Case First Stated

 

 

A case first stated

Tends to be seen as right

And if it is left unchallenged

It becomes might.

 

It’s all we have

With no other recourse

Just like a landslide election

And concomitant force.

 

I travelled to T n T

To attend Wesleyan Congress,

This was way back in 1972:

One was the best.

 

 

While commuting

Along a congested street

Our car collided with another;

Just a side sweep.

 

The drivers got out

And mark their positions

And then rushed to the station

To win the decision.

 

The one arriving first

And getting his story out

Appeared far more believable

Putting the other in doubt.

 

A case first stated

Tends to be seen as right

And if it is left unchallenged

It becomes might.

 

 

Like the boxing match

In the Olympics,

That a man fought a woman,

Was my verdict.

 

That was so unjust

Not to mention unfair,

One could see in that mismatch

The woman was scared.

 

Forty-five seconds

Was as long as it last,

There was no doubt in my mind

The woman was outclassed.

 

Since the initial report

I’ve heard a lot more,

Many more twists and turns

Have come to the fore.

 

But still in my mind is,

A man beat a woman

And in the Olympics going forward

This may be more common.

 

A case first stated

Tends to be seen as right

And for me, though challenged,

It is still might.

 

Power to the woman

Who fought the man,

He may have been a woman

But I'm still her fan.

 

Stewart Russell © August 6, 2024

 

Fifty-Three Years

Fifty-three years, what does that mean?

I guess you would say middle age,

But for a nation, that’s pretty young

Though getting ready for adult stage.

However, it means, we have seen a lot

A lot from which we should have learnt,

Repeating the same lessons all the time

Means a lot of time will be burnt.

Precious, valuable, can’t recall time

With a lot of wasted effort too,

Two very precious commodities, these are,

I am sure that you share my view.

Fifty-three years of progress

And that we have certainly seen

Even though still appended to Great Britain

Since her queen is still our queen.

Shacking up in recent times with T and T

A satellite, you may say

And still searching for an identity

Now trying out the USA.

When the US sneeze we get a cold

This I am sure you have heard,

Nowadays it is all kind o’ flu

And I don’t mean to be absurd.

Presently we are obsessed with Trump

And how to impeached an apple

While we too have a myriad of problems

With which we seem not to grapple.

But remember, fifty-three is growing up

We are not yet old,

For a nation that is young

So as youth we can be bold.

Be bold in taking a stand for right

Even if against the world,

Be it the UK, the USA or the UN

We need to stand on God’s Word.

They may withhold their sanctions

When we don’t join them in their wrong

But if we stand on the Almighty’s side

He will make us strong.

Strong to take a stand

When many others fall like bowling pins,

Upright and bold and resolute

In God, we are bound to win.

Fifty-three years should be an eye-opener

Regarding our success and failure

And by learning from them both,

Enhance the prospects of our future

Praise and thanks to the Almighty

For all we have achieved,

Fifty-three years is about growing up

We need to do that with speed.

For fifty-three years we are grateful

Lord, we give you praise,

The lessons learnt, may we never forget

Let this be more than a phase.

We tend to have short memories

And repeat our past mistakes,

May we rise above this error

And stay on the narrow and straight.

Stewart Russell © November 2019