On VE Day (or Liberation for all of Europe Day)

ON VE DAY

On VE Day

My dad was there

And my mother too

They survived the war

And the celebrations too!

For dad not quite the end

Off to Palestine he went

Two more years

Before they married

This poet is grateful for that!

Your mum too, enjoyed the day

Dad still in Burma, far away

Victory delayed

Perhaps sweeter for that

A few months longer but he came back.

We missed the war by a few short years

But they knew what it took

To win the freedom we enjoy

To overcome the threat

The debt we owe, we haven't paid back yet.

Let's remember what they did

Let's remember what they saw

Let's celebrate their lives

Enjoy the day today

And never forget what they were fighting for.

Donald James Dolby ©2020

8th May 2020

CHAINS

These chains, these infernal, invisible chains

Binding round our heart

Binding us together

Binding us apart.

These chains, these fragile chains of love

Of hope and trust

Fragile chains indeed

Trust in them we must.

This infinite useless fury surging deep inside

This helpless longing

This dead end road

Of futures now denied.

This hope, this delicate wind-torn hope

Gives us fortitude to dare

Distant vanishing horizon

Hope for us to share.

These chains, some day we'll shake these chains

Cast them all aside

Love will break free

From hearts imprisoned deep inside.

Donald James Dolby

 ©2020

Haikus

These haikus were produced for the 
Green Man Gallery Creative Space 
Miniatures theme

Heroes
Working on the line
Caring, sharing and wearing
Exhaustion overcome.

Villains
Two metres is not much
To ask of each and every
one, two - some can't count.

Enemy
Virus knows no bounds
Attacks where e'er it can
Destroy, eliminate.

Beauty
Green Man Gallery
Provides an antidote and
Nourishes the soul.

Future
Will not last forever
We will again be free to
Paint and write and sing.


DJD ©2020

This May Day (2020)

THIS MAY DAY

There will be no workers marching in the streets
there will be no banners
there will be no flags
This May Day
there will only be the silence in our hearts.

The voices of the workers are for the moment quiet
there will be no singing
there will be no shouting
This May Day
and for the moment there will be no riot.

The courage of the workers, there for all to see
there will be hoping
there will be praying
This May Day
on the front line fighting to be free.

There is no leadership coming from above
no planning or direction
no future action plan
This May Day
will be a struggle fighting for those we love.

The voices of the workers will surely soon be heard
they cannot be at fault
they will not take the blame
This May Day
we must support the workers, make their voices heard.

When we find this over and the battle has been won
we must support our nurses
doctors and care workers too
This May Day
for our public service workers as they gamely struggle on.

Let us pledge to make a World Turned Upside Down
our priorities Levelled out
our workers raised up high
Next May Day
Let's march and sing through every village and every town.

DJD ©2020

Ten Years

Of austerity
Of paycuts
Of council cuts
Of understaffing
Of worn out nurses
Of exhausted doctors
Of waiting to see GPs
Of poor mental health care
Of care home closures
Of cuts to schools
Of overworked teachers
Of benefit cuts
Of universal credit
Of too few houses
Of too many homeless
Of increasing rents
Of not enough police
Of police station closures
Of fire station closures
Of this cruel and unnecessary austerity

but also Ten Years

Of increases for MPs
Of bankers' bonuses
Of multinational exploitation
Of tax cuts for the rich
Of the rich getting richer

but still
we voted
like turkeys

and now we have
Five Years
of the most inept
Government we will ever see.

PLEASE DO NOT LET THINGS RETURN TO NORMAL!


Donald James Dolby ©2020