When it’s time for you to go, Don’t turn and wave, Instead, Consider this, If there should be a blessed place, Beyond, A land of half-forgotten ghosts, Then I will follow you and We shall meet once more, But if this other Eden, Should prove unformed, Remember this, One day, I too will rest among, The longest sleep, And you, Alone, no more. bobby … Continue reading When It’s Time For You To Go
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The day I heard the news, The World didn’t end – at least not that day. Instead the sky grew a little darker, And I realised there was no longer any way That we’d accidentally bump into one another On some far-flung shore, and laugh about the old times. That morning I said, ‘see you later’ was to be our very last and Neither of … Continue reading The Day I Heard The News
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H old O n, P ain E nds H ave O nly P ositive E xpectations H appiness O utlives P eople’s E rrors H elp O ne P erson E njoy H ope O neday, P repare E veryday H old O n, P roblems E nd bobby stevenson 2018 Continue reading HOPE
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I’m waiting for the winds to blow, And someday soon, or later, They’ll take me on a voyage, To a land of somewhere greater. And if we do not get the chance To wish ourselves goodbye, I’ll look for you in kinder places, As I go sailing by. bobby stevenson 2018 Continue reading Waiting For The Winds To Blow
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“Today is going to be a great day,” said the little boy Whose mother unexpectedly opened her eyes Today is going to be a great day, smiled the old man As the pain in his hands stopped for a time Today is going to be a great day, laughed the young mum As she picked up the money from the street Today is going to … Continue reading Today Is Going To Be A Great Day
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I know you’re tired of that twisted road, Tired of climbing those hills, Tired of getting to the top of one, Only to have to drop down into another valley, So why not just kick off those dusty shoes, And sit with me a while, No need to talk, Come listen to the birds sing, Feel the sun on your face, Or the rain in … Continue reading Rest
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You hesitate to say hello – To that girl or boy, To the stranger needing help, You think twice about some invitation – Another day, another time perhaps. You aren’t ready, least not today What with this and that, you have to do. And so that chance you should have taken, Has flown, has gone, has disappeared. What are you saving your little self for? … Continue reading What Are You Saving Yourself For?
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I am so proud of you, In so many ways, Proud of every sinew in your strained body, Proud, that even with a fractured heart, You can still stand and smile, Still look the world Straight in the face. I am so proud of you, For although you ached for love yourself, You gave yours away to those who needed it, Proud that when … Continue reading I Am So Proud Of You
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When I first got to know her, She was fully formed. A woman with life, and humour and Dreams. And in the gaps between the dark times, She talks about her dreams, And all the reasons they never happened. But now we have a fight on our hands, For she is slowly leaking back Bit by bit, thought by thought, To where she came from. … Continue reading The Stars Want Her Back
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To fill a human soul, Takes strength and smiles, To fill a human head, Takes wisdom and time, To fill a human life, Takes courage and hope, But to fill a human heart, Takes love, Takes love. To fill a lifetime lived, Takes all that we have, To fill a child with hope, Take kindness and patience, To fill a lover’s dreams, Take selfless devotion, … Continue reading To Fill A Human Heart
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You are my favourite thought, favourite smile, favourite life, You’re my first thing in the morning and my last thing at night, When I speak to other souls, it is you in my head, I long for you beside me, I dream of you in bed. You are my favourite thought, favourite day, favourite night, When I stumble through darkness, you carry the light … Continue reading My Favourite Thought
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Sandy the elephant and Zoot the dog were, without doubt, the best of pals in the whole wide world. They loved to sit by the river and watch time floating past their little seat. “Looks like another great day,” said Zoot. “It’s always a great day,” agreed Sandy. “Tell me something pal, what do you see when you look in the mirror?” Asked the elephant. … Continue reading Zoot and Sandy and The Universe
