I AM FROM

Rhondda Valley.

I AM FROM

I am from the Mountains

Where the wind whistles down the vales,

I am from the Celtic Cheiftains

Who walked the hills of Wales.

I am from the cliff top

Where waves beat on the shore,

I am from the salt sea mist

That has been for evermore.

I am from the wild herbs and flowers

And from the wild mountain thyme,

From the songs and the music

The poetry and rhyme.

I am the Granddaughter of a coal miner

Who saw little of the sun,

Who clawed his way through tunnels

To see a battle won.

I am from the Rhondda Valley

Where life was very tough,

Where rest was very scarce

And hands were scarred and rough.

I am from Deganwy

Where tin was mined for work,

Where people were never afraid

Of long days of toil and work.

I am from the greenest grass

That grows on greenest hills,

Where the mountain streams

Run down in winding rills.

I am from the waterside

Where strong men build giant ships,

I am the daughter of a Shipbuilder

With a smile upon his lips.

I am the only daughter

Of a working family,

That travelled 13,000 miles

For a better life you see.

I am from The Salvation Army

With the bonnett and War Cry,

And still I work for it's cause

And often wonder why.

I am from the oak tree and the willow

That grow on the River Dee Banks

I am from the daffodil

And for this I give great thanks.

I am from Chester ~

A city with great walls,

From Liverpool with it's University

And learning in great halls.

I am a wife and mother

An Australian by choice,

I gave birth to two daughters

And freedom gives them voice.

I am a peace protester

Who dared to take a stand,

When conscripted boys were sent

To fight in foreign lands.

I am a member of Amnesty

And politics plays a part

In all the things I think of

And cherish in my heart.

I am a work collegue and receptionist,

A companion and a friend,

This is the story of my life

And will be until it's end.

© Linda J. Vaughan

November 2008