king was his given name
from Bavarian bloodstock he came Maximilians Death took away his youth
On throne pomp splendoured and couth

Peer pressure never kneel
Twas Opera Ludwig did feel
Richard Wagner was his one true love
Ludwig fitted Wagner hand in glove

A queen, A queen the Bavarians did wish
Lovestruck Elsa dry eyes diminish
Conformity died during Ludwigs reign
His sexuality showed no shame

Lake Starnberg scene of demise
Mystery death .****** or boat capsize
The King ,The King long live the King
Lived life how he chose with no offspring

Thank You

Martyn Grindrod
Inspired by my trip to Neuschwanstein Castle last week in Bavaria , Germany
Martyn Grindrod Dec 2018
Splendid soldier you
I'm merely your descendant
barely fit to footstep follow
I'm discipled , My kindred hero

Foreign soils desperately dank
Churchillian's major tactical outflank
Death by bulleted blight
******* German bight

Evil eradication in Holland's nether land
Liberation free , Guaranteed
Twas his life he gave
Home to a war hero's grave

Death knell to heroic soldier blue
And maybe I'm a tad bitter 'tis true
My Blood lost his life to a gameplan
After all what's a medal without the man

Martyn Grindrod

My tribute to my Grandad
William Fred Grindrod
20/12/1918 - 30/11/1944
Who would have been 100 years old today.
Martyn Grindrod Jul 2019
Archipelago of fire
Beautiful muchness high admire
Mediterranean sunset, Silvery moon
shallow drift of a blue lagoon

biblical , roman citadel
Rabat rabbit , Mdina befell
allied ally , friend nay foe
Britannia forevermore

Africa, europe nearer unsure
Divided ocean's fight it's land
a Country much sought after
beaches of many laughter

Pleasure crafts, weekend a saunter
line up deep blue still
for Malta's high nightlife
St Julian's hip paceville

Little Malta's big on me
three islands ,three cities more
Sunshine eternal burn
'til adventurers return

Martyn Grindrod
Just back today from a wonderful holiday in sun kissed Malta.
Here is my thoughts in poet form.
judy smith Nov 2016
UKFT has launched Made It, a collaboration between the trade body, Graduate Fashion Week and Marks & Spencer designed to bring together graduate designers and UK manufacturers.

As part of the initiative, which was launched at a reception at the Houses of Parliament last night, Marks & Spencer and the UKFT will sponsor a number of Graduate Fashion Week winners to have their collections made in the UK.

In addition, to promote a better understanding of UK manufacturers and to encourage designers to use them as their preferred source of manufacturing, the UKFT, Marks & Spencer and Graduate Fashion Week will host a series of Masterclasses at five select universities across the country.

Hosted by Damian Collins MP, UKFT and Graduate Fashion Week, the reception included a catwalk show and was attended by key policy makers, industry influencers, major retailers, leading brands and UK manufacturers, with special guests including Graduate Fashion Week ambassadors Alesha Dixon, Mandi Lennard and Caryn Franklin as well as designer Zandra Rhodes and fashion critic Suzy Menkes.

“The UK has some of the best designer graduates in the world and some of the most talented manufacturers – Made It brings them together. Not only will we see the creation of some stunning collections, the project will also help to ensure the success of the next generation in understanding the business of fashion, which is a fundamental part of UKFT’s purpose and key whether you are developing a new brand, working with manufacturers or growing business overseas,” said UKFT chairman Nigel Lugg.

Graduate Fashion Week managing director Martyn Roberts said the initiative was “a wonderful opportunity” for GFW students to get first hand knowledge and experience of working with British manufacturers. “These are vital skills for fashion design graduates and essential for keeping Britain at the forefront of design,” he said.Read more at:http://www.marieaustralia.com/bridesmaid-dresses | www.marieaustralia.com/red-carpet-celebrity-dresses
Martyn Grindrod Jul 2019
Wife of mine
What see shine
gemstone glow
finger left four

A vows, a vow
spoken, set in stone
A promise unbroken
never needing atone

A milestone me and you
i can unequivocally say
a quarter of a century
not one less nor more a day

years five past
ten amore
fifteen adore
A score i beseech
Anniversary silver reach.