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When she was a child, she carried the ‘phone to let her mother know where she was. ‘Oh mum, I’m fine’ When she was young, she carried the ‘phone in case her friends would call. The long, hot summer days and nights of fun. When she was older, she carried the ‘phone in case he called and asked her for another evening of laughter and … Continue reading She Carries A ‘Phone
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Breathless ….if she had looked up at that moment, his nurse would have seen his toes moving in waltz time to a tune that only he could hear. Through the willow window he could see the stars and the Moon and he remembered how, as a child, he would lie on his back and be overwhelmed by the wonder at it all. But now he … Continue reading Four Shots of Wry
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When the flowers had all but disappeared from Clare’s garden, she had replaced them by painting roses and daffodils on a brick wall at the rear of her flower bed. There would be no beautiful smells welcoming a visitor as they walked up her path, but then there hadn’t been any visitors in such a long time – at least not since that peculiar day. … Continue reading Painted Love
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It was the strangest of times. The world was full, as were other worlds, of course, but the old one, the first one, our Mother Earth was drowning in people. And that is when they brought in the death-chip. All those born after a certain date were fitted with it. Those who were born dumb had no need of it – but for the rest, … Continue reading The Word Hooker
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Martha had a room, one that she would refer to as a ‘spare room’. Not that the size of her house allowed for such extravagances – she had a kitchen, a little area to sit, a small toilet at the rear of her house, and a little bedroom upstairs. Next to that was Martha’s spare room. When she and Ted first got married, it had … Continue reading Martha’s Room
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Just ‘cause you’re breathing, Doesn’t mean you’re alive, Just ‘cause you’re clever, Doesn’t mean that you’re wise, Just ‘cause you’ve faith, Doesn’t mean that you’re kind, Because you can see, Doesn’t mean you’re not blind. Just ‘cause you’re loving, Doesn’t mean you know love, And by sitting in church, You don’t speak for Above, Just ‘cause you’re hurting, Doesn’t make you unique, And because you … Continue reading Just ‘Cause You’re Breathing Doesn’t Mean You’re Alive
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(I am happy to inform you that your piece, ‘A Brilliant Life’, has been selected for a community reading group project at the University of Northampton. ‘A Brilliant Life’ will not be sold and will be used for educational purposes only, but — as you hold the copyright to your stories — it is up to you to give permission for its use. If you … Continue reading A Brilliant Life
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When Buzz was about ten years old, he stole my Daddy’s car. One minute he was askin’ me where the keys were hangin’ and the next, he’s starting the engine up. If my name ain’t Jay then call me a liar ‘cause I swear that he just started her up and took off. He didn’t look back. I ran after him and just as he … Continue reading Me and Buzz and Drivin’
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No one I know ever really picks writing, As a sane thing to do with their lives, It waits in dark corners where monsters are playing, It jumps on your back, quite rudely – just saying, It whispers in ears when trying to sleep, It punches your head, it tickles your feet, It makes all your friends think, You’ve become a complete weirdo, …….then leaves … Continue reading Writing
I hear tell that the house is still there, still standing like. Leastways I heard that was the truth of it a few years ago from a sickly ginger-headed woman who had been passing the little cove. Said it was “the sweetest little shack she ever did see, and she didn’t mind who knew it”. I still miss the place, the way I miss cigarettes. … Continue reading A House
When they were about five years old, she stumbled as they danced to the Christmas music playing on the old Bakelite radio. He picked her up from the wooden school floor. She smiled. When he was thirteen, they danced together for the very first time as a couple. He had been learning to dance in secret to impress her at the party. She laughed as … Continue reading The Dancers
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I guess you never really know when your own will start but in hindsight I know his began on February the 11th at 10.23pm. 86,400 Ronnie was 19 and clever. He had worked hard to get to college and study a subject he loved – chemistry. Now I know what some of you may be thinking but that was what set Ronnie’s pulse racing. It was … Continue reading Ronnie (Feb 12th)
