Best Sheffield Poems
Thank you Diana
How do you thank someone for giving you twenty-five years of extra life
Yes twenty-five years extra, Of being a Mother, Nanny and Wife.
How do you thank someone for being there for you
.
When you were so ill, you didn’t know what to do.
You thank them by, now being the person you want to be
.
And showing the world on live TV.
You thank them by doing all the things you never got the chance to do before.
When you couldn’t even venture out the door.
You thank them by living your life in the fast lane again
.
Now you are free of the nightmare, free of the pain.
You thank them by shopping at a packed Sheffield Meadowhall
.
A couple of weeks before Christmas, you are having a ball
.
You thank them by going to see your fav’ourite singer Cliff
.
You sit there with 12,000 people just to do this.
You thank them by running a helpline for others
meeting fantastic people along the way
.
You thank them by living your life day by day
.
You thank them by just being you,
You thank them in everything that you do.
Categories:
sheffield, addiction, anniversary, anxiety, appreciation,
Form:
Rhyme
“Sir Cliff Richard ”
I do wish I could meet you, properly I mean,
To actually speak to you, would be a dream.
I’ve been to see you three times during the last few years,
Although sitting watching you almost reduced me to tears,
Tears of happiness that is, I hasten to add.
I’ve adored you from afar, since you were not much more than a lad.
Twice I have seen you at Nottingham’s Royal Concert Hall,
Doing your Gospel Concert, but there were no seats left in the stall.
So up at the very top we sat.
I was scared to move in case I fell flat.
Then you came on and started to sing.
It was a fantastic experience I would not have missed it for anything.
Although we went to see you in October, they had Christmas trees on the stage,
Because the show was being recorded for the Christmas edition of Songs of Praise.
When it came on television, I videoed it so I could watch it all over again,
And again, and again, and again, and again.
My favourite songs are “From A Distance” and “The Twelfth Of Never.”
I could listen to you, forever and ever.
I also like the song you did for Princess Di.
Although when I listen to it, I really could cry,
Especially the words, “All That Matter’s in the End Will Be,
The Love In You And The Love In Me.
With a 20 Year Tranquillizer Addiction, and Agoraphobia,
I’ve Been To Hell and Back.
But Thank God, My Life Is Now Back ON Track.
I sat with 12,000, People at Sheffield Arena, Just to see You,
Years ago this would have been impossible for me to do,
Now my greatest wish in life is too,
Get The Chance Just To Meet You.
Categories:
sheffield, dedication, devotion, faith, happiness,
Form:
Rhyme
On some English grass
On a piece of land forever England
Warriors of the realm
Take holy orders, on their Fathers grave
To defend the honour of their local pub
For this is the noble art of Sunday league Football
The crowds bay for blood
Shouts of foul and blind as a bat
The decision absurd
The referee a drunkard
Shouts of bar steward,
And your mothers questionable character
Cleaned up for posterity
The game goes on
Frank, the winger another yellow card
Another fine, I fear he will be barred
Groans for Bill a night watchman by trade
I think he’s a blade (Sheffield United supporter)
But not a very good keeper I’m afraid
Then there’s the striker
Super king Jack, 40 a day and a cough to match
Will need a penalty to score in this match
What about ken, a beer belly full back,
Rarely runs for fear of a heart attack
And slugger the centre half
Likes to break legs,
And still the only guy to sup a half a keg
Smooth talking tommy pulls birds on the six yard line
Greased black hair, and knobbly knees to match
Still Skill is not this team’s forte, for we are Britain’s
Taking part is our religion
Lost another game two nil
But won three two at fighting, brill
Bottom of the league
Fines galore
First Aid in the pub
A good drink after
Enemies in the field, but forever friends in laughter.
That’s Sunday football league
Home to the wife
And Sunday dinner, roast beef and Yorkshire pud
Another bottle of bud
Feet up, settee calls
Dreams of Wembley, and Sheffield Wednesday
Not a bad life for this Yorkshire clan
Here in Sheffield where football began.
Categories:
sheffield, friendship, funny, sports, fear,
Form:
Free verse
I journey from Sheffield town
to old Nottingham's olde goose fair
where the lights shone brightly
and there was music and laughter in the air.
