bandofhope (to be pronounced at speed)

 bandofhope (to be pronounced at speed)

band of hope handed down long chapel light

with old mrs crandon on a cold winter’s night

widowed and thin and turned now to prayer 

i went of an evening with others heading there

to the back room boarded and chaired all in rows 

with electric heaters loft high in the throes

of a congregation of children poor as mice 

singing of abstention that sounded so nice

yet meant nothing to many of the short trousered boys

or the plain dressed girls all mixed up in noise

that chairs scraped with patience finally fraying

increasingly restive while earnestly praying 

for an end to this evening for it is going to snow

and the pedantic recitations are going so slow

release us dear god we earnestly pray

and we’ll be ever so grateful forever and a day

then at last the side light has gone to its bed

and we are rejoicing in snow balls instead 

but all of these days we have let slip away 

and one day one day we’ll be sure to say 

i remember bandofhope with fondness my friend

and all my life i have striven to amend

the naughty boy thoughts that were not really meant

for indeed all those days were just heaven sent

so band of hope handed long chapel light

i will never forget you on a dark winter’s night

sing of tomorrow’s glad confident morning again

for the little boys have grown into sober old men