No one will stand by your grave and weep Nor will they talk of long-lost friends No one will raise a drink nor wish you well For all the years you spent near by You were not asked nor were you wanted here Be sure you have not won the war This battle has only just begun We will not rest, nor disappear Until the day … Continue reading Stand Up To Cancer
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He remembers one night – when Peter was about twelve summers old – that he and his best friend were sitting in the light of the dusk, puffing a found cigarette butt and talking about love. Peter’s pal was excited about the prospect of kissing a girl – a human girl – and although Peter went along with the conversation, he couldn’t stop himself feeling … Continue reading Peter Rabbit
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based on a true story She could taste the sea on her lips as she drove her Hudson Super Six towards Summertown, Nova Scotia on a day that only God could have made. Amy and Ben, her grandchildren, whooped and hollered as they stood on the automobile’s back seat, arms flapping wildly in the wind. “We’re eagles, Grandma, look we’re flying” “No, we ain’t” … Continue reading The Ice Ghosts
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There are two people in this story – as well as Hector. Hector’s the elephant. The little girl is Amy, and her granddad is the other fellow. From the moment she could walk Amy took Hector everywhere – after all he was a real elephant and wasn’t he Amy’s best friend in the whole wide world? So why wouldn’t you? Amy loved Hector and Hector … Continue reading Amy and Hector
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( a story not too far from the truth) Kenneth was knee-high to the rest of the world. Not that being so short in height had caused him any problems, at least not in any ordinary way. If he had been at the back of the queue for tallness, then he was certainly at the very front when they were handing out confidence. Some shy … Continue reading Wee Kenneth’s Dating Agency
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Don’t think that all of this will last, As the darkness wears your heart away, One day, Someday, When you least expect it, The lanterns, Will bring the light to stay. Don’t cry at the moon when no one sees you, For each of us is made to pay, One day, Someday, When your hope is dying, The lanterns, Will light another way. … Continue reading Lanterns
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Once, this was our land, Where we ran the highest peaks and held the very sky inside our palms. Once, this was our land, Where we stalked the work fields for all that we could take, Where love came calling and was so easily found, that it was cheaply wasted. Once, this was our land, Where we ruled the earth and all within it and … Continue reading Once, This Was Our Land
Strange things happen to nice people. There I’ve said it, but it don’t make it any less true, friends. I ain’t gonna argue here and now about how you measure niceness and all, you’re just gonna have to take my hand-on-my-heart word on that point. You see, me and my pals, sure are the nicest people to walk this part of Bucks County – maybe … Continue reading Once in a Blue Moon
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That summer, that sultry humid one, in ’46 was the hottest on record. She still remembers it. How could she ever forget? From her apartment window on the first floor she could view most of the comings and goings for a block. And she never got bored. Never. There was always the odd soldier returning home from the war overseas. Those kids in khaki would … Continue reading Enough Sunshine For Everyone
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I’d been working in Washington D.C. for a few weeks in the late fall of 1947 when I decided to visit Georgetown. One of the guys had told me about a little book shop near Dumbarton Oaks Park which sold old books about the District. The guy who run the store, Grankin Wilson, must have been about sixty back then, knew every book or story … Continue reading Lincoln’s Watch
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She liked to call him ‘Joseph’, that way he seemed a bit more human. It was her turn tonight to wash and bathe him. Poor soul. Some of the other nurses would run a mile rather than get anywhere near him. But she felt she was different. She was used to the wild ones. Sometimes people would come in and poke him, just to hear … Continue reading KILLER!
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…if she had looked up at that moment, his nurse would have seen his toes moving in waltz time to a tune that only he could hear. Through the willow window he could see the stars and the Moon and he remembered how, as a child, he would lie on his back and be overwhelmed by the wonder of it all. But now he was … Continue reading …breath-taking…..
