My dearest Claire, you may not know it
But your uncle John’s a bit of a poet
So for my very special niece
I decided to pen a little piece
And soon, it will be all too clear
That I trace my roots to Will Shakespeare
It’s a talent I prefer to hide
But today I am so filled with pride
That I had to find some words to say
To celebrate your special day
The day when you get married to Lol
And officially become Lol’s moll
The day when you start the rest of your life
As mister and missus, man and wife
It’s a privilege Claire, to be asked today
To be here for you and give you away
As your uncle I’m very proud to be
Representative of your family
I’m no substitute for your own dear dad
But I knew George well and know he’d be glad
To know the little girl he carried
Is from today, happily married
And of course, there’s someone we sadly miss
Your mum Marie, my older sis
My best mate, we’d cycle high and low
To get to a dance and have a tango
I know in spirit, she’s with us now
And she’ll always be with you Claire somehow
She’ll be on that dance floor, having a twirl
Celebrating with her little girl
And with all her daughters, you do her proud
Each one of you stands out in a crowd
So today, you’re really stuck with me
But I’m as happy as I can be
To do this for you, it’s only fair
For me, you’ve always been right there
Thanks for asking me Claire, though you made it clear
That I shouldn’t get drunk on too much beer
And I shouldn’t come scruffy, you’d send me back
Unless my new shoes were shiny black
Yes you’re lovely, but you’re no wilting flower
Not one to sit in a corner and cower
You were up for sailing on my friend’s boat
Now you’ve got your own and you can gloat
If you need any help, you know where to turn
From me there is so much you can learn
But enough of me, Claire this is your day
So there’s little more I need to say
Except that I’d like to propose a toast
To the couple for whom we wish the most
Happiness and health for the coming years
Claire and Lol, all our love, chin, chin and cheers!
23rd July 2005
