My spirit’s faint, of joy and beauty starved,

Of late, this grieving heart has known but gloom,

So, prayers I’ll say on ancient Anglezarke,

And dance with Gaia, to a brighter tune,

Where soars my soul, between earth sea and sky:

Fear’s put to flight, in nature is true strength.

A lark’s song celebrates up there on high

The beauty of our vast horizon’s length,

The grandeur o...

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Flag-shaggers claim The Silence is their own:

one such, in ignorance, presumed my guilt,

and sneered: “he is alone”, but knew not why;

“He’s running free”, sez he, “why’s that allowed?”

I say to him: “Mate, you know bugger-all:

five comrades, blown to bits of blood and bone,

must keep their silence now, that of the grave;

the silence that I keep has been dear bought,

...

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The title of my sonnet is inspired by that of the excellent 1995 film, Land and Freedom, directed by eminent film director, Ken Loach, persecuted in the UK and elsewhere for his compassionate socialist views.

With reference to my last six lines: the terrorist murder in 1946 of British soldiers, of Jews and others should not be forgotten in the rush to attempt to justify the seven-decades-long ...

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There’s a saying around here: “Them uz ‘ave, will ‘ave,” meaning: Those who have, will have. It’s always been true, and is  moreso these days.

Them uz ‘ave, will ‘ave, ‘cos thi’ve got cleawt’,

Bur if th’art cowd n’ ‘ungry, on’ gets blotto,

Tha’ll get cawed neawt bu’ feckless workshy leawts,

‘Cos “Aw’m aw reet Jack” ‘s allus bin their motto.

Aye, them uz ‘ave, will ‘ave, ‘c...

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The gobshite bullies came for me,

When I, at ten years old or so,

Was forced to admit we’d no TV,

The haunted fish-tank being despised

As nothing but a frippery,

So I couldn’t discuss Four Feather Falls,

And I had nowt to say about Sunset Strip.

When they tried to throw me over a wall,

I fought off five or six of them,

With a “bloody” this and a “bloody” that,

I elbow...

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