Thoughts That Occur
Written By
Richard A. Breen
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My thanks’ go to Gaynor my daughter who helped me to do what I ‘oughta. Put my poems into print oh! what a hard stint. For my computer skills being nil she came to the rescue, with, I will, I will. With printers problems holding up the book, along came, Ray Prusak, who took a look. With expertise and great aplomb, he saved the day at Printing.Com. With final touches, the way was set so, now Ray, I am in your debt!
Copyright Š Richard A. Breen 2012 Edited by Gaynor Cleary Printed by Printing.Com Cardiff (Propel Partners)
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Contents
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Poetry Something About Trees My Dream Cottage Losses And Gains My Caravan A Regal Seat The Minstrel I Wish Cardiff The Blighters Mysterious Moon Fiery sunset The Diet A Lesson Learned Loneliness/Days End Birthdays The Night Grand Slam 2008 Decorating Ode To Compo (Bill Owen) Mountain view Be Thankful The Stag The Steam Train The Tiger & The Woodman The Highcross Witch
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Contents
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We Two Oh Bronte Oh Bronte Jack Frost The Garden Fate Of Man My Love A Fall Of Snow Sweet Fate Electricity My Birthday Diverse Harmony Forgotten Memories Sparrow Of Sherwood Autumn Leaves Just One Wish Birds Good Advice The Little Things Of Life 24 Hours Of Bliss/Xmas Wish The Wood War & Reason The Poacher The Homecoming The Kings Bicycle Whimsy
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Poetry Poetry is just emotion Expressing how you feel A natural curing therapy A wheel within a wheel Feelings rise to the surface Then, only to go away When the tide has subsided Emotions now kept at bay Poetry is the best way To paint a picture of beauty If you are capable It then becomes your duty Events come and go in life They wax and wane with age A poem is there for ever Even if on just one page.
Something About Trees There is something about trees that gets me It is something I don’t understand Maybe it is their motionless dignity Or the way they blend into the land What ever it is, I love them The more the merrier, I say To sit, walk or stand to view them Is a splendid way to spend a day To think they are here, ‘ere I was born Still here, long after I’m gone My love for all trees is endless Making me wish for a life that is long.
My Dream Cottage I wish I had a little cottage As in the days of yore With a higgledy piggledy garden And, roses around the door Having small sunken windows With a thatched roof overhead A winding rickety staircase To climb to go to bed In the morning, by the fire With my trusty toasting fork I would brown six rounds of bread Before I went to work In the quiet of the evening On the hearthrug by the fire I would stare into the flames Dreaming, to my hearts desire.
Losses And Gains What does a burglar do When it rains Don hat and coat to Seek illegal gains I think not, you see, he will Wait ‘til it’s dry Then for our possessions Will once again try Where does a burgler go When it rains Does he sit in a chair, as If bound by chains Does he stride up and down Blaspheming the weather Acting as if at the end Of his tether Not knowing his mind, it is a Mystery to me For anyone with sense, it Is easy to see That all we work for, the Loss and the gains All depends on whether It rains.
My Caravan Since I bought a caravan My life has changed a lot I spend most of my time now At my little plot It has everything one needs To while away the day With a view from the window To die for, as they say I can see New Quay harbour Right across Cardigan Bay A view one cannot tire of As it changes everyday On the day I bought it I felt a bit unsure Now, as the time flies by I love it more and more And more.
A Regal Seat A little wooden box seat Set against the wall Made from some spare wood Not too big, not too small We often sit there together To enjoy the evening breeze Accompanied by flower scents And the swishing of the trees In our private shaded spot Far from the maddening throng Where we share special moments In a life that is not too long To enjoy the peace and quiet In an atmosphere that is serene Where these moments make us happier Than any king or queen.
The Minstrel A minstrel appeared one day Playing music on his lute Not having heard of music In awe I stood there mute As the village bathed in sunshine I sat astride the smithy’s wall Tho hypnotized by the music I heard my mother call With music ringing in my ears I bid the scene adieu I walked backwards down the road Until he disappeared from view.
I Wish I wish my parents could return To see what I have got For when they were alive They did not own a lot A car, out of the question Not owning their own home A microwave, computer, TV Not even a telephone They knew how to laugh While working very hard Faced all their responsibilities Always cooked with lard Went thru a depression Rationing and a war Saved for what they wanted Had pride while being poor If they were here today They would walk on air To think that their son Had become a millionaire.
