The Noo, Improved Emergency

Comin' tae a smash-up
Or an accident near you
It's yer noo, improved Emergency
Team o' boys in blue
Jist dial 999
An' ask fur us
(If ye're American, ye c'n dial 911
But ah'm no sae shair ah want tae drive aw that wey!)

Noo we micht be slow in comin'
But that disnae mak us fools
Cause nae matter whit catastrophe
We hiv tae mind the rules
Dae get run ower on a Sunday!
They stopped the double time.
(Saturday's no guid either
We mak up oor wages runnin the boys hame fae the pub!)

So ye've been a bit less sensible
An' walked oot in the road
Did ye think the word 'pedestrian'
Meant 'Nae cars on the road'?
Ye should've kent that 'Traffic Free'
Is like lettin' lions loose fae a Safari Park
(When we come wheechin' up the street wi' oor siren
It disnae hauf mak auld wifies jump, ah'll tell ye!)

Noo, afore ye're in the ambulance
We've got tae dae a check
Yer mither must hae warned ye
No oor fault, your red neck.
"Mak shair yer underwear's clean!
Ye micht get run doon by a bus!"
(Dae get oan tae us! It's the rules.
Maybe ye should've bocht a pair tae swap.)

Noo afore ye're aff tae hospital
There's some mair things that y'll need
As ah'm workin through this checklist
Dinnae talk. Jist nod yer heid.
Dae talk or that mask'll fa' aff
An that's oor last bottle o' oxygen.
(We only get ane an' a hauf bottles a week
An ye've nae idea hoo monny bronchitis cases we've h'd this week!)

H've ye got a pair o' jammies?
Cause a pair we don't supply.
H've ye got some soap an' toothbrush?
Or some money fur tae buy.
An' could ye pit yer haund jist here on this bit
Cause ye're bleedin on oor clean blankets.
(If ye want, ah'll nip intae the p'per shop fur ye.
Ye'll want summat tae read, an ah'm nearly oot o' baccy)

Mair important, pen an' paper
An' a crossword book or two
Second thochts - mak it a pencil
Case ah get that book fae you.
Ye c'n rub oot the answers if they're wrang
So ye'll be wantin wan o' thae skale rubbers
(Dae pit the answers in biro!
The nurses on the nicht shift 'll no hae onnything tae fill in the time!)

Richt! We're aw awa tae Casualty
An' we'll shairly tak our time
Though we cannae use the siren
Cause the rules say "After Nine -
You cannot use the siren, except in an emergency"
An' 4 Across 'Little Victor and Timothy together' doesn't apply.
(See'in as yer airms are brokin, ye'll no be needin this book.
So is it aw richt if me an' the lads at the Depot h've it?)

So we're comin' tae a smash-up
Or an accident near you
It's yer noo, improved Emergency
Team o' boys in blue
Jist dial 999
An' ask fur us
(OK! We're no perfect!
But we save a lot mair than we lose.
An' we're bluidy guid at crosswords!)

TRUST

I stand with you.
I understand not, nor can I feel the pain.
I stand with you.

And if you fall,
I will stand in your place.

WRITING

You feed on faint praise, and grow towards the applause.
Without appreciation, the gift withers.
Overfeeding makes the talent bolt, grotesque and twisted,
then lets it fade before it can reach maturity.

Freedom

If it were possible
to remove one single word
from the mouth of humanity,
that word would have to be

freedom!

Removing any other word
would require removing
freedom
as well.

Where would you stop?

THE WATCHMAN

I am the watchman
I stand here on the towering achievements of mankind
watching out into the darkness
and hope to see the dangers
I have a purpose
I have a duty
If evil threatens
then I should call out warning

There are no monuments
If nothing comes
I am forgotten
Mankind sleeps
as he has always done
but I must stay awake

If I should fail
and in a moment weak, rest my eyes
Then of a morning
cold and drear
those that slept in warm and cosy beds
shall try, condemn
and execute me
And in a grave, unmarked, dispose

I am so poorly thought
that if, unseen, the foe outside
should come inside
and slaughter me
Then nothing lost
if ending me
creates alarms
that waken those that slumber

Then duty done
My death performs
a service

Dark of Day

What was murdered in the dark of night
would decently be interred by
the lighting of a dawn.

There is no need to fear a dream.

Rather, be afraid of evil deeds
done in the pale sun shine.

Some have a deeper darkness of the soul.

When can you laugh?
When it's funny.
When can you cry?
When it's sad.

And when can you
do something about it?

Only when you dream.

If you cannot imagine it better,
you will always be living in rags.

The Victors

I cannot believe the years that have gone
Not my hopes, nor the friendships I lost
I can barely believe that it's over
No more bridges are there to be crossed

I gave my youth, my heart and my freedom
In my folly, I felt I must choose
In my choosing, I followed another
Banners bright, never thinking I'd lose

In the distance, I still hear the shooting
With virtue, they make a last stand
Or is it the courage of blindness?
As the dream turns to dust in their hand

I stand as the victors approach me
Was a time that I would have fought on
Are their faces as weary as mine is?
Now their moment is come, mine is gone

Has the war taken all of the old ones?
All the faces I see are too young
Am I all of a lost generation?
The last broken bell to be rung

The battles are finally over
And the last tearful song has been sung.