we are a rainbow
bonded by humanity
proud of our colour
The Youth of Today
by Jem Tovey
They slouch around with blood-shot eyes from smoking too much chronic,
If it wasn’t for that Red Bull they’d all be catatonic. Continue reading “The Youth of Today”
Writer’s Block
by Tahera Mayat
Click, clack, click, clack
I fidget with my pen
As I think about
What to write next Continue reading “Writer’s Block”
Through A Hole The Size Of An Apple
Through a hole the size of an apple
He can see light in the distance
Faintly though it may be
He can hear the merrymaking and joy Continue reading “Through A Hole The Size Of An Apple”
A Market Memory
A child I was
With mum and dad
Developing memories
Of times we had
A walk from home
An afternoon spent
A stroll past chimneys
Of biscuit scent
Sounds Familiar?
by Jem Tovey
If there’s a cardinal sin in English it’s the usage of cliché,
We should think outside the box, at the end of the day.
It’s a big enough ask just to make these words rhyme,
Yet you expect originality at this moment in time?
Give me some new clichés, Sam Goldwyn once said,
So I’ll have to push the envelope before I put this one to bed.
I rose at crack of dawn and pressed my nose to the grindstone,
And now I’m at my wit’s end, just trying to strike the right tone.
I can run but I can’t hide, I’m tearing out my hair,
There’s nothing in my locker, the cupboard is bare.
I need some latitude for my platitudes, this is making me irate.
I don’t like to share my feelings, except in boiler plate.
I’ll plead the Fifth Amendment, does that exist in the UK?
If I can’t share my shibboleths, then there’s nothing more to say.
Toodle-pip and see you later, I’ve really got to fly,
See ya, don’t wanna be ya, never can say goodbye…
Internal Debate
by Tahera Mayat
I want to go to the funfair
But aren’t you a bit old?
I could go to the dodgems
Or you could dodge the fair?
Save Batley Library
Save our library! Shout it loud
This jewel of Batley makes us proud
The retreat for reading and things of fun
A haven of safety for everyone
Greetings of warmth, pleasant through smiles
Crafted beauty in a timeless style
Activities and groups and clubs meet too
Artist exhibits to fascinate you
Popular as always if not even more
Our library is precious from the roof to the floor
So HANDS OFF! We say with passions raised high
This library is a need to all our lives
With memories treasured safe in hand
For every child, woman and man
Dear Council of what we call Kirklees
We plead our case for cuts to cease
We’ve grown and watched our services go
Emptying buildings lined in a row
Plead dear Councillors for the want of your ward!
Listen with care to what we adore
Answer the call your voters ask of you
The library service is the building too!
Stand dear people of Batley wide
Let us stand together side by side
Link arms in a chain, stand proud and tall
To save Batley Library let’s give it our all!
Fade and Haze
by Mark Griffin
My memories make me me, don’t they?
The stories I tell; the loves I’ve known
and lost. But what if those memories fade and haze.
Where’s me then?
It Isn’t Me – It’s You!
by Jem Tovey
When first we met I was quite young, still in primary school,
I liked to push the boundaries, always first to break the rule.
On my way home with schoolfriends we came across some crates,
Of illicit Bulmer’s cider, so we thought we’d have a taste. Continue reading “It Isn’t Me – It’s You!”