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Story written for a charity. Every one of us is made just that little bit different to the next person. It’s what makes us all special. Sometimes we are happy with our little special differences and sometimes it can make someone unhappy. And so it was with Tommy. Since the day he was born he had what the doctor called, a cleft lip. When he … Continue reading Be Different
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I guess the first thing I’ve got to say is – to do the things he did, you really have to believe that you are going to live for ever. Which isn’t exactly true: now is it? There was no two ways about it, least not at the start. At the beginning, he was expected by those around him to take the common road, and … Continue reading No Two Ways
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If you asked the Melt family in public where they came from, then they’d always answer with: ‘Why, Churchill Avenue of course, next to the school.’ But in private, the Melt family knew that they were from another place – 52,000 light years away to be exact. At least that is what Grandpa Melt had told them before he got arrested. The truth of the … Continue reading Grandpa is An Alien
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Tommy was tired of waiting for his life to start. He had given it more than enough chances in his nineteen short years, thank you very much, and still there was nothing to get excited about. So Tommy thought he might as well begin his life without any help from anyone. His current dream was to watch the World Cup football final at Wembley and … Continue reading 1966 – A Summer Breeze
The wind couldn’t decide which way it was going that day, neither could she. Esther had only just got herself the way she liked (the way the boys liked) when she stepped out through the door, and a gust of Sheeba desert sand blew in her eyes. “Ma eyes, Mama, they’re stinging. They’re hurtin’ so bad.” And then she flapped her hands like she was … Continue reading The Disappearance of Esther
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When I was a kid, my whole world was Hell’s Kitchen. Heck, it was my whole universe too – because that part of New York City was all I needed, and to be honest it was all I ever wanted. I was about ten years old when my brother, Archie took the photo. He had swapped one of his medal from the war for a … Continue reading That Perfect Moment
As always, Sandy the elephant and Zoot the dog were the best of pals in the whole wide world and were sitting by the river. “Them things in the sky,” said Zoot. “The birds?” Asked Sandy. “Yup, the birds, do you think they are happy?” “I guess so,” said Sandy. “Why wouldn’t they be?” “I wish I could fly,” said Zoot. Sandy smiled to … Continue reading Zoot & Sandy and the Birds
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“Nothing is stranger or more ticklish than a relationship between people who know each other only by sight, who meet and observe each other daily – no hourly – and are nevertheless compelled to keep up the pose of an indifferent stranger, neither greeting nor addressing each other, whether out of etiquette or their own whim.” ― Thomas Mann He always left work at exactly … Continue reading Seventy Times Around The Sun
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In those days, the Blue Ridge Mountains were another world. Very few folks had automobiles back then and the trains didn’t go anywhere near. The little town was called West Culpepper, and if you had just clambered up from the Shenandoah Valley then you hadn’t gone far enough and if you got all the way to Blacksburg, then you’d gone too far. It was such … Continue reading The Miracle of West Culpepper
I don’t think there was a precise time when you could say that they actually met; instead it would be more accurate to say that they rubbed against each other’s lives from the moment they were born. Kitty and Jethro were born in the same week to families who lived next door to each other. They grew up together, sat in the same school rooms, … Continue reading Skiing In Central Park
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I kinda wish someone had warned me about the day that Buzz decided to grow a beard. I met him on the way to school and he kept pointing to his face and sayin’ ‘huh’, ‘yeh’ and then nodding, real stupid like, then he would finish off with a ‘wow’ and click his fingers. He asked me what I thought and I just said, ‘yeh’ … Continue reading Me and Buzz and The Beard
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Now I ain’t saying this story is true, but I ain’t saying it’s a lie neither – mainly ‘cause I don’t want to be sued by any of you folks out there. I am just saying that it is, what it is. If you push me on it, I’ll just have to say that it’s the rabid memory of an old man, and leave it … Continue reading The House of Laughter and Crying
U R Loved. R U Loving? U R Hope R U Hoping? U R Life R U Living? U R Given R U Giving? U R Taught R U Teaching? U R Lucky R U Sharing? bobby stevenson 2018 wee bobby Save Save Save Continue reading UR : RU?
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He had just bent down to tie his shoes laces and this is what probably caused him to disappear behind the large box. It wasn’t that he was being nosey, it was the act of him bending down which had caused him to accidentally overhear the conversation. “Who is going do it?” asked one of the men. “Looks like it will be me,” said … Continue reading Murder at the Mermaid Inn
So you’re not as thin, nor as fat as you wanted to be, Or as tall, or as short, or with a little more hair, You’re not as clever or wise as they said that you were, Or have looks that have people chasing you there. And you’re not that great person with so many friends, Or as famous or rich as you dreamed life … Continue reading How Could You Be Anything Other Than Beautiful?
