My beautiful boys, your life is for living.

For grabbing every opportunity you are given.

You may not enjoy your homework tasks,

but do your best, that is all we ask.

Be diligent but make time for joy,

life should be fun for a five year old boy.

Work hard at school and strive to learn

everything on offer so that you earn

the right to choose, to make your choice,

options will arise and you will have a voice

amid the hubbub and background chatter

to make decisions on the things that matter:

whether to work or study more?

Travel the world until you’re sure

about what you should do with your time

although I am confident you’ll both be fine.

You behave like champions with winning smiles,

at cross country running you galloped for miles.

At football you’re unbeatable, at least by me

your winning margin usually exceeds three.

You’re the quickest of bowlers, fantastic with a  bat

Chasing your balls, knocking plants flat.

You get stuck straight in to whatever you do

Enthusiasm and energy applied to all things new.

You eat what you’re given or give it a try

and trying is important and I’ll tell you why.

You both always try your best

for every challenge and every test.

Which makes you special, a couple who smash

every challenge or at least give them a bash.

And that’s why I love you (or at least one reason why)

so whatever you do, continue to try.

Try fresh things, try some old ones too

if they floated your boat when they were new.

But I know you’ll be fine, the best you can be.

After all, it’s genetic – you’ll take after me ………… what? Oh?

 

When did false news become a legitimate repost?

Used by public figures when their reputation is seemingly lost.

They used to bluster and ride it out,

Find a patsy and throw mud about.

Or deny it all: “it was not me.

This is a case of mistaken identity.”

But instead of a tried and tested technique,

Politicians and the like no longer flim flam or sneak.

Instead “false news” is the cry.

“This never happened”, no need to deny

personal involvement or responsibility.

Especially when you can blame it on the BBC,

CNN or the the shadowy liberal elite

as if being liberal requires some great deceit.

And why do the people who claim the news is all lies

spend so much time using a medium they appear to despise?

While not an issue I have to endure,

perhaps less media exposure is better than more

when you have only a fleeting relationship with what’s true?

How about avoiding the media zoo?

And while I’m standing on my tiny soap box

everyone knows life hands out plenty of hard knocks.

So why not try to be kind to others and walk in their shoes?

Give it a try, you’ve got nothing to lose.

Be generous in all things and try to be kind.

Talk to people you come across and maybe you’ll find,

The long forgotten community spirit, of people uniting

Rather than division, resentment and fighting.