January 4, 2010

The sofa sags behind heavy net

Twitching at steps in the street

A steady clock marches forward, calling

Best china out of hiding

Onto shiny walnut, dusted just once more for sure.

Fire irons, not daring to move,

stand perfectly to attention

Staring into the blue flames.

Her fingers adjust the photograph while wondering

If there is too much cinnamon in the pie

And like last week, the family knives

Will bear inspection.

David Smith, Stokesley

IN THE NAME OF GOD

Another bomb went off today

In a busy Afghan street

People dead and dying

Now the bombers work’s complete

Another young man died today

Someone shot him through the head

He died because he had beliefs

For believing, now he’s dead

Another soldier died today

He was out on foot patrol

His life had not yet started

Bless his poor young soul

Brave young men give their lives

In a cause bound to be lost

We must take heed of history

We can not bear the mortal cost

Another mother sobbed today

As they lay her son beneath the sod

What the hell’s this all about

In the name of God

Dennis Parkinson, Trimdon Village

THEY DON’T KNOW NOTHIN’

When you see old people on the streets,

What do you start to think?

Oh, the things they must have seen!

Fighting as a soldier in World War 2,

Or being an evacuee?

Is that what you start to think?

No, it’s not.

Because you see them, Sitting on a bench

Splutterin’ an’ coughin’ And all you think is,

They don’t know nothin’.

That’s what you start to think.

When you see old people, Sitting in a care home.

What do you start to think?

Oh, the places they must have been!

Having such a long life,

All the way through.

They must have had good opportunities.

Is that what you start to think?

No, it’s not.

Because you see them,

Sittin’ in a care home Spluttering and coughin’.

And all you think is, They don’t know the latest iPod.

They don’t know nothin’.

That’s what you start to think.

But... when they see you,

Outside smoking

Spluttering and coughing.

What do they start to think?

You don’t know about Martin Luther King,

Eleanor Roosevelt or Vera Lynn.

They look at you and think,

They don’t know nothin’!

Kate Burton, aged 13, Hartlepool

THE LONDONDERRY STATUE

All this talk about the Londonderry statue

Should it be moved, or stay in situ?

If we move this man on the horse

Will we end up full of remorse?

Petitions have been signed

And Londonderry much maligned

But those of mining stock to a man

Don’t care where they put that awful man.

Members of Durham County Planning

Take a public tanning

But members should not care

After all, it’s just hot air.

When making a planning decision

You are wide open to public derision

It is nothing new

Please a lot, upset a few.

Another solution is staring us in the face

And it is in the Market Place

Open up the old toilets

Give them some air

Before you reseal them

Put the statue in there.

Maurice Crathorne, Coxhoe

SOFA(R) SO GOOD

I switch on the TV and observe these

Sofa adverts

Showing little sofa people trying to sell

Us seating sure certs.

They look as if they’ve undergone a

Cosmetic height reduction

Trying to convince us viewer’s seatings

Best thing since liposuction

Curled up or flat out nestling in the Leather

Resembling little door-mice asleep in

Soft green meadow heather

The pose of them, looking cool, hip and

Informal

No joy for six foot buyers, alluring as

Height normal

There are other offers involved in this

Nationwide advertising claim

But I feel like ending their sales

campaign with naked blowtorch flame

Four years free finance, no deposit

Down, with the cheapest recliner in any

sofa town

The sofa industry? Has it taken over our

World, led technology supa-crown?

The biggest let-down is that the package

Being put up for sale

Fails to supply armchair seats for size

18, svelte, sophisticated female

So don’t get enveloped into this

Subliminal illusion

The old sofa’s just as comfortable in the

Overall confusion

Alan Reed, Darlington

HOW FORTUNATE WE ARE

There are people

Who have never shared

Their sadness with society,

People who have only felt

The might of man’s improbity;

And endlessly I see the pain

Of deprivation leave its scar,

And I really can’t repudiate

How fortunate we are.

There are people

Who cannot repair

The damage done by tyranny,

People who are losing out

Because of life’s uncertainty;

And there will always be someone

Who prays for kindness from afar,

And I really cannot overstate

How fortunate we are.

There are people

Who are witnessing

A life of insecurity,

People who will never see

Undying love and harmony;

And many feel the consequence

Of enmity and colour bar,

And I really must reiterate

How fortunate we are.

There are people

Who have never felt

Another’s warmth and empathy,

People who can ill-afford

Their food and live on charity;

And constantly I see despair

Seek out some spiritual star,

But I find it hard to celebrate

How fortunate we are.

Iaian W Wade, Redcar

SNOW IS FALLING

The snow is falling steadily

And to each girl and boy

As it settles on the ground

It brings a sense of joy

Oh, what fun they all will have

As they sit upon their sleigh

Building snowmen, throwing balls

On a typical winter’s day

Other family members

Look on rather glum

Goodness gracious, when will it stop?

How much more will come?

We have to get to work, you know,

This really is not good

And when it’s melted, what is left?

Just awful soggy mud.

Bah humbug, says this granny

Remember years ago

When we were young and carefree

As we played in the snow

Enjoy each precious moment

As you travel the road of life

May each of you find peace and joy

Leaving behind all strife.

Dot Young, Sherburn Hill, Durham

NO REFUND STATES THE LAW

It’s the banks who brought

The world to its knees

The supreme court now rules

Let them charge as they please.

Unfair is the cry,

Unjust is the deed

When the poor are passed over

And the powerful succeed.

The High Court has ruled

To pay what was fair

But banks have refused

Now they’re got their way.

It’s our money

That funded the banks to survive

While penalty charges

Have skinned us alive.

Were the law lords impartial?

What a question to ask

If this is justice

Then where do we stand

When the supreme court supports

Such greed in our land?

No refund for charges

Which, at least, were unfair

So many feel cheated

Does the law really care?

Alistair Cameron, Darlington

TERSE VERSE

We work a half hour extra

Every weekday afternoon

In order to toil to hours less

On Friday, go home soon.

They promised me this five-hour shift

Would fly by. Not for me.

No shift is ever short enough

In this god-damned factory.

Ken Orton, Ferryhill Station