Where’s the daylight and freedom?
Where’s the laughter and the glow?
Hope and nice things, why are they hiding?
All is covered, except people.
They’re still there, with their own covers
Seeing things that I can’t, can only remember
as things read or imagined, never seen.
Will it stop? People won’t, and why not?
Because of people – other people
THAT’S WHAT COUNTS
And not just here, but there and there,
some have no one, and that’s not fair
Read things written by other people
See the things they’ve done and do
And what of nature? Doesn’t care.
The savage earth, the sea, the air
Love and hate and ties and bonds
Realising it really helps
As always, THAT’S what counts.
Tests and essays, building roads
books and pictures, we do loads
Nature tries to spoil it all but they fight
They’ll never win of course.

Written on the top floor of St Andrews University library, some time in my fourth year (so 1996 or 97)