My eyed were drawn to a pretty girl
with a twinkling eyes and long flaxen hair
among the crowd standing there.
oh pretty Nottingham girl
as sweet as the blossom in spring
and as joyful as the nightingale that sings
As soon as I saw thee my hear ascended above
intoxicated by they beauty and charm
I fell in love.
We danced and flirted by the the minstral's music their
I stared into her twinkling eyes and stroked lovingly
her long flaxen hair.
We laughed and sang upon the fair rides
I could see the love shine from her twinkling eyes
I was so captivated by her son like smile
I wanted the moment to last forever instead if a while.
My soul had surrendered my heart was a flame
I fell deeply in love but didn't even know her name
I turned around for a moment
and she was no where to be seen
I screamed out and then awoke from a dream.
I turned around and was so happy to see
the pretty young girl with twinkling eyes and flaxen hair now my wife
sleeping next to me.
Nottingham's goose fair is still held every year. I hate fairs, but like girls.
Peter Dome.copyright2013. Dec..
Categories:
sheffield, first love, fun, girl,
Form:
Ballad
Seductively symetrical in form and presence
She calls it Eve, I call it sepia political
Aroused motherhood of nation, a glamorous sense
Of identity, modern and yet mystical
Naked as a morning, smooth as silk dreams
She looks back, not histantly, nor curiously
Profiled the hidden breast, in streams
Of provocativeness, the right hand assertively
Shouldered on the fallen curtain of hair
Lefting hand coming down where the stare
Of vulgar eyes would fall, stripped of history
But not of dignity, the umbilical memory
Cradlles a lascivious eye against the dark skin
Woman bounteous with beginnings, sister, kin.
Edna Manley
Eve (Ceremonial Dance)
Edna Manley (1900 – 1987) studied art at Central St. Martins School of Art in London
alongside fellow sculptors Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth. Her artistic career began by
sculpting clay models of animals but she made her reputation as a wood carver. During her
life she became known as the Mother of Jamaican Art, and claimed that it was in Jamaica
where she found both her subjects and materials. The sculpture 'Eve' (1929) was presented
to the Graves Art Gallery in Sheffield by the artist herself in 1937. .
Categories:
sheffield, politicalart, art,
Form:
Ekphrasis
Ross holidayed as a kid once at Center Parcs,
Where he first played the sport of table tennis,
And he loved it so much ‘cos he was so good,
That a member of staff remarked on his ability.
He was successful, ranking in the world top ten,
But later, in 2011 he was genetically diagnosed,
With multiple epiphyseal dysplasia of the bones,
And was glad to be welcome in disability sport.
He was the youngest table tennis team member,
At the London Paralympics where he came fourth,
In the singles, so he did well considering his age,
‘Cos his inexperience didn't hinder or scare him.
In the team contests at these joyous 2012 Games,
Ross and Aaron McKibbin won the bronze medal,
Which ranked him as No. 2 on the worldwide scale,
But he then got a shoulder injury which he nursed.
2014 and Ross took the gold in the International,
At the Cote d’Azur, so 2015 saw him take silvers,
In Hungary and Italy, but then he was injured again,
In his knee, elbow and he strained back muscles.
However, at the Lignano Master Open in Italy, 2016,
Ross won with teammates a bronze, so in Rio grand,
He took another bronze with the team. He’s a fighter,
Born on 5th June 1995 in Minster and trains Sheffield.
Categories:
sheffield, sports, strength,
Form:
Blank verse
The big debate : “What is a city ?” –
A town created by a charter
And often with cathedral church
But sometimes with an ancient abbey.
St David's, Pembroke is the smallest,
Just twelve hundred citizens
And London is by far the largest,
Populous eight million plus.
Many sprawling conurbations
Are the backbone of our nation :
There's Leeds and London, Bath and Bristol,
Canterbury, Sheffield, Hull;
Then Cardiff, Glasgow, Edinburgh,
Norwich, Wells and Peterborough,
Oxford, Cambridge, Manchester,
Swansea, Truro, Chichester,
Worcester, Portsmouth, York and Belfast,
Carlisle, Chelmsford, Perth.
In cities there is entertainment
With cinema and theatre too,
Museum, gallery and concert hall –
A cultured way of relaxation.
A city has a green side too
With parks and gardens to explore,
Pedestrian precincts help us shop
Away from traffic noise and fumes.
I recommend a city visit,
So many secrets are in store.
