Josef awoke, and soon realized that it was early and that today he was on duty. Already bright sunlight was streaming in through his window. He loved this time of day; so fresh, so full of opportunity and promise. As he lay there he caught the faint smell of lavender coming from somewhere.Was it aftershave? he wondered. Perhaps one of the officers from a nearby room had received a gift from a sweetheart of from his family...

 A wanton breeze blows o’er the sea,Far away from his place of birth;A colt unbridled, roaming free,A reckless child of sun and Earth;Forsaking gloom and winter rains,Fleeing the lands devoid of light,Across the lapis tinted plains,O how exuberant his flight!To shores untravelled since the yearsWhen hither the elect of God;Away from servitude and tears,With feet unshackled proudly trod.Here I too stand and gaze with joyUp...

Upon the discovery in France in May of 2001 of twenty British soldiers killed in the battle of Arras on April 9th 1917.   In equal brotherhood they came, Embraced by Liberty who stands Together with the harlot Fame Beside the graves of gallant bands. One such were they, I see them all - Twenty sons seduced by Valour, Who sweetly smiled and let them fall Into crimson mud and pallor. With reverence their grave behold: Unite...

 Every pebble in its placeUpon the quiet shore,Every bloom I see does graceThese hills a little more.Every tree its fragrance lendsTo scent the summer air,Every bird its sweet song sendsWhile perched I know not where.All this below a cloudless sky,Before a tranquil seaWith time enough to rest the eyeAnd set the spirit free.Leaving, my heart begins to yearn,Adieu, until my glad return.

“Soft hours of tender idleness Await both you and me For splendid colours of forgetfulness Now clothe the placid sea; Banishing our cares and sorrows And all that makes us weep, As the sea from the sunset borrows A veil to hide the deep. Soft hours of tender idleness For you and me to share; Upon our sea of joyfulness; A sea beyond compare. With tender sighs and sweet caresses I strive to honour you And with hours of lang...

 Upon the rippling desert sands How silently she stands, How solemn, how lonely, how serene - As she has ever been. Daughter of the Sun’s distant youth, In beauty and in truth What peer has she among the fair – But then, what does she care? At evening, as the Sun declines, In warm and supple lines Of pale vermillion hue; A goddess is born anew, With all the subtleties of shade And countless colours made, The light will al...

“I’d like to thank all of you, very, very much, on behalf of Jason and myself. You’ve all been a terrific help to us, and let me once again apologize most sincerely to you all. Tonight is our way of saying thanks and sorry, so please eat, drink and enjoy – on us.” “Cheers!” Everyone raised their champagne glasses as Brad smiled and sat back down in his seat at the head of the table. This was the happiest I had seen him in...

Scene 4 A month laterMay’s bed is gone and its place at right is now taken by three tables, each of slightly different size, placed end to end. These are covered by three spotless white tablecloths. Upon the center table, amidst a large array of papers, pens and a stack of manila folders there is a jug of water with a slice of lemon floating in it but no ice. Three glasses accompany the jug. Behind the tables sit Miss Whi...

Scene 2 The Next Day May is seen sitting on a stool at her bench, reading her book, a smile upon her face. She now hears approaching footsteps and hides the book down the front of her dress. She then picks up a needle and thread and proceeds to mend a sock. Enter Sister Agatha with a pile of clothes in need of mending, which she puts down on the bench. Sister Agatha : (cheerfully) Good morning May, keeping busy? May : Goo...

A One Act Play in Five Scenes.Persons of the Play  May Matron Koch Sister Agatha Dr Merriwether Mr. Green Miss White Mrs. Brown ChristianTime : Late summer 1973 Place: Outback South Australia“A hero who forgives is much more touching than one who avenges himself.” - Voltaire.Scene 1. One Day. The scene is a large, windowless, crudely furnished, wooden room. At right there is a small iron bed in which May is seen sleeping...

  The noon-time silence is complete, As sleepy felines laze replete On antique terracotta tiles And in doorways of many styles. Warmly the polished granites glow, Gone is the human ebb and flow, Only the shadows, dark and deep, Across the city slowly creep. Breezes languish, the leaves are still; Here is imposed a mighty will That lulls the empty streets to sleep, There in the dusty heat to keep, Until the sun’s oppressiv...

 White in the light of morning,Crimson in the haze of noon,Black as a storm at evening,Like the waxing and waning moon.Cold as the depths of ocean,Elusive as shadows castOr the unceasing motionOf wanderers in times long past.Glimpse her face in a daydreamIn the fire feel her heartAnd in your life she will seemTo always play some hidden part.In vain you seek to love her,Only silence speaks her name.Unlike the stars above h...

  Far from the sea, her sighing dunes All wander lost beneath the moons That wax and wane in an eternal sky; Where subtle symphonies of light And wondrous silences of night Draw the four winds from their pavilions, To rage across the stony plains, To drive away the beating rains Towards a pale haze on the horizon. There a spear of sandstone towers; Keeper of the daylight hours And kindly magus of sweet soothing shade. To...