These poems and songs are about life and friendships

Adults v Children

People are unique you know  

Yet in so many ways the same

We are all individuals

We all play different games

And yet there are so many times

You’d swear we were the same

Especially when a crisis hits

That’s when the game rules change

Good things as well can get to us

And bring our views in line

It happens, though we don’t know why

Almost each and every time

When we start life as children

Our innocence is pure

There is no prejudice in us

Our hearts are true and sure

What robs us of our innocence?

At what stage do we become

Guilty? By our words and deeds

And in someway maybe, dumb!

It’s adults that the kids learn from

They are the ones who tutor

The younger generations

To ensure a brighter future

And yet so often in this world

Where grown ups are King and Queen

The innocence of childhood

Gets lost, no more to be seen

I love to watch the children play

To hear their idle chatter

They too of course can be spiteful

But does it really matter

Their spite is often innocent

Their truth innocent too

They have no fear of consequence

In anything they do.

But adults have a different part

To play, day in and day out

They know both what is right and wrong

There isn’t any doubt

And yet the grown ups of this world

So very often play

The spiteful games of childhood

In the things they do and say

Hoorah for childhood innocence

And maybe if along the way

The kids had taught the grown ups

We’d have a better world today.

Summer Heat

“Mad dogs and Englishmen

Go out in the mid-day sun”

Noel Coward’s words not mine you know

And not an accurate pun

Two days ago the sun came out

It shone, and shone and shone

The sky was blue there was no wind

The clouds? Well they were gone

I sat out in my garden

And watched with simple pleasure

I’m sure the flowers grew right then

Providing me my treasure

The air was heavy with their scent

Sweet fragrant flower dew

I felt the warmth course through my bones

Inhaled so deep so true

The sun felt good the heat so great

It warmed my very soul

There’s something about Summer

Does this make me a fool?

Sometimes the heat can send some people

Crazy, hence the song

And dogs do lie there panting

Short tempers replacing long

Our faithful friends lie gasping

Looking for help, then fade

They need plenty of water

They need plenty of shade

And yet however rough they feel

In the summer’s simmering heat

Their loyalty never falters

Contented at our feet

If only people could be more

Like canines, strong and true

We’d never feel unhappy

Nor would we feel so blue

So when the sunshine comes again

Remember how lucky we are

To have a few that we call friends

Wherever, near or far

Without them life would be so dull

Just like a winter’s day

So cold, so misty, so surreal

The skies all dark and grey

So friend-ship is like summer?

I guess that must be so

If only we could package it

Like take-aways to go

We could even wrap it up and give

It out on special days

A birthday wish or Christmas

In a very special way

Sure everyone is different

Or boredom would set in

But different isn’t alien

Or love would not get in

Get in to make our hearts feel good

Our blushes would be spared

However some of us just can’t

I guess those must be scared

Scared of others finding out

How insecure they feel

And yet they might be quite surprised

The similarities are real

Life ain’t a competition

With prizes to be won

It’s far too short to waste it

And it’s only just begun

It can end so quick and suddenly

No warning shot, no chance

To right the wrong that we have done

While we perform the dance

So better then to think real hard

On how we do conduct

Ourselves with others feelings

It isn’t down to luck

Each moment here is precious

How many of us can

Truthfully say they’ve never hurt

One of their fellow men

We can of course be careful

We can also make amends

We can be kind instead of spiteful

It’s our own choice in the end

So sit back and think the next time

That the sun comes shining through

Remember others share our lives

Inevitably that’s true

And remember also that when we’re old

And the kids have all grown up

The friendships that we make in life

Will surely fill our cup

So soak the sun up while you can

Lie back and let its rays

Give you the strength and courage

To ensure for better days

Lost & Found

 Something happened recently

That caused me to reflect

On love and real friendship

Was I being circumspect?

