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Best Poems Written by Denis Briggs

Below are the all-time best Denis Briggs poems as chosen by PoetrySoup members

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Dunblane

Dunblane
                         
                                        
A senseless waste
These young live lost
Let's all stop to count the cost

Melissa, Charlotte,
Kevin and Ross
All over the world they will mourn your loss

A town United
In grief and pain
We all share the sadness of Dunblane

Victoria, Emma,
Mhairi and Dave
All the world will weep at your grave

When at the gates
They waved you goodbye
No-one could have known that you would die

Abigail,Emily,
Sophie and John
Once bright young and lively now all of you gone

Your whole lives before you
Still left to live
So much time remaining so much left to give

Hannah, Megan,
Joanna and Brett
In all of our hearts you are living yet

Spare a thought for Gwen Mayor
Their teacher so brave
Who gave up her life her pupils to save

So let’s learn the lesson
And maybe then
We can ensure it won’t happen again
That's the best tribute
To the kids of Dunblane
That their innocent blood was not shed in vain

By Denis Briggs


(On 13th march 1996 at 9:30 am Thomas Hamilton broke into a primary school in Dunblane Scotland and shot 16 children and one teacher dead. The whole world was shocked and it was dubbed the Dunblane Massacre)

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The Legacy of Anne Boleyn

She stands all alone in a court full of men
An innocent woman condemned
The charges are great, she's resigned to her fate
She knows she will die in the end

Though she is in despair she's standing tall there
She knows she has committed no sin 
But these cowards, these men will find her guilty and then
Seal the fate of Queen Anne Boleyn 

On the 19th of May that terrible day
From her room in the tower she's taken
If they thought she cry and plead not to die
They were very mistaken

With words clear and strong she denies any wrong
With no quiver or break in her voice
The swordsman stands by with a tear in his eye
But he knows that he has no choice

One swing of the sword as she praises the Lord
And she's gone in the middle of prayer
The King is away he is hunting that day 
Its clear that he doesn't care

That sword gave her peace it gave her release
It finished the fear and the pain
“Death rocked her to sleep and her memory we keep 
Each May again and again

Anne's death wasn't in vain though she suffered great pain
Her daughter went on to be
A wonderful Queen, the best there has been
That was her great legacy.

Details | Denis Briggs Poem

The Runaway

Lucy went to London
She couldn't stay at home 
She was a crazy mixed up kid
She felt lost and so alone

When Lucy got to London
The streets weren't paved with gold
She slept in a shop doorway
And shivered in the cold

In the morning she washed in a toilet
In Kings Cross station there
But she couldn't wash the pain away 
And nobody seemed to care

She walked the streets of London
Till she could walk no more
She lost all of her dignity
As she sat there on the floor

Then a man approached her
He seemed to be so kind
He bought her a coffee and a meal
He was a stranger but she didn't mind

He said there was a place for her
Somewhere she could stay 
And if she would come with him
He'd take her there today

Lucy was so hopeful 
As she climbed inside his car
He said that they would be there soon 
He said it wasn't far

Lucy looked out of the window
It had begun to rain
She was driven away in that big black car
She was never seen again



There are many kids like Lucy
All they need is hope
We must not let them run away
We must help them cope

Details | Denis Briggs Poem

Old Tom

Old Tom was wrinkled
His face full of care
A military blazer 
He'd always wear

Tom was a fighter
He'd boxed in the ring
He had gone to war
He'd fought for his King

His medals with pride 
He always wore
In the pub of an evening
He'd lay down the law

Every November
He went on parade
He remembered his comrades
As a green wreath he laid

He talked about them
With a tear in his eye
Though he held it all back
He'd not openly cry

But last November he wasn't there
In the pub where he sat just an empty chair
So we will hear his stories no more
Of the battles he fought in the great war

Though he was always cadging a drink
We'll miss that stubborn old fellow I think
Though his outside was hard he was soft inside
And his chair has stayed empty
Since the day that he died

Details | Denis Briggs Poem

Unbroken Unbowed

He came with murderous intent
To the Manchester Arena he went
His heart full of vitriol and hate
With a bomb to seal their fate

I wonder if he thought at all
About the kids that there would fall
I don't believe in his hate filled brain
He thought about the grief and pain

They came to laugh and dance and sing
To see their idol was their thing
When young you have no fear of death
No thought of taking your last breath

That mindless man took their lives
Left grieving parents, husbands, wives
He took their lives but not our hope
Because we have learned to cope

We aren't beaten we aren't cowed 
We are unbroken we wont be bowed
He made us determined strengthened too
We wont give up we will pull through

