Poems

The roseate sun sets in the glowing sky

Tinged with hues of pink and mauve and green.

Laughter of children floats across the darkening green

Reminding me of days gone by.

Was I too like them, I sigh?

Thinking of naught but the games they play?

And those friends I had, will they now

Be old and grey people such as I,

Wishing back the years.

Forgetting the tears?

The day has nearly past

Night's shadows fall

The dream has gone

And with it all the hopes we had.

Time's chariot nears it end

Each day has been a friend

To cherish, like colours in the rainbow

That glow then fade.

Mary Ellery, Peterlee.

Memories of Summer

To wake on a summer's morning

As the sun comes shining through

Lifting our hearts and minds

To start the day anew.

From rooftop and hedgerow bower,

Cheerful birds sing crystal clear.

Their music sweet and mellow

So soothing to the ear.

While high above in a sea of blue

White clouds go sailing by

Drifting on life icebergs

Across the endless sky.

Gardens a colourful wonderland

Scented flowers so sublime

Where butterflies and bees abound

Basking in the warm sunshine.

Taking a stroll on the seashore

Beside the restless sea

Ripping over the golden sands

Ever straining to be free.

The summer's warm and balmy days

In more ways than one,

Drifts slowly into autumn

Where the long dark evenings beckon.

As the swifts and swallows gather

For their annual migration

We look for an Indian summer

Of colourful duration.

Be thankful for these summer days

And the flowers in full bloom

For soon they are only a memory

As we endure the winter's gloom.

GW Scaife, Saltburn.

To July

Already we are in July

How quickly do the months fly by.

Summer's here before we know it,

As poems slip from the pens of poets.

The roses soon will be in bloom

Spreading round their sweet perfume

and hopefully the sun will shine.

July, like Heaven, will be divine.

Summer scent fills the air

So throw away your troubled care.

The lovely nights are still lighter

The garden's looking even brighter.

The bees inside their hives so cosy

Tell us that the world is rosy.

And, my love, the reason why

Is, of course, that it's July.

Linda French, Hartlepool.

The Multi-Purpose Love Poem

When first you walked into my world,

And first I walked under your skies,

I had seen nothing quite as beautiful

As the caring look within your eyes.

Nothing quite so heartbreaking

As the warmth of your embrace

And nothing quite so breathtaking

As the beauty of your perfect face.

Ian Elliott, Bishop Auckland.

Tim Henman

Temperament perfect, concentration just right

Identifies target, he'll get there all right.

Moves remarkably quickly, at the speed of light.

Headline praise, his full commitment to the end

Echoes from the past, makes you want to attend.

Number one who serves a reminder each game

Matches the opposition, knows how to tame

Achieving results, the ball is in your court.

Net practice shows your success is never short.

John Neal, Chester-le-Street.

The Beauty of Summer

We all enjoy a charming view

Where we can get our fill,

Of summer's wonderful artistry

A season of warmth and days so still.

Butterflies in gorgeous colours,

Trees of emerald green,

Flowers in multi-coloured splendour

Create a most wonderful scene.

Happy days with warmth and sunshine

Giving joy to young and old,

Coloured blossom flowering in gardens,

Views of sunsets linked with gold.

At times we can but stand and gaze

In awe at nature's majesty

So it has been since earliest days

And to the end of time will be.

Wilf Harris, Fishburn.

Football Stadium

Work has commenced; they are unaware

Darlington Council, they don't care.

Markers appearing all over the place

Keeping it secret on marking the base?

Do they mark entrances off the main road

For Darlington Stadium or is it a load...

of Cabinet secrets, the public don't know

The planning permission has some way to go!

The council, they told us that nothing would start

John Williams, he pledged it straight from his heart.

Nothing would happen 'till section was signed

If he's driving from Hurworth, then he must be blind.

The Highways Department were kept in the dark

Meanwhile, Taylor Woodrow were making their mark.

So Darlington Council, could you please shed some light

And tell us what's happening on our 'greenfield site'.

Neasham Road Action Group, Darlington.

Tomorrow

To never know what love is,

To never know that dream

To never see the wonders,

That other eye's have seen.

Tomorrow is just another day

That's what all the people say

A day that many eyes will see,

A day that did not come for me.

And just as you start to understand,

Your life is taken from your hands.

Is tomorrow just another day?

Who cares what all the people say?

Can you see the tears I cry,

They fall as raindrops from the sky.

To greet the people on their way.

Tomorrow is a million miles away.

Lucinda Bright, Bishop Auckland.

The Wettest Day For Thirty Years

It rained and rained

Until streams turned into rivers

And rivers into lakes

The green spring landscape

Became a swirling, dirty murky mass

Why did it have to be that day?

In the end it didn't really matter

The sun shone for us because

It was our daughter's wedding day.

We dashed from house to cars

Cars to church door

Under protective umbrellas

With bride's dress tucked firmly around dad's arm

To keep it from trailing on the dirty wet ground.

Once inside St Andrew's

No weather could veil

The sunshine feel in that church

Smiling faces big brimmed hats

beautiful flowers filling every corner

No day could have been more brighter

No bride and groom more fair.

That day may go on record

As the wettest for 30 years.

But everyone in our wedding party

Will remember it as the brightest

For years and years.

As the vicar in his address reminded us

God gave us many gifts

In particular faith, hope and love

And the greatest of these is love.

So God bless you Sara and Paul

May all your days together

Be filled with sunshine.

Maria Hart, Darlington.