Emblems 

A small yellow stitch against green and black,
Secret inspiration, strength in the mud,
Anguish and poverty dragging us down,
A relentless and cold North-England town,

Days upon days of unrest and ill ease,
Scratching for sunshine, empathy, fun, 

Uniforms hang or squeeze, they don’t fit,
Seven clear months ‘til a government cheque,
Anger, bad attitude, untold frustrations,

Fragmented families house deprivation 
Cold, hard shells carved with precision,
Where innocent children ought to be playing,

The middle class blazer looks on starched and pressed,
Its yellow stitch facile, 
‘Gaudere et bene facere’

Two Secondary schoolyards, the very same lines,
Mouthwatering freedom or much needed binds,
Straight, white lines, a father to many,
A home, or the one morning when breakfast was ready,

A small yellow stitch, a motto for both, 
The healthy and wealthy, the lost and the ghosts.
One strives to learn whilst the other to live,

No need for Latin. Rounded and clear,

'Strive to Succeed’ 
Or fall on your ear.