We will remember them!

As I stood proudly and watched a 7 year old Beaver Scout lay a wreath with dignity and respect I saw a different world.
Many could say that a 7 year old has no connection or understanding with those he is remembering. There are no Great War veterans left, its unlikely that there is many alive in his family circle who saw action in the 2nd World War, current conflicts, although brought closer to us through the media affect far fewer people.

Without those who we were honouring today we would live in a much different world, our fight for independence will be a bloody war of words, spoken freely and fairly.  We will wander to polling booths in less than a year, each and everyone of us with a right to our choice.

Without the lives lost, our fight would have been with a far worse foe than David Cameron or Alex Salmond, remember them.  As we saw in the former Yugoslavia with neighbour fighting and killing neighbour, families torn apart, atrocities beyond our comprehension this could have been our fight for independence, remember them. As we click Yes for Independence or Better Together on Facebook remember them.  Despite our countries failings and as much as we condemn our politicians we have the opportunity to tell them to pay for their own duck houses, we can vote and neighbour disputes are dealt with a frosty silence or at worst an ASBO, remember them.

That is why we stand with pride and respect and that is why when there are no veterans left standing we will know they did the right thing and that is why we will keep standing and why we will remember them because that's far better than standing imagining what could have been.

Inspiring Silence

Sitting staring at a blank screen, fingers poised over a reluctant keyboard.  Unwilling to give up the secret location of the inspiration key.  The whine of the computer fan drowning out the sound of brain cogs mashing, trying to blink in time to the twinkling status light.  Breathing once for every tick of the clock, sinking back in the chair, as the room settles around me.  Time slipping by, never to come back, gone but not forgotten as the memory stores this as a golden time of peace and serenity.  At one, not with nature but with one’s surroundings.

40

Is it an achievement to live longer than you thought you would?

Do you look back and think lucky me?

Or do you think what have I done to deserve this?

How do you know when its half way through?

When its ending do you look back and see the middle or the beginning of the end?

Does it spring up and hit you?

Is life’s journey an ascent or descent?

Is a mid life crisis a peak or valley?

Is the crushing pain in your chest, fear of heights or a heart attack?

When do the questions stop and the answers begin?

My Broken Mind

Left and Right I think you’re Up and Down.

You mix me up send me down.

Turn me round, push me backwards.

I head forwards, my head held high.

My mind weighs me down.

My eyes see beauty, my ears hear sobbing.

My heart craves warmth, my fingers feel coldness.

One day down will swap with up and it will be all right.

Everything will be loud and bright.

Thoughts

What a thought

To sit and think

To open the mind

Explore dark corners

Explore empty spaces

Relive experiences

Relive your history

Picture the past

Picture the future

Smile and cry

Smile and laugh

Wonder about then

Wonder about now

Should have

Shouldn’t have

What thought?

Teenager Car

The car is a teenager, losing the fragility of a newborn. Stone chips bubbling with rust, bursting through like acne.

Burst exhaust changing note daily, a deeper resonance lower and lower with every mile, soprano to bass.

Cracked bumper a scar to be proud of, telling of past near misses.

Dodgy alarm screaming in the morning protesting an early start, a temper tantrum.

 New tyres more expensive than sensible shoes, fuel tank demanding money every week.

Becoming more comfortable with you though, filling you with pride as it passes another exam, the joy of another year together, memories of places visited and sights seen.

The fear of a fatal illness or catastrophic accident ending our life together always at the back of the mind.

We should play more; have fun just for the hell of it.

Don’t let the daily grind take over don’t let our life together become a stop start grind.

Tyred Life

As we roll along through life, wherever we go we leave a little trace, this trace is never noticeable on its own, but combined with everyone else’s a track forms, a rut, as all the tracks start to head in the one direction. Then a skid mark appears as your life suddenly changes.  Are you careering away from a seemingly standing start to full speed the opposite way or have you come to a shuddering halt? These black marks become a permanent fixture on our life journey, fading but never disappearing, careful though too many can wear you out.  A change is as good as a rest remember and replenished you can carry on weaving in and out of the traffic creating your own mark on the world a breath of fresh air keeping you going as hopefully one Goodyear leads to another.