As I mentioned recently it was good to get back to work but I still missed the buzz that goes with proper union activity. I don’t mean going on strike. That is the ultimate weapon the worker has and, like a nuclear bomb, you know that if you utilise it then the ultimate effect couldContinue reading “Back to business but missing the camaraderie of union action”
Category Archives: My blog
My Heart
by Abu Muhammad ibn Hazm I would split open my heart with a knife, place you within and seal my wound, that you might dwell there and never inhabit another until the resurrection and judgment day — thus you would stay in my heart while I lived, and at my death you too would dieContinue reading “My Heart”
Subtraction Flower
by Lisa Zaran You could die for it- love, Or refuse it altogether and know nothing except the urgency of youth. Men have been solitary for ages carrying the stoniest of hearts in their broad chests while we women begin too early brush the brown leaves from our shoulders, go from bloom to fade asContinue reading “Subtraction Flower”
Babi Yar
by Yevgeny Yevtushenko No monument lies over Babi Yar. A drop sheer as a crude gravestone. I am afraid. Today I am as old in years as all the Jewish people. Now I seem to be a Jew. Here I plod through ancient Egypt. Here I perish crucified, on the cross, and to this dayContinue reading “Babi Yar”
Wars and Rumors of Wars
by Emanuel Xavier “Ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that ye not be troubles; all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet ” -Matthew 24:6 1. I escape the horrors of war with a towel and a room Offering myself to Palestinian and Jewish boys asContinue reading “Wars and Rumors of Wars”
Union bonds do not last forever, but I still had all the world as my stage
I must admit, the end of the Basildon lockout was a bit of an anti-climax. I had discovered more about the camaraderie of socialism and the true meaning of the brotherhood of the union (be fair, there were not many women in the trade union at that time) in those couple of weeks with theContinue reading “Union bonds do not last forever, but I still had all the world as my stage”
The Old Prison
by Judith Wright Australian poet The rows of cells are unroofed, a flute for the wind’s mouth, who comes with a breath of ice from the blue caves of the south. O dark and fierce day: the wind like an angry bee hunts for the black honey in the pits of the hollow sea. WavesContinue reading “The Old Prison”
Friends Departed
by Henry Vaughan They are all gone into the world of light! And I alone sit ling’ring here; Their very memory is fair and bright, And my sad thoughts doth clear. It glows and glitters in my cloudy breast, Or those faint beams in which this hill is drest After the sun’s remove. I seeContinue reading “Friends Departed”
One man and his dog – but it’s the dog in charge of the show
When I was a trainee reporter – over 50 years ago – most of the stories I reported on were straightforward. A story could be a report on a court case; reports from a council meeting; sports reports; a theatre review; or one of many other events. In all these cases I went to court,Continue reading “One man and his dog – but it’s the dog in charge of the show”
Days Teach Me
by Unknown Days teach me To always dream However it may never come true But that’s the best way To live life through Days teach me To dream so high Never give up and always try Never let go or say goodbye Days teach me That when there is darkness For sure dawn is theContinue reading “Days Teach Me”
Robin's Nest 