The Island

Not an island filled with holes,
But named by gospels inked in gold.
Lindisfarne was once called holy,
By the monks that lived within it’s priory,
Their home cut off by raging seas,
But a causeway comes at half past three.
So when the English walked the pass,
To attend the Priory’s Sunday mass,
As they crossed to the island judged,
For doing sins and doing good,
The foul are taken, engulfed by waves,
And the saints make passage to go and pray.
So if you cross with a conscience ill,
The isle may take you at it’s will.

This is my I poem for the A to Z challenge.
http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com

My A-Z is based on Northumberland, and the myths and monsters that lurk within. You may want to read a couple other poems in my challenge to get the gist.

Well this ones about ‘Holy Island’ or lindisfarne, an island off the coast of Northumberland that can be accessed by a road at certain times of the day. It’s home to books called the gospels and I decided to turn it into a murdering island.

I know I’ve fell behind, but I promise to catch up

The Foreign

Across our land from East to west,
We built a great walled defense,
From the foreign who live beyond divide,
Of whom we do not speak their kind.
With thirst of blood and human flesh,
We stay behind our safety fence.
But when we cross, to our back it looms,
The wall becomes our grave and tomb.

This is my F poem for the A to Z challenge.
http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com

My A-Z is based on Northumberland, and the myths and monsters that lurk within. You may want to read a couple other poems in my challenge to get the gist.

This one comes from the story of Hadrian’s wall, and the fear of those that lurked beyond it. It’s hugely inspired by The wall in the game of thrones series and books, but it’s our wall and we had one first!!!

Lady Etal

In the ancient towns of Ford and Etal,
A fable whispered throughout the people,
Of lovers on 2 sides of war,
But brought together by love they bore,
Her father, sir and Etal’s Lord,
Sent his daughter to castle ford,
And said the man she wished to wed,
Was enemy and he’d take his head,
But to her father, she begged and plead’
Till he finally then agreed,
Bring him here at the hour of four,
And bring him to the castle door,
But when they met and kissed her cheek,
The gates closed and arrows unsheathed,
Where they stood in lovers arms,
And murdered by her fathers armed.
Whose ghost are seen in their embrace,
Trapped between the murder gates.

This is my E poem for the A to Z challenge.
http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com

My A-Z is based on Northumberland, and the myths and monsters that lurk within.

During a school trip to Ford and Etal, many many moons ago. I was told this story when visiting one of Northumberland’s many castles. The trouble is I don’t remember which castle it was. But basically we were told of a woman who fell for her father’s enemy, due to the shame she caused the family she, and lover were murdered trapped between the portcullises. Now whether it is true, I’m unsure but it makes a cracking story!

My poems kind of lead onto one another so I do suggest you read the poem before it to get the gist.

The Broth

The Broth, the deadly winds that howl,
And reaps a many thing so foul,
Misty, thick and foggy Breeze,
Seasoned with the salt of seas,
Carries with it snow and sleet,
And blows and beats the north of East.
So bitter wind it sting the bones,
Stealing breathes and nipping nose,
The broth is not a hearty meal,
But a wind so cold and hard as steel.

This is my B poem for the A to Z challenge.
http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com

My A-Z is based on Northumberland, and the myths and monsters that lurk within.

A broth is a kind of soup, made up of peas barley and lentils with a whole load of veg in it. Often ate on New Years Eve, and on cold days. The weather up in Northumberland has been so bad lately, this is where the idea of the Broth wind has come from. A wind so thick and foggy, almost like a soup.

My poems kind of lead onto one another so I do suggest you read the poem before it to get the gist.

The Braves

Standing just at one foot tall,
Guarding keeps and castle walls,
The tribe of which the moat is hold,
Are littles like the garden gnome.
With spears in hand, align in rows,
Await to stab intruders toes.
These tiny brave, soldiered men,
As old as which what they defend,
The wars have gone a battle ghost,
But still the braves defend their post.
Their joints they’ve seized and turned t’ stone,
Til a day may come to fight for home.

This is my B poem for the A to Z challenge.
http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com

My A-Z is based on Northumberland, and the myths and monsters that lurk within.
The idea of The Braves came to me when I was writing The Untold Stories of Scotland and it never came to anything until now. The idea is a small army so old they have turned to stone, or gnomes. We have alot of castles up in Northumberland, and even more Braves.

My poems kind of lead onto one another so I do suggest you read the poem before it to get the gist.

