Poetry Thursday 109 - Diversity in the blood

Aethelstan ascended the throne of Wessex in 924 AD. By 927 AD he had united small kingdoms into what we now know as England. 

Aethelstan 

First King  

 

Turns out Aethelstan was the man,  

with intelligence and a future vision,  

devised an ambitious plan,  

a land of Angles to be his creation.  

 

Mercians accepted Aethelstan at once,  

Wessex were slower to concur,  

in 925 agreed final acceptance,  

but Vikings unlikely to defer.  

 

So to Northumbria to tackle the Vikings,  

a thornier diplomatic process,  

involving less talk and more fightings,  

the Nordic tribes had Aethelstan in a vice.  

 

 

 Resolute, the would-be king,  

was determined to achieve his aim,  

the death of the ruling Northumbrian Viking,  

allowed him to fulfil his claim.  

 

The rulers in Scottish and Welsh land,  

agreed borders with our new king,  

and so was the birth of England,  

energy needed for maintaining.  

 

Aethelstan’s diplomacy was not over,  

looking to Europe for expansion,  

married off his sisters to uncover,  

allies to support more acquisition.  

 

So for almost 1100 years,  

from the moment of first inception,  

England has always been a diversity pioneer,  

with all the benefits of aggregation. 

©David L Atkinson September 2025 

God Bless 

Poetry Thursday 98 - VE Day (not that one)

VE Day - Voluntary Euthanasia Day  

The media, perhaps influenced by the dark state, have already suggested using AD for assisted dying. It is anathema to me that the process has been developed. A better title would be state-sponsored suicide. The government has a duty to care for its population, but this process can divert attention away from care in a person's final years. No one should suffer because the health service should be developing palliative care to cope with all situations. Countries around the world have adopted AD, and they are modifying their original safeguards to permit disturbing developments. eg. 2 European countries are making it available to children. 

VE Day (not that one)

 

It began with the Iron Lady,

her financial dealings rather shady,

to include profit in every crevasse,

to the detriment of every service.

 

Then came OzbCam on millionaire’s row,

Skinner’s target and rightly so,

for their mantra was to impose austerity,

with maximum range and unfeeling asperity.

 

We were repeatedly called an aging population,

reminded of being an expensive collection,

in spite of paying tax for donkey’s years,

then, perversely, taxed as pensioners.

 

Into the horizon AD has arisen,

available to the wealthy in a Swiss canton,

but, like a phoenix rising from ashes,

appearing on international personal agendas.

 

Politicians clarion the solid safeguards,

protecting us from familial disregard,

a guarantee which they can only ensure,

until a different party is in power.

  

AD will divert constructive thinking,

from NHS and the role of care giving,

putting pressure on the sick to use AD,

a blow to true humanity.

 

The signs that safeguards are slipping,

will be an increase in assisted dying,

slackening of criteria to qualify,

a reduction in expertise to ratify.

 

If accepted it will take little time,

for this potentially ubiquitous crime,

to have us celebrating VE Day,

the anniversary when we sent grandad away.

©David L Atkinson June 2025 

God Bless 

Writing - Reflecting politics

 Unless you are writing futuristic or period pieces, the current political situation can be an addition that adds 'flavour' to your work. Writers are renowned for being keen to hold governments of the day to account and have been imprisoned and worse in some regimes. Using politics is meat and drink to writers. 

Some notable examples include Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, whose works like One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich exposed the realities of the Soviet Gulag, and Václav Havel, a playwright and later Czech president who used his writings to critique the communist regime. Other examples include Carlo Levi, author of Christ Stopped at Eboli, a memoir of internal exile for his political opposition, and Nelson Mandela, whose autobiography Long Walk to Freedom documented his struggle against apartheid in South Africa. 

Weaving political views into your writing can be done by including scenarios that demonstrate your point of view. More simply, by delivering your point through conversations between characters in your story. 

Currently, the world is not as enamoured with freedom of speech, and so writing along political lines could be risky. For example, foreign students entering the USA are required to keep their social media public so that it may be examined by security services. Why would they do that if the USA supports freedom of speech. 

God Bless 

Poetry Thursday - 96 - Remember Dads

I never believed when I was growing up that being white and male could be a bad thing. Doesn't look good for Dad's in this category.

Remembering Dad’s

 

Not the most popular role these days,

fodder for the misandry disciples in many ways,

yet a role carried out in respectful silence,

categorised by frequent sacrifice.

 

More complicated now than last century,

but respect, teaching and love in my memory,

a beneficial role in the growth of youngsters,

additional care and a playmate’s shoulders.

 

In the development of children dads are important,

the benefits for families abundant,

so celebrate the role in your own way,

but remember dads on Father’s Day.

©David L Atkinson June 2025 

 

Easier for a Camel

 

The ‘root of all evil’ could be to blame

for the decline in our faith, things aren’t the same

as when I was a lad

and morals were dictated by more than your dad.

From an early age, at Sunday School

God’s Law was the daily rule.

Now we’re told we have half faith

and similarly society’s standards deflate.

There are plenty of religions from which to choose,

Christian, Hindu, Muslims and Jews,

and yet modern folk will not adhere

to those organisations whose aims are clear.

To care for each other above monetary concerns

and pass on good practice to our own interns.

© David L Atkinson December 2015 

God Bless