The Borinage

(An episode in the life
of Vincent van Gogh.)

To earn a clergyman's wage
He was sent to The Borinage
Which was a mining region
Where poverty was legion.
By the light of a candle flame
He wrote a sermon, but, nobody came.
He went to the miners' huts to ask why
You do not want saved before you die.
One miner said, 'We live like moles
And if you want to save our souls,
Well, if you want to save my soul
Join me underground hewing coal.'
So that's exactly what Vincent did,
He went down a pit as the miner bid
And after that eventful day
He gave all of his possessions away,
Thinking he was doing God's work for sure
By giving what he had to the poor.
He gave away all of his wealth,
But, slowly drifted into ill health.
One day his employers found him lying
In a shack, on rags and close to dying.
'My God!' One exclaimed, 'This is an outrage,
We gave you a post in The Borinage
And this is how you pay us back
By existing in this stinking shack.
You have brought this on your own back
And from our Church we give you the sack!'

If you ask me Vincent was a saint
And after that, I'm glad, he turned to paint!

Choose to Give

Poetry by Jim Wilson is my site
And I post most of the poems I write.
Aberdeen, Scotland is where I choose to live
And in my modest life I choose to give.
I'm not very rich, but I can give my time
And write lots of poems, mostly in rhyme.
I think up rhymes while I'm walking my dog
And publish them on Twitter and my blog.
On the occasions I earn extra pay
I often give some of my pay away.
Some philanthropists give away millions,
But, then their assets run into billions
While I only donate a widow's mite
And write poems I publish on my site,
But, if we all made a contribution
We could start a giving revolution!

Healthy Plan

I've thought up a healthy plan
To stay hungry if I can.
If I stop consuming snacks
I might avoid heart attacks.
I'd save some cash if I could
Stop buying quite so much food.
With lots less food on my plate
I might lose some ugly weight.
It's not good to be greedy
And we should help the needy.
I might make a donation
To some sort of foundation
After my plan has came true
And I've saved a pound or two!

If you quite liked the above poem
please visit my Twitter home page
by clicking on the link below.

http://twitter.com/jimmycouplet

My unique user name on Twitter
is JimmyCouplet (all one word).

With best wishes from Jim Wilson.

Sugar Free

When some people feel like a treat
They often have something sweet,
But, sugar will start to rot
All the natural teeth you’ve got.
If you want a lovely smile
Please arrange your own lifestyle
And avoid sugar in sweets and drinks
So you won’t get cavities and chinks.
Please look after your teeth as best you can
By developing a sugar free plan
And brush your teeth at least twice a day
So you’ll help to prevent tooth decay
And if you desire something sweet,
Please enjoy a sugar free treat!

If you quite liked the above poem
please visit my Twitter home page
by clicking on the link below.

http://twitter.com/jimmycouplet

My unique user name on Twitter
is JimmyCouplet (all one word).

With best wishes from Jim Wilson.

Special Breed

Entrepreneurs are a special breed,
Often motivated by pure greed.
After they’ve done their research and planned
They use capital, labour and land.
They work with great diligence and stealth
To try to create profits and wealth.
We need entrepreneurial skills
To create employment to pay bills.
Some entrepreneurs in later life
Become philanthropists and ease strife
Felt by millions of deprived masses
Of many colours, creeds and classes.
So let’s give entrepreneurs a hand
To use capital, labour and land
To create lots of profits and wealth
Which can only be good for our health
If we’re like philanthropists and fair
So everyone on Earth gets their share!

To Will Hutton

I heard an economist today
Put a case for more equal pay.
He claimed the inequality of life
Was lowering our quality of life.
While workers make a contribution
To our economic evolution
We must provide clothing and feed
The people in the greatest need.
We should all get a share of the pot
And try to be content with our lot,
But, some people want a bigger share
And don’t care if that’s unfair.
I blame Western consumer greed
For people wanting more than they need
While one billion receive as pay
Less than one dollar a day!

Wise Old Sage

Some folks might say I’m still deranged,
But, I think my outlook has changed.
Nowadays I’m much more rounded
And some say I’m much more grounded.
I used to be a crazy fool,
But, now I think I’m super cool.
As I enter a ripe old age
I’m becoming a wise old sage.
I’ve had my share of being ill
And now I’ve came right through the mill.
Though I may be a wise old sage
I might not reach the worldwide stage
As I’m hopeless at reciting,
But, through my poetry writing
I’ll pass the wisdom of my years
On to younger folks and my peers
So we create a better place
For runners in the human race!