I won’t forget the tender  joy of  all we  had
The good need not be lost when lovers part.
You needed space so take it and be glad.

Because I love you, I shall  now be  sad
But I won’t let it stab me in  the heart
I won’t forget the joy of what we had.

With your loving words , I once was clad
Now naked to the winds, I must  depart
If you need space then take it and be glad.

The only constant love is that of God
No Eros is He with his arrowed darts
Do not destroy the joy of all we had.

On these forlorn tracks, I have  once trod
In my mind, I search for  ragged  charts
If you need space then go and speak to God.

I have my maps and now  the leaving starts
With tenderness, farewell my dearest heart.
You are lonesome  in your soul forever sad
If you need space then  be off ,I’ll be glad.

Now’s the  time for love and joy  that stun
The grass is growing lusher every day
Where the lambs and rabbits love to play
Now’s the time   for pleasure in the sun

Once imagined, civil war has come.
Like an answer to a  violent prayer
Now’s the  time for  strife and gas and   guns
The grass is flat and  bloodier every day

 

Shoot the  rabbit if he kills a nun.
Smile when horses pass by on the way.
While the trumpet can triumphant play
And the children  toy with soldiers’ guns
Now’s the  time for pain  and sadness  numb
The gas   makes breathing  deadly every  day

Jennifer was once a backing singer for Leonard Cohen and then became a singer in her own right.She made some records of his songs and I love her Joan of Arc.She helped him when he was not being very successful.

Where you went that day I could not go.
We cannot see the Jordan’s other side.
I helped you and consoled you in your woe.

Alone we each must sail the river slow.
The boatman is  companion and guide
Where you went that day I could not go.

To lose a husband is a heavy blow.
But by the will of God we must abide.
I helped you and consoled you in your woe.

Were you fearful of the worlds above, below?
I wish I could have journeyed by your side
Where you went that day I could not go.

Like refugees, we come to Love  in time
He bids  us welcome, invites us  come within
Where you went that day I can’t yet go.
I helped you and consoled you; be it so.

Mary went into her peach and turquoise kitchen to make a cup of tea.She was pondering a talk she’d had on the phone.It was because her washing machine only worked on certain programmes.
The lady who took her call was trying to persuade her to pay £191 for a year’s  cover as her 12-month warranty had recently expired and Mary felt she was going to expire as well.
But the machine only cost £240.I can get a 6kg Bosch for £260.
The overbearing woman kept on trying to convince her it was a bargain.Luckily Mary decided to hang up.
Annie ran in wearing a green hat and trouser suit with purple shoes.
Have you got any purple eyeshadow, Mary?
Just sit down and drink some tea while I look in my handbag, Mary told her.
I have some but it’s more violet really.
Annie craned over to peer into Mary’s large blue cross body bag from Knightsbridge.
It was full of music tapes.
Why have you got those tapes?I thought they were out of date.Most people have MP3 players now.Whatever they are!
Well, I got a little machine to convert them to files but I find I can listen with headphones and there is a superb one of Elgar’s cello concerto.In a way, the sound is more mellow than a CD.
Annie leant over to see if Mary had a vibrator or some other rude items in her bag.Though why anyone would take a vibrator out of the house was puzzling.Maybe they could help arthritis in the fingers.She saw five!
Suddenly there was a crash.Annie fell down over the remains of her chair which was yellow like Van Gogh’s.
Good heavens.You are getting like Stan.Is his ghost here?
Yes, they heard his voice say.I am missing you both in heaven and I miss Dave too.
What about me, miaowed Emile loudly.
I miss you the most of all,Stan cried.Ring 999.
Hello, can you send the ambulance The chair has literally fallen to pieces.,
In a few minutes Dave arrived in a red and black jumpsuit and purple trainers.
Look, Annie’s chair broke but it is Stan’s fault.
Don’t speak ill of the dead, Dave said gently.How can he have done it
I am here, whispered Stan.I made Annie lean over too far by placing rude things in Mary’s handbag.
Where did you get them from, Dave enquired.
Boots.They sell everything.
Could they see you?
No,  they cried out.Look, the vibrators are moving by themselves… is it the new  batteries?
So Stan had taken them without paying a  penny.What kind of spirit does that?A holy one? Unlikely, but who knows?
Taking them out, Mary flung them into the recycling bin.
You can’t put those in there, Annie muttered.
Well, I can hardly leave them on the garden wall for anyone who walks by to take.
Why not, Emile asked plaintively.
Because I want to be respectable, said Mary.What would all the neighbours think?
I doubt if they would know what they are, said Annie.And of they did, they would not be respectable themselves!
My, you are so intelligent, said Stan.I still love an intelligent woman.
Dave was busy mending the chair and filling the coal scuttle.Then he looked at the washing machine
It’s a fault in the control panel, he said.
The best thing is just to use it on the programmes it works on and don’t bother wasting money having it repaired.Then put the money towards a new one.Nothing is made to last now.
OK, said Mary.I can use rinse & spin or the hot cotton wash.Plus the mixed wash so it will be enough.She was a little weary as she was studying the book of Job in betweeb doing the housework and sorting Stan’s books.
Stan, it’s a shame you can’t take these books away, she told the dear Spirit sitting by the door looking at the garden.
We don’t  bother with books where I am, he said nervously.They might set alight!
Don’t say you are in hell, the women shouted in anxious voices.
Not yet but I am on probation, he admitted.
I thought once you got to Heaven that was it,  Mary replied.
I’m still in purgatory, he admitted.With luck, I’ll be moved up soon.
Why,it’s like being back at school,  the women said in amazement.
But when they looked again, Stan had gone.They were having egg and chips in purgatory and he loved that meal.Still the same even after he has died.What a puzzle it all is.

My husband is so naughty, a very naughty man
He throws down the Guardian on top of his beer can
He buys himself a sandwich in a cardboard box
And puts it in the laundry with his  bright green woollen socks.

He takes off his pyjamas and chucks them on the floor
He uses hankies  frequently, so I have to buy some more.
He wants to have thick sauces on top of all his food.
And when he has a hypo his speech is very rude.

I gave him such a shock when I learned to curse and swear
But we really need to,as “f off “is everywhere.
Why, even in the Bible there are some wicked words
I’ve not read it all yet, except the  Psalm 23rd.

I mean to finish reading it and then when I must die,
I’ll come onto a cloud and shout,Oh pi is in the sky.
For transcendental numbers give a hint divine.
Although you can get it better with a glass of  dry, white wine.

My husband drinks draught guinness and then he fall asleep
He hollers and curses when the oven timer bleeps.
He eats a piece of kipper and cried out,Oh,dear God!
Nobody caught this begger with a British fishing rod

He wants to move to Whitby and walk upon the sands
Sit in the audience and hear the big brass bands.
He wants to see the sun rise and to see it set…
So please send God some gelatine in case the air’s too wet

Sometimes I write poems or short pieces like the one I just added today which imply that it is better to forgive or repent than nurse hatred.I’m not saying it is easy nor is it always possible.But based on my own experience it seemed better for me in that situation.Similarly, I have written about revenge or punishment

I hope it does not seem I claim to have reached anywhere near perfection so I can advise other people.I don’t believe it is  right to judge others nor to imply you are better than them morally.Sometimes it is better not to let one’s feeling out and upset others.Biting the lip is often best.If we need to decide some person is bad for us we can do it when we are calmer.Vengeance often makes troubles last much longer.Some people enjoy fighting and shouting but I do not.So I have to work out how to deal with people who love to shout at me down the phone.Like hanging up or putting the phone on the table and avoiding the person for a while.