WHEN you are old and grey and full of sleep.

And nodding by the fire, take down this book,

And slowly read, and dream of the soft look

Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;

How many loved your moments of glad grace,

And loved your beauty with false or true,

But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,

And loved the sorrows of your changing face;

And bending down beside the glowing bars,

Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled

And paced upon the mountains overhead

And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.

It snowed so gloriously, all day long.

I love how snow feels in my hair,

So softly, slowly, fluffy fluttering

It falls so gently through the air,

Straight down, no gusty, whining wind.

And all the hills and mountains too,

Are bathed and washed out lily white.

With many frozen tree limbs shining

Shimmering, silver reflected light.

The river is dark and deathly cold.

A rabbit hopping into view, he sniffs

The newly cleansed cool air, and then

The hawk, twirls high and higher

Surveying an endless stretching white,

The river’s black and charged with ice.

This smoothly sculpted landscape too,

With telling tales and lively traces,

And just like life that hides just under

Our clean and freshly smiling faces,

Snow hides more life than life upon it.

Sandra Osborne

Happiness

Happiness is the smile that appears when your love walks through the door

It’s the fact that everyday you love her even more

Happiness is smiling when nothing goes your way

Happiness is family when you’ve had a tired day

Where do you find happiness do you look up or down?

You find it in the mirror at the absence of a frown

Happiness can be described in so many different ways

So let’s just hope when it finally comes it will never go away

Nesean Coombs

Up in the air so blue?  

Oh, I do think it’s the pleasentest thing

Ever a child can do!

Up in the air and over the wall,

Till I can see so wide,

River and trees and cattle and all

Over the countryside…

Till I look down on the garden green

Down on the roof so brown…

Un in the air I go flying again,

Up in the air and down!

Everyone grumbled. The sky was grey.
We had nothing to do and nothing to say.
We were nearing the end of a dismal day,
And when there seemed to be nothing beyond,
Then
Daddy fell into the pond!

And everyone’s face grew merry and bright,
And Timothy danced for sheer delight.
“Give me the camera, quick, oh quick!
He’s crawling out of the duckweed!” Click!

Then the gardener suddenly slapped his knee,
And doubled up, shaking silently,
And the ducks all quacked as if they were daft,
And it sounded as if the old drake laughed.
Oh, there wasn’t a thing that didn’t respond
When
Daddy Fell into the pond!

Alfred Noyes.

* drake: male duck

* quack: the sound ducks make.

I went to a party,
and remembered what you said.
You told me not to drink, Mum,
so I had a Sprite instead.

I felt proud of myself,
the way you said I would,
that I didn’t drink and drive,
though some friends said I should.

I made a healthy choice,
and your advice to me was right
as the party finally ended,
and the kids drove out of sight.

I got into my car,
sure to get home in one piece,
I never knew what was coming, Mum
something I expected least.

Now I’m lying on the pavement,
And I hear the policeman say,
“The kid that caused this wreck was drunk,”
Mum, His voice seems far away.

My own blood’s all around me,
as I try hard not to cry.
I can hear the paramedic say,
“This girl is going to die.”

I’m sure the guy had no idea,
while he was flying high,
because he chose to drink and drive,
now I would have to die.

So why do people do it, Mum
Knowing that it ruins lives?
And now the pain is cutting me,
like a hundred stabbing knives.

Tell sister not to be afraid, Mum
tell daddy to be brave,
and when I go to heaven,
put “Daddy’s Girl” on my grave.

Someone should have taught him,
that its wrong to drink and drive.
Maybe if his parents had,
I’d still be alive.

My breath is getting shorter, Mum
I’m getting really scared.
These are my final moments,
and I’m so unprepared.

I wish that you could hold me Mum,
as I lie here and die.
I wish that I could say I love you, Mum
So I love you and good-bye.

By: Anonymous

A year in which you cherish
The past year’s memories,
And live your life each new day,
Full of bright expectancies.

I wish for you a holiday
With happiness galore;
And when it’s done I wish you
Happy New Year, and many more.

By Joanna Fuchs

These men were never the same. They went out
afterwards, as they always did,
for a drink or two, but they could not meet
each other’s eyes.

Their lives took
a turn – one had nightmares, strange
pains, impotence, depression. One did not
like his work, his wife looked
different, his kids. Even death
seemed different to him – a place where she
would be waiting,

and one found himself standing at night
in the doorway to a room of sleep, listening to a
woman breathing, just an ordinary
woman
breathing.

O my love’s like a red, red rose,
That’s newly sprung in June;
O my love’s like the melody
That’s sweetly played in tune.

As fair you are, my bonnie lass,
So deep in love am I,
And I will love you still, my Dear,
‘Til all the seas gone dry.

‘Til all the seas gone dry, my Dear,
And the rocks melt with the sun:
I will love you still, my Dear,
While the sands of life shall run.

And fare you well, my only Love,
And fare you well a while!
And I will come again, my Love,
‘Though it were ten thousand mile!

* SOME CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE TO ELIMINATE OLD ENGLISH