Debate

Debate

Seven men and one woman stood on a stage

Given an opportunity to show they had come of age

We’re potential world leaders they lead us to believe

I listened and wondered what each might achieve

Meanwhile fires were raging turning towns to ash

Many died as they failed to make the emergency dash

Dry tinder and winds helped fan the flames

To those on the stage they were only numbers and names

The mercury rose and the oceans seemed they could boil

The talk was of suntan and how holidays might spoil

There is plastic in the fish we eat every day

Because nobody cares as we throw it away

A continent is ravaged by famine and war

That is just something else they chose to ignore

Bombs are falling children mysteriously disappear

But in this debate all that is just small beer

A nation that is looking for a new leader

Seems obsessed with a man accused of being a cheater

We look from across the pond and are mystified

How they are addicted to a man who has lied and lied

I watch as they play out this archaic procedure

To the delight and relish of a hungry news media

Listening to the same old lines throughout the night

And I’ll bet the new leader will be old male and white

Copyright: David Hopcroft August 2023

Mary 1

Mary 1

Mary is in the centre Suzy is on the wing

Suzy knocks it over and Mary heads it in

They sang from the terraces every Saturday afternoon

Celebrating every goal with the catchy tune

They were the heroes of the local soccer team

But under the surface things were not as they seem

They won a bright silver trophy every year

Rode upon an open bus to hear the cheer

Suzy can remember every goal in every game

Mary remembers too but at times forgets her name

Both of them were skilled to become international stars

Celebrated their success drove around in expensive cars

When they displayed their skills they caused a stir

Though Mary sometimes wondered where they were

They retired after winning a hundred international caps

Now Mary’s memory appears to have some gaps

She remembered heading a winner to win a shield

But the name of the other team seems to be concealed

Suzy takes good care of her at their cottage home

Sadly Mary can no longer be left alone

It is kind of hard when Suzy is not recognized

Sometimes feeling a lifetime friendship is jeopardized

Now Suzy has a niece who is soccer crazy

She’s been kicking a ball around since she was a baby

But when Suzy looks at Mary her eyes fill with tears

Thinking of a niece with dementia in future years

Copyright: David Hopcroft August 2023

A farewell to love

A farewell to love

The shadows were there when the dawn sun rose

Holding those memories that still stirred

Some cherished whilst others reflected woes

It was the memory of her love he preferred

If only the sun could burn away the throes

Yet time would never obliterate what had occurred

Beyond the hills came the warmth of morning sun

Rays dropping down past leaves lit up his face

He watched as dew rose where gossamer was spun

Recalled the hours they spent in this sacred place

Rituals that bound them could not be undone

Acceptance that the calling was a lifelong embrace

Beneath the ancient oak tree he placed the urn

Within the shallow grave he had prepared

Beyond the ninth wave her spirit destined to return

He bid the last farewell to the life they had shared

Tears betrayed that feeling where he would yearn

Then came the flood that showed that he cared

Copyright: David Hopcroft August 2023

Валідація кохання 11

Валідація кохання 11

Я пам’ятаю, коли крик був, що ми були занадто молоді

Хоча наші поїздки до ранішника завжди приймалися

Ми грали хіт-сингли пісень, які ми співали

Підкралися до зустрічей, які не були виявлені

У коледжі ми знайшли свою свободу від сторонніх очей

Вони були днями вільної любові до світанку коливального віку

Ми носили квіти у волоссі, маскування не було

Сержант Пеппер і Жовта підводний човен були популярними

Час швидко рухався далі, і ми вирішили зав’язати вузол

На відкритому схилі пагорба під теплом сонцестояння

Поселившись, ми почали замислюватися, чи втратили ми сюжет

Двоє дітей собака та будинок, за який потрібно заплатити, не здавалися веселими

Наші діти досягли підлітків, їх шкури вкриті чорнилом

Татуювання на їхніх тілах, поки ми сиділи навколо і стогнали

Ми ні на хвилину не перестали замислюватися і думати

Як швидко ми стали поколінням, яке скаржилося

Реп – це не належна музика, яку ми викликаємо

Ваш одяг настільки скупий, що навряд чи можна побачити нитку

Минають дні, і наші спогади погіршуються

Ми стали схожими на тих людей, яких ми боялися

Авторські права: Девід Хопкрофт серпень 2023 року

Validation of Love 11

Validation of Love 11

I remember when the cry was that we were too young

Though our trips to the matinee were always accepted

We played the hit singles of the songs that we sung

Sneaked out for meetings that were not detected

At college we found our freedom away from prying eyes

They were the days of free love the dawn of a swinging age

We wore flowers in our hair there was no need for disguise

Sergeant Pepper and the Yellow Submarine were the rage

Time moved swiftly on and we decided to tie the knot

Upon the open moor beneath the heat of a solstice sun

Settling down we started to wonder if we had lost the plot

Two kids a dog and a mortgage did not seem like fun

Our kids reached their teens their skins discovered ink

Tattooed their bodies whilst we sat around and groaned

Not for one moment did we stop to reflect and think

How quickly we’d become a generation that moaned

Rap is not proper music we defiantly declared

Clothes are so skimpy you can hardly see the thread

The days roll by and our memories are impaired

We have become like those people we used to dread

Copyright: David Hopcroft August 2023

Back to the fifties

Back to the fifties

Summertime is here and they are coming for the hops

Escaping from the city smoke and the little corner shops

Families will sleep tonight on sacks of straw

Breathing pure country air flowing through the door

