Anniversary Anthem by Lucy Newlyn

Anniversary Anthem

We’re the Hall Writers’ Forum; we come in all sorts: Young Turks and Old Fogies, retired, still at work. Whatever we think, we’re at one with our thoughts. When we don’t feel like posting we ponder and lurk.

We read what we want, we critique what we write; we comment, we query, we edit, we learn. We’re free in our spirits, we fight the good fight, we dole out our praise and we get what we earn.

We’re the Hall Writers’ Forum, we know the best way to share our new work and our thoughts and our dreams. We’re better than Facebook; we don’t waste all day In ‘Liking’ the trivia, reading the ‘ memes ’ .

We’re hidden and safe from the eyes of the public; there’s nothing we say here that’s stolen or lost. We resemble a family, we’re a republic: no-one can better the spirit we boast.

We’re the Hall Writers’ Forum; you won’t find us shirking our duty to write and our deep love of writing. While others relax, you will see us all working: we ’re mending our metre, not fixing the lighting.

We’ve been here for years, not a moment too long. We have courage and talent, we don’t hide our lights behind bushels, or cower - we just sing our song which is fearless and proud; we have much in our sights.

We’re the Hall Writers’ Forum, we’ll not be deterred by attempts to prevent us from crafting our verse; we are strong and determined, not easily stirred, we will stay on this patch, not be moved to one worse.

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We are friends through our Forum; this bond will go on till the glaciers are melted, the energy spent; the cynics all buried, the nay-sayers gone (you won’t find a member who’s sad that they went).

We’re the Hall Writers’ Forum. Please think about joining. You won’t find a Forum that’s better on earth for poems, discussion and words that need coining. The Hall Writers’ Forum is all that it’s worth.

Lucy Newlyn

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