24th October 2024 • The HERALD • Page 85 v THE NEXT HERALD IS OUT ON 14TH NOVEMBER v Poets Corner Autumn Fruits by Dorothy Lockyer© It’s often said Autumn is the season of dying But to me it seems more like nature retiring And yet, before she retires for her long winter rest She gives an abundance of fruits for us to ingest. There are Blackberries, Hawthorns, Elderberries and Sloes Crab apples for cider, Bullace, and hips from the rose A variety of nuts, sweet chestnuts, cobs and beech Yielding great quantities and all within easy each. It’s Autumn when you notice the splendour of the trees The gentle shower of seeds, as they’re carried on the breeze. Russets, gold, sienna and orange, as green leaves change The artist struggles to reproduce such stunning range. Yet among the Oak, Ash, Elm and Beech, great as they are. In Autumn, the Larch, is the most beautiful by far. ODE TO LINDA by Carole Dear© Our rescue dog called linda is a very special dog Her coat is creme and u y and she sleeps just like a log. Our cats are not too sure though- used to being on their own Without this friendly scru y pooch who’s now invading home. She doesn’t know it’s rude to eat their food Or sleep in their special bedBut look, who’s this in Linda’s comfy place? Two curled up cats smugly staring into space. They came along, we were together, once again I chose them specially, like picking daisies for a chain I sat and watched as easy chatter filled the air The happy laughter, made me stronger, made me care We twelve good friends, who’ve been in touch, some 30 years Such happy memories, although of course, we’ve shed our tears Each time we meet, we carry on, where we left off And I for one, of those dear friends, can’t get enough That sunny day, we gathered there, leaves turning red We all are older, although were young, inside our head We have our humour, to support us, don’t you feel? For when we’re laughing, any sadness, seems less real I want to thank you my dear friends, for what you’ve done Across the years, you’ve brought to me, such joy and fun I’m sure our friendship, will endure, a little further down the line I’ll see you all, when Woodstock calls me back next time. The Gathering by Isobel Smith© Lest We Forget by Vic Lee© Young boys dressed as soldiers Sent to ght on foreign shores Knowing God was on their side And our freedom was their cause When the country said We Need You And innocence their only shields So many young men went o to ght Destined to die and lay buried on foreign elds For once again it’s time To pay homage and respect to the few And recall all the memories Of those that you once knew Even a er all the years We are still counting the cost ey will never be forgotten As we still mourn the loved ones we lost We recall all the friends And the family that we once had But the one I miss the most of all Is my own dear beloved Dad THAT TIME OF YEAR by Margaret Bell© at time of year is getting near! When behind our doors we sit in fear, at loud knock that sounds so frightening!! Expecting to see a ash of lightening! Should we open the door slowly to see who’s there, Will they be smiling or will they just stare! Trick or treat they will politely ask, Wish I could see who’s behind that Halloween mask… I don’t want to be tricked, that wouldn’t do, So I have to ask them to give me a clue, Something small and maybe tastes nice, I have sweets or chocolates, will that su ce? ey open their bags with their ngerless gloves, I put some in each bag of the o erings above, ey give me a smile and a big thank you, I give them a smile and a thank you too… Bonfires and fireworks And burning the guy, In honour of poor Fawkes, I’m wondering why. For when you look back Did he deserve what he got? Or should he have a medal For the incredible plot. This moment in time To me it seems clear, I think it would be A tempting idea. Vote for Guy Fawkes by Marlene Parmenter© Fishing by Marian Connolly© FIGHT OR SING by Jim Dolbear© People say I’m a no good man, Others say a joke You see I didn’t help to win no war, I’d rather sing my folk. Guitar picking, drinking beer, A girl or two is right. Why do they want me to stand up straight, And take up arms to ght. What cause are they ghting for, Brothers die one by one. Mothers crying bitterly For dear and only son. I’d rather sing my songs of peace With no trouble or of strife. Bring up children the old good fashioned way With an ever loving wife. I don’t want to die with my boots on Alone on desert sand. Laying in an unmarked grave In a far o distant land. Why hate the Jew, why black is bad Underneath we are just the same. Fight hunger,pollution,poverty Don’t let us die of shame. So please sir don’t send me to war To kill my fellow man. I just want to sing of love and peace And do the best I can. So if they write my epitaph When they lay me beneath the sod. Maybe they will put “ is guitar man has found his peace with god” Older and Wiser by Marlene Parmenter© You get older and wiser I’ve heard people say, But it’s not working for me I’m getting more foolish every day. Trying to make intelligent conversation When I can’t nd the right words, en the nal realisation I’ve said something quite absurd. To counteract my wa e With verbal diarrhoea, I pretend I’m referring To a completely di erent idea. I stammer, I stutter, My tongue tied in a knot. I feel so embarrassed, I know I’ve lost the plot. I’ve always liked talking nonsense, It used to make people laugh. But now they are patronising Smiling on my behalf. So I will nod and smile, But just shut me trap. is growing older and wiser Is a load of crap! Oh how I love to sit at the river’s edge And let the world go by Watching the water go dancing along Or just gazing into the sky With my fishing rod close by my feet And my bag of food behind me I retreat into my little world And hope no one can find me My cares all seem to float away Running away with the river And I just sit here calm and still No rushing here and thither I hear the wild birds singing Away up in the trees And see a swan take off and fly Just going along with the breeze There’s a dragonfly hovering nearby Just flying above the rushes And a baby rabbit running free In and out of the bushes But now the sun is sinking low Way off in the west It’s time for me to pack and go But I’ve enjoyed my day of rest Someday I will come back again To spend another day of pleasure For there’s nothing so relaxing As a day so full of leisure The copyright of all poems that are published in The Herald belong to the author and must NOT be reproduced without their permission
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