Poems by Eileen Ann Moore

The harvest  |   Exmoor so fair  |   A carol for Minehead  |   Peace in Minehead   |   Making a Difference   |   Would gin help COVID-19

The harvest

(Written when my granddaughter was chosen to give a viola recital for the Minehead and Exmoor Festival.  As she picked up her instrument these words soared into my mind.)

 

The sun rises in the East

And at eve sets in the West

The soft rain falls to swell the grain

For the reap the Harvest

 

In the Autumn months we plough the ground

To clear the soil the frost comes round

We sow the seed of Winter wheat

To grow for grain and food we need to eat

 

In the Spring we sense the stir of roots

And see the new green spiky shoots

Waving in the gentle breeze

April sun and showers the farmers please

 

In the Summer months we sport and play

At Solstice dance the night away

Then the sight of glorious gold will come

As the fields lie ‘neath the ripening sun

 

There will be thunder clouds and storms too

Trials are met in all we do

But nature always plays her part

The Summer months will surely warm our hearts

 

Then the Season that we love the best

The golden grain we can harvest

More work and toil my lie ahead

To gather wheat to make our daily bread

 

And so it is throughout our lives

We work and play and then we rest

We retire and reap the benefit

Of what we sowed before our own Harvest

 

The sun rises in the East

And at eve sets in the West

The soft rain falls to swell the grain

For to reap the Harvest ….. For to reap the Harvest. 

 

Exmoor so fair

For we love to see the sunrise at morn

To hear the lark sing at the breaking of dawn

And we love to see the lambs skip and play

To feel the dew fall at the end of the day

 

For we love to smell the perfume of flowers

To watch the bees as they suck pollen for hours

And we love to feel the rain on our face

To see the clouds ’cross the sky as they race                     

 

For we love to walk with our toes in the sand

To go over the moor with our love hand in hand

And we love to see the harvest of gold

To watch in the evening the sunset unfold                        

                                                                                                                         

For we love to hear the nightingale sing

To look for the stars as the twilight they bring

And we love to feel the crisp frost in the air

To sit in the moonlight at midnight so clear                      

 

For we love to hear the folk music play

To follow the horse to bring in the May

And we love to travel to coasts azure blue

To climb to the hilltops all white with the snow

 

For we love to sit by the fire as it glows

To shut up the doors ’gainst the wind as it blows

And we love to breathe the fresh air as we sleep 

And close to our hearts these memories we’ll keep          

           

We have all of these things on Exmoor so fair 

And we think of them now and the memories we share

 

A carol for Minehead

 

[Chorus]:Christmastime is when everyone sings

Two turtle doves and five gold rings

But sing a carol with me my love

Sing a carol with me.

 

We all rush around and are in a hurry

Food and presents give us some worry

But we must remember today

That Christ was born on Christmas Day

 

Christmas is for family and friends

It seems that the card list never ends

But we must remember today

That Christ was born on Christmas Day

 

Turkey and trimmings and a Christmas tree

Mince pies and chocolates on a Minehead shopping spree

But think of those shepherds long ago

When the angels told them the way to go

 

We might have to travel a long way in the car

Or stuck in a traffic jam not getting far

But remembers those three Kings from afar

When they followed the shining star

 

When Christmas comes and we’re ready at last

Think of those wondrous stories past

How the shepherds and Kings brought Jesus a gift

So unto heaven let your voices lift

 

[Chorus]:  Christmastime is when everyone sings

Two turtle doves and five gold rings

But sing a carol with me my love

Sing a carol with me.

 

NOTE: Chorus, if singing, can come between each verse, or if reading a poem just repeated at the end.

(There is also an echo – Ladies: Sing a Carol with me – Gents: Sing a Carol with me – All: Sing a Carol with me)     

 

Peace in Minehead

Down by the harbour, in Minehead’s fair town

There’s song and there’s music, and joy to be found

Fresh air and clear water, fish swim in the sea

There’s peace and tranquillity for you and for me

Peace and tranquillity for you and for me.

 

The tide and the sands, and children at play

The gulls flying over, around the wide bay

For the people who live here and tourists alike

We’ve the hills that surround us, to walk or to hike.  

 

We have open spaces and comfortable homes

There are beautiful places on the moors and in towns

Some have retired here, their work nearly done

In loving this landscape, they are not alone.      

 

Young people are learning in college and schools

Families are growing and using the tools

Of technology and freedom for this lovely land

So let’s stand together – for peace all join hands.

 

Little acorns are growing into oaks tall and strong

We can be happy all our lives long

In goodwill and friendship to this land we belong

So let’s be at one now, and all sing along ….