Perhaps or perhaps not

But a strange week it has been

I thought I’d lost a real friend

No more to be seen

But no, she is alive and well

Thank God for that I cry

The world would be a poorer place

Without her, that’s no lie

And then I got an email

From a long lost relative

Who’d found me, surfing as you do,

So much news she had to give

I was reminded of my childhood

When everything seemed right

Parents being there for us

No scary things in sight

Those long hot summer holidays

We spent at both our homes

The walks along the riverbank

The fields through which we’d roam

It all came flooding back to me

The joy of being alive

Without a care or worry

Without having to strive

The memories of childhood

Rescind, that comes with age

Thank God for friends and relatives

That can turn back that page

Sure life is good for most times

Each day I count my luck

And see the irony of history

And times at which I buck

But the real good part about it

Is that even through the years,

Our friends and relatives always

Bring us joy as well as tears

I’ve found myself remembering

Things long lost over time

I’m glad for friends and relatives

Yes glad that you are mine

I know it’s not forever

And that one-day, we will part

But that doesn’t stop the feeling

Of gladness in my heart

My relatives will come and go

They do that in the end

But I am especially grateful

To be able, to call you, FRIEND

The Road Goes Ever On

We walk in footprints that were made

By our ancestors long ago

The same old path, the same old way

The way, we seem to know

We try to learn from our mistakes

And those who walked before

We move about this planet

Some inland, some by the shore

Some people shout, some people sing

But the story’s never done

For all the miles this world has walked

The road goes ever on

A spring day makes us happy

The trees all turning green

The songbirds gaily singing

New flowers to be seen

The summer heat soon follows

Baked earth under our feet

To find some shade to rest a while

In itself, is no mean feat

The autumn / fall then comes along

The green leaves turning gold

A chill from sea cooled breezes

Makes us feel a little old

The icy blasts of winter

With snow and hail and rain

Curled up beside a log fire

We long for spring again

The seasons come and go each year

As regular as time

The seasons change so little

Nor history, yours or mine

No matter how we struggle

There is always someone who

Will make us very happy

That’s me and us and you

There are however others

Who make us feel so bad

That we would rather hide away

Than get turned over, screwed or had

What constants do we have here?

The seasons, yes for sure

Our loved ones too, they play their part

Our foibles they endure

The other constant I believe

Is music down the years

A love song or an overture

A tune to please our ears

The words can have such meaning

Or be just a silly rhyme

But the melody can warm our hearts

Each and every time

And so my friends we all have

The music in our hearts

As well as Mother Nature’s gifts

With all her stops and starts

Imagine then a world at peace

No war torn ravaged cities

With all the people singing out

With love, no need for pity

We can be a brutal species

Among so much that is fine

We hurt each other daily

With a word, a look, a sign

So why can’t we be brothers?

All living in harmony

What turns our eyes so very green?

What is this mystery?

I think the problem lies in the past

In footprints made before

We never learned to change ourselves

When we walked from land to shore

The same mistakes our forbears made

Are there for all to see

Come on you people, everyone

Let’s try for harmony

Forget the politicians

They don’t care anyway

But people power can change for good

At least that’s what they say

So play the music loud and good

Our neighbours? Let them share

The gift of life and love we have

Let’s show them all we care

And who knows, some way on in time

Someone may well write down

That love and music changed our lives

And now we live as one

Is that too much to hope for?

Is there any other way?

Without each other we are doomed

Our race will just decay

Eventually we would die

Extinction beckoning

And all because we couldn’t love

Because we didn’t sing

So when you next feel angry

When you want to hurt and shame

Remember we are all one race

One people and one name

What a week!

 Most weeks we have can be up and down

Some make us smile, some make us frown

It doesn’t seem to matter what we do or say

You just can’t please everybody every single day

So try as we might in this world we share

Some people try while others just don’t care

But whatever we do as we walk through life

You can bet your bottom dollar that we get some strife

But is it that important in the scheme of things

Whether some body speaks or another one sings

Communication highways are a-buzzing every day

With people sending messages to have their say

The bottom line I guess of what I’m saying, ain’t new

Some people don’t and some people do

But if we all agree that it could be another way

Would there be enough of us to bring that day

The squabbles and the crises that we all endure

Sometimes wind us up and that’s for sure

But we really are the same in so many ways

Let’s all hope that eventually, we’ll all see better days

And so as we approach another day, another week

Let us spare a thought for the frail and the weak

The ones who need our help to get through the day

In practical terms or in what we pay

Cos they’re the ones who need us, to be there

They’re the ones that struggle without our care

Lets hope we can continue and if we dare

Formulate a world that is just and fair

The Light

 There’s a light that shines so brightly in my heart

It comes from having friendship we can share

It shines brightest on the days when we’re apart

It lets me know that you are always there

It is a sort of yellow, whitish light

Much brighter in the dark than in the day

But it never ever shines so very bright

As it does during the times you are away

Thought the miles and oceans separate we few

I know that you think of me and I of you

The friendship that we share is oh so true

And I’m really glad to have such friends as you

So when you’re feeling down and out of sorts

And the news on radio and TV gets you down

Just ignore those always, impossible reports

And remember that I hate to see you frown

Look up into the night sky with your mind

See beyond the clouds and rain that falls so cold

Look for the twinkling starlight far behind

And remember all your friendships new and old

When your heart is troubled by some misery

And your world looks very dark and without hope

Just look into my eyes, that light to see

A light that let’s you see that there is hope

It’s true that life can sometimes get you down

And yet there’s so much too that make’s it right

You got to sometimes share your troubles, that is known

And remember in the dark there is a light

So friends I thank you all for being there

When times get rough and no others seem to care

I don’t know the colour of your eyes or hair

But your friendship is the thing I love to share

The Gig

Poems are good, poems are great
Many people speculate
But just remember they're only words
Made to rhyme as in a verse

Sometimes when I sit at my window
Looking out into the morning sun
I get that glad to be alive feeling
Am I the only one?