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Cardiff Of all the cities in the world Cardiff is the one for me With its rich mixture of races While situated by the sea In the heart of the town, the castle With its famous animal wall The brains beer and Clarks pies Giving a welcome to one and all There is the Millennium Stadium Where the world class teams can play And the one place to be seen The transformed Cardiff Bay The feel of the Cardiff atmosphere With all its quaint and funny ways I would like to stay part of it For all the rest of my days.
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The Blighters A little insect on the mat I tried to hit it with my bat The blighter moved, I missed the swine Now there are more, all in line They laugh, while, I flail away Ducking and diving, they sway away Just as I get into the swing Then the phone decides to ring I swing away all the day Getting nowhere I have to say There are now more on the floor I think they are using the front door Now I am feeling very low Their friends have come to see the show Everything is hit and miss I wish I had not started this It is night time and I am tired Feeling low and very forlorn So now I am off to bed I will get them in the morn.
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Mysterious Moon How nice to have the moon Shining overhead Tho’ it will still be there When all here are dead For millions of years, it has Sailed across our sky Giving us all some comfort As it silently passes by Hoards of romantics, have Declared undying love To their betrothed With inspiration from above The aura of the night sky Would diminish with no moon For what could match the splendour Of a full moon in June The moon, being an enigma Could just be there by chance Combining practical properties With splendour and romance Its history is a mystery Its uses it will not disclose Yet, the fact that it is there Inspires us to write prose.
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Fiery Sunset How can words describe the sunset That my eyes took in today Viewed from a planes window As I flew to a place far away Forty reds across the sky Like the fires of Hell disturbed Clouds like smoke from a million stacks Suspended yet unperturbed It caused my hair to stand on end As the sun battled with the night I wanted the plane to turn around, To fly into this wondrous sight Very soon the scene would turn From sunset into night I knew this day would change me As the plane flew out of sight.
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The Diet My wife is on a diet She is doing rather well I ask her all about it I said to her, do tell She said I eat a little Of everything I like Then each day I spend an hour Riding on my bike I don’t eat between meals Fatty food is taboo Tho; three squares of choc on Friday I do, I do, I do She used to be fourteen stone Now she is down to ten So, now it is goodbye husband She is off to chase men.
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A Lesson Learned People worry over nothing at all Others worry over everything Alas, at the end of it all Nothing is worth the worrying The more you get involved The more you’re likely to get burned So read this little poem And enjoy a lesson learned A man bought a little banger It was his pride and joy He always wanted to own a car Since the time he was a boy The day he brought it home He acted extremely coy But, it was soon obvious to all That it was his favourite toy He washed it and polished it Then checked the oil each day But, the novelty soon wore off When he had to pay and pay At first it was the wipers Then the washer would not work Then the exhaust came loose When the car stopped with a jerk
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One day the clutch went Then it was the brakes As fast as he would fix it Something else would take its place When the suspension broke It was nearly on the ground Then it needed new tyres When the MOT came round It nearly drove him crazy He could not sleep at night And, when he could, he dreamed, Of a car that was alright It was getting out of hand What with everything going wrong Then the news, worst of all His bank account was gone He wished, again, for the days When he did not have a care What had started as a dream Had turned to his worst nightmare Then one day he had a brainwave That comes with second sight With one simplistic action He made everything alright
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No more disappointment No more paying out No more sleepless nights No bewilderment or doubt Back to the old days Without a worry in his head Now he was happy to get up And, glad to go to bed He had learned his lesson For which so many had to pay All he had to do Was give the car away.
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Loneliness The saddest word in the dictionary Is loneliness, I fear. To be excluded in this world With no one there to hear. No one there to listen No one there to say, Just you, time and memories With another lonely day.
Days End An autumn afternoon The sun shining low Daylight almost gone As down the road I go I marvel at the sunset With its warm red glow Then the sun is gone As down the road I go.
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Birthdays Birthdays are the milestones On the road where we live Some years go so fast Like water from a sieve Some years linger for longer Most of it just in the mind Birthdays are like full stops In life’s sentences, you will find After every ten birthdays A new person appears it seems Many, waste these ten years What, could have been, is in dreams The rich tapestry of life From all corners of the earth Combined with all the varied types Decides what you are worth Tenacity, integrity and honesty Wisdom fate and pluck Can alter the equation Though, you need lots of luck Do not treat birthdays lightly Take stock at each milestone Choose careful the right steps This road always leads to home.
