THE FIRST - HOW I USED TO BE
THE SECOND - HOW I TRY TO BE NOW!
AND OTHER BITS & PIECES
Below are two pieces of verse. The first was my father's, and I used to try to live by the morals it contains, though in a non-religious way. The second is how I have tried to harden my feelings (without much success!).
OTHERS
Lord help me to live from day to day
In such a self forgetful way
That even when I kneel to pray
My prayers shall be for -OTHERS
Help me in all the work I do
To ever be sincere and true
In addition, know that all I'd do for you
Must need be done for - OTHERS
Let "Self" be crucified And slain
And buried deep: and all in vain
May efforts be to rise again
Unless to live for - OTHERS
And when my work on earth is done
And my work in heaven's begun
May I forget the crown I've won
While thinking still of: OTHERS
Others, Lord yes, others,
Let this my motto be
Help me to live for Others
That I may live like THEE
WHEN MY PHYSICAL BONDS ARE LOOSED
OUR SPIRITUAL BONDS
ARE STRENGTHENED
I WILL NEVER AGAIN
BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANYONE
ELSE'S HAPPINESS
I DO NOT HAVE TO DO
ANYTHING THAT I
DO NOT WANT TO
MY TIME BELONGS TO ME
AND TO
NOBODY ELSE
NO ONE CAN TAKE AWAY
MY PEACE FROM
ME
I WISH TO HEAR THE MUSIC
SO I WILL NOT PLAY IN THE ORCHESTRA
LONELINESS IS A CONDITION
OF THE MIND
NOT A STATE OF THE BODY
THE ESSENCE OF HELL IS HOPE
HEAVEN IS WHERE HOPE IS NO MORE
HELL IS CARING FOR SOMBODY
HEAVEN IS HAVING NO-ONE TO CARE FOR
IN THE BEGINNING
WAS THE WORD
AND THE WORD WAS
COPYRIGHT 1995 KI VINCA
Lesley, my daughter, died I woke up and told Jackie, my second wife, that I had had a poem come into my head. She thought I had gone mad due to the grief.At Lesley's funeral,
Chloe, her mother, had a single rose put on the coffin. As the coffin was carried into the crematorium, we all saw that the rose was shrivelled as though it had already been through the furnace.Before the crematorium service Chloe had a service at the Co-op funeral parlour conducted by Chloe's vicar, the reverend Mean. I did not like him. As he said, "We say goodbye to Lesley." I saw her. She curtsied to me and smiled. I laughed. They thought that I had gone potty!
Here is the poem: -
Just one single rose was placed, then died,
Killed by the anger,
anger, angerAnd frustration inside.
"You whore! You whore!"
Was what I heard,
When all that I wanted
Was a comforting word.
Some nights later I had the same experience:-
To the rhythm of a galloping horse
The she wolf is coming at round about three.
She seeks out the hatred that's aimed against me.
The look from her eyes, sears through the brain,
Your peace will not come,
Ne'er again ne'er again.
Lesley's initials were L.U.P.A Latin for she wolf!
When my father died, he left little other than memories. A piece of his moral prose is this :-
King Akhtoi 1st king of the 9th dynasty of Egypt 2271 BC
A letter to his son.
Be diplomatic in speech; speech is more powerful than any armament, none being able to circumvent a clever speaker.
Respect a life of energy, for self- complacency will make a wretched man of you; yet a fool is he who is greedy of what others possess.
Take care that you do not punish wrongfully.
Slay not any man that is about you, for God in whose care he is, commends him to you.
Do not make a distinction between the son of a noble and one of humble birth. But take a man to you because of his merits.
Indolence would ruin heaven itself.
This is how I tried to conduct myself professionally
YOU can buy a man's time,
YOU can buy a man's physical presence at a given place,
YOU can buy a measured number of skilled muscular actions, per hour, per day,
BUT, you cannot buy a man's LOYALTY,
YOU cannot buy a man's INITIATIVE,
YOU cannot buy a man's ENTHUSIASM,
YOU cannot buy DEVOTION of heart, mind or soul,
THESE THINGS YOU HAVE TO EARN.
QUOTES FROM MY SON'S SITE. IF ONLY HE REALLY UNDERSTOOD!
Life is
what happens while you're busy making other plans - John LennonYou are who you pretend to be - Kurt Vonnegut
Two pints of larger and a packet of crisps please - Drunken Yobbo in the Kings Arms
Religion is a crutch for the simple minded - Ace Ventura, Governor of Minnesota
Writing for a penny a word is ridiculous. If a man really wants to make a million dollars, the best way would be to start his own religion. - L. Ron Hubbard, Sci-Fi writer, who later founded The church of Scientology
What has been the fruits of Christianity?,...Superstition, bigotry and persecution - James Madison, 4th President of the U.S.