CELIA'S POEMS

            No 68   May 24

            I did tell you a story,

            Of how mum’s life was sad,

            Today I’d like to tell you,

            A bit about my dad.

            He was one of fifteen children,

            And life was very tough,

            You couldn’t say he was brought up,

            He was dragged up very rough.

            At 12 his father said to him,

            You start in the mill next week,

            That wasn’t what he wanted,

            But was not allowed to speak.

            He met a man with a horse & cart,

            Who delivered oil to farms,

            The man was glad of this young lad,

            And an extra pair of arms.

            He loved his job on the horse & cart          

            In the cellar he had to stay,

            His father thought he was at the mill,

            Didn’t know he ran away.

            This went on for a long time,

            If he got caught he would get beat,

            His mother didn’t have time to help,

            She was just run off her feet.

            She also had two sets of twins,

            It made me shed a tear,

            When my dad did tell me,

            She had them in one year.

            To deliver fuel all the time,

            Was what he really longed for,

            So he ended up driving a tanker,

            During the second world war.

            From those poor beginnings,

            He had made the right choice,

            He started his own business,

            Owned a Jaguar and a Rolls Royce.

            So what I’m trying to say to you,

            If there’s something you want to do,

            You’ve got to dig your heels in,

            Work hard and see it through.