Too old for cold,I stand, now ,against the hedge,
Watching the snowflakes in the glare of neon street lamps.
Darkness has come early,and I think of country uplands and huddled sheep.
On Salisbury Plain,shepherds watched their flocks
Just as in Bethlehem two thousand years before,
And then ,exactly when?
“Between the wars”,it stopped.
Now we know there is no “Between the wars”.
And who decided
To cull the sheep and shepherds and the space for kindness ?
Now that same Plain still exists,but banned
And closed to human-kind,
For bombs ,not wombs
Nor for birth of lamb ,nor gypsy child ,nor Saviour
Where would He go today?
_

I went up to the blackboard and I wrote there, x,y,z
But the lecture room was empty, they were still in bed
I was feeling angry, so would you.I guess
I had written 20 lectures, I hoped for some success

I tore up all the handouts and threw them on the chairs
I rarely lose my temper, but why should they keep theirs?
I longed to explain Calculus, but noone ever did
Nor why Eve was neatly made, just out of Adam’s rib

I went into the Staff Room,I got myself some tea
I think it was the only thing that lecturers got free
Except those pens for whiteboards, and paper for our notes
Cheapest type of ballpens, sweets for our sore throats.

I got onto my bicycle,I went for a long ride
I could have has a wedding dress, if I were a bride
I could have had a coat of fur with matching hat and boots
But I went down to Foyles again where they might cook some books

Then I was in Dillons and then I went to Heals
I have got no furniture but I do know how it feels
I went onto the Underground to get to Finbury Park
Alas, when I got out again, it seemed to have gone dark

I came back home and drank more tea, the house seemed very quiet
I heard Leonard Cohen whistling in the dark