The Living Anthology
"I never thought to write a verse,
I never thought I could"
Warwick Woodhead
1923 – A Working Lad from Yorkshire
About This Collection
A Collection of Verse
by A Working Lad
Warwick Woodhead would like to present this book of poems to you, as a means to share his work over two decades.
The poems written in this book are meant to give a little bit of love, hope and inspiration, not forgetting of course a bit of laughter to lighten each day.
Most people have found within these pages, a poem that has become very special to them. The author would hope that you too will feel the same.
This was his second collection. Years earlier, under the pen name Greg Marion, Warwick had written, typeset, printed, and hand-bound his first book — Rhyme Time. Many of those early verses were later revised and gathered here, into this more professionally produced volume.
Two Books, One Poet
The First Edition
& The Collected Works
The First Edition
Rhyme Time
By Greg Marion
Warwick's first collection — written, typeset, printed, and hand-bound entirely by his own hands under the pen name Greg Marion.
Few copies were sold, but most of the family were given one or two — a treasured precursor to the book that would follow.
The Collected Works
A Working Lad
By Warwick Woodhead
His second, more professionally produced collection — a gathered anthology of work spanning two decades, shared in the hope of bringing a little love, hope, and laughter to each day.
Seventy-one poems first printed in Rhyme Time were revised and gathered here — sixty-seven with wording that differs from the originals — making this the fuller, richer collection.
A Family Tribute on Film
Warwick's Story,
in His Own Words
A short film by Warwick's grandson Ross Woodhead, capturing the man behind the verse.
Watch on Vimeo
For Mabel
Mabel
1919 – 1990 · Beloved Wife
She's not gone I know for certain
For I'm sure behind deaths curtain
She waits for me and that I know
In a place where wild lilies grow
Warwick met and fell in love with Mabel while both served in the British Forces. They were married for forty-eight years, until she was sadly taken too soon. Her loss was the spark that set the ink flowing — almost immediately after, he picked up the pen.
Read the Full Poem →
Featured Verse
Mabel
She's not gone I know for certain
For I'm sure behind deaths curtain
She waits for me and that I know
In a place where wild lilies grow
A Red Admiral flits from flower to flower
Savouring the nectar of the hour
To a place where the skylark sings
And eagles soar on golden wings
At a spot where the rainbow bends
And love it never ends
Where earth stops and Heaven begins
I'm thinking of so many things
Of times gone by when you and I
Thought time stood still
And ne'er ran dry
Remembering our youthful day
As young lovers went on our way
Rejoicing in our new found love
Without a thought for up above
And now I know there's something more
Waiting on that heavenly shore
And I know when my time has come
And Gods' will, it will be done
She'll be waiting there for me
To carry our love in to eternity
"The Tweed runs through the valley like a silver ribbon bright"
The Poet
Born in the West Riding
of Yorkshire
Where thousand mill chimneys belched out tons of smoke and soot. Came as a young soldier to Scotland in 1941 and was enchanted with the untarnished green of the Border countryside, married and settled in Kelso — a double romance so to speak.
Poetry he never read, never thought about, and never wrote. Strange then how almost immediately after his wife Mabel died shortly after he retired, he should pick up the pen.
Read His Story →