Rotary Poetry Competition Commendation
Mark Jones receiving his Badge of Office as Rotary Secretary 2025/26
There are many reasons for having a competition, but in Rotary, you can be sure that in a poetry competition, literacy and topic are high on the list of criteria for the judges. So when the 2025 Rotary Poet of the Year competition was launched, Abergele Rotary member and now secretary Mark Jones thought, I can do that.
As it turned out, not only could he write poetry, he was to receive the award “Mark Jones 2025 Poet of the Year Commendation”, Presented by Rotary International President Stephanie Urchick.
So here is that poem, and well done Mark, we are all proud of you.
A Bone to Pick
I’ve got a bone to pick with this world today,
Where kindness fades and ego plays.
Selfish minds, sharp tongues, quick hands,
Spinning drama, making demands.
It’s not your business, not your fight,
Not your pot to stir at night.
Yet here you stand, nose stuck in,
Feeding the flames, thick as sin.
Once, respect was something real,
Hard work, strong hands on the wheel.
No clicks, no likes, no viral fame,
No need to make life one big game.
But now the kind are dying out,
And even the elders scream and shout.
What happened to grace?
To dignity’s place?
Now all we see is a ruthless race.
I’m tired of labels, of broken rules,
Of people pretending when pain still pools.
Why fake a smile when you’re drowning inside?
Why fear the truth, why run, why hide?
And in the shadows, watchers lurk,
Judging, whispering, doing their work.
But can they be trusted more than your own?
When their voices rise but remain unknown?
No shadows needed, no stirring the pot,
No turning your life into someone else’s plot.
We owe each other more than this,
A little respect, a little bliss.
So step back, step up, and clear the view,
The world’s not meant to revolve around you.