Out there on the outcrop
With rugged moss covered face
He sits on timeless watch
Undisturbed by life's hectic pace

As the sun climbs above a distant friend
Who he'd always longed to play
But only his shadow dare grace to do
Much later in the eve of day

Through time this old man stands witness
Of all that he's seen come and go
Lives made as lives waste
As Caldey watches on

With rugged rock of Catherine standing proud
Looking over Castle Beach's golden sand
Those two together
Guards of their proud land

Old man Giltar
Stand with me and tell your tale
As the wind and sea constantly break on you
In awe you stand never to fail

Through the fires of flaming June
Come the yellowing of your mane
As the deathly cutting cold of December
You cling to whatever remains

Please old man Giltar
Tell me your secret of time
And share with me what only you know
And let me hide it in rhyme

Every day the old man looks on
watching, listening ... as time rolls by

Ha, aren't we fickle
As the sun sweeps our isle
Head in rows of traffic
Along the M4 in a pile

The boot filled with towels
Tents, bucket and spade
Hoping for a tanned body
For all to be displayed

From far and wide they travel
To Tenby’s South Beach they head
So back to back they worship
The sun upon sun-bed

Like sardines in a can
Squeezed to the very last place
They come with determination
And stake-out their place

Into the sea some venture
Some castles they will build
With salt water filled buckets
Moats are filled

Now time is creeping past the noon
Burnt to a crisp they self admire
As a well done roasted pig
Upon a spit rotating on the fire

It’s four o'clock so roll up the towels
And windbreakers put away in a huff
Catch an early start before the traffic
But will it be early enough?

In Rectory car park cars crammed with kit
And children squeezed on top
Dad with impending gloom says
Not till Pont Abraham services will we stop

And as they travel homeward bound
Tide swoops in to wave its goodbyes
And the seagulls fly in for the crumbs
With a "see you next year" cry

Atlantic gust tickles wearily on my ageless face
I stand upon God’s chosen acre
He touches the waters with golden fingers
Of all the love of our maker

Someone, anyone, tell me I'm wrong
This beauty fills my eyes with a single tear
This place must be made from angels
Crashing of waves which I so revere

The magnificent unspoilt golden bays
And the secrets of the hidden coves
The timeless tales of Celtic legends
And of whispers of hidden treasure troves

The solitude of the monks upon Caldey isle
To the bustling town of Haverfordwest
The green fields of patchwork cover
This land I love the best

Stood out upon Pembroke's ancient castle
and imagine of times gone by
As a thousand warriors march in siege
Now only tourists I do spy

The Tenby beaches both North and South
Fill when sun comes with July
They make their claim to every square inch
Till September waves them goodbye

Oil tankers fight the waterways
With sailing ships, trawlers and ferries
Where once did great wooden galleons sail
Within them sailors rum merry

Upon the distant horizon embrace
The Refineries towering dark shapes
Out stretched into the estuary
Their metallic-armed jetty drapes

The sun dips over Freshwater West upon the eve
A little magic fills this sight
Nature has the last word of the hour
And day slips into night

So many cast out into the world
To find some other glory
But most return to this sacred place
To finish up their story

The step forward toward adulthood
Relentlessly marches on
My hazy memory of a boy
With nappy and dummy have gone

Here he sits with helmet and gloves
As his fears with his brakes are released
He takes upon his biggest challenge so far
Upon his dual wheeled metallic beast

He pushes off with new found confidence
And a wobble just thrown in for good measure
He looks back with a glowing smile
Mixed with achievement, ecstasy and pure pleasure

He picks up speed as he starts to roll
And bounces off all cobble and stone
He sits proud and tall as a king
Seated upon his rolling throne

Mind's concentration fixed
His balance holds firm and true
Careless of the falls before him
With bruises black and blue

A knight of the order charges into battle
On his steed with the wind at his back
A race car driver in sight of chequered flag
Speeding on down that rickety track

My son's little legs pumping the pedals
Handle bars all of a sway
For me and you he has climbed a hill
But for him, Everest was conquered today

He pulls to a sudden but sure halt
Turns with a confident and proud smile
Little does he realise
He's just rode his first mile

On that halcyon day we all
As a family rode our bikes
The seven and a half miles
Round Llys-y-frân reservoir