“All of us do not have equal talent, but all of us should have an equal opportunity to develop our talent" J F Kennedy.

These are my ladies. My wife Marion (Murn) my daughters Mandy and Lia.
" I love them all unconditionally, and; more, with the passing of time".

Always in my heart

I think about you every day
you are never far away
in my heart, you, I always keep
until the day I pass away

You will not weep for me
for you will always know this
in my heart, you, I always keep
even in a permanent sleep

I will watch over you from afar
my love for you, never faded
In my heart, you, I always keep
ever, always and until eternity

Alone in the garden of my mind

When I am alone in the garden of my mind
Thinking I am one of a kind
Seeing beauty is not hard to do
Within the flower bed of happiness
I see a single rose that is you
With a scent that is strong and true

Fleeting moments with you in my heart
Hoping we will never ever be apart
Waltzing through the wild meadow
My thoughts begin to overwhelm me
Back into the darkness I am falling
In freefall no safety net in sight
Reaching out to try and find the light

My mind in spring is a manic delight
Full of chaos and mangled emotions
A spring in my step must do this and that
Talking fast no slowing down in sight
Getting tired not wanting it to stop
Moving around in my head at a frantic pace
Knowing this is going to be a marathon race
When I am alone in the garden of my mind

Love the food of the vine

I sit here at times and dream of the summers past
I sip my wine made from a vine that has been in the earth
for a thousand years, made to last, spreading good cheer
I think of my father, stories he would tell, about turning
the soil and at harvest time in the vineyard he held so dear
people would come and celebrate with dance and roar the night away
with song to herald another bumper year
mother and him in love are walking in the moonlight
not a whisper could they hear looking at the stars so bright
the waves crashing against the shore, sweet delight .
I often wonder why; what was it all about
I conclude it is love that made the vines stand tall
I think of you my land whom I love most of all
I shall tell stories of you in summers past before I go".

When I think of Africa

When I think of Africa my heart is sore
famine, disease, war and much more
the child hungry dying from HIV
it is sometimes too much for me

When I think of Africa my heart weeps
for the motherless children stricken with grief
no food to eat or shoes on their feet
this is a crime against humanity

When I think of Africa my heart soars
landscapes of beauty unsurpassed
animals in the wild running free
this is the Africa I so long to see

When I think of Africa my heart dreams
a land of plenty shared out equally
a land where war is an unspoken word
where HIV and hunger is a thing of the past

When I think of Africa my heart dances
children educated giving them chances
empty hospitals, every belly full
prosperity for the masses not just the chosen few."

Why, Why, Why
This poem is about Palestine

Why do the children cry
Why did their fathers die
Why can we not live in peace

Why does the mother weep
Why can't her child wake from sleep
Why can we not live in peace

Why do people have to die
Why do others just standby
Why can we not live in peace."

Brutal Love (Domestic Abuse)

I was brutalised today
he just up and left me there
I feel no worth and dirty too
bruised and violated what do I do

I get myself to my feet
my heart pounding to the beat
must get washed I feel so lost
I will expose him at any cost

In the court my head held high
I look at him and ask why
he turns away a bastard coward
I left with my pain and my dignity".

When I think about Christianity. I think about a simple guy, a carpenter, who put his hand
out to help people without judging them and; that, is how I try and live my life.

A simple Guy

"I read about a simple guy
with a big heart
and spiritual soul
who paid a price
for being nice
not allowed to grow old
he rose again the story told
to watch over us from
a higher plane
reunited with his father again".

Life is just one big garden

Life is just one big garden
filled with many different plants
all trying their best to survive
some are ground covering gems
others weeds strangulating the masses
and depriving them of the nourishment
that allows them to blossom into a beautiful
bouquet within shared plots
the strong looking after the weak
the young respecting the old
where they are tolerant of each others
environment and; the need to exist
learn about each others growth and culture
what nutrients they all need to survive
in close proximity to one another
where they are given food from the same pot
where the flowers are the colour of the rainbow
learning to bloom in equal measure
in a place where they are all beautiful
not shunned because they are slow to blossom
or were not given the right start as seedlings
nurtured into strong upright plants
I would love living in a garden like this and sharing
the love of the gardener I call God almighty
who started it all in a garden called Eden
with two plants he called Adam and Eve

Let this garden flourish for the sake of mankind!!!

copyright Andy Penman 2008