Poems by John Peter Read

Those Christmases of old
were much better by far.
We never had much money,
but we always got by.

No expensive gifts
just little things.
A Christmas stocking
a drum made of tin.

A jigsaw puzzle
my mum helped me complete,
A plastic gun,
golden coins that were sweets.

A few new pennies,
a coloring book
That my Nan filled in,
so I never got a look.

Now sadly today
the mystery has gone.
Christmas starts in August
and goes on and on.

Gone is the magic,
the expectation the surprise.
Christmas is big business,
it's become too commercialized.

Spring,summer,winter and fall,
the seasons of change
greet one and all.

For as in life,
they'll be many a storm.
Life's seasons change
the moment we're born.

Clouds will appear
every once in awhile.
From a cold winter chill
to a warm summer smile.

In our lives like the seasons
they'll be many a fall.
We have to prepare
to answer the call.

But in the end
our troubles will wain.
When the sun bows its head
and shines once again.

I've never wished for fortunes,
I've always prayed for better things.
I'm happy and contented,
Never wanting to live like a king.

I've never craved for riches.
Why should I waste my time?
Possessions are only borrowed.
All I want is peace of mind.

Money can't buy you happiness
Or make your dreams unfold.
Your loved ones are your wealth,
Not pockets filled with gold.

As long as there's food on the table,
A roof above my head,
I will say thank you, Lord,
My life has truly been blessed.

Love is in our heart,
love is in our mind.
Love breaks down all barriers,
love is always blind.

Love can soothe
or break your heart.
Love can heal
or tear you apart.

Love can warm you
then leave you cold.
Love never ages,
love is in your soul.

Love can make you happy,
love can make you cry.
Love will never compromise,
love will never die.

Love has no price,
for everyone it's free.
Love is all around us
and yet so hard to see.

Love is made for everyone,
it fits just like a glove.
Love is a gift from God,
and God is a gift of love.

A poem's but a whisper
That lingers on the breeze.
A few unspoken words
Appear like falling leaves.

A tapestry of memories
Dreams that haunt the mind
Jumbled words, scrambled thoughts
Borrowed from the passing of time.

Take me back to far off lands
where streams and rivers flow.
I want to leave this cold grey town.
It's no longer the one I know.

I've now become a stranger
in this place I once called home.
The friends I loved and grew up with,
some have left while others have passed on.

My life has now taken a detour
from the path I once was on.
It seems I blinked my eyes
and suddenly everything had gone.

So now I'm on my own
and often find myself breaking down
on the highway to nowhere,
endlessly going around and around.

My head is full of words
all jumbled up inside.
But when I start to write,
those words don't seem to rhyme.

Yes, it's so annoying
when I'm halfway through a verse.
My mind goes completely blank;
nothing could be worse.

I blame it on my age.
My memory's not the same,
so I'll have to end it here
just in case it goes again.

I miss our moments together,
I treasure each memory.
You left with the key to my heart;
Your life lives on through me.

If only I had wings,
I'd fly toward those stars
And knock on heaven's door;
I'm sure that's where you are.

Just to hear your voice,
See your loving smile,
Just to hold you once again,
I would crawl a billion miles.

You'll always be a part of me,
For love never fades with time.
I know in my darkest hours
Your light will always shine.

I'm living under a shadow,
No shape, no sound, no time.
A black and white silent film
That haunts a troubled mind.

Broken dreams lay all around;
Life has left its scars.
On a journey of remembrance,
Walking blindly through the dark.

Echoes call me from the past,
Familiar voices seem so near.
They fill an empty void,
Although it's only ghosts I hear.

In a world of yesterdays,
Life's lost all reality.
For memories are all that's left
As I await my destiny.