Brian Bedford: In Memoriam
Some voices shape our own
In memory, in manifestation
In twist of accent, turn of tone
In the comfort they give, the hope they plant
Those are the voices that form our tomorrows
They teach us to breathe in deeply
And to speak as we hear spoken
The words lilting through our minds
"And keep your chin up…"
The stories they breathe deeply into
"Someday there'll be happiness again…"
The place, in our hearts, opened, never closed
"…in Nottingham…"
For we all have our little towns within,
All have our castle walls to scale,
Tales lend life to those towns,
Lend meaning to our climbs,
And tellers lend life to the tales
They make themselves an instrument
To make all our hearts a stage
And that stage is ever England
Ever merry, in the face of the rain
"Once we watched the lazy world go by…"
Ah yes, so simple, our childhood days
With bent stick and elastic band
In the woods beyond my house
Ever Sherwood, at twilight
"Now the days seem to fly…"
Yet even as the arrow flies, it sings
And the song stays inside
And encircles us outside
It goes on
On and on and on…
"Love goes on and on."
That's the heart of all things
More than life itself