Big Ears

Everyone called him Big Ears, a fitting appellation

Not that his actual ears were big.  You never saw

Them under the large joke shop ears that he wore

Whenever he was out and about.  You’d see him

In the railway station or waiting for a tram

On West Street.  He’d be at the other side of the road

Looking like a startled deer.  You’d wonder if he had

The wherewithal to make it across the street.  And he had.

He was not concerned that people looked at him

And pointed him out to their friends or little ones.

He was in a world of his own and in his world you

Went about your daily business wearing joke shop ears.

  

I heard him mentioned on the radio once, a famous

Local celebrity had seen him in the station and thought it

Good conversation to mention the guy with the big, plastic,

Joke shop ears.  I left Sheffield and have never seen 

Big Ears since, even though I have been back many times.

I wonder if he has moved on to joke shop teeth or perhaps

A monster hand?  Whatever he is doing now, I admire him

Because who among us would wear joke shop ears

While conducting our day to day business?

I wouldn’t.

  

Colin Beardshall 2014

Journey’s End

A  journey starts with a single step

Our destination may be unknown.

We all learn from our experiences

And at journeys end we have grown.

Though our mountain might be high

And seemingly unforgiving

We’ll never know unless we try

To climb that hill and start living.

Our friends have helped us on the way

Setting steps on a gradual ascent

We took them with our gratitude

Leaving love wherever we went.

Colin Beardshall 2014