Alphabet Zoo – The Dung Beetle

For why you’d want to be a bug,
That spends it’s day rolling dung,
From camels cows and kangaroos,
This beetle collects and rolls it’s poos,
And stores it fresh in a hole,
For dinner, stews and casseroles,
Once he made a huge poo pie,
And invited round the bugs to try.
Cockroach he turned up his nose,
And said that pie just didn’t go,
Cricket said I won’t eat that,
Lady bird: ‘that will make me fat’,
The fly he said I don’t share my dung,
And beetle gagged and off he run.
The dung bug sighed and then he,
Thought and thought ‘well more for me’.

Alphabet Zoo – The Camel

A camel, is a magnificent beast,
From Africa and the Middle East.
But the camel Here in alphabet zoo,
Came from the land Timbuktu.
And when we noticed something wrong,
Our camel did not run along,
He did not eat or roll in sand,
He did not spit or help out man,
We told our vet, our camel grumps,
He suggested he must have the hump!

This poem is part of Alphabet Zoo, you can find this in my categories. The idea of it is some light hearted humorous poems, to get my mind in gear for the April A-Z Challenge.

Alphabet Zoo – The Ants

There’s Ants Inside our first enclosure,
It’s filled with near 10,000 soilders,
Exhibit 1; they’re first in line,
A tiny army fight zoo crime.
Lifting more than thrice their size,
And building forts in short of time.
An army like some small marines,
Led and captained by their queen.
Prepared for battle standing tall,
As workers build and repair the walls,
Our Small Ant Army, first defense,
I warn you not to scale our fence.
With pincered heads instead or swords,
Armored skin grown for war.
A man once caught who climbed the gate,
Soon he met horrific fate,
As he was soon caught and found,
And carried to their nest and mound.…

Alphabet Zoo

Todays the day we open our gates,
And welcome you on opening day,
So come inside alphabet zoo,
The name suggests a bit of a clue.
The animals here are from a to z,
Do not feed! they’ve all been fed.
The creatures here, all on show,
A little strange from what you know,
For our enclosures store so many beast,
That start from tiny to 100 feet.
A lion too that can not roar,
A water hog with not hoofs but paws,
An animal called a Rookaroo,
A monkey and a kangaroo.
A snake with legs a frog with wings,
A hive of bees that never sting,
Our zebra zing with 1 black stripe,
Another black it’s markings white.
The tour it starts at 10 past A,
I’m your guide, for everyday,
So join on in and walk right through,
I take you on to Alphabet Zoo.

Getting warmed up for the A-Z challenge with a little bit of light humored fun!

Adam, Eve and the Apple Tree

If you open up the bible,
A story you will find,
Of Adam, Eve, an apple tree,
The start of all mankind.
For set in the garden of Eden,
A paradise of land,
The fate was set one early day,
And free will was given to man.
Now God, he told his Adam,
There’s a tree that you must leave,
And repeated this very command,
To his wife, his lady Eve.
On a walk she took alone,
She met a serpent sly,
who enticed her to the tree,
And a fruit that she must try.
But Eve she hesitated,
For the fruit on here’s forbidden,
One bite on this ripe apple,
She would never be forgiven.
The serpent assured her dearly,
It wouldn’t cause her any harm,
So Eve she leant quite forward,
And stretched up out her arm.
Biting through the flesh,
She didn’t hesitate,
The apple it was succulent,
Yet bitter to the taste.
So she carried it back to Adam,
Where she only asked him twice,
Taste this juicy apple,
And Adam took a bite.
For it was from a tree of knowledge,
And it would make them more aware,
But the couple did soon realise,
They were unclothed and standing bare.
Adam said to eve,
This fruit that you have found?
Well what were you thinking!
You know it’s out of bounds!
Eve explained to Adam,
She simply could not resist,
And the serpent stood there watching,
He laughed, he sneered, he hissed.
But in a cloud of thunder!
God caught to their attention,
He told them of their sinning,
And the tree that he did mention.
Well man: he blamed the woman,
And the woman she blamed the snake,
But they bowed their heads and listened,
As god boomed out their fate.
I warned to you two beings,
To heed to your temptation,
Your sin will now be punished,
He said through his frustration.
First he spoke to Adam,
And said from now on in,
Men will work and labour,
And toil for your sin!
Then he spoke to Eve,
Cursing women to suffer,
And endure a painful childbirth,
On verge of becoming mother.
But you, oh treacherous serpent,
I punish worst of all,
To drag your belly on through the dust,
I condemn you to a crawl.
You’ve heard the very story,
The sin of Adam and Eve,
And since this day in Genesis,
This way it will now be.

This poem was originally wrote for A of the A to Z challenge for 2012, after signing up for the 2013 challenge today, which will start in April, I decided to take a look at last years poems. there was a few changes I has to make so here it is a second time.