June 17th, 2008

10:09am Tuesday 17th June 2008

OUR ROOM

A buzz in the background

Feels warm and a clock

Ticks away behind our thoughts

Paper folding in a rhythmic manner.

Patience and care make me

Feel more comfortable than usual.

Smell! There isn't one I feel,

But the fresh inner air refreshes me,

Altogether, I kind of love this room.

Paul Snaith, Darlington

9.30 BUSS PASS

Why is it before 9.30

We will have to pay our fare?

When people in other places

Can travel for free almost anywhere.

We can only travel around our town

Others can travel, not paying extra crown.

I thought my free bus pass

Was there to assist an elderly lass.

Unless I walk, early my day cannot begin

As to pay my fare makes my pension thin.

Will the doctor, dentist, chiropodist heed my plight,

And timely give me an appointment so money isn't tight?

One day you too will be old

And these hardships you'll behold.

With this experience in mind start saving hard

For you too may be dealt a wild card.

Mrs Sandra Moran, Darlington

THE ENGLISH ROSE

A rose so red all out in bloom

Standing in a crystal vase,

Bringing colour to a vast void

In a forgotten room.

How beautiful it is

In a shimmering light of gold,

Such a well known flower,

Whatever its age,

Always a story to be told.

Forever it will be bought,

Whether it's an act of love

Or just a gift of thought.

The English rose - a true beauty at sight,

So delicate to the touch,

Such a fragrance of power,

The nation's most precious

And truly first prize flower.

EL Gardner, Darlington

THE MAN ON THE HORSE

In Durham's ancient cobbled market place

Stands a statue of Lord Londonderry

Mounted on his faithful steed

Which Raffaele Monti made

Commissioned by Lady Londonderry

Three thousand pounds was paid.

Behind me stands St Nicholas' Church

The Market Hotel is on my right

Where in the small back room

Durham Miners' Association was formed

To fight for the miners' right.

On my left King Neptune stands

A trident in his hand

He is the king of the sea

Some people want to move us

We can only wait and see.

Gordon McCallum, Bowburn, Co Durham

HISTORY LESSON

When I was a boy and still at school,

They taught us to obey the golden rule

To tell the truth, never to tell a lie,

To fight for our country, to be prepared to die.

"You must obey the king," our teacher said,

To say our prayers before we went to bed.

They said we must obey the Highway Code

To help old people get across the road.

For king and country many men had died,

God, the teacher said, was on our side.

We learned of British heroes - Nelson, Drake,

Who'd given their lives for Britain's sake.

We stood at the cenotaph as the wreaths were laid.

We stood in silence as the chaplain prayed:

"We will remember them, their lives they gave,

Their love of country led them to the grave."

And still the men of power send men to war,

These shameless men who open up death's door,

Who speak of peace, create a living hell,

O God, give us strength against them to rebel.

The Reverend John Stephenson, Sunderland

AM I WEAK?

I meant to do what's right

But all goes wrong around me

And I face the test within myself again

As I have done so many times before.

My thoughts are fixed

On what is meant to be

And then I turn around and face

Those inner demons once again

With all my best intentions.

At those times I am weak

An unexpected moment not planned

And then my inner weakness revealed again.

Marge Mason, Newton Aycliffe

HAS BEEN We forget our past

The coal dust on our hands,

The sickle, the scythe that cuts those that have been

Lost in the reflection of has been, the trace of past, of coal dust,

Shattered lantern glass.

Alison Carr, Bishop Auckland

PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE

Relive the good times of the past,

Hold on to your beliefs, stand fast,

Enjoy each happy day of our present

What has to be will be, is well meant,

Think wisely for a golden future,

Look upon it as a great adventure.

Only in our memories, the past

Remembering each one will last

At this point in time, the present,

Time never stops, it's only lent,

What's in store for the future?

Some of us guess nothing is sure.

Photographs bring back the past,

Antiques also, made to last.

What happens now is the present

This very second surely sent

Palmists try to predict he future,

Let future find its own proper cure.

AEL Smirk, Darlington

Editor's Choice