27/04/2024 - Not Your Time

Saturday 27th April 

Sometimes you have to sit and reflect

When things don’t turn out as you expect

Maybe it just wasn’t your time

Nearly taken when you are in your prime

That near miss or inexplicable escape

You got out of that near fatal scrape

Somebody somewhere was looking down 

And sent positive energy all around

That invisible hand kept you safe 

As you reflect over the coming days 

Miracles do sometimes happen 

What if it was angels - just imagine

Maybe our lives are all mapped out 

After all none of us know what it’s all really about! 

Joanne C Hicks copyright ©️ 

Pembrokeshire Poet 

24/04/24 - Go The Extra Mile!

My poetry of late has been put on the side

My pen over paper will simply not glide

So today I just want to say something to make you smile

So go out, be nice and just go the extra mile! 

Joanne C Hicks copyright ©️ 

Pembrokeshire Poet 

15/04/24 - Sober, Old & Forgetful

Monday 15th April 2024

The sun streams through the window 

As I sit and ponder my life info 

I cast my mind back to my younger days

I lived carefree come what may

Now I sit and crunch household numbers

Even when I’m deep in my slumbers

I can no longer stay in bed all night

Needing a pee before morning light 

I have a few aches and and the odd pain

Bending down is now such a strain 

I remember when I busted out dance moves 

Now I just hope my balance improves

I remember the days I was young, drunk and stupid

I probably should have had my gin more diluted 😂

Now I’m just old, sober and forgetful 

Grumpy, cross and a little fretful

Why can’t my body be as young as my mind 

Growing older isn’t always very kind 

On the plus side now I can just say

I’m old so excuse me if the odd rule I disobey 😉

Joanne C Hicks copyright ©️ 

11/04/2024 - The Time Is Now!

Thursday 11th April 2024 

The time is now 

Don’t you know!

You stop and think about it

Before you slump into a social media pit.

You’ve got no money

Not today, it’s too sunny

You’re just too worn out and tired

It’s on your to do list called “retired”

It’s wet and windy outside 

The sun is just trying to hide

You’re far too busy to fit it in

You procrastinate and never begin

Then comes the final blow

Your numbers up - it’s time to go 

The time is now 

Don’t you know!

Joanne C Hicks copyright ©️ 

Pembrokeshire Poet 

11/04/2024 - Still It Rains …..

Thursday 11th April 2024

I turned my face up to the sky

More rain - I just ask why?

The clocks have changed 

Summer holidays arranged

Time to bid the rain goodbye! 

Joanne C Hicks copyright ©️ 

08/04/2024 - The Scandal That Rocked The World

Monday 8th April 2024

Today I have no words

To fall from my mouth

Words that I normally

Find easy to sit and spout

Today I sit astounded

By the stories I have heard

About the poor sub post-masters

This scandal leaves me disturbed 

So many have lost their battle

And are no longer on this earth 

It’s like Horizon and the Post Office

Never truly valued their worth

Lives left turned upside down 

Decades seeking justice 

All they can do is sit and listen

To a government saying just trust us …….

Joanne C Hicks copyright ©️ 

Pembrokeshire Poet 

07/04/2024 - Don’t Look Back

Sunday 7th April 2024 

I stand and look before me 

At the cross roads I can see 

Which road to set my feet upon 

When I am blind to what’s beyond

My heart is pounding in my chest

My mind not giving me a moments rest

How do I know which road to choose?

I crane my neck but can’t see future views

I decide to go with my gut feeling 

I will pick the road most appealing 

The real trick from here is to not look back 

Always believe, in that moment, you’re on the right track 

Joanne C Hicks copyright ©️ 

02/04/2024 - I Give Freely

Tuesday 2nd April 2024

My heart is full and I give freely

Not just to those I love dearly

I give to strangers who are in despair

For these people I truly care

Ravaged by war they have no food 

Horrified by the scenes I’ve viewed 

But I have to to do all that I can 

I feel safe with my colleagues in our van …..

