Father To Daughter.

Our soft embrace touched the night’s gentle glow,
My dreams freely flowed the day you were born
And there is no pain or fear here tonight,
Only tranquillity and your star shining bright.

With tomorrow’s dawn, I will carry you home,
With a heart full of hope, a spirit so strong,
What I’ve set aside, I’ll pick up once more,
And face the challenges that wait at my door.

In this moment, our peaceful space,
I find solace and love, a sense of grace,
No worries or doubts to cloud my mind,
Just the beauty of you, so pure and kind.

So let me linger in this moment of mine,
Embracing the stillness, letting your soul shine,
In the silence, I find my loyal voice,
And in the darkness, I make my choice.

So keep growing with courage and might,
To embrace the unknown, to follow the light,
For in this moment, you are free and true,
To be the most joyful version of you.

Steve Halstead.

Dream On

Dream on
Dream on my friend
Your thoughts are potent
They’ll never end

Dream on my friend
Fly far
To space unlimited
To the farthest star

You’ll circle space
In the blink of an eye
Don’t look down my friend
Stare up to the sky

Let your eyes grow in wonder
Let your mind be unleashed
Pray hard my friend
To the universal high priest

Write your thoughts
Write your words
Let them travel so far
To the great human herds

For they’ll all come to know you
Respect what you said
For time immemorial
You’ll never be dead

Norman Turkington

Joyless Woman

She was a joyless woman
Never seen to smile
Enjoy a joke
Show any sign of playfulness

No one knew from whence she came
She’d always lived in the small terraced house
Its windows clad in thick net curtains
Front door always closed
Looking like it never opened

She was seen rarely
Her shuffling gait crossing the road
And disappearing down the maze of streets and houses

The seasons meant nothing to her
No glitter or sparkle at Christmas
No sign of joy in Spring and Summer
And many thought she hibernated in winter

No husband was ever known
No family called at the cold front door
Locked as always and loveless

Sometimes a light would be seen at an upstairs window
The curtains twitching
As glassy eyed
She peered down the street

Whilst not often seen
She was, however, part of our street
Our history
And our working-class families

When not seen for many weeks
We pondered and kept a distant watch
Time passed
Turning to months
And still no sign of her small shuffling mysterious figure

When new folks arrived and settled in her house
We marvelled and were amazed
Suddenly new paint and bright cheerful curtains appeared
And smiling they joined our community

Enquiring where she’d gone
They knew nothing of her
The house was stripped bare
No sign of her ever living there

And so she’d gone
We never knew her or found out what happened
Gone just gone
A joyless woman
So sad in a joyless world

Norman Turkington

Apologies Were Whispers.

I shall embark
With lies that stir emotions
Trying to ignite a spark
For you, dear soul, I shall weave a tapestry of remorse
To convey the weight of my guilt
Then let it gently unfurl.

I’ve borrowed some time, and I confess
I am sorry I called,
I tried living for a reason
But rebirth takes your will

The world unfolded, and fate called me
Yet this thought, wild and restless
It emerged in my mind,
And compelled me to seek comfort
Within your heart’s confines.

In the vast expanse of life
We yearn to connect
To find peace
In the presence of oblivion

So I dared to glimpse into our sacred past,
Now squashed and stifled
I can’t control it
My face is grey
My heart is burning

It’s logic that stopped the war
And let the peaceful go to work
Apologies were whispers
Feeble and late
The generals had no remorse
And governments gloat
Soldiers sport their pine overcoats

I wish to disrupt war’s delicate ballet
Yet my longing to share this sentiment led me astray
So take these words as tokens
Of my sincere regard
As I express anguish, deeply scarred
The young have the power to mend
The old are weak or dead
Only emotions remember them.

Steve Halstead