Leave your car outside the ring-road,
Hop on a bus to start your tour.
Categories:
sheffield, urban,
Form:
Free verse
Mi Amigo
Flying Fortress Mi Amigo Remembrance
Mi Amigo
It happened in the year nineteen forty-four
Ten young lives from that day were with us no more
Flying a B17 bomber plane
A ten-man crew “Mi Amigo” her name
Returning from a raid over Denmark
Badly damaged and struggling back to her mark
Her radio dead and engine misfiring
The skin in tatters from all the shell firing
A nurse plane was left to guide her way home
But they lost sight in the clouds and presumed she was gone
But the pilot valiantly searched for the English coast
He needed to reach Charleston but managed Sheffield, their last post
It was just before five on that February day
Children in the Endcliffe Park with a football to play
Mi Amigo couldn’t wait, she had to come down
She spiraled and tried to land in the Park ground
The pilot he saw the children playing there
He lifted the nose and tried to climb in the air
There is a Memorial Stone in the park these days
They planted ten oak trees for the boys they couldn’t save
The boys were all American aged twenty-one to twenty-four
February Twenty Second, they were lost far from their own shore
The Pilot determined he missed the children and hit in the trees
Heroes to the parents of the children playing in that February freeze
My mother watched the plane as it struggled overhead
The engine sound and smoke from above filled them with dread
They had souvenirs made from the Perspex nose of the plane
But they are now lost like the lives of the boys that were claimed.
© Amanda Tams 2012
It was the anniversary in Feb of 10 American boys that died in a Park where I played as a child. My mother would normally have been playing there with the others, but she watched it from her sick bed at home as the plane passed yards from their roof. Although she was an eyewitness this information is from A book By D Harvey called Mi Amigo Sheffield's Flying Fortress
Categories:
sheffield, children, february, flying, history,
Form:
Narrative
David started playing table tennis,
At the age of ten in his local club,
Where his dad worked as a coach,
And where his brother played him.
He was born with a bone disorder,
Rare Multiple Epiphyseal Dysplasia,
And is a graduate of Sheffield Uni,
In Biological Chemistry medical.
He attended Beijing and London,
And won many medals in 2014,
In Italy, Slovenia and Slovakia,
And in Romania 2015 gold, silver.
Then the Euros in Vejle, Denmark,
And David won singles and team,
Bronze, and then in Lignano 2016,
David won bronze and team silver.
In Rio he made the quarter finals,
And was born in Torpoint, Cornwall,
Just before Christmas time in 1989 -
He lives and he trains in Sheffield.
Categories:
sheffield, sports, strength,
Form:
Blank verse
The 80's electronic band
The Human League
Came from Sheffield England
My home town
Phil Oakey
The lead singer
Had his hair short on one side
The over long hanging down.
He met the two girl singers
Who were dancing
In the crazy Daisy pub
He liked what he saw
and singed them up
To go on tour.
Such hits as 'Being boiled'
'Mirror man'
'Don't you want me''
And''The sound of the crowd'
Were played in many clubs and bars
Often loud.
He is one of the reasons I play synthesizers
Myself today
Now bald as a badger
His famous long locks gone
But he still writes
And can still sing a song.
Other local bands, Def leopard, Heaven 17, ABC ,Pulp, Artric monkeys,
Jarvis cocker, Joe cocker, Richard Hawley,
Living in a box, Baby bird, Paul Carrick, Tony Christie. Rev and the Makers, and many others.
Peter Dome.copyright.2014. march.
Categories:
sheffield, celebrity, dance, music,
Form:
Free verse
At the age of 17 Ian broke his back,
In a motorbike accident, had rehab,
He then worked for a w/c company,
Who showed him w/c basketball fab.
For 3 years he played in the club,
Of the Sheffield Steelers, and then,
He transferred to the Tameside Owls,
To join the British team of deft men.
In 2009 at the European Champs,
Ian and team won the bronze, Turkey,
And then in Israel at more Europeans,
,2011, the team collected gold monkey.
In 2013 at the Europeans in Frankfurt,
The basketball team won the lush gold,
Then in 2015 in Worcester, East Sussex,
He rolled his team into another gold.
So when Rio came they were ready,
And took the bronze from Turkey, 82-76,
Ian was born in Barnsley a 3 pointer,
On the 29th March 1982, quick sticks.
