ACTION IS REQUIRED

 

Why are the leaders of the world so inept?

That they continue to allow tyrannies to thrive

Why are they not prepared to take action?

To ensure that thousands starving to death are kept alive

 

Is it because they appear to be of no value

That their countries are not vital to the world’s economy

There may be other reasons for their inaction

But that is how it appears to me

 

What are they doing about drug production?

Which destroys so many people’s lives

Columbia continues to export tons of cocaine

The growing of opium poppies in Afghanistan still thrives

 

In the Sudan people are still dying of starvation

And thousands are being subjected to cruelty

We’ve seen the television reports which confirm this

And our Foreign Minister says it is a tragedy

 

But why do we allow these things to continue

Knowing it will cause millions to suffer a dire fate

Talking about it will not provide the solution

Action is required before it is too late

Ron Martin

Good Manners

 

 

I held the door to allow a lady to enter a shop

And as a result I got a very pleasant surprise

For she stood, looked at me, and said “Thank You”

Her good manners brought a tear to my eyes

 

For good manners are very scarce today

I thought they had been consigned to history

Why this should be is hard to understand

In fact it has become quite a mystery

 

For when we were young we were taught to be polite

To stand up on a bus to let a lady sit down

But that does not appear to be the practice today

As I observe when I travel on the tram into town

 

Are good manners not being taught in our schools

Are the teachers too busy teaching dancing and singing?

We should never underestimate good manners

For they are a sign of a good upbringing

 

It has been said that good manners cost nothing

But their benefits are hard to evaluate

They can have a profound effect on our charisma

And can lift us from being average to first rate

 

Good manners help to improve relationships

And these are important as we travel on life’s way

For we all expect other people to respect us

And it is important that good manners are taught today 

By Ron Martin

Just Thinking

 

I was sitting by the fire, listening to the radio

Thinking of my life so many years ago

The things I did as a child, and as a youth

And began to realise that I must face the truth

That now by body is racked with aches and pain

I shall never be able to do such things again.

 

I used to meet my young friends in the park

And play with them until it was getting dark

The hardest thing that we had to decide

Was whether we would go backwards down the slide?

Oh yes, there was one other thing

How high we dare go on the swing.

 

Those childhood days went quickly past

And I became grown up at last

Exams were passed, my school days were over

Until then I had not realised I had been in clover

Now there was less time to play

I had to go out to earn my pay

 

Now, I found that this was hard to do

It seemed that everyone was watching you

To see if you would make the grade

And put your work mates in the shade

Or would just sit back and hope no one

Would think it was time that you had gone

 

And now I am old I can look back

Thankful that there is nothing that I lack

As I sit here I must face the truth

And accept that I have lost my youth

Thinking of the things that I used to do

As I sit by the fire listening to the radio

Ron Martin

THANK YOU FOR THE BEAUTY

 

Thank you God for the beauty,

 You bedecked this wonderful world,

 For the beauty of nature,

And its mysteries you unfurled.

 

For all the beautiful landscapes,

For the blueness of the skies,

For the many tiny insects,

The bees and butterflies,

 

Thank you for the sun,

That bathes our world with light,

Thank you for the moon,

That lights our way at night.

 

Thank you for the birds,

That fills our world with sound,

And for the animal kingdom,

That brings joy to all around.

 

Thank you for the air we breathe,

The water and the seas,

Thank you for the beautiful flowers,

 The rain and gentle breeze.

 

Thank you for life itself,

To experience these wonderful things,

To be part of your glorious Kingdom,

And all the gifts that it brings.

 

 Malcolm G Bradshaw

EVERYTHING HAS A PURPOSE

 

Everything has a purpose,

Everything has its place,

Like the beauty of this planet,

As it revolves around in space.

 

We must thank our creator,

For this wonderful world of ours,

We must thank him for the food we eat,

And natures beautiful flowers.

 

We must thank him for the sun,

As it sends out warmth and light,

The moon for its wonderful moonbeams,

As they illuminate the night.

 

Spring is when nature awakes,

When everything is fresh and green,

When all the plants burst into bloom,

It is an occasion that must be seen.

 

Summer is a time,

To enjoy the warmth of the sun,

It is a busy time for the farmer,

A time for the harvest to be done.

 

Autumn is the season,

When everything slows down,

When trees shed their foliage,

As they gently fall to the ground.

 

Life is like the seasons,

Spring represents our start,

Summer is our prime of life,

Autumn is when we part.

 

For our spirit only leaves our body,

It will continue in another form,

For as we enter the spirit world,

A new life for all will dawn.

 

Malcolm G Bradshaw