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The Night
The world turns grey, as night time falls. The shadows creep along the walls. The birds are quiet, the flowers droop. The lanterns gleam upon the stoop. People sleep, the streets are bare. It is dark and quiet everywhere. The reeds and rushes, bushes and trees. Gently sway in the cooler breeze. Our world has changed, thru lack of light. Confidence wanes to be replaced by fright. Vermin, reptiles and insects move free. Their dastardly deeds, no one can see. Then, suddenly, with baited breath. The night senses it faces death. A crack of light, the shadows flee, It is dawn again, we all can see.
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Grand Slam 2008 They were not supposed to win Their chances were deemed too low They were there to make the number up Unfortunately, they did not know They played the mighty English In their own arena, oh so new The English tried and badly failed There was nothing they could do The Scottish and the Italian teams All went the same sad way Then the Irish tried to stop them Alas, the Welshmen won the day Now, only the French side Could stop the marauding clan Their efforts all in vain The Welsh won the Grand Slam If the English team had won it There would be weeks on the front page The Welsh team had to settle For a party, all back stage We all expect the news media Not to shout our victory loud But, those heroic men in red Did their country proud.
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Decorating If I felt like it I would decorate my home. With only me to please, As I live all alone. I would paper and paint From ceiling down to floor, Cupboards and windows, Skirting board and door. Embellishing the panels With gold and silver edge, And contrasting colours Along every ledge. Silver chandeliers Each end of the room With wall mounted lights To keep away the gloom With ornaments all around And pictures on the wall I would get carried away And have myself a ball Now looking at my room With feelings of pure sorrow I now have a new plan I will leave it until tomorrow.
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Ode to Compo (Bill Owen). How can a supporting actor Who was alluded by fame, When most people are retiring Become a household name. To create a role from nothing While our worlds wax and wane, Create an indelible memory With gumboots scags and stain. A most complicated human, Yet, an eternal peter pan. Loved by all who knew him, Still yet, he died...a man. Leaving behind a memory, So loving, quaint, sublime, That will only grow in stature With the long passage of time. Characters, they are very few In this modern age and time. So one day, when that time comes May I meet him down the line.
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Mountain View To appreciate this beauty Is simply just too much This awe inspiring splendour You see, but, cannot touch Your eyes behold the beauty Of what they have just seen But you cannot find the words That would describe the scene Only the wonder of nature Over a period of time With the mysteries of its wisdom Could produce a scene so fine It extends our full emotions While making us feel small You wonder why such beauty Should ever exist at all For man does his damnedest To ruin all he will touch Not with planned intention But, with progress, greed and such
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It is left to artist and poet To bring the message home That such beauty is so sacred It should be left alone For, man cannot reproduce it Invent its equal in anyway He can only stare in wonder Not knowing what to say So just enjoy this spectacle While it is there to behold For if it ever disappears Remember you were told.
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Be Thankful When you are feeling low, There is nowhere else to go, Count your blessings one by one. If that does not work for you Instead of feeling blue, Look at the moon, the stars and sun. Is all this here just for you, To be so petty, selfish and blue. Wake up, and heed the call, Smell the flowers as you go Take a stroll in the woodland snow, Be thankful you were born at all.
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The Stag A cold winter’s dawn The snow covered wood Any icy wind blowing And there he stood An impressive creature His head unbowed With magnificent antlers That nature endowed In this forbidding domain He majestically stood They seemed so in tune The weather, him and the wood As I watched in awe He sniffed at the air Then he was gone He knew I was there The lack of his presence Diminished the scene I will remember this day And, the old stag I had seen.
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The Steam Train It makes one feel happy When the train pulls in With all its hissing and steam People get on, and, People get off, It makes for a busy scene When the train pulls out The people sit back, Then they start to relax As they listen to the rhythm Of the sounds of the train As it hurries down the tracks Taking them to where They want to go, straight And true, like an arrow Clickety clacking, along Whistle blowing, the track Long, strong and narrow With all the happiness A train can give, the Opposite can be true For not many scenes Can be sadder to see As it disappears into the blue.
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The Tiger And The Woodman The tiger watched the woodman As he trudged along the trail In great anticipation The tiger wagged his tail The woodman did his work Listening to each sound The tiger watched his movements As he lay there on the ground For the tiger had decided Today, this man would die As he watched and waited He could see the woodman’s eye Then the woodman’s day was over And, so he headed home The tiger’s chance had passed He was left there all alone The woodman smiled to himself He would wear the same again A mask, on the back of his head To foil the tigers plan.