The poor aid workers hopefully didn’t feel a thing

Their deaths sending the world into a spin

They were out helping others and thought they were safe 

Sadly the bomb dropped and it wasn’t the case

They gave their lives saving others 

Please let’s make sure no-body else suffers

Joanne C Hicks copyright ©️ 

01/04/2024 - The Fox’s Demise

 Monday 1st April 2024

You wind down your window and just let it go

Your rubbish out of the window - you just throw 

It lands in the hedgerow and nestles there 

You’ve gone on without a care

I’ve been sleeping all day and now I must eat

Finding food is not a very easy feat 

I trundle along and see something ahead

That looks like food to take back to my bed

Nobody knows how long the fox had struggled 

His head stuck in the litter, he’d wriggled and juggled

It just wouldn’t come off and he’d given up the fight 

His lifeless body - a heartbreaking sight

Don’t throw your litter over our countryside 

There’s a countryside code and rules to abide

Take your rubbish home with you - it’s not much to ask 

Picking up your litter shouldn’t be someone else’s task! 

Joanne C Hicks copyright ©️ 

29/03/2024 - Peel That Onion

 Friday. 29th March

We are peeling back the onion every day

We can’t believe all that they say

The poor post masters sit head in hands 

For years nobody listened to their demands

Now all we hear is lie after lie

So many sat questioning why?

This country should be ashamed of this fiasco

It’s just the truth - that’s all we want to know

So stop playing games and peel off all the layers 

Post office managers and the government just betrayers

At the centre of this farce are poor innocent people 

This horrendous scandal is nothing but pure evil! 

Joanne C Hicks copyright ©️ 

28/03/2024 - Look Within

Thursday 28th March 2024

She spent her days looking in vain 

For something she thought she must attain

It tore her up inside her tortured soul

Hunting down this elusive goal

Then a wise woman stopped and spoke to her 

She told her to ignore the goals trying to woo her 

For what you seek is a perfect world 

Wading through dreams that swim and swirl

Stop looking out and look within 

Then your life will truly begin 

It’s not that perfection doesn’t exist

You are perfect already - a fact you’ve missed 

Pembrokeshire Poet

Joanne C Hicks copyright ©️ 

27/03/2024 - The Joys Of Competition

Thursday 27th March 

Hello I’d like to review my contract please

Surely a question you can answer with ease?

Yes certainly madam just hold the line

Let’s see if the pricing we can refine

They pop me on hold with some dreadful muzik

It’s truly awful makes me feel quite sick

I wait and I wait - I check the line

Yes everything still seems fine

Where have they gone - Timbukto?

I do have other things to do!

Finally they are back, let’s get to it

They’ve got the prices so let’s go through it

Oh dear me what follows next 

Is a financial maze leaving me perplexed 

Could you just tell me X and explain Y 

Another confusing blurb is their reply

I just simple want to know what it will cost!

You’ve presented a mass of options and I’m just lost!

We’ve been on the phone for nearly an hour

My tone is now decidedly sour 

I finally concede with despair in my voice 

It feels I really have no choice

Thank you privatisation it’s been a blast

It seems to me it’s just put the customer last! 

Joanne C Hicks copyright ©️ Pembrokeshire Poet FB 

23/03/2024 - Puppy Dog Eyes

Saturday 23rd March 2024

Won’t you share your tea with me 

It looks delicious, I know you agree

A big, fat juicy steak 

There upon your plate

Look into my eyes 

The size of mince pies

How can you resist my puppy dog eyes

I’ve lapped my lips and given cute sighs

But still you don’t seem to want to share

I’m man’s best friend and it’s like you don’t care

Oh no it looks like you have finished 

The steak very much diminished 

I let out a small, sad whine

As you just sit and sip your wine

Just one morsel was all I desired

Right as my human - you are most definitely fired! 