No matter what troubles the day may bring
Seeing that sunlight makes me want to sing
The aches and pains from last nights gig
In the morning sun, don't seem so big

I sometimes long to lay out there
In the warm summer sun, without a care
To feel it warming bones that are old
Chasing away the aches from the cold

Today is somehow different though
I want to stay but have to go
Drive miles and miles to entertain
The forecast said it's wind and rain

To a birthday surprise in Essex I go
to perform my tribute to Neil Diamond show
No time to soak away the aches today
that will have to wait for another day

And yet I know when I start the show
The aches and pains they all will go
Adrenalin pumps as I begin
The songs of Neil Diamond, I sing

White sparkling shirt, black flares and wig
The marquee will hush to the entrance, big
I'll storm on stage with my opening song
And an hour later I will be gone

The long drive home will be a breeze
I'll still be high, I'll do it with ease
Arriving home at 3:00 am
Looking forward to the time when I'll do it again

Unload the gear, PA and lights
Watch the dawn break in an eerie light
Climb wearily up that wooden hill
Collapse in a heap and sleep until

A shaft of light shines on my face
I look around a familiar place
Ah, home again with the morning sun
Another day has just begun

Get up and make a coffee, black
Open the patio door, walk out the back
Sit in the sunshine once again
But not for long, they forecast rain

Headed for the future – I hope 

A message board or forum

Is where we go to post

Sometimes a general topic one

Sometimes a famous host

We can be asking questions

We can be looking for

Information ‘bout a rock star

News of his latest tour

On some you can post pictures

To share with other fans

There may be even more than one

Shared by some different clans

Most times they are informative

At others very funny

With anecdotes for us to read

To make our day seem sunny

But in this strange community

It seems to be the thing

To get irate from time to time

To shout rather than sing

You’d never know from reading

That we’re all here because

Our interest’s in one topic

From each and every source

Not everyone’s the same of course

We all have different views

And the competition on the boards

To be first with the news

Can oft develop into fires

Where people can get flamed

But those who do know who they are

They don’t need to be named

I have a dream inside me

That we can stand as one

Whatever board we choose to post

Why stop at just the one

Some of us post on all the boards

Some folks don’t post at all

And that’s a real crying shame

So please, please hear my call

All of the boards are visited

By fans both new and old

Try posting stuff on all of them

And if I may be so bold

Let’s all remember that there’s more

To life, than quarreling

There’s people dying in the world

So please don’t shout. Just sing

Sing for all the needy ones

Who can’t influence their fate

Oft living in a country

That is full of spite and hate

This thing of ours can make us

Forget the pain and strife

That those less fortunate than us

Endure, such is their life

Let’s open all our hearts once more

No bitterness endure

Let’s sing that we are sure once more

And HEADED FOR THE FUTURE !!

A Poem for Independence Day 2002 

America has always been

The homeland of the free

At least for ten score years or more,

For all the world to see

But September the 11^th

Is now engraved on peoples heart’s

Because that very freedom

Was threatened from afar

The consequential war cries

“Pursue the evil in Afghan”

The blood lust really risen high

“Just as quickly as you can”

The Taliban defeated

Al-Quiada in full flight

The saturation bombing

Added to the Afghans plight

But the one man that was wanted

The “brains” behind the deed

Was nowhere to be captured

The country he had fleed

And so July 4^th this year

Is met with mixed emotions

Will it be a day to celebrate

Or will folks with crazy notions

Destroy again the safety

Of that land so far away

Will the people run in terror

Will they hurt the U.S.A

History will show us

That over many, many years

The U.S.A. stood tall and proud

Through the laughter and the tears

To all the friends we’ve made this year

We send this rhyme with love

We hope you shed no more new tears

Have faith in God above

Enjoy your national holiday

You will be in our thoughts

We hope that it goes really well

Please don’t feel out of sorts

Dawn will break tomorrow

On a fresh and brand new day

With all the hope there’s ever been

In each and every way

We know you’ll breath a great big sigh

Collectively, as one

Along with others in the world

Whose friends you have become

So carve the turkey with delight

Enjoy the fireworks too

And please remember all the love

That’s sent from us to you

All poems / songs Copyright Protected © Robert Leslie 2002