A special page where I share some of the inspirational poems that Spirit have given to me over the years. I hope you enjoy them and find comfort in them. I aim to change this page every month or so, so keep coming back to see some of the other poems. All poems shown here are copyright of the author and cannot be copied, distributed or otherwise used without the authors express permission.

John Tunbridge

The Perfect Rose


Is it rude of me, to boldly propose,
that there is such a thing as a perfect rose?
Perfect petals, with the sweetest smell,
Have you seen such a rose? Pray do tell!

I saw one once, a truly rare sight,
Sad to say, she disappeared over night.
Her name was Diana a Princess fair,
Torn from us, like a fish by a bear.

A rose she was, and always will be,
Especially to the likes of you and me.
She shone in the darkness, made us all smile,
Making life seem, so very worthwhile.

Some say she had faults, but a rose does too,
But by growing and living, we push those through.
We are not perfect, not a single soul here,
So for our Diana, please, don’t shed a tear.

For one thing I am sure of, with no single doubt,
Diana grew, as she helped all about.
For those who were dying she held out a hand,
Helping those cross to a glorious land.

For the living she gave such pleasure and joys,
With the birth of her two, most favourite boys.
William and Harry, go on in her name,
They continue to burn, the, ‘Diana’ flame.

I know of the reasons, she passed away,
I shall never forget, that sad, painful day.
For our English rose, was a fine one indeed,
A wonderful person, sure to succeed.

So back to my question, can I dare to propose,
That there is such a thing as a perfect rose?
Well, I truly dare, and do humbly suggest,
That although not quite perfect, she was surely the best.

I will keep a close eye, on the world of the rose,
For I am sure one day, I’ll be able to propose,
From the world I then live in, and gently repose,
That Diana has become, that perfect ‘Rose.’


John Tunbridge July 18th 2007

Lifted

When I’m feeling sad, lonely or blue,
I know exactly what to do.
Music for me is really the key,
It lifts me up, sets my spirit free.

A bouncy tune, fills me with joy,
Not felt like this since I was a boy.
Music lifts me up, I fly so high,
I feel I can reach beyond the sky.

In the very depths you can feel so sad,
But once lifted, you can feel so glad.
For me it’s music, but it doesn’t have to be,
Look for yourself, at what sets you free.

Is it reading a book? Or walking the dog?
Lying in the sun? Or sawing a log?
Is it memories of good times gone by?
A passionate love, that made your heart fly?

I remember a song about ‘Favourite Things,’
Each time I hear it, I feel urged to sing.
Not cos my voice is so wonderful to hear,
It’s the thoughts behind it, that brings me such cheer.

I guess in the end, it’s about positive thought,
Much to do about how we are taught.
Being joyful is not about being gifted,
It’s learning about, how we are lifted.

Sunshine and Rain

For flowers to grow they need sunshine and rain.

It's a little like life, where there's pleasure and pain.

It's true, is it not, that things often seem

to be quite unlike the utopian dream

We want to be roses, smelling sweet in the sun,

and for life to be full of pleasure and fun.

That's not how it is, or ever can be,

for roses need rainfall and sunshine you see.

Life is a journey from sowing the seed,

we're fed and we're watered, and get all we need.

For a rose to grow strong it needs compost manure

From the dirt on the ground it begins to mature.

In life we prefer to keep things quite sweet,

we revel in comfort and think ourselves neat.

But what have we learned in a life without pain?

Do we know how to enjoy the sunshine and rain?

The reality is we need both things you see.

For life is a journey, like river to sea.

If we've not had to struggle over pebbles and rocks,

we've learned nothing at all til experience knocks.

There are times we all feel life's been  nothing but pain.

We fail to grasp what we truly have gained.

For we enter this life with nothing you see,

Yet we leave it much richer, as rich can be.

No, not in great riches, or things of the earth,

We take with us knowledge of very great worth.

So in darkest hours, don't think it in vain,

For what you are learning is of sunshine and rain.

PASSING

I met a young man yesterday.

His Thoughts it seemed were far away.

I stopped to talk and asked him "Why?"

but all he could do was sob and cry.

His mum it seemed had gone away,

to some strange land, far, far away.

He couldn't understand the reason why,

his mum had lived only to die.

I didn't know quite what to say

and made my excuses to get away.

That night I turned to God in prayer

and asked him "Lord why? It's so unfair!"

The answer then did come to me

"She lives in heaven above with me.

her life on earth is over and done,

but her spiritual life will go on and on."

So to the young man I returned,

and told the answer I had learned.

"The Mum you speak of is not dead,

she's only gone one step ahead.

For through her life great things were done,

She brought much love to everyone,

and though she seems so far away,

she's with you now throughout each day."

The young man now seemed more at ease,

and thanked me for my words of peace.

For now he knows his Mum will be,

with him now through eternity.

Rubbish

Rubbish is all around us, we see it everywhere,

thrown and discarded, as if people just don't care.

It seems that in our lives the same is often true.

We use our words carelessly, not caring what they do.

Now like the rubbish on the ground, there is a price to pay,

for careless words and rubbish, must both be cleared away.

To try and recycle them, I guess, should be our aim.

It's a way to turn one person's loss into anothers gain.

Careless words of jealousy, of anger or of pain,

we really should remember not to use again.

For words are but thoughts we have turned into sound,

and we know, that good or bad, on us they will rebound.

For if you hold onto that which is untrue,

either words or rubbish, they will be stuck with you.

So always think carefully before speaking out,

and be sure the rubbish has been carefully put out.

All poems shown here are the copyright of John Tunbridge.

Thank you for reading them !!