When I found home
By Raymond holt
I arrived in Cranleigh,
In the Spring of seventy three.
Four cars were in the High Street,
Strange to the likes of me.
Ambling along the pavement,
Completely on my own.
It was Wednesday. Half day closing,
Everyone had gone home.
Church bells were ringing,
Graveyard cherry blossom bright.
The vicar cycled by,
On his trusty old black bike.
He smiled at me and waved,
As if to say “Hello,
Slow down. Stay a while
There’s no need for you to go.”
It was peaceful then,
I no longer felt alone.
At last I found a place to rest,
Somewhere to call my home.
The author was born on 28th November 1943 in Andover, Hampshire of Welsh parents. It was there he grew up, in what was then a sleepy little market town famous for its watercress beds.
Raymond always wanted to be a policeman and subsequently joined Surrey Police. During his last 20 years of service he was a village bobbie and Cranleigh (England’s official largest village).
In 1980 he appeared in a national tabloid as “Bobby on the beat with his bike” a role that suited him.
Upon retiring on the 20th February 1993 he wrote his first two poems – Sorry (for the way things are today) and Never Said I Was Perfect. They were immediately published in liaison with the Surrey Local Education Authority. Another 18 poems later and his first book was born.
LOOKING OVER MY SHOULDER – Available on Amazon.co.uk for a list price of £7.99
Published by Raymond Holt, a local retired policeman who has lived in the village for 45 years. “All my poems are dedicated to the people of Cranleigh and Middle England and they are written simply about life and death, together with all its emotions and are not written to offend.”