 

For down by the harbour, in Minehead’s fair town

There’s song and there’s music, and joy to be found

Fresh air and clear water, fish swim in the sea

There’s peace and tranquillity for you and for me

Peace and tranquillity for you and for me.

Making a Difference

A writer who liked to think under the skies                           

Old and respected and believed to be wise  

Would sit and would dream as he looked out to sea

Seeking to find a new story ….  A new story

Seeking to find a new story

 

This wise man sat with his hat by his side

From the cliff top he watched the ebbing tide

In the distance he saw a young man in the bay

Who seemed to be dancing to the day … To the day

Who seemed to be dancing to the day

 

He put on his hat and walked down to the shore

To hear what good news the young man had in store

If he was so carefree and could dance to the day

He must have something wondrous to say … Wondrous to say

He must have something wondrous to say

 

When the writer came near he could see the young man

Holding a starfish in his hand

Tenderly throwing it into the sea

He said ‘I am making a difference you see … A difference you see’

He said ‘I am making a difference you see’

 

But the wise man said ‘Young man don’t you know

There are starfish washed up – for miles you could go

You can’t save them all, it is nature’s way

Some starfish will die whatever you say …. Whatever you say

Some starfish will die whatever you say’

 

The young man bent down in the glint of the sun

‘I am making a difference to this little one’

And the old man replied ‘I can see that is true

Young man, I take my hat off to you … My hat off to you

Young man, I take my hat off to you’

 

Then the writer said ‘I’ve learned something today

From your saving the starfish in your own way

I’ll go home and I’ll write down this wondrous story

Young man, you are making a difference I see … A difference I see

Young man, you are making a difference I see’

by Eileen Ann Moore: ‘Based on a legend from Cornwall, and a card I bought in an Art Shop in St Ives, which showed a young man saving starfish, and ‘Making a Difference’.  I think it is relevant to our present situation as small deeds or actions can make a difference at present.

 

Would gin help COVID-19

I have a drinks cabinet tall and smart

I make the serving of drinks quite an art

I’ve beautiful crystal of every size

An antiques dealer would find such a prize

Always served on a silver tray

Not Mrs Bucket but Mrs Bouquet

But my mother told me never drink gin

I was brought up to believe that it was a sin

 

In Spring I like to serve ginger wine

I can guarantee it will make you feel fine

Its colour holds such a golden hue

I know how much good it will do you

It settles my stomach – makes me feel right

And helps me to sleep when I’m restless at night

But my mother told me never drink gin

I was brought up to believe that it was a sin

 

In Summer I’ll serve a tall glass of Pimms

It looks so delightful you might sing some hymns

Lemon and strawberries, raspberries and mint

In the evening sunshine the crystal will glint

You’ll eat the fruit on a long cocktail stick

When you reach the bottom, give the glass a sly lick

But my mother told me never drink gin

I was brought up to believe that it was a sin

 

In Autumn Italian Prosecco I’ll choose

We’ll talk of our summer, over holidays we’ll muse

We’ll think nothing of having two glasses or three

By the end of the evening we’ll feel full of glee

In my tummy I may feel a rumble (or ill)

I might have to take a Gaviscon pill

But my mother told me never drink gin

I was brought up to believe that it was a sin

 

In Winter I’ll serve you my favourite drink

A Scots girl I am, so what do you think

A whisky it is, Isla or pure malt from Glencoe

It surely will warm you right down to your toe

It really will fill us quite full of mirth

I was given a Toddy from the day of my birth

But my mother told me never drink gin

I was brought up to believe that it was a sin

 

After lunch at Christmas I’ll serve a rich port

It will help the digestion, or so it ought

Tawny looks scrawny, the Ruby’s a must

We’ve eaten our fill and feel fit to bust

We’ll open our presents and play a game

Sing carols, have fun, each year just the same

But my mother told me never drink gin

I was brought up to believe that it was a sin

 

When I was a young bride divorces were rare

But I knew a young woman who had an affair

It proved mother right, never drink gin

She was florid of face and committed a sin

Gin was her drink, I remember the shock

I look back on my life and now I take stock

‘Cos in that drinks cabinet I’ll just have a look

There’s a bottle of gin in the furthest dark nook

 

Now in olden days they drank gin and beer

Because the well water was not pure or clear

Would gin drive away Covid – keep us from harm

Clear away ills while keeping us warm

Is there something in gin if served with a tonic

Would it fight off the virus and make us bionic

But I’ll stick with mother and never drink gin

I was brought up to believe that gin was a sin!

 

Eileen Ann Moore.  October 2020