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The Highcross Witch The moon slid from behind a cloud Its beam lighting up the moor The stranger pulled his collar up As he felt chilled to the core It was not the icy blast of wind That chilled him to the bone But, the sudden appearance in his path Of an evil looking haggard crone She fixed him with an evil stare Her eyes beady in the light He began to think it was a mistake To walk the moor at night She pointed a bony finger Then screamed a threatening curse As he stood transfixed in time His ears took in the verse ‘Those who walk the moor at night And see the witch in bright moonlight Will see all things dear to him Disappear forever from his sight When able to see clear again As the moon floated clear of cloud She had gone, to whence she came Tho the words still rang clear and loud
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He stumbled on across the moor He found himself by someone’s door They took him in and eased his pain These honest people, living poor As he rested on a bed of hay He babbled on all thru the night Come the morn, his fever gone He was glad to see the light Their knowing looks, told him much When he told them what, he had seen He would not go there again They nodded, knowing his mean If he had stumbled onto the pitch If he were under the spell Of the infamous Highcross witch They could do nothing to make him well only misfortune would follow Until, all he loved were gone There was no escape from his woe It would follow him on and on So take heed all of you strangers Tread careful, when near the pitch Or, you will end up like all the others Who crossed the Highcross witch.
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We Two We two are oblivious To all that is going on From outside our circle Happily ignoring the throng We just live for each other In a daily state of bliss Each day ending with “I love you� and a kiss The children all grown up With all the work behind We share moments together With perfect peace of mind How long this will last We have no way to know So we live from day to day Until it is time to go.
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Oh Bronte Oh Bronte Oh Bronte, Oh Bronte The name rings a bell Oh Bronte, Oh Bronte I know it so well Aye never before Nor never again Will a name, have Such a rich vein Their stories are silver Their talent was gold Their legend lives on To be told and retold Their short life so poignant Their life style so hard Yet, they earned the respect Of all the worlds Baird’s Their timing was crucial In days long past Ensuring the surname Of Bronte, would last.
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Jack Frost Jack Frost, that shining sprite, Paints your pretty garden white. He works away, all thru’ the night, Then disappears at dawns light. Where does he go in day light, Sprout wings and take to flight? Or flee to where cold winds bite, Where ere it is, his secret’s tight.
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The Garden Standing on the terrace Gazing on a regal scene Of a long completed garden That was somebody’s dream The person who arranged it Has long ago passed by But he left a place of beauty That still gladdens the eye The gardener now just grooms it, For all the hard work is done From the terrace to the lake It is an Eden second to none It is a haven of serenity For quiet solitude Where the fragrant blossoms Incite a humble mood.
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Fate of Man Have you ever wondered why So many creatures exist To try to count them all Would make too long a list Each and every creature However big or small Has a kindred type of human Whose traits it can recall Each insect, beast or bird Represents a human kind Is this purely accidental Or just a trick of mind As man depletes the planet With greed and need for room My mind begins to wonder What drives us all to doom As we blindly travel on In this world that we host I more and more realise It is the lemmings I fear most.
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My Love I will be there, my love When you are feeling low I will be there my love When it is time to go I will be there my love When you are in distress I will be there my love No more, no less.
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A Fall of Snow When I woke this morning The world had turned white. Unlike when I retired It happened in the night. How wonderful it looked, A pristine and perfect scene. Everything painted white, As if it had always been. The children and traffic Would soon disturb the snow. The rain, the sun and time Would cause it all to go. Now, for this moment, I take in this wondrous view. Implanting an indelible memory, Before I bid it all adieu.
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Sweet Fate There are sucky sweets There are chewy sweets Then ones to make Your mouth water There are sweets that Are good to eat Then some sweets You did not oughter There are cream milk choc And dark chocolate nut Then sweets to Cure your cough But the secret to A long sweet life Is to know when You have had enough.
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Electricity Thank God for electricity How it brightens up the place Once, hidden in the dark Now showing its friendly face We take it all for granted Tho’ what if it all should go The world would be in chaos Could we ever stand the blow The world once hid in darkness Now, all lit up with light Just the flick of a switch Makes everything alright A lamp in the window A street light on parade A roast in the oven Is all heaven made So appreciate we have it Enjoy what we have got Let’s hope we never lose it We would lose an awful lot.
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My Birthday The day of my birthday My sweet wife fell ill So I got up early To get water and a pill She was looking rather poorly So I left her lying there And all day long I ran up and down the stair I cooked a lovely dinner And took it up on a tray She cleared the whole platter But, she had nothing to say I made some more tea And I took her up a bun Then more pills and water Believe me it was not much fun Then I did high tea With all the frills upon it It looked so exquisite I could have wrote a sonnet In the evening she was sleeping I sat quietly and let her And early the next morning She miraculously got better.