May the spirit of Manchester live in us all
We will stand firm we will stand tall
So send your bombs we aren't afraid
We aren't beat down we aren't dismayed

We will not hear your futile threats
You will not leave us with regrets
So bring it on let the war begin 
Its already lost you will not win

Now they've come to London town
On London Bridge they mowed them down
Seven more innocent lives  they shed
Eight minutes later they too were dead

Lets not forget the Westminster one
Lets not forget what he has done
Though he inflicted grief and pain
He died for nothing he died in vain

Manchester, Paris, London too
We stand together to defy you 
One day you'll realise its too late
You wont infect us with your hate 


Denis Briggs May 2017

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Where the Music Hides

Please tell me where the music hides
Said the boy to the old man
I swear that I will seek it out
I'll find it if I can

Then the old man smiled at him
Slowly he replied
I'll tell you where to find it
Though it doesn’t really hide

There's music in the mountains
There's music in the sea
Music lives in you my boy
Music lives in me

There's music in the gentle wind
Blowing softly in the trees
There's music in the songs of birds
In the buzzing of the bees

There's music in the sweet soft words
Of a mothers lullaby
There's music in a rippling stream
And in a lover's sigh

Music does not hide my boy
It is everywhere
So just stand still and listen
You'll hear it in the air

So the child stood still and listened
Then his face lit up with joy
Now I know where music lives
I'm happy said the boy

Denis Briggs

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Dead To the World

In his head he saw the rising of the moon
In his head he heard the piper's tune
In his head all this was seen and heard
But with his mouth he never said a word

In his head he heard the thunder roar
In his head he saw the eagle sore
Inside his head the thunder and the bird
But with his mouth he never said a word

The people thought his mind was dead
But they could not see inside his head
Though he was deaf and dumb and blind
He was alive inside his mind

In his head were rainbow colours bright
In his head the soft cool breeze of night
Though all these things were seen and felt and heard
With his mouth he never said a word


By Denis Briggs

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Saviour

Oh Sweet Saviour Son of Man
Son of God above
He sent you here to banish fear
And fill this world with love

You came to teach us how to live
And be the best we can
You came to teach us not to judge 
Or condemn our fellow man

You came to bring redemption
To redeem us for our sin
And if we will be born again
Our new life can begin 

Though you were only thirty
When your ministry began
They could tell you had more wisdom
Than any other man

You gathered twelve disciples
And many others too
They followed you and loved you
And walked the way with you 

You healed the sick you cured the lame
You even raised the dead
You fed five thousand men and more
With two small fishes and some bread

I wish I could have been there
At your miraculous birth
I wish I could have walked with you
When you walked this earth

I wish I could have heard you preach
On the mountain side
I would have treasured every word
And kept them here inside

I wish I could have been there
To stand beneath the cross
To witness your great sacrifice
And to mourn your loss

I know what sacrifice you made
From sin to set us free
You died to save Gods Children
And yes you died for me

Details | Denis Briggs Poem

The Little Match Girl

The Little Match Girl

She sits all alone 
On the pavement so cold
Selling her matches 
At just eight years old

The snowflakes fall
And cover her head
She's so hungry its days
Since she was properly fed

She holds out her wares 
To each passer by
“Sir please by my matches”
Is her small plaintive cry

But many ignore her
This poor urchin there
They'll go home to their fires
They don't really care

But she can't go home
Till she's sold them all
Or her Cruel father
Will beat her and bawl

As she sits and shivers
A match she does light 
For a small piece of warmth
On this cold new years night

With each match she strikes 
She sees wondrous things
Like clowns and a circus
Princesses and Kings

                                                                                                                 But alas these are just pictures
Made up in her mind
As the light and warmth fades
No joy she can find

She is lost and alone
She starts to weep
As on the cold pavement
She lies down to sleep

On New Years morning
She's still lying there
Still stiff and cold
No more she'll know care

She died all alone
Frozen and cold
Her young life cut short
At just eight years old

Though her story is sad
It still happens today
Children still starving
And wasting away

Sleeping on pavements
Lost and alone
Crying and dying
As cold as stone

So just think of them
As you watch your TV
And maybe
The Little match girl you will see

Denis Briggs 2016

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Flicker To a Flame

You came into my life
You made me glad you came
You changed my feelings
From a flicker to a flame

You found me at the bottom
You raised me to the sky
You gave me inner warmth
I know will never die

You reached into my soul
And took away the pain
You cured this dying heart
You made it live again

When my life was full of turmoil
You brought me hope and peace
When my life was like a prison
You gave me release

I never will forget you
As long as I may live
You asked of me nothing
But gave all that you could give

Though wretched circumstances
Have caused us to part
There will always be a place for you
Here within my heart