by Norman Longsworth
Christmas is coming and you may be at a loss to find original presents for your friends and loved ones. May I humbly suggest a book of original poetry available now. Or maybe you just want to buy it for yourself.
The Book is called ‘Poems for a Learning Nation’, The author is myself, Norman Longworth, resident of Eus in the Pyrenees-Orientales. It is now available on amazon.com/.co.uk/.fr at a small price, on kindle or in paperback. If you can’t find it, simply put my name on the query page.
Here’s a sample
The Dream
The idea for this poem came from a book I read many years ago, Aldous Huxley’s ‘Island’, a fictitious place where peace reigned, learning was all that mattered and the aggressive world of business had not touched its people. There too the dream changed when oil was found beneath its soil.
I had a dream last weekend, a dream I couldn’t resist
I lived upon an island where violence didn’t exist
No need to seek protection, no weapons to destroy
And happy fulfilled people, an ambience of joy
Aggressiveness was absent It didn’t make sense to fight
If ever there was anger it was quickly put to right
People lived in harmony, their minds would always burn
To cultivate the common good and continuously learn
Above all else the secret lay in joyous education
High values were the mission of every generation
Every child a genius their potential to fulfil
Every adult learning, their talents to upskill
But suddenly my dream was changed reality came through
The island nation ceased to have a visionary view
I saw the schools where children were indifferent and bored
I visited the places where violence had soared
The learning joy had disappeared the high ideals no more
Education had become a monumental bore
A million children left behind behaviour had declined
For want of stimulation to activate the mind
No skills of understanding, few values of respect
No self-enhancing attributes to fire the intellect
No sensitive compassion for those less favoured folk
Just cramming for the state exams, the politician’s yoke
I told myself this is a dream it couldn’t all be true
We wouldn’t let our children grow without a world-wide view
And then I woke and found alas the melancholy truth
That education can’t inspire the bulk of modern youth
I wish I could pursue my heart to the island of my dream
Where peace and reason still prevail, perception, self-esteem
Where people open up their minds, true wisdom’s flag unfurled
And learned to use intelligence for the good of all the world
©norman longworth