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Diverse Harmony There are those who go away There are those who stay at home There are those who live with someone There are those who live alone There are the workers and the shirkers The rich men and the poor There is the uncouth and the gentle There is the lady and the whore There is service and non-service There is the idler and the doer There is the man who walks above There is the man down in the sewer There is the lucky and the unlucky There is the young and the old There is the male and female There is the coward and the bold There is the one who makes a noise There is the one who makes no sound Yet, with all this diversity The world still goes around.
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Forgotten Memories One day while we were browsing Some memories came flooding back A few I had forgotten From the distant past, alack A jumper for my first grandchild A dress for my school dance Clothes I made when we were poor I never missed a chance All through the children’s lives I could see it again, all there The memories and the years Entwined, now all gone. Oh where! My husband’s working shirts My everyday household slacks Even our pyjamas The fronts, sides and backs Now as we both look back Both now showing grey locks We are amazed at all the memories In an old tatty button box.
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Sparrow of Sherwood There was a little sparrow Who made a bow and arrow Then pretended he was Robin Hood He gave himself a preen Donned his Sherwood green Then boldly walked into the wood Keeping his hands steady With bow and arrow ready He’d face danger, what ere the cost Then as the sun went down His face took on a frown He realized, he was completely lost As he cried, oh! Woe is me He climbed the tallest tree He would see better upon high From there he saw his home Then forlornly walked home alone All his wife said, was ‘My oh! My’.
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Autumn Leaves The autumn leaves Have fallen down They once were green Now golden brown Trees are standing Now, stark and bare The discarded leaves Strewn everywhere Kicking through them A thrill, and then, I feel just like A child again All depressions I, thus could heal If, I could bottle How now I feel.
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Just One Wish If you could have one wish If you could have one thing Would it be handsome looks Or a big diamond ring Perhaps a grand mansion With lots of fertile land Maybe nectar of the Gods With the fruits of life at hand Would you be all powerful Have things done your way Everybody listening With only you to say Oh! To be the cleverest Amongst all your kind A wise man would choose To just have peace of mind.
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Birds If I could not hear the birds sing What difference would it make There are lots of other noises To hear for goodness sake There are planes and motor cars With barking dogs galore Horns tooting and doors slamming With babes crying for evermore Well to wake up in the morning Would be better than anything The nearest thing to heaven To hear a robin sing.
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Good Advice If only I had listened When given good advice By well meaning people Trying to be nice. No skeletons in the cupboard An open road ahead Thinking I knew better Than wise words kindly said Because of my indifference My options now all gone With time on my hands For me to ponder on.
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The Little Things Of Life The higher up the ladder Of life, that, you go You think you should see more But, alas, this is not so You see, life has a habit Of moving along too fast So with all its complexities The little things go past Dogs wagging their tails A cat sitting on a wall A robin on a gatepost, for You they are too small The rush, the haste, the mood Make you see what you will No time for appreciating, or Just for standing still A rainbow over a field A puddle on the path The sound of a pigeon cooing The tinkle of a glass
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A fish in the local river Ripe blackberries on a bush The sound of children laughing Watching the old ‘pull and push’ The old man with a walking stick Waiting to cross the road A postman with his letters A driver delivering his load So many little things The simple things in life Make a mockery of stress Can even alleviate strife So why not smell the roses Do not always use the car Life may take on more meaning Which you have not known so far Life is not a rehearsal Time waits for no man So, stop and look around you Please, do it while you can.
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24 Hours Of Bliss I can get away with murder It is my birthday, today I can get away with murder No matter what I say I can get away with murder My wife said it is O.K. She said make the most of it Tomorrow you will pay.
Xmas Wish The old year goes, the new year comes Our lives enter another stage Memories intact, dreams to fulfil We turn another page The close bliss of last year Still fresh in my mind I wish for one more year with you If fate will be so kind.
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The Wood There used to be a wood there Where children once, did play A safe place to wander freely T’was another time and day Trees to climb and swing from With nuts and fruit to pick Then fishing in the river With a string, pin and stick Conkers falling from the trees Bluebells in the dell Nobody needing money, as There was nothing there to sell Just imagination and fairy tales Watching them all come to life Children could be children Away from realities and strife Alas, it is all gone now They pulled the whole place down Under the guise of regeneration It has now become a town.
