M.C. Newberry
TRACKS
I still see that newspaper hoarding
And the letters that lodged in my head;
The pausing and disbelieving
At the words: SINATRA DEAD!
Minstrel of so many years
And many a haunting track;
The Voice now lost to that vale of tears
But eternal in each playback....
And the letters that lodged in my head;
The pausing and disbelieving
At the words: SINATRA DEAD!
Minstrel of so many years
And many a haunting track;
The Voice now lost to that vale of tears
But eternal in each playback....
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Friday 24th May 2013 4:16 pm
DAMBUSTER
Today, May 16, marks the 70th anniversary of Operation Chastise - the famous "Dambusters"
raid on the great dams of industrial wartime Germany. I am re-posting this poem - dedicated
to Sqdn. Ldr. G.L. "Johnny" Johnson DFC, sergeant-bomb-aimer on AJ-T for Tommy - who
took his crew around the Sorpe dam ten times before being ready to drop their bomb on its
intended target....
raid on the great dams of industrial wartime Germany. I am re-posting this poem - dedicated
to Sqdn. Ldr. G.L. "Johnny" Johnson DFC, sergeant-bomb-aimer on AJ-T for Tommy - who
took his crew around the Sorpe dam ten times before being ready to drop their bomb on its
intended target....
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Thursday 16th May 2013 4:48 pm
Tags: Dambuster
THE MAGICAL MEDICAL MERRY-GO-ROUND
They've put me down for a cardiac ablation,
If nothing else - a new sensation.
With advancing years such things are found
On the magical medical merry-go-round.
There was even a choice for a dicky ticker
But they said that this was new - and quicker
Than the other two they offered for free,
So I said that'll do for me.
If such occasions have to pass
Well - it's a rest from...
If nothing else - a new sensation.
With advancing years such things are found
On the magical medical merry-go-round.
There was even a choice for a dicky ticker
But they said that this was new - and quicker
Than the other two they offered for free,
So I said that'll do for me.
If such occasions have to pass
Well - it's a rest from...
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Saturday 11th May 2013 11:42 pm
COMPASSION FATIGUE BLUES
I was not impressed by the LIKES of that masked thug seen running at a police horse and
punching it in the face - and who was later reported to be receiving "disability" benefit!
...............................................................................................
Spare us your song of self-pity
The world's had enough of that ditty!
The refrain stays the same -
Findin...
punching it in the face - and who was later reported to be receiving "disability" benefit!
...............................................................................................
Spare us your song of self-pity
The world's had enough of that ditty!
The refrain stays the same -
Findin...
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Monday 22nd April 2013 3:39 pm
St. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL - APRIL 17, 2013
A flag-draped coffin passes by,
As a muffled bell tolls in the sky;
Some cheer (few jeer), some clap. some sigh...
Liittle old lady passing by
A sovereign and her consort wait
For a coffin carried through the gate,
Acknowledged with a sideways eye,..
Little old lady passing by.
The service done, the guests and kin
Emerge to let new life begin;
Beyond, beneath a noon-day sky,
A littl...
As a muffled bell tolls in the sky;
Some cheer (few jeer), some clap. some sigh...
Liittle old lady passing by
A sovereign and her consort wait
For a coffin carried through the gate,
Acknowledged with a sideways eye,..
Little old lady passing by.
The service done, the guests and kin
Emerge to let new life begin;
Beyond, beneath a noon-day sky,
A littl...
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Wednesday 17th April 2013 12:52 pm
THATCHER - IN PASSING
The Lady wasn't always right,
Not all would take her side,
But as we headed into the sight
Of war, we found our pride.
The fifty pound travel allowance we knew
That brought us ridicule
Was forgotten when we claimed the due
Of new found North Sea fuel.
But our once great motor car concerns
Were lost to union attacks;
Red Robbo and others taking turns
To stop them in their tracks...
Not all would take her side,
But as we headed into the sight
Of war, we found our pride.
