JUST LISTEN

The poems and artwork in this anthology are a selection from the work produced during the Summer and Autumn of 1991 at Hennessey House, the Ross Day Centre and Hillcrest Hostel at workshops run by the Windows Project and Knowsley Social Services.

The workshops were conducted by myself and the artist Colin Weir. This was our first collaboration : we hope it will not be the last..

Kevin McCann .

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The poems and artwork in this anthology are a selection from the work produced during the Summer and Autumn of 1991 at Hennessey House, the Ross Day Centre and Hillcrest Hostel at workshops run on behalf of the Windows Project and Knowsley Social Services by Kevin McCann and Colin Weir. .

I remember when I was small

Having blood poisoning in one of my fingers
Showing it to my parents


Instead if taking me to the Doctor's
My Dad brought down a Wilkinson Sword open razor blade
Prepared a bowl of boiling hot water
Putting Dettol in


I was standing up with my finger above the bowl
My finger stretched out
Seeing the razor blade sliding along
The affected finger to make the cut


Feeling emptiness inside and
Remembering almost fainting with resentment.


Anon
.

******* Being scared is ...

Seeing faces in the wardrobe door
Men following me
Being stuck in high places
Fire
The bedroom mirror
My own shadow


Anon 0 .

*******


Childhood fears ...


Old Nick in the mirror
Getting stuck up a tree pinching apples
Dark shop windows
Lightning
Grandma


Being late for school
Mum looking over my shoulder
Air-raids
The Thing under the bed


Anon .

A Good Day
Went swimming with my best mate David,
Went playing football with my mates,
Went to Hale Shore on our push-bikes,
Went to Carr Mill Dam
Then to Sefton Park
Then I went to bed with a big smile on my face
And slept soundly till the next day.

John Coyle
.


Autumn

Leaves turning gold
A smell of woodsmoke in the air
Conkers
Apple-pie
Trick or Treat


Penny for the Guy
And soon it'll be Christmas

Anon

.

Being a snowman is ...


Wearing a scarf and a hat
Coal for my eyes
Dreading the sun
Or the rain
Naughty children knocking me down
And gasping for a smoke.

Anon
.


When I was a boy I was happy
To have an old dog for a best mate
To find wonder in living
To be able to believe in love
To be a child is to walk every day
with God.

Bill Turnbull 0

.

*******

It's a hard day's work

You go to bed early in the night
You wake up early in the morning
You start having your breakfast
Then you realise day is dawning

You have finished your breakfast
Now you're off to work
You get in your car
And it starts to jerk

Well the car has broken down
It's time to take the train
I want to get to work early
So I don't get the blame

You're at work now and the boss is really mad
You told him what kind of morning you had
He stood there and said, That's sad .

Bery Rawlings

.

*******

Why does Christmas never get here?
And when it does
You blink and it's over.

Why do you never grow up?
And when you do
It's suddenly happened.

Anon



\page A man swinging his girlfriend
around and around
On the dance-floor
Lights flash on and off
As he teaches her
How to dance
And she's happy
And he feels happy too.
Later they go for a meal
By candlelight
And he smiles
And she smiles
Remembering their dance.
d
Linda Ledesham



*******

One Summer night we went to Grafton
Drunk before we got there on two Black Velvets
Me in a turquoise balloon dress
My hair in a plait with pearls

We danced with these two fellas
And then got our photos taken

I arrived home at two-thirty
And got battered

What a fantastic night!


Anon


Green for go
Green with envy
Green that makes the garden grow
Green aghast, sad memory
Green grow the rushes oh!



Thomas Donovan



Neck me into insanity
He said neck me
I said no thanks
I'm fed up not hard up

He said neck me
I said no thanks
I want thrilling not killing

He said neck me dribble dribble
I said toilet quick
I want to be sick

He said give us neck
I said no thanks

Just a peck
Oh heck
He still wants a dribble dribble neck
Neck me neck me
Neck me into insanity

Debbie
*******

Where there's muck there's brass
There's nothing so queer as folks

There's a crock of gold at the end of the rainbow
And politicians always tell the truth.

John Coyle

*******

I like going to pubs and clubs
I like going to discos
I like the sound of the rain

Keith


An eye to the future

The vision of the future is clear to see -
A wiser person I will be
Building on the years passed by -
Emerges understanding, the answer for Why?

Life is such a special treat
Bringing hope and love to all we meet
Friends and foes will unite
To secure the peace without a fight

Human, animal species all
Will endeavour to a higher call.
Equal to the last -
This is the future of the past.

Theresa Morgan


Being Happy is ...

Seeing smiling faces
in direct traces
in demanding love
for those above
so let me end
and try to spend
a most happy time with you
in a church praying in
some pure
Happiness

Sadness ends
and sadness spends
most of the ways
young days say to me

B.Coyle


I'm going down the motorway
and the sun is in the sky
And it looks dead small
I know the sun is small when you're on the earth
But it comes with me all the time
And it seems like it's following me
From one end of the country
To the other end

Paul



I want to be kissed in the rain
I want to go to bed in red silk sheets with a big hunk
Like Arnold the man out of Terminator
I want to go to Hawaii with an Australian and make passionate love

On sandy beaches
And drink sunrise cocktails under the palm trees
I would like to have long blonde hair
And long fingernails
I want lots of money
To buy loads of gold
I want a figure like Cher
I would like to dance to the early hours of morning
and not have this gammy leg.

M.C.

*******
Things that make me happy are
Eating, sleeping, shopping,
Talking friendly to people
And I'm happy
When the sun is shining
Listening to my favourite songs
Dancing, singing
All these things are unusual
If only we knew it and showed it

Joan Mack

*********
Happiness is ...
The living room in my flat
Weekends
Not getting socks for my birthday
Or Christmas
A good book
A good meal
Not being overdrawn at the bank
And
Finishing a poem

Anon 0




As I sail by ship >
I see the waves of the sea
Then the sea-bird flies on

I wonder if that bird is my soul
Then the bird flies on

Norman Nivens
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