Sometime while I was out walking, the wind changed, No longer at my back with my face always towards the sun, It cuts a sheer cold front that takes my breath away, And steals the words out of my mouth, Names are harder to recall and thoughts are grainy, It blows the dust of time into my eyes, Causing them to stream and flow with … Continue reading While I Was Out Walking
His house was the furthest from the river and it did Jeremiah good to know it was so. “I hate the water, hate the water, hate, hate, hate, the water,” was his little song that no one ever paid any attention to. It was also obvious was that when you brushed close to Jeremiah that he also did not like soap. But he had the … Continue reading Dirty River Mansions: Jeremiah’s Story
It was on a mild Spring Thursday morning when it happened. No church bells, or fireworks, or even a spontaneous applause marked the occasion; for on that Thursday, at 9.24am, the last book that had been read was closed for the very last time. It’s not as if anyone could have failed to see it coming. For years people had read their stories on little … Continue reading The Man From Montana
Once upon a time she had been called Chiquitta, and once upon a time there had been a family in the house. But they had gone now, and she had felt a little comforted knowing that she wasn’t the only one in her position. It wasn’t that she was unloved, if something like her had ever been loved, it was just that it had come … Continue reading The Girl In The Corner
You think you have time, To be annoyed, or to be angry, To not speak, or not call. You think you have time, To work up the courage to say hello, Or tell the one you want, that you love them. You think you have time, To consider this, or ponder that, Or shrug and say, next week I will, You think you have time, … Continue reading You Think You Have Time
Friday 10th July Maybe I should start at the very beginning then perhaps if someone finds this, it will all make more sense. That is, if what has just happened can make sense – to anyone. I live (lived) in a beautiful village in the south-east of England. I don’t want to be any more exact than that, just in case they find this. … Continue reading A True Story That Hasn’t Happened Yet
She felt that she had never set the world on fire; unlike the politicians who had managed just that. No, what she had achieved, what Sara had achieved, was to light little fires in the eyes and souls of the people she would meet. The world had gone from blues and greens and whites and yellows, to the darkest black. Darker than the hearts of … Continue reading Sara: The Woman Who Told Stories
The Montana Express was a wind that found its temperature somewhere around the northern end of Canada and then didn’t stop until it hit the Gulf. Our home was in its path, and so every April it would bring an unseasonable coldness to our valley which affected almost everyone and everything. It was on one of those April days that the table was finally delivered. … Continue reading The Montana Express
Her Stories Stories. That was all she had, that was all she would ever have. The ability to create worlds, and fill them with color and life, and give those listening something near hope. The saddest thing about her ability was that she could create alternative lives, so clear in her mind that they could almost be real, and in those lives were another her, … Continue reading Future Stories
He could do nothing but stare at the paper. Then he re-checked it and checked it again. He was trembling. I mean really shaking. The way you dreamed of something really good happening and then it does, and it never feels real. He had woken with the numbers in his head – not that he remembered going to sleep with a problem that needed solving. … Continue reading The Proof of God
The Midnight sun seared the ice-cracked streets. He sat drinking a Finnish beer and watching the old vintage cars making their umpteenth circuit of the same block. That’s what people did up here, work all winter on old American cars, making them look fine and dandy and then come the summer, drive them proudly through Lahti’s city centre. To live at the edge of the … Continue reading Lahti, Finland
Wednesday April 17th, 1912 Pier 60. NY,NY. Her name was simply, Julia Edinburgh – not doctor and not professor; she was a woman after all in 1912. She was probably the cleverest of all people working on the causes and treatment of cancers. Her husband was a doctor, but he had grown to admire and love his wife and her ability to see patterns and … Continue reading The Titanic in New York City – Julia’s Story
Thing was never going to sing at the Paris Opera but that wasn’t the point; he sang because he liked it. It made him happy. Thing’s father was always whistling a tune and he did it so often that most times he didn’t seem to notice. “What’s that tune?” Thing would ask. “Heck, if I know,” said his dad. Thing’s mother would also ‘tut’ at … Continue reading Thing and His Song
The things you see inside of me Are never really there, The things despised, or criticised, Belong to you, not me. You cannot see my heart or soul, Nor why I do the things I do, You look at me through soiled eyes, The one you hate, Is you. bobby stevenson 2018 Live Happy! Save Continue reading The One You Hate
