I was telling a tale
Incredulous to you, not me
Of school in the old days
And how it used to be
Children were tolerated
Generally seen and not heard
Their place in society!
Beaten into third
How times have changed
Taking a long look back
Is it so hard to believe?
They caned and smacked!
The modern approach
To pupils fooling about
Requires in depth analysis
And a study, to work things out
For those being disruptive
Is it Autism or ADHT?
Is it possible to be naughty?
Without having it labelled so drastically
OK, some require detention
Others need psychiatric care
But one thing’s for certain
Some make a good living...... out of our welfare!
Philip Royle copyright © 2017
Remember! Remember!
Lest that we forget
How mankind in its lunacy
Marched into many a warring conflict
Vented violence and aggression
Have left nations scarred and torn
The epitaph of war reads, ‘No winners’
Shrouded in a grief, we all share and mourn
History shouts out in its anger
Has nothing or little been learned?
Arrogance, stubbornness and stupidity
Prevent anything at all being earned
Threats will always be defended
We will fight to repel invasion
But, please don’t massage the truth
To hype up political persuasion
Honour the two minute silence
Think hard about then and now
Use this time for contemplation
So future mistakes can be avoided......somehow!
Philip Royle copyright © 2012
I can’t afford to go away this year
The price of everything is costing me dear
I’ve tried to save and put away
But I’ve had to dip into it...... day, after day
So I’ve bought a tin
One of those things your change goes in
It’s impossible to open; it’s sealed at each end
With no rubber bung...... it’s impossible to spend!
Every day, I give it a shake
Feel the weight and calculate
I long for the time it won’t hold any more
Then I’ll cut it open and carpet the floor
After weeks of saving; probably months!
The time has come; I’ve got Goose bumps
The tin is opened...... I count what’s in!
Yes, I’ve saved enough…… ‘To buy another tin’
Philip Royle copyright © 2016
Shout at the Thunder
The clouds are dark and moody
The sky screams out, with a shout
Above this violent disruption
Arrows of scorn rein about
Nature is venting her anger
Please, don’t get in her way
On days such as these be wary
Or there will be a price to pay
Have you ever had that feeling?
Of hopelessness and distress
Then shout at the thunder
It relieves what you are trying to suppress
You will definitely feel the benefit
From the release that you extort
Although your efforts are wasted
In this silent but noisy retort
Philip Royle copyright © 2013
Puppy Love
Month after month, but it feels like years!!
My son has constantly pounded my ears
He wants a dog, to love and look after
But this family addition, would be a disaster
There are periods in time, with no mention of the hound
When my guard is down, a new attack is found
With repeated vigour, he bombards me again
“Can I have a dog.......I’ve thought of a name”?
I begin to weaken, the pressure’s too great
Advice is given, but it’s far too late
I have started to plot, and even scheme
How to fulfil, the four legged dream
When my head clears, I suss things out
My role will be nurse-maid, to a very wet snout
Cleaning and feeding would be my domain
Whilst my son does walkies ..........now and again!!
Philip Royle copyright © 2012
Have a close look, and what do you see?
Those lines on your face: Your history
All mapped out and years in the making
Your age is a number that needs celebrating
Some need help, here and there
Others don’t worry, or seem to care
At the end of the day, when all’s said and done
It’s the price you pay for having fun
Ageing gracefully as we travel through time
Can be a roll of the dice that blows your mind!
Is it your genes…… or just good luck?
Time will tell…… ‘if you need a nip and tuck’
Some people……‘just let go’
Then get depressed at the horror show
Those who can afford it……‘go under the knife’
In an effort to disguise their ageing and strife
Wear and tear; happens ‘my son’
So don’t get depressed when your youth has gone
It’s nice to grow old…… especially with your peers
So don’t start looking…… too young for your years!!
Philip Royle copyright ©
Some things in life are a mystery
That can’t be fully explained
Ghosts and Ghouls are just two of them
Because ‘everything’ has to be named
Have you ever tried to reason!
Why it’s only scary at night?
When the cloak of darkness has descended
And imaginations, easily take flight
It’s the fear of the unknown that haunts us
In life: what’s real, is key
Believing in ghostly apparitions
Is frightening to those who don’t see
So, what about our spirit?
Does it leave us when we die?
Is it something that lasts forever?
Maybe this is what’s catching our eye
So the next time your fears are awoken
By shadows and sounds in the night
Remember! It’s not only you being startled
A spirit could be catching a fright!!
Philip Royle copyright ©
It disappears before your eyes
Your clarity of vision is in demise
A fact for certain, you cannot deny
As the ageing process, slips on by
Objects and letters have become slightly blurred
But you won’t admit it, it’s quite absurd
Will wearing glasses be like losing your hair?
Will people look at me, stand and stare?
Long sighted, short sighted, whatever it be
Why has this suddenly happened to me?
An eye sight test will clearly reveal
The glasses you need and the cost of the deal
Then you remember, all those jokes and teases
To all the people you pulled to pieces
Now you’ve become one of those guys
How do you like it? ........ ‘Four eyes’
Philip Royle copyright © 2012
I’m as certain about this, as anyone can be
Disaster awaits me, just wait and see
I’m not a worrier; well not any more… But!
You never know what knocks at your door
A positive outlook is all I need
The kind of thinking that’s guaranteed
To see me through the toughest of day’s… But!
Disaster can strike in so many ways
Things will be alright on the day?
Well maybe sometimes, don’t quote me, ok
No sense worrying, it may never happen … But!
Maybe it will, what do you reckon?
Be optimistic see the bright side of life
Pessimists worry, about all the gloom and strife
Life can be richer, balanced between the two… But!
I’m not sure. What about you?
Philip Royle copyright © 2012
These troubles have raged since time began
Israel and Palestine will fight to the last man
How can they resolve this hereditary plight?
Can they agree, to put things right?
The world looks on and shakes it head
So many innocents make up the dead
How frustrating, to sit and listen
To so much stubbiness and so little wisdom
Each side is right, the other is wrong
I am tired of listening to the same old song
They are not alone in conflict and pain
The rest of the world shares this shame
Anger steeped in history, keeps rolling on
Until one or the other has finally won
But even then it won’t stop this trial
There are no winners in war, it’s brutal and vile
Philip Royle copyright © 2012
Close your eyes, breathe in and feel
What your senses experience, what is real
Sight alone can miss what is there
Sometimes you don’t see…even through a stare
Then there are sounds that conjure a vision
But those alone may cause confusion
Maybe a smell that’s in the air
Can detect that something…you think is there
Touch alone, sensed through the skin
Can mislead the information you feel within
Last but not least is the taste of it all
But that alone can confuse what you recall
Individual senses can be hard to analyse
But used together we rationalise
The five common senses…sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch
But there is a sixth…that we rely on so much!!
Philip Royle copyright © 2012
Once there was a royal man called Peter Royle
Who professed “positive lifestyle” key for “the royal”
“Because your lifestyle
Becomes your destiny”
Bloody it’s great to be “filthy modern” than “the royal”!