The fifty pound travel allowance we knew
That brought us ridicule
Was forgotten when we claimed the due
Of new found North Sea fuel.
But our once great motor car concerns
Were lost to union attacks;
Red Robbo and others taking turns
To stop them in their tracks...
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Monday 8th April 2013 5:07 pm
Tags: Thatcher
LIFE'S A RISK!
What is it with those who profess to care
That they'd take away our right to share
The sight of a life of courage and risk,
What price Red Rum or Mr Frisk?
A racehorse lives to race and run,
Some love the mud, and some the sun.
The folk who keep them love them too,
Without that what would racehorses do?.
There is no finer sight around
Than a high fence cleared with one bound,
By...
That they'd take away our right to share
The sight of a life of courage and risk,
What price Red Rum or Mr Frisk?
A racehorse lives to race and run,
Some love the mud, and some the sun.
The folk who keep them love them too,
Without that what would racehorses do?.
There is no finer sight around
Than a high fence cleared with one bound,
By...
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Saturday 6th April 2013 3:57 pm
OPPRESSORS
Just who are these oppressors
They keep banging on about?
Using words - if words could talk,
That would stamp their feet and shout!
Just who are they oppressing
And what do they hope to gain?
Do they oppress like tyrants -
Or is it necessary pain?
Do we invent our demons
For each imagined slight?
Do we need an enemy
To put us in the right?
Are our alleged oppressors
A reflectio...
They keep banging on about?
Using words - if words could talk,
That would stamp their feet and shout!
Just who are they oppressing
And what do they hope to gain?
Do they oppress like tyrants -
Or is it necessary pain?
Do we invent our demons
For each imagined slight?
Do we need an enemy
To put us in the right?
Are our alleged oppressors
A reflectio...
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Monday 1st April 2013 4:21 pm
A QUESTION OF FREEDOM
My father's generation was lost to give freedom to the world
Into the maelstrom of World War One he and his kind were hurled.
When the carnage was over and the survivors staggered back
There was little here left for any brave man-jack.
And when World War Two was declared over twenty years on
That generation was called upon and once more to war had gone...
To free the peoples of Europe on...
Into the maelstrom of World War One he and his kind were hurled.
When the carnage was over and the survivors staggered back
There was little here left for any brave man-jack.
And when World War Two was declared over twenty years on
That generation was called upon and once more to war had gone...
To free the peoples of Europe on...
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Monday 25th March 2013 11:14 am
SPLIT INFINITY
We live in a world full of isms
Life seen through distorting prisms
Common sense gets no deference
Equality can mean preference
And society's a sequence of schisms!
Life seen through distorting prisms
Common sense gets no deference
Equality can mean preference
And society's a sequence of schisms!
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Thursday 21st March 2013 4:26 pm
THE PRIMROSE - a reprint
As Spring does its best to break through, here's a reminder of life renewed.
...........................................................................................
Peeping from beneath the tree,
The lemon primrose spoke to me.
Winter's done, I heard it say,
Warmer days are on the way.
Mother Nature waits with glee,
The First Rose is my name, you see;
While other flowers stay...
...........................................................................................
Peeping from beneath the tree,
The lemon primrose spoke to me.
Winter's done, I heard it say,
Warmer days are on the way.
Mother Nature waits with glee,
The First Rose is my name, you see;
While other flowers stay...
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Saturday 16th March 2013 4:47 pm
Tags: spring,Primrose
PAPER CHASE
Why do "they" knock the Daily Mail?
It enjoys a truly enviable sale.
Comedians at the BBC
Deride its name incessantly.
An expected way to get a laugh
When The Guardian provides the BBC staff.
Why do "they" make such a fuss
About its stance of "them and us"?
And its worry about a jobless nation
Facing uncontrolled immigration?
Is its stance to be abhorred
Ob...
It enjoys a truly enviable sale.
Comedians at the BBC
Deride its name incessantly.
