Tag: family
Poem: ‘Mother & Child’
Of course
you were always there;
I still see those dark eyes
like warm pools of love,
such intimacy poisoning
nearby attention.
And whilst jealousy
and estrangement
have enmeshed silence
around us ever since —
family is everything,
it’s all we have to
fall back on,
to stand up to those
moving to destroy us.
So mother, I honour you,
archetype in my mind,
fulcrum of my heart:
And may siblings forgive
each other.
Copyright Francis Barker 2020
Haiku: ‘One Another’
Look after ourselves
Look out for one another
Love humanity
Copyright Francis Barker 2020
Haiku: Family
Haiku: Making Home
Home has to be made
It is settled and peaceful
Bless our family
Copyright Francis Barker 2020
Marriage and the Family in the Middle Ages by Frances Gies and Joseph Gies — Pages Unbound | Book Reviews & Discussions (Reblog)
Information Goodreads: Marriage and the Family in the Middle AgesSeries: NoneSource: PurchasedPublished: 1989 Official Summary Throughout history, the significance of the family—the basic social unit—has been vital. In Marriage and the Family in the Middle Ages, acclaimed historians Frances and Joseph Gies trace the development of marriage and the family from the medieval era to early […]
Marriage and the Family in the Middle Ages by Frances Gies and Joseph Gies — Pages Unbound | Book Reviews & Discussions
The Faith Mercury – A Music Gem
I posted a piece about my Faith Mercury last year but it bears repeating because it still brings me so much pleasure to play.
We have all been spending more time at home and may continue to do so, so it’s a good time to learn something new — like playing guitar.
This is an all solid wood parlour guitar, spruce top, trembesi back and sides, so it’s a bit more expensive. Mercurys, like all the Faith models, come in a variety of versions. The cheapest is the ‘naked‘ version, with solid mahogany back and sides and matt finish solid spruce top.
Mercurys are easy to hold and play, perfect for kids, or for anyone to learn the guitar. It’s also great for doodling on the settee, all thanks to its smaller size, scale and 12th fret neck join.
Ideal for women especially, in my opinion, because historically this is pretty much exactly like the kind of guitar ladies used to play in their parlours!
Copyright Francis Barker 2020
Tanka: Manifesto
No left and no right
I exist at the centre
My family first
My community second
Building blocks of the nations
copyright Francis Barker 2020
Haiku: Brothers
Brother fights brother
Egged on towards destruction
The blind are not led
copyright Francis Barker 2020
Daily Haiku: Attachment
Our attachment hurts
Family brings joy and pain
Yet still we must care
copyright Francis Barker 2020
Poem: Benjamin
Benjamin is the younger son
and I am your youngest.
The little things meant the most:
A bike trip to collect samphire from the marsh.
We saw Boston Stump rising from the mists,
perpendicular to that great horizon
in a silence broken only
by a lone redshank’s cry.
Years later when you gave me that last look;
just a glance which said so much –
that you didn’t want me to go.
None of us want to go, or even know when
but I’m sure you had an inkling
you’d soon leave this succession of goodbyes
copyright Francis Barker 2019