Friendships are formed on coaches driving out to farms

Children from the alleyways now have space to play

Lassies will find their pleasure in another’s arms

Sweet lasting memories will be made on this holiday

Climbing vines are cut and fall to the ground

Flowers will be stripped to make the finest ale

Excitement there’s a queen to be crowned

A summer fayre will make a future tale

Swinging in the rocking boats on the village green

Shying at the coconuts with a cricket ball

Susan from the gasworks is this year’s queen

Kids with sticky faces eat candy at the stall

Shire horses now pull the reapers across the fields

Young men and women follow to stook the sheaves

Horses are pulling great carts with creaking wheels

Once quarrelling families are now thick as thieves

Times change now families seek sunshine overseas

Dust from great harvesters now choke the air

We’ve a dying countryside and a lack of pleas

To work with nature in the future is my prayer

Copyright: David Hopcroft August 2023

Зниклий

Зниклий

Це її голос, який я чую, як дзвонить через темряву

Солодкі ноти, що плавають у півночі повітря

Пісні кохання, які тримали її поруч зі мною

Коли ми прогулювались рукою через лісовий парк

Чи може це бути її повернення, я прошу себе в молитві

Минули роки, але вона не згасла від пам’яті

‘Я буду лише п’ять хвилин ’, яку вона зателефонувала, коли вона закрила ворота

‘ OK ’ Я зателефонував і продовжував малювати паркан для пікету

Насолоджуючись теплом сонячного літнього дня

Мені було цікаво, кого вона зустріла і чому вона спізнилася

Деякі друзі я запевнив себе Так, це мало сенс

Минули години, тоді почався пошук під висхідним місяцем

Минуло десять років, і досі я чую відлуння її голосу

Як таке кохання може просто зникнути з цієї землі

Я відчуваю, що моє життя зараз спостерігають підозрілі очі

Справа закрита. Вони сказали, що вона зробила вибір

Я все ще чую, як ворота закриваються, і сумніваюся у власній вартості

Іноді мені цікаво, чи ми обидва жили брехнею

Авторські права: Девід Хопкрофт червень 2023 року

Auto-hallucination

Auto-hallucination

Step on the gas

Burn up the road

We’re climate deniers

Getting our octane thrill

Traveling down that high speed highway

To meet our chosen fate

Baby We’re on the road to extinction

Yeah On the road to extinction

We’re daredevil petrol heads so hold on tight

Pumping those shining pistons day and night

Driving through the red lights on the way to hell

Praying to the god who drilled the oil well

Step on the gas

Burn up the road

We’re climate deniers

Getting our octane thrill

Traveling down that high speed highway

To meet our chosen fate

Baby We’re on the road to extinction

Yeah On the road to extinction

Now we’re going down the lemming highway

Full throttle babe we’re doing this my way

We’ve a date with Lucifer we can’t stop now

On our way to that oil heaven we took the vow

Step on the gas

Burn up the road

We’re climate deniers

Getting our octane thrill

Traveling down that high speed highway

To meet our chosen fate

Baby We’re on the road to extinction

Yeah On the road to extinction

Honey come make our date on the Interstate

We’re running out of time so don’t be late

You can smell the rubber as we accelerate

We need the octane fix to medicate

Step on the gas

Burn up the road

We’re climate deniers

Getting our octane thrill

Traveling down that high speed highway

To meet our chosen fate

Baby We’re on the road to extinction

Yeah On the road to extinction

Where there’s congestion we’ll laying the asphalt

We call it progress Greens call it an assault

There’s a rabbit in the headlamps he’s waving a red flag

Just put the pedal to the metal honey we’ll hit the drag

Step on the gas

Burn up the road

We’re climate deniers

Getting our octane thrill

Traveling down that high speed highway

To meet our chosen fate

Baby We’re on the road to extinction

Yeah On the road to extinction

And it’s too late to hesitate

Copyright: David Hopcroft August 2023

The last tide

Breaking lines of white foam rushing shorewards in frenzied haste

Flowing fiercely forwards across the sand–covered waste

Beneath the cliffs the poet traced

The path over shores where once the bards had paced

Standing to face the legions from abroad

Fearing not the glint of Roman sword

Where furies stood by their side

Cursing the hordes; to their gods they cried

The poet stops, for a moment, forming the vision that they faced

Then sees it fade like dreams that left a souring taste

He turns and slowly makes his way across the rocks

Past marram-covered dunes and peaceful grazing flocks

Looking up the strait towards the treacherous sand

Where warriors who sacrificed lives to save a land

Lie buried deep beneath the dragon’s earth

Wondering can his nation now have rebirth

Breaking free from the curse of the English heel

Where are the men with Glyndwr’s steel

Copyright: David Hopcroft August 2023

First Thoughts

First Thoughts

Sleeping villages hidden down country lanes

Thatched cottages blending with leafy trees

Mansions for those with double-barreled names

Elizabethan chimneys smoke drifting in the breeze

Owls hooting in the woodland late at night

Listening to wood pigeons at the dawn

Sun streaming past the blind brings in light

A magpie seeking breakfast on the lawn

A carpet of forget-me-nots beneath the wild cherry

The evening sun shows midges hanging in the air

White flowers of the bramble precede the berry

How can the shackles of city life begin to compare

The beauty of a countryside should be a legacy

Cared for so that future generations can enjoy

Nature has painted the scenery for all to see

Yet we seem to praise our ability to destroy

We use shells and missiles to bring about destruction

Showing no regard for creatures that are killed

How many years are needed for reconstruction

Extinction becomes the destiny unfulfilled

Let’s be a part of nature in love and peace

Appreciate the beauty that has evolved

There will come the time for war to cease

Hatred must not remain a frailty unresolved

Copyright: David Hopcroft August 2023