An expected way to get a laugh
When The Guardian provides the BBC staff.
Why do "they" make such a fuss
About its stance of "them and us"?
And its worry about a jobless nation
Facing uncontrolled immigration?
Is its stance to be abhorred
Ob...
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Saturday 9th March 2013 1:47 pm
VANISHING POST
Is there something about mid-February...
Some mysterious shut-down day -
That sees a poem disappear
From the WOL light of day?
Is there something about mid-February
Like a black hole beyond the sun,
While poems that come afterwards,
Are shining "two for one"?
Some poems are worth reading twice
Like a letter in the post,
But here is this month's mystery -
What date mak...
Some mysterious shut-down day -
That sees a poem disappear
From the WOL light of day?
Is there something about mid-February
Like a black hole beyond the sun,
While poems that come afterwards,
Are shining "two for one"?
Some poems are worth reading twice
Like a letter in the post,
But here is this month's mystery -
What date mak...
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Wednesday 27th February 2013 5:15 pm
THE PERFECT EXIT LINE
These lines were inspired by a press photo from New York some years ago. The wording
quoted and the image referred to are 100% correct. I love its unintentional black humour.
................................................................
The funniest photo I can recall
Was taken after a gangster's fall;
A Mafia Don got HIS one-liner
When shot to death in an Italian diner.
The NYP...
quoted and the image referred to are 100% correct. I love its unintentional black humour.
................................................................
The funniest photo I can recall
Was taken after a gangster's fall;
A Mafia Don got HIS one-liner
When shot to death in an Italian diner.
The NYP...
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Friday 15th February 2013 5:09 pm
LABOUR MILLIONAIRES
At every turn we're asked to share
The woe of those whose work's not there;
But when it comes to their out-of-work cares,
Where are the Labour millionaires?
When Labour's star was shining bright
Who can deny they did all right,
So comrades...brothers...sisters too...
Why aren't they helping all of you?
I recall one who in an ad.
Boasted of how much he had
Not knowing...
The woe of those whose work's not there;
But when it comes to their out-of-work cares,
Where are the Labour millionaires?
When Labour's star was shining bright
Who can deny they did all right,
So comrades...brothers...sisters too...
Why aren't they helping all of you?
I recall one who in an ad.
Boasted of how much he had
Not knowing...
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Friday 8th February 2013 4:30 pm
POLICE POETRY BOOK
It's reported that following the publishing success of a book of poems from
army officers, there are plans for a similar publication from police officers.
................................................................
Now that poetry gives Plod the nod,
Like a spark to untold unlit candles,
Will the boot-measured tread
Be replaced instead
By the hush-step of open-toed sandals?!...
army officers, there are plans for a similar publication from police officers.
................................................................
Now that poetry gives Plod the nod,
Like a spark to untold unlit candles,
Will the boot-measured tread
Be replaced instead
By the hush-step of open-toed sandals?!...
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Saturday 2nd February 2013 4:22 pm
FEELING FELINE
1.
My sister lost her husband not long ago
A time of grief and tears
But time can help the mind prepare
For the lonely ensuing years.
And her life has had other companions
Of an origin Siamese
Who seem to spend their purring lives
Trying their best to please.
As if they know their place is now
To comfort and console
To provide some ongoing love beyond
The knowledge of the human soul...
My sister lost her husband not long ago
A time of grief and tears
But time can help the mind prepare
For the lonely ensuing years.
And her life has had other companions
Of an origin Siamese
Who seem to spend their purring lives
Trying their best to please.
As if they know their place is now
To comfort and console
To provide some ongoing love beyond
The knowledge of the human soul...
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Friday 1st February 2013 5:34 pm
Tags: Cat comp
STREET SCENE - LONDON 2013
The sound of running footsteps,
"No, no, please don't" - then a scream.
The knives were out to kill that shout
And murder the hope and the dream.
"No, no, please don't" - then a scream.
The knives were out to kill that shout
And murder the hope and the dream.