Categories:
sheffield, basketball, sports, strength,
Form:
Rhyme
A Games Maker at London’s Paralympics 2012,
Stephanie used to be a competitor able-bodied,
In the Great Britain team, mind on the Olympics,
Even tho’ since 11 her eyes were bad, crummier.
One day when she was training in a 50m sprint,
She felt a sharp, sudden pain shoot down her arm,
Which she just ignored, but it soon re-emerged,
Such that today she’s possesses nerve damage.
She’s a para-swimmer and competes in contests,
With other disabled sportsmen and sportswomen,
Her first competition as such was in Sheffield city,
2013, the British International Swimming Champs.
So at the Commonwealth Games held in Glasgow,
2014, Stephanie won a silver for the 100m freestyle,
And then in Eindhoven which is in the Netherlands,
7 golds: 1 for back, 1 fly, 3 free, 1 relay, 2 medley.
In Funchal which is on Madeira, Portugal, in 2016,
On this approach to Rio Stephanie won 2 golds,
At the European Championships highly spirited,
1 for the 50m freestyle and 1 for the 100m butterfly.
In Rio Stephanie won the silver in 1 min 10.32 secs,
And sealed gold along with her familiar colleagues,
In the 4x100m medley relay 34pts. From Preston,
She practices in their Club, born 7th February 1991.
Categories:
sheffield, sports, strength, water,
Form:
Blank verse
Good morning world, wake up
Today’s Egypt, tomorrow’s ancient Eldorado, El Paso, Colorado, Suzhou, Picasso, Pissarro, Pizarro, Pirandello, Paganini, Mandela, Nakym, Muhammad, Mugabe, Jabbar, Quadir, Kalani, Nahzi, Adirah, Baariq, Noni-n-Zhari, Mrs. Sheffield, My mommy, a list of cities, states, countries-n-places of wealth, influential people.
Prophets, Presidents, Painters, Poets
Explorers, my children, my wife, my mom, myself, a statesman, an artist, a violinist-n-an author, a man, a father, my words walk through air, and on water, my wealth fed, not only mine, but the world’s sons-n-daughters, we all need supporters, Asians, Arabs, Blacks, Americans, Africans, Latinos, Indians-n-Italians, we all need supporters, wake up the sun is shining, good morning, what would the world be without our sons-n-daughters, wake up the sun is shining, good morning, I’m here 2 wake the world up, good morning.
Huzza
Huzza
Categories:
sheffield, change, encouraging, society, world,
Form:
Free verse
Venice, 2 Milan, then 2 the Congo, then 2 Cape Town
Then Hong Kong
I stay being a faithful husband, with my ring on my
Ring finger, on Baghdad, 2 the Bahamas, 2 O-ka-ya-ma,
2
O-kee-cho-bee
2
O•ke•fe•no'kee
2 the United Kingdom embassy, on a private jet 2 Bairiki, 2 Bu-run-di, 2 Burgundy, now in a helicopter landing on a yacht, traveling the speed of a 1,000 knots in a thunderstorm, going 2 Sheffield, England, then 2 Tahiti
I have an emergency, well a sense of an urgent urgency, I’m horny and so is she, my wife-n-me, so I travel home -n- turn our bedroom into a successful, gorgeous, tragic tragedy, while we climax from a sexual, exotic catastrophe, my wife-n-me, I make love 2 the only woman who owns all of me, 4 I never cheat, so no matter where I go, or who I see, in my mind, heart-n-private parts, it’s all about she, it’s all about my wife-n-me, until the death of me.
2 her I’m faithful
-n-
Tranquil -n- 4 her
I’m thankful, what’s up baby?
Categories:
sheffield, love, romance, sensual,
Form:
Free verse
Phil is a Welshman from Cardiff, basketball,
Who plays for the club the Sheffield Steelers,
On the 2nd February 1994 he was born tall,
And wears vest 11 for TeamGB, has feelers.
His classification is 3.0, he’s experienced,
‘Cos he was a junior before being a senior,
He first played as a senior very balanced,
2012, Standard Life Continental Clash leer.
In 2015 TeamGB won the European gold,
In Worcester in England’s West Midlands,
So in Rio in 2016 the basketball team bold,
Beat Turkey to win bronze, third strands,
Categories:
sheffield, basketball, sports, strength,
Form:
Quatrain