Peel away the outer skin 

Open the atlas, drop a pin.

People stare as they pass by

Hijab covered downward shy.

Children on their way to school

A tirade of vitriol oh so cruel.

Trembling torment in their mind

Rejected maligned by all mankind.

Dare not speak in self defence

Years corralled, barbed wire fence.

Tearful tired of this tirade

Turn the corner so afraid.

Teach you now the Christian faith

Free you from your handcuffed state.

Respect the European way

Rethink Reform and you may stay.

©j.black (wordverse.me)

               Let the flag of peace unfurl

           Today let’s help our fellow “man”

           Be kind and gentle where we can 

          When we see someone in need

          Take the time, do the good deed.

          Stop, speak, Don’t turn the cheek

          Aid the needy and the meek

          Be not afraid what people think

          Unto their level please do not sink.

          Life’s too short for us to waste

          On skin or colour, creed or race

          Peace and comfort you will find

          If love’s the first thing on your mind. 

          ©j.black ( wordverse.me)

As I walked out by Arbour hill

As I walked out by Arbour hill

Sparkling sunshine, morning chill

Autumn leaves in gullies clutter 

From cobblestones pigeons scatter.

 Silence in the barracks square

 No longer soldiers marching there

 A grand museum of artefacts 

 Memories come flooding back.

Old graveyard behind prison walls

Tricolour proudly standing tall

In quick lime patriots buried all

A garden now set to recall.

UN also remembered there 

Stop awhile in silent prayer

For the Congo and the Lebanon

Our Gardai, Soldiers fighting on.

History scattered all around

Easter rising, armies sound

A place to stop and to reflect

On those who merit our respect.

©j.black (wordverse.me)
 

​​

                 Allay the fear

      Adulation joy and many cheers

      Not like in those adolescent years

      Standing in the shadows full of fear

      Listen to the children shout and jeer.

      Little did I know the reason why

      Hidden there all silently and shy

      Words were never there for me to say

      How I wished to mingle and to play.

      Isolated in among the crowd

      Crying tears inwardly I bowed

      In the photograph I did not seem

      Apart from any other human being.

      In music I found I could compete

      In my head I found the perfect beat

      A teacher who sat and took the time

      Said that being different is not a crime.

      Remember you are special in many ways

      Even in a world that’s cold and grey

      Stick around. I’m sure that you will find

      People are not intentionally unkind.

          ©j.black (wordverse.me)

      Ignore the screams

Lifeboats bobbing on crashing waves

Saving souls from watery graves

Snuggled in our cozy beds

Ignoring truths, covered heads.

Women children screaming loud 

Anonymous, buried in a shroud

Freedom was all they craved

Escape the torture, village razed.

Can we in all conscience sit

In our warm and cosy pit

Or rid us of this depravity

And act with some morality.

©j.black (wordverse.me)

      Autumn shades
Natures turned the season’s keys

Autumn sheds its golden leaves 

Verdant trees of summer, bare

Branches shivering naked there.
Woodlands hedgerow’s amber glow

Home to holly, robin, sloe.

Squirrels, nuts do harbour, store

In their winter dens to share.
Morning breezes chill the air 

As through mist and fog I stare

Spiders web in dew you’ll find

Tribute to nature’s mastermind.
©j.black (wordverse.me)

 

    The special one

    ———————–
 Walking under grey clad skies

 Secret teardrops in his eyes

 Bullies they for years did vent

 Poisonous vicious virulence. 

 Screaming torment in his mind

 Cries for help, he could not find

 Hurtful comments, damage done

To that lonely, special one.

Should they open up their eyes

Inner beauty would surprise

Racial Prejudice not innate.

Step back, rethink, re-educate.

©j.black (wordverse.me)

                @jphoto7

“Sligo libraries face closure due to council staff cuts”
A recent headline sparked the following short poem
The day they closed the library in

Sligo town.
They’re going to close the library in our town

Replace it with a burger joint, I frown

No money to pay the librarian they say.

Why not use your pension in a better way.
The children will have less to educate

But you have struck yourself a better rate

Be careful how you you hike the income tax

Your glass ceiling may end up with many cracks. 
©j.black

     A country meadow
White clouds rolling o’er the countryside 

In the hedgerows songbirds do abide

Grassy meadows bound by evergreen 

Painted beauty of a rural scene.
Wildflowers amid lush grasses grow

In gentle breezes flutter to and fro

A home for insects, bees and butterflies

Uncut haven where nature can survive.
On the headland chestnut trees stand tall

Shelter for the livestock lest rainfall 

Time will soon be here to mow and reap

Hay and fodder for the winter keep.
Now alas such sights are seldom seen

Concrete walls replace the verdant green 

Farming in the past was countrywide

For natures sake let not tradition slide.
©j.black