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Tuesday 29th January 2013 1:51 am
STREETWISE
It's sod's law when I'm out rushing hither and thither,
I seem to get stuck behind some soul in a dither!
Extremely annoying, but what's even odder..
I've often been seen as a bit of a plodder.
But I KNOW where I'm going (and even where I've gone),
While the ditherers don't know what planet they're on.
Completely oblivious of what's happening around,...
I seem to get stuck behind some soul in a dither!
Extremely annoying, but what's even odder..
I've often been seen as a bit of a plodder.
But I KNOW where I'm going (and even where I've gone),
While the ditherers don't know what planet they're on.
Completely oblivious of what's happening around,...
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Friday 25th January 2013 12:35 pm
MAN MADE RELIGION
With the exceptions of some fine buildings and inspirational songs that have appeared here over the years,, I'm not a fan of man-made religions. I realised long ago, with the Crown Versus Church struggle, that it is
essentially about control. And the sight of those gorgeous robes and the rest of the paraphernalia on show
merely enforces my cynicism and finds me reverting to my school day &...
essentially about control. And the sight of those gorgeous robes and the rest of the paraphernalia on show
merely enforces my cynicism and finds me reverting to my school day &...
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Friday 11th January 2013 4:55 pm
Tags: religion
WHERE ARE YOU GORDON BROWN?
Gordon Brown - where can you be?
You're never seen in the H of P.
Are you running some religious order
Somewhere north of England's border?
Avoiding each and every mention
Of some poor soul with a vanished pension,
Or how - citing prudence - brash and bold
You made a sale of the Nation's gold.
To see our neighbours grab this steal
You'd think they'd won "Deal - o...
You're never seen in the H of P.
Are you running some religious order
Somewhere north of England's border?
Avoiding each and every mention
Of some poor soul with a vanished pension,
Or how - citing prudence - brash and bold
You made a sale of the Nation's gold.
To see our neighbours grab this steal
You'd think they'd won "Deal - o...
Read more and leave comments (9)
Wednesday 9th January 2013 4:51 pm
NEW YEAR THOUGHTS
So...it's out with the Old
And in with the New,
But please please remember -
Whatever you do -
Let the Old serve its purpose
And be a reminder
To make sure the New
Finds us better and kinder!...
And in with the New,
But please please remember -
Whatever you do -
Let the Old serve its purpose
And be a reminder
To make sure the New
Finds us better and kinder!...
Read more and leave comments (3)
Tuesday 1st January 2013 5:12 pm
Tags From Last Year
Recent Comments
Yvonne Brunton on DAMBUSTER (5 days ago)
Richard on DAMBUSTER (8 days ago)
alexandra.f.swarbrick on MAN MADE RELIGION (9 days ago)
alexandra.f.swarbrick on STREETWISE (9 days ago)
alexandra.f.swarbrick on LABOUR MILLIONAIRES (9 days ago)
alexandra.f.swarbrick on VANISHING POST (9 days ago)
alexandra.f.swarbrick on THE PRIMROSE - a reprint (9 days ago)
alexandra.f.swarbrick on OPPRESSORS (9 days ago)
alexandra.f.swarbrick on LIFE'S A RISK! (9 days ago)
George Stanworth on THE MAGICAL MEDICAL MERRY-GO-ROUND (10 days ago)
Yvonne Brunton on THE MAGICAL MEDICAL MERRY-GO-ROUND (11 days ago)
alexandra.f.swarbrick on St. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL - APRIL 17, 2013 (11 days ago)
alexandra.f.swarbrick on THATCHER - IN PASSING (11 days ago)
Shirley Smothers on DAMBUSTER - dedicated to Sqdn Ldr G.L.Johnson DFC (Fri, 26 Apr 2013 11:34:26 pm)
M.C. Newberry on COMPASSION FATIGUE BLUES (Wed, 24 Apr 2013 02:44:54 pm)
