A Dad's Story

This never started out autobiographical but after a couple of rewrites it is close enough. It is a little dated now and I would like to report that today I do not drink, smoke, gamble or have any other vices, but that would not be true ! Like most people in life I've had my ups and downs, but the one constant has been that when I've been really down (and I mean really down), my family on both sides of the world have been there to pull me through.

Thanks for your undying love, there are times when it has not been deserved.

A Dads Story

When I look at my life,
And the people I've been,
I see the boy is the man,
And the one in between.

I've been occasionally bad,
then again, sometimes good,
I'd do a few things differently,
If only I could.

The kids have been great,
Four and counting so far,
We've come a distance,
We've travelled so far.

My wife & I,
Persistently fight,
A constant battle between,
who's wrong and what's right.

I gamble too much,
It's a crying shame,
I'm chasing that rainbow,
On the result of a game.

The drink & me,
Just a glass or two,
But at the weekends,
It can be a few.

The smokes are the same,
Twenty years more or less,
Feeling good when I'm off,
Start again under stress.

I've never found God,
Surely I can't be wrong,
There's too many starving people,
For me to sing that song.

Dad died so young,
I guess I could too,
It would be nice to know,
When I will be through.

Mum's still there,
Likes sitting on the shelf,
Never getting too close,
And living by herself.

Many miles part us now,
But we still stay in touch,
A mother's love is precious,
And I treat it as such.

The brothers are strong,
Out of the same womb,
Our love has really shown,
And is still in full bloom.

Being so far away,
Tears myself apart,
These are the people,
Who are part of my heart.

I question then,
The love of my wife,
I've considered starting again,
And beginning a new life.

But she's been there,
And times have been rough,
She held me up,
When it got too tough.

And the kids will come first,
I guess they always will,

Why did you start to write poems ?

I guess it started at school really, you know - please write a poem for homework, that sort of stuff. Well, I found writing poetry relatively "easy" and the results were reasonably encouraging. So I did what every self respecting teenager would do - nothing. I basically didn't write another line for about twenty years. I then went on a Leadership course and we were encouraged to get in touch with "ourselves". As a result, one of the things I did was write a couple of poems, I showed them to a couple of friends and family and they foolishly encouraged me to continue writing. That was six years ago and what you see on this site is a result of an initial challenge (by Humphrey Armstrong, the course leader) and the subsequent encouragement from friends and family. (I have often wondered what could be achieved in this world if we all challenged and encouraged more often, especially our children). In 1998 I hooked up to the Internet and purchased a book "How to build your web-site in 24 hours". Four months (!) later, I had my first web-site up and running and waited for the mass of visitors to come and view my work. Of course, nothing happened and the counter increased every time I visited, but not much more. It was then I struck on the idea of writing poems for charity, because I had already started writing poems for friends and family's weddings, birthdays and anniversaries. I approached a couple of "Free Sites" to feature my site and was literally flooded with requests. So much so, we formed a loose group (Poets For People) of like minded poets who gave their time for charity. We did this for a couple of years but became increasingly frustrated with people who would request the poem, receive the poem and then we would hear nothing back whatsoever, not so much as a thank you. This became soul destroying after a while so I decided to "commercialise" the site and charge people up front (I then donate 25% of the proceeds to various charities around the world). This has worked really well and the popularity of the site is outstanding. A Gift Of Poetry has only been live for 6 months yet is attracting over 2000 visitors per day and is growing at about 10-15% every month !

What is your background ?

Pretty normal stuff really. Born in 1958 in Northampton, England. Born in a council house but Mum and Dad bought their first house in 1960 (Mum still lives there today). Great parents, two great elder brothers, strong family environment. Went to Raeburn Road (Tin Tack) Primary, Parklands Primary, Cherry Orchard High School and Northampton Grammar School.

Went off the rails a lot as a teenager and Dad died when I was only 15. A very painful experience but one that has bound the remaining family tightly together, even though we live so very far apart. (I emigrated from England to Australia in 1991, after marrying an Australian girl in 1985).

Left school three weeks early (at 15) and started work the following Monday for Gelders Spetra, a European transport company. Have stayed in transport and logistics ever since and that has paid the bills (most of the time).

What are your general thoughts on your poetry ?

My poetry will never be critically acclaimed - I know and accept that. However, a lot of people seem to like my style and I see it as "everyman" poetry. I genuinely do try and write "from the heart" and know that when I pull a tear or a "ah-ha" then I have done OK. I also like to feel that maybe some of my poetry can help people and for example, that is one of the reasons I have Footprints as a featured poem on the site, as it may help someone realise the aftermath created by taking their own life.

What is your favourite subject and why do you write poems like you do?

A very good question and very hard to answer. I have not read a lot of other poets work, so I can safely say that I have not copied anyone's particular style. I will literally write a poem about anything, The Worm Ode is good proof of that statement ! I won't write a poem if it doesn't have anything to say, I must think of a dozen poems a week that I could write but discard the idea because they would have no real meaning or message. Poetry has a lot to do with emotion so I like a subject where that emotion is evident or easily aroused. For example, I wrote A Harbour View after being in Australia for a couple of years after realising that most Australians generally take for granted their wonderful country.