I never really quite belonged, To anyone or anywhere, Except the worlds inside my head, I’m always made so welcome there. bobby stevenson 2018 Save Save Continue reading Write or Wrong
It was an ancient village that was for sure, and on some days Jake found it to be the middle of his universe and on others – well, he could take or leave it. He wasn’t that bothered. His family had all been born, lived and died in Coldharbour, as far back as anyone could remember. His father had been the black sheep of the … Continue reading Coldharbour: The Big Gallhoolie
Charles the Boy (The blacking factory on the left at Hungerford stairs – near present day Charing Cross station) It was a blue-cold winter’s day and another poor soul was lying dead at the bottom of the Hungerford Stairs. The boy was just standing there staring at the corpse. That was the first time I ever clapped eyes on the little urchin. He was … Continue reading Dancing With Mister D. (3 stories)
for David Bowie – the man who let me hear the Universe – thank you. It had always troubled the boy why he liked some music and not others. Why, songs which hit him around the face, making him want to scream out in happiness, didn’t even cause a flicker in some eyes. That was a mystery all right, and it had bothered him all … Continue reading The Music of the Spheres
The night that Sally was born, the comet, Hale-Bopp lit the skies above the hospital as she lay, crying. She was the most beautiful of children and her parents called her Halley after the light in the heavens. She had a wonderful early life and then one day she cut her finger which started to bleed. That wasn’t unusual for a child or for any … Continue reading The Polka Dot Comet Kid
Learn to climb trees, And live with skinned knees, Learn to jump gaps and laugh, Learn to handstand, Play a tune, join a band, Learn to tap dance in the bath. Learn to be foolish, And live without care, Learn to sing songs and cry, Learn your name in Swahili, And learn to climb trees, And never stop asking ‘why?’. bobby stevenson 2018 Save Continue reading Learn To Climb Trees
You go to sleep at night and who’s to say that everything will be just the same the next day? During the War, folks would go to sleep in their shelter and awaken to a street flattened by bombs – but that’s not what I’m talking about, here. I’m referring to a night where you really do fall down the rabbit hole. That’s what … Continue reading ALICE – 1. Weird Wednesday
You see the lovers, sitting, Holding hands outside the café, Perfect you would think to yourself, Just perfect, Yet for a fleeting moment there is a look in one of their eyes Which screams, that the end has arrived. The woman walks the long street, watching and smiling at The babies in their prams, and the mothers and fathers, Smile back wondering what the woman … Continue reading EASY
She hadn’t spoken to him, but then again, she didn’t need to. She knew what made him tick, what took his breath away, and, most importantly, what put fire in his eyes. Of course, she could only see what she saw and in her mind as she joined up the dots – it was a space where she turned him into everything she … Continue reading Strange Loves
It happened in the time of war, and when Zachariah was at the right place, and at the right time – or perhaps that’s dependent on your point of view – and who or what you are. The US and Russia had formed an alliance in those days. Each of them building weapons, not against each other (at least that is what they stated) but … Continue reading On The Third Day
I think I walked the length of the street with a great huge grin on my face. I wasn’t sure if I looked like a ‘shoot-the-president’ type of crazy, but then again I wasn’t caring and I mean that, I really wasn’t caring. When you realise that you don’t have to waste time with people who don’t matter in your life, then you live. All … Continue reading 100 Words to Freedom
1.Just ‘Cause You’re Breathing Just ‘cause you’re breathing, Doesn’t mean you’re alive, Just ‘cause you’re clever, Doesn’t mean that you’re wise, Just ‘cause you’ve faith, Doesn’t mean that you’re kind, Because you can see, Doesn’t mean you’re not blind. Just ‘cause you’re loving, Doesn’t mean you know love, And by sitting in church, You don’t speak for Above, Just ‘cause you’re hurting, Doesn’t make you … Continue reading Never Ever Let Them Get You Down
When you fall, I will catch you, When you call, I will be there, When you stumble, I will lift you, When you’re drowning, give you air, When you hurt then I will hold you, When you break, I’ll make you whole, When you’re down, I’ll make you smile, When you’re lost I’ll be your goal, When you’re weak, I’ll make the world turn, When … Continue reading The Promise
This is just one of those quick stories I gotta tell you ‘fore Buzz finds out. Some of the sharper of you out there might remember the time that Buzz broke his leg in two places – the yard and the driveway – yeah, I know, it’s still not funny. But it did mean that my best bud in the whole world had to spend … Continue reading Me and Buzz and the Hospital