Martyn Grindrod
My wife Valerie Joy's and i's 25th wedding anniversary and this is the poem inside her card
Martyn Grindrod Mar 2019
I tossed a pebble
Spherical from this here Quay
I threw flat pebble
Shore to sea

Round pebble soared to sea
Over Flotsam ,Jetsam, splash
eddy pool formed
Waves splash and crash

Waves rose high
Winds grew wild
developed strong
Rogue wave outstretched long

Storm from wave grew
Restless from north it blew
Blew undersea with might and fright
Aqueous storm formed tonight

A storm of might formed Tsunami
A tsunami of such a force
Nil survivors
Nil remorse

I tossed a pebble
From this here quay
Now there's no you
Now there's no me


Martyn Grindrod
Martyn Grindrod Mar 2018
Winter

Fog and mist from Winter Hill drew
over West Pennines it blew
over moorland gorse and bracken
into soot filled chimneys it did blacken
Through howling wind and driving snow
dogwalkers walk in degrees below
The water flows freely down Pick up bank
Thunderous skies miserable and dank



Spring


The hard winter doth disappear
The flowering buds reappear
Starlings arrive cometh May
lighter nights here to stay
Food plentiful rodents group
Barn Owls prepare the swoop
The green grass grow, the wind dies down
Darwen Tower sentinel over Town


Summer


The heat of summer finally here
barbecues ready flowing of beer
The Moorland cattle graze
Too much sun Moorland ablaze
Families depart summer vacation
Off they fly to foreign nation
on their return they did miss
Beautiful Darwen land of bliss


Autumn


Autumn brings forth first frost
Final sign summers lost
leaves fall russet yellowy reds
Butterflies and Bumblebees prepare their beds
Autumnal warmth bereft of heat
Hoddesden walks crunchy underfeet
Washing lines away , Out tumble driers
Kids collecting wood for their bonfires

Martyn Grindrod
My view of life in my Town of Darwen Lancashire UK
Martyn Grindrod Nov 2018
Our Black beauty ( A eulogy )

Twas September in your eyes i knew
Pain hath a hold of you
Cruel depths of death
wanted your final breath

Outdoor winds hurried trees
Leaves strewn as bugle blew
Sadness engulfed my sorry heart
Man's best friend pulse withdrew

Shine still , Black fur did
Alas dormant fester hid
Darkness won that day
But our light never fade'th away

Goodbye gentle soul
from me , Taken too soon
When summer ends no sorrow i'l sigh
As autumn will always mean you


A eulogy for our canine friend Ralph

Martyn Grindrod
We lost our dog this Autumn and this is my goodbye poem . It's took me until now to write.
Martyn Grindrod May 2019
Nothing tops the melancholy
of the sweet blackbird sing
twee shrill from beak o' yellow
natures feathered cello

The artistry of the Housemartin
low flight,  dancing pirouettes
on land Englishman sow
betwixt wildflowers earthly grow

A wood pigeon hurries tree to tree
A weight in flight rarely seen
Wings ten t' dozen ,audible hum
A quick heartbeat of a big bass drum

Then the May treat the starling
A spring sensation
a thousand wings delightful circle
a swarm , A murmuration.

Martyn Grindrod
The Joy's of living in natures abundance
Martyn Grindrod Feb 2019
Red robin sing
messages you doth bring
t'ween hedgerows you hide
whispering secrets totherside

ebullient flyer
dash between, betwixt
garden to church spire

Sharing tales
from beyond the ghosts
scarlet cravat uppermost

Martyn Grindrod
Martyn Grindrod Mar 2019
Springs first morning
Freshness unmistaking
The larks early call
Their singing did befall

A roving along this wondrous path
I viewed a chiselled epitaph
Etched into splendid Larch
Read 'beware the Ides of March'

Perhaps a soothsayers warning
Was unexpected this Spring morning
This is so nondescript
Had I stumbled upon a Crypt

This isn't a Roman arch
It's merely a tree of Larch
This is not ancient Rome
This is not a catacomb

Twas the 15th day of March
I found the secret of the Larch
Words weren't scribed by t'other factors
than a mere plethora of actors

It was the scene of a play
of Ceasers fateful day
where Brutus and Cassius
hatched a plan to **** Julius

A roving first day of Spring
Where Butterflies Flutter, bees did sting
Down wondrous path i passed
Where Ceaser breathed his last

Martyn Grindrod
March 15th is the date for the saying
' Beware the ides of March'
Where Julius Ceaser met his death at the hands of his supposed friends Brutus and Caasius .
Martyn Grindrod Nov 2018
Red
Red is Romance
It's God is Isis
Red is Hell
Identity Crisis