Joanne C Hicks copyright ©️ 

Pembrokeshire Poet 

22/03/2024. - A Royal Diagnosis

Friday 22nd March 2024

The public thought they had a right to know

TikTok putting on its on elaborate show 

Rumours flying left, right and centre 

People starting to resent her

Stories and lies hitting social media feeds 

The Princess wants privacy the royal palace pleads

No the baying crowd wanted more 

She’s left him they would all implore

We have a right to know your business 

What is this strange mysterious illness?

Tell us, tell us, tell us now! 

The people stooped to a new low 

The noise kept growing day by day 

Why won’t the palace just say?

A woman at the centre of this farce 

There was a reason facts were sparse

Why couldn’t they just leave her be

Now her pain laid out for all to see

A family dealing with a bitter blow

A cancer diagnosis is what we now know 

Every person has a right to privacy

People sitting in their towers of ivory!

At the end of the day there’s a family hurting

Now I find the conspiracy theories so disconcerting 

Joanne C Hicks copyright ©️ 

21/03/2024 - Shut The Door Please!

Shut the Door Behind You

Close the door behind you

Hollers spring to winter

You’ve left everything soaking

The wind’s got out of hand

I haven’t finished yet 

Replies winter with a grin

May’s just begun but I’m not done

I’m having one last fling 

Well, make it quick and snappy,

Spring sighs in reply 

People are longing for sunshine

And a stretch of blue sky

Joanne C Hicks copyright ©️ 

Pembrokeshire Poet 

21/3/2024

20/03/2024 - Where’s My Crystal Ball …..

Wednesday 20th March 2024

Never think you know where your life is going

If you look hard you will always find a cup overflowing 

Even at your lowest you must look for some light

Never give up caring and find a passion for your fight

Open up your mind and watch the opportunities flow in

Maybe, just maybe you will sit and think - where do I begin?

Joanne C Hicks copyright ©️ 

19/03/2024 - The Easter Bonnet

Tuesday 19th March 2024 

My grandson made an Easter bonnet and put it on his head

He said he was going to wear it from morning until bed

He wore it at his Easter parade 

Where he gave his mum a wave 

Next a hot chocolate topped with cream

It really was every young boy’s dream

We took a trip to the arcade where he sat upon the rides

To everyone who went past he tapped his hat and smiled 

We couldn’t pass the beach without going for a walk 

He held his hat tightly as the seagulls overhead did squawk

He had to have an ice lolly while we sat and watched the sea

The only time he took his hat off and handed it to me 

You can’t go to Tenby without buying some hot chips 

The hat firmly on his head with tomato sauce around his lips 

He climbed up into the car, he was one tired little boy

When you’ve got an Easter bonnet you don’t need any toys

My grandson made an Easter bonnet and put it on his head

He said he was going to wear it from morning until bed

Joanne C Hicks copyright ©️ 

18/03/2024 - Don’t Look Back

Monday 18th March 

If you live in the past

Will you ever move forward?

If you keep looking back 

Will you ever see where you are going?

If you relive history every day

Will you make the best memories?

If you harbour past negativities 

Will you ever live positively?

Joanne C Hicks copyright ©️ 

17/04/2024 - Winter Caves Be Gone

Sunday 17th March

Everyone’s emerging from their winter caves

Does this mean spring is really on its way

The rain has kept on pouring upon our sodden lands 

We all now have weird flippers for feet and hands

It’s nice to see those faces emerging from the dark

We can get out and enjoy walks at the beach or park

It’s been a long, wet winter we’re ready for some sun

My relationship with my raincoat is well and truly done!

Joanne C Hicks copyright ©️ 

16/03/2024 - The Key Is Happiness

Saturday 16/03/2024

Never stop laughing along the way

Happiness is the key come what may

It’s ok to be sad some of the time

We don’t always have to feel fine

But when you feel blue

You know what to do 

Turn up the corners of your mouth

Because laughter is what it’s all about 

Joanne C Hicks copyright ©️