The only time that Thing would ever make it down to the town was on the day of his birthday. His mother had marked this special day on the calendar and so every year he would tick the days off until his birthday came around again. However, if truth was told, it was the same old calendar he used year in, year out and so … Continue reading Thing and His Birthday
The midday sun warmed his metal quicker than it warmed his skin parts. In this field, like every other field in the quadrant, everyone was equal. No one got more than any other cyborg, and, equally, no one would expect any less. It was the way it had been since memories began. That was the way with memories – you only remembered the last time … Continue reading The Day That Love Was Invented
I guess it was murder that afternoon, trying to get to the coast on a train; despite the thunderstorms, flash floods, delayed trains and everyone dealing with it in their usual patient ways. Even though the Heavens had opened up and released enough water to get Noah slightly worried, it was still extremely warm. I had run to the station thinking I was late, only … Continue reading Murder
So you’re asking me what’s the story of this photograph, and I’m saying to you, just rest your bones a while and I’ll tell you. ______________________________ In the old days, and by that she meant the old Savannah days, her Grandma would sit Alice on her knee and sing her a song that came from long, long before her Grandma Catherine was born. The family … Continue reading To Catch A Warm Wind
Next year some people will leave your life And new ones will enter Next year some dreams will vanish And others, not thought of, will come out of the sun Next year you’ll make mistakes And you’ll survive them all Next year you’ll win some things and you’ll lose some things Next year some friends will fail to understand And some will grow to love … Continue reading 2018 – Next Year’s Love
There was a time back then, a long time after Buzz’s pappy had left for somewhere down south, that Buzz took to lyin’ to make himself feel better. Well maybe not lyin’ exactly, more exaggeratin’ usin’ stories that weren’t the whole truth and nothin’ but the truth. I mean I knew his pappy was long gone but I heard Buzz tellin’ the new teacher – … Continue reading Me and Buzz and Lyin’
When Sadie was ten years old, her mother ran away with another man and Sadie never laid eyes on her again. The little girl had to grow up in the blink of an eye and quickly became mother to her three brothers and two sisters. Her father spent more and more time at work, and when he did come home, he was usually drunk. Sadie … Continue reading The Christmas Meal
Some hearts are born to do certain tasks, and so it was with the songbird. She had been brought into the universe to sing her song so that others could hear and benefit. Not that the songbird ever noticed, for each morning she would fly to the top of the highest tree and sing her heart out – that was the way she had been … Continue reading The Songbird
Sometimes you just do and sometimes it ain’t happening; and that pretty much explains my life and everyone I know. I honest to goodness don’t remember what started it all off – I honestly don’t, I swear on the biggest stack of comics – I just remember my ma telling me I wasn’t getting a bicycle for Christmas, ‘cause Santa couldn’t get it down the … Continue reading Santa is a Weirdo
Every year it was the same thing; was it going to be a big Valentine’s card (looks too needy)? A small Valentine’s card (looks too cheap) or a bunch of flowers? She picked a large card and the most expensive flowers – if you wanted to make an impact you had to spend large. It would impress everyone and keep her Mum off her back. … Continue reading A Kind of Love
It’s funny how no one talks about Amazing Grace anymore. I guess she’s been gone a long time. I guess if you didn’t forget about people then we’d still be talking about folks who lived in caves. They say you die twice, once when your heart stops and the second time when the last person mentions your name. That happens to everyone, I guess, even … Continue reading Amazing Grace
When me and Buzz were about 15 years old, Buzz turned to me one day and told me, straight in the eye like, that he had ‘an itchen’ for a hitchen’. “Let’s hitch right across the country to… well, the end,” said Buzz not sure where the end of the country was. “Then what?” I asked just to see what he’d say. “Why then we’ll … Continue reading Me and Buzz and Grooviness
He chose the highest room in town. Which, I suppose, is fair enough. What it doesn’t explain is why he chose Hastings, a seaside town on the south coast of England. His wife explained it by telling everyone that he was obsessed by history, and more specifically by the Battle of Hastings. Okay, to be totally accurate, the battle wasn’t exactly at Hastings but then … Continue reading Santa and the Battle of Hastings