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War And Reason The other day, I saw a war I had no idea what it was for The gains from it seemed rather poor I suppose there was a reason During this war people died During this war people lied During this war people cried I suppose there was a reason During this war money was made The same time bodies were laid Do the memories ever fade I suppose there is a reason Win the battle, gain the ground All proved useless, later they found Now, standing there, you hear no sound I suppose there is a reason Win or lose, who knows the story Medals and ribbons, where is the glory All the memories are gory I wish I knew the reason.
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The Poacher The poacher left his cottage Then walked to the chosen wood He had always worked this area Because the poaching was good His cunning was unrivalled His nerve undeniably strong Though the cold was something else The nights were always long It was not just about the money It was also about the thrill Though he made a pretty penny From the rabbits he would kill The gamekeeper, his natural enemy The man to look out for Whose presence in itself, was Designed to keep him poor Their battle waged to and fro Sometimes lost, sometimes won The poacher served a purpose After all said and done
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Poor families could not eat meat It would not have come their way Was he doing so wrong Who are we to say The warden would never be If the poacher had never been All that colourful history would Have disappeared from the scene So, maybe things have to happen In a poetic kind of way As these most intriguing characters Helped to keep the wolf at bay.
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The Homecoming It seems a million years ago He left the family home Fresh faced kid with big ideas Oblivious of what was to come He sailed through his training Rising above all the rest They sent him off to battle And considered him the best Ill prepared for what he saw He grew up rather fast All the naive plans he had Now in a cruel dim past The scenes indelibly printed On a young impressionable mind Filled his brain with horror His face prematurely lined
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The new friends he had found Had mostly gone forever How could he ever forget From his mind the memories sever With lots of time to think Laying in the hospital bed Of all the sick and wounded All those brave men dead How could he go back home Pick up the threads of life As if it all never happened How could he take a wife Now standing in the street His old home full in view The memories flashing in his mind As he attempts to start anew.
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The Kings Bicycle It was the king’s birthday Someone bought him a bike He looked the contraption over Then said, ‘This I like’ He practiced in the castle grounds For many and many an hour Until he rode so fast All the servants would cower Then one bright sunny morning With the seed of an idea sowed He mounted his contraption And across his realm he rode With gauntlets and ankle ties He looked regal in the saddle When he turned left or right His hand waved like a paddle He rode across his dynasty At twenty miles an hour And all he met waved at him He revelled in the power Then he saw an old man With shoulders hunched and low He braked and stopped beside him And said ‘Where dost thou go’
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The old man looked up And gave an icy stare He said ‘What’s it to you? I can go most anywhere’ The king offered him a lift He said, ‘We will ride along together’ The man jumped up on the bar And they rode off hell for leather They went off like the wind Whizzing down the road They nearly killed a duck Then, just missed a toad When, suddenly a man appeared His hand waving in the air He shouted to them ‘Stop’ He, said ‘You stop right there’ This man wore a uniform And a helmet on his head ‘Now we are in trouble’ The old man said The policeman produced his notebook Then approached bold as you like And proceeded to book them For being two on one bike
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The king pointed to his crown Asking, ‘Do you know who I am’ The policeman said, ‘If you’re the king Then, I am Uncle Sam’ The king felt like a criminal And lost all his demeanour He would have to go to court When he received his subpoena He gave the old man his bike And shook the policeman’s hand Admitted he had done wrong But, the morning had been grand He shook the old mans hand And quickly walked away But, the thrill of that ride He still talks about today.
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Whimsy One day while walking alone I sat up on a log As I sat and mused I saw a yellow frog After a while I stood up Then commenced to walk When the frog spoke to me He wanted me to talk He had not always been a frog He used to be a prince A wicked witch had cast a spell He had been ever since I reached inside my cassock Took out a little bell After three short rings I had broken the cruel spell.
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Suddenly, this little frog Changed back to a prince Thanked me most profusely I have not seen him since After twenty long years A knock upon my door There to my astonishment Stood the prince for sure The prince was dressed strange With this change I had to cope For the prince, as I remember Had now become the pope Remembering what you did for me I must thank you if I can I want you to come to Rome And be my right hand man.
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Educated at St. Francis Secondary School and St. Illtyds College Cardiff, Richard enjoyed a varied career. From Pay Clerk to Wiredrawer and Postman, he began writing poems in the 6o’s drawing not just wire but thoughts and experiences in to words and verse. Giving most of his unique poetry away or leaving it lying around the house, Richard eventually gave in to his wife Lil’s requests to “put them in a book”!
Thoughts That Occur A Book of Poems By Richard A. Breen
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