Red is ****
Temptress alluring
Red is Tempestuous
Bloodthirsty , uncaring

Red is lust
lipstick tempting
Red is Devil
Evil ,uncaring

Red is Sunset
Heat giving , warming
Red is Sunrise
Seafaring warning

Tell us your secret Red
Speak your mind
are Cruel or are you kind

Thank you

Martyn Grindrod
Martyn Grindrod Jan 2021
I have been there
A paradisiacal spring
Abloom of my senses
Affaire du cœur

She wandered inside
tiptoeing her way
Striding even
inside my garden of eden

Just the once for a month or so
weightless inertia
took over our souls
but we were there

To replicate is impossible
Our waters they rippled
We got drunk at the inn of love
We got severely tippled

Martyn Grindrod
Martyn Grindrod Feb 2020
The fondness I feel 
for her with the sweet disposition
enlivened a slumber inside of me
her serene voice of velvet twee

It called her name 
It shouted mountain high
It whispered meadow low
it wandered in on shrill wind blow

Up, down my valley's it blew 
Through peaks and troughs it knew
It sighed , It groaned on a grassy dew 
My fondness found sweet dispositioned you



Martyn Grindrod
Martyn Grindrod Mar 2019
Amidst ashes pumice lay
Life in cinders Pompeii's disarray
Vesuvius plumed angry swell
Archeologists unearth deathly knell

Volcanic ***** ample spume
from molten lava to darkened gloom
Roman bathing in waters pure
Nimbus of fire blazing coiffure

In A.D 79  it's eruption ooccurred
No time to flee , No time for prayer
For sure a wrong analogy of mine
but this 'Furnace it froze in time

Martyn Grindrod
Historical poem
Martyn Grindrod Jun 2019
The fondness I feel 
for her with the sweet disposition
enlivened a slumber inside of me
her serene voice of velvet twee

It called her name 
It shouted mountain high
It whispered meadow low
it wandered in on shrill wind blow

Up, down my valley's it blew 
Through peaks and troughs it knew
It sighed , It groaned on a grassy dew 
My fondness found sweet dispositioned you



Martyn Grindrod
Martyn Grindrod Feb 2020
Wife of mine
What see shine
gemstone glow
finger left four

A vows, a vow
spoken, set in stone
A promise unbroken
never needing atone

A milestone me and you
i can unequivocally say
a quarter of a century
not one less nor more a day

years five past
ten amore
fifteen adore
A score i beseech
Anniversary silver reach.


Martyn Grindrod
My 25th Wedding anniversary poem to ny wife.
J Martyn Dec 2019
You only text me when she's not active.
You talk more when no one else is around.
You always destroy my self esteem.
And I feel like I always let you down.

You are the only one I want.
I can't stop thinking about you.
You've told me a million times that you're scared.
But I think it's because of me, everything I do

I know I'm not perfect
And I can't change that, trust me I've tried.
I've tried more than you know.
But it's so freaking hard to lie.

Everytime I think you're falling for me
Everytime I think you'll stay.
You destroy the feelings I have
But you build them right back up the next day.

I can't ignore you
because everytime I'm mad
You try to make it better.
And you rebuild all the feelings I had.

J. Martyn
Martyn Grindrod Nov 2020
Splendid soldier you
I'm merely your descendant
barely fit to footstep follow
I'm discipled , My kindred hero

Foreign soils desperately dank
Churchillian's major tactical outflank
Death by bulleted blight
******* German bight

Evil eradication in Holland's nether land
Liberation free , Guaranteed
Twas his life he gave
Home to a war hero's grave

Death knell to heroic soldier blue
And maybe I'm a tad bitter 'tis true
My Blood lost his life to a gameplan
After all what's a medal without the man

Martyn Grindrod

In remembrance Sunday my tribute to my Grandad
William Fred Grindrod
20/12/1918 - 30/11/1944
Martyn Grindrod Jan 2020
Atop fathomed abyss
glides serenity
the river queen
a picturesque scene

under water surface
the furious pitter patter
to stay afloat
a feminine steam powered boat

This Protected bird
The mere's beauty absurd
Neck long insane
Nature's aquacrane

A swan to swan
curved apart
a beacon of love
an emblazoned heart

Martyn Grindrod
Martyn Grindrod Apr 2020
Sing me joy
shrill bill o' yellow
'neath night sky red
tune my feathered cello

Liven that hawthorn tree
with it's yearly bloom
lift the melancholy
make happiness from gloom

The warbled delight
of a morning song
sing blackbird that tune
from dawn til dusk long

Martyn Grindrod
Doesn't everyone love a blackbird

— The End —