It had been welcomed by the scientific community as a life saver, as the next step in metal technology and a new generation of those shining babies was about to be unleashed on the world. The team that had developed the idea at Los Alma had received the Nobel Prize that year and were ready to be courted by every large manufacturing company. They had no … Continue reading Can’t Stop This Gun From Crying (a Black Mirror type written before Black Mirror)
His name was Charlie and he was a kid. Charlie was lucky enough to be living through his best years. His mother, father, brother and sisters were all well, all happy, and all in that little perfect bubble that happens from time to time in life. When Charlie was eight, he had his first birthday party which involved all his friends coming to his house. … Continue reading Yellow Balloon
Ever since he was little, folks had always been telling him how he should live; that he should ‘do it this way’, or ‘do it that way’, or ‘you’ll never amount to anything, not with that attitude’. Now either, he was plum crazy (and there was always a chance that was true) or perhaps he simply walked to the beat of a different drum (judging … Continue reading Gregory
Alex’s Story If you’ve ever sauntered up Charles Street, you’ll know what I mean. Some days you see everything, the people, the windows, the traffic and on other days – like when it rains, or there’s fog, or you’re simply in a hurry – the whole street can pass you by in one big blur. Then there are the odd days when a person will … Continue reading The Bar at the End of Sugarhouse Lane
Hansa had felt for a long, long time that he was alone; that he was the only one who had felt the way he did. He knew he was smaller than the family who had taken him in, but they lived so far above his own head that he really had no one to with whom he could speak. Most of the biggies had been … Continue reading The Great Tiny Escape
It wasn’t hurting anyone; now was it? She’d give the kids a difficult problem to solve, although if she was being honest, there wasn’t an answer to it. Then, when all their heads were down staring at the desk, she’d nip outside for a smoke on a delicious cigarette. She loved teaching – don’t get her wrong, it was her life. Yet it left no … Continue reading Breathers
Ever since Thing had been left to fend for himself, he had grown a little harder to life. I suppose that life is a matter of holding on to your innocence until gravity eventually catches up with you and then, it’s all a matter of how you deal with that. From the outside, Thing was still the same beautiful soul that he had always been. … Continue reading THING and the Lesson
Thank you for today, Not everything was good, But then not everything was bad, I woke up sad and somewhere in the sunshine The day got a little better. Thank you for today, For letting me see that Life is difficult for every heart And some things, which I find easy, others don’t And I know the opposite is true Thank you for … Continue reading Thank You for Today
“I hate going outside, I absolutely hate it, hate it, hate it,” said Nelle to the sad-looking boy standing at the porch door. “You’ve gotta come, ya just gotta,” said the boy. “P…l….e…a….s…e!” He said in one of those elongated ways, that folks from town always used. This was Alabama and the way people talked could be used as a weapon, as well as … Continue reading Nelle and Tru (For Harper Lee)
No one, and I mean no one, had ever seen the likes of the inscription before. It had lain undiscovered in a small cave on the north shore until Roman times. There were those who thought that it was written by the ancients – whoever they were meant to be. The curious and the deluded, would beat paths to the cave to declare it a … Continue reading The Inscription
Wednesday April 17th, 1912 Pier 60. NY,NY. After a successful maiden voyage across the North Atlantic, the Titanic berths in New York. Annie’s Story She was born with the name, Annie Constantine and from the age of nine, she had worked tirelessly as a kitchen maid in a large house on the south coast of England. Annie could not settle for a life in … Continue reading The Titanic In New York City – 3 stories
If Alexandra McMillan had been born in any era other than her own, she would have most certainly been burned as a witch. Luckily for her, she popped into the world the same year as Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone; inspiring her father, Robert, to name his new daughter after the Scottish inventor. Robert McMillan came down from the Isle of Skye in 1870 with the … Continue reading Coldharbour: Passing Wonderful
Even although I’m writing this on my deathbed, you’re probably still not going to believe me but I have to tell someone. It’s about what we discovered back then. Long before Neil Armstrong and all the rest of those suckers stepped on the Moon. It must have started around the time I heard my first Elvis’ record. The world was changing, what we knew was … Continue reading A Hollow Moon
A while back he wouldn’t have been having a conversation about all of this, but a while back the world was a different place. All his life he’d been an eccentric little kid and for that read – he’d done his own thing. Sometimes being that way meant folks either took longer to catch up with you, never managed to catch up with you, or … Continue reading Ghosts
