Poetry Blog by M.C. Newberry

The story of Jack the Giant Killer

Is something of an ancient thriller

It seems young Jack possessed four prizes

That came in separate forms and sizes.

This legend has a Gallic source...

(That's source - and not French sauce, of course!)

He had a cloak to hide him from other eyes,

A perfect sort of self-disguise;

Add to that shoes none could match,

Which when w...

Read and leave comments (2)

If I'm ever visited by dementia

I would prefer it in absentia!

.......................................................

Read and leave comments (3)

One of the great attributes of those who endured service in WW1 was their humour.  One who was a

successful lifetime exponent was Sir Alan Herbert (A.P.Herbert) who was described in an obituary -

"more than any man of his day, he added to the gaiety of the nation".  The final verse of a poem about 

an unpopular general called Shute  who was critical of the hygiene practices of Herbert's b...

Read and leave comments (0)

The car that carried Archduke Ferdinand and his wife to their fates at the hand of the terrorist Princip is

kept in a military museum in Vienna.  It has been pointed out to its custodians that the registration

plate of this vehicle shows the following extraordinary mark, its relevance apparently not picked up

until a keen-eyed visiting observer remarked on it to the museum.

A111 118

Read and leave comments (1)

On the eve of this Remembrance Sunday - commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Armistice, it seems appropriate for me to turn to the last words he penned on a conflict he managed to survive from 

my father, who served with the 1st Btn. Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, 5th Division..

"11/11/18 - Marched into Le Quesnoy about mid-day & took over the military barracks from the New Zealand...

Read and leave comments (2)

Sometimes, it can seem

That life's just some scheme

Of glad meetings

And sad goodbyes:

Arms outstretched in warm welcome -

And the discreet dabbing of damp eyes.

But any future way in disguised display

That may be shown for us to roam,

Will never stay to disown that day

When we first left home.

..................................................................

Read and leave comments (2)

Just what sort of mug

Goes on any drug

That isn't properly prescribed?

You might also think

The same of those who drink

And are careless about what's imbibed.

But it's what ISN'T said

That does in my head...

What's lost in so many ways:

This stuff doesn't come cheap,

But you hardly hear a peep

About cost and the pocket that pays!

..............................

Read and leave comments (3)

Shot and shell,

Blown to hell,

And to think it had all begun so well.

Consigned to death and its mouldering stench,

Close companions in a mud-filled trench.

The whistles blow,

Away they go,

Over the top in frantic show

Towards an enemy yet unseen

Through air of bilious yellow and green.

The rat-a-tat-tat

Soon tells them that

They will grow neither old nor fat;

Read and leave comments (4)

"13/4/18" - so the faded hand-written entry begins on a yellowed parchment page,

Proclaiming its message from a century ago - over its skin of extreme old age.

The black ink from a new-fangled fountain pen brings the nightmare of dried-up blood

That splashed and spurted, to leave its stain across the muck and mud.

So near the end, cruelly caught by death, their life-force fatally spill...

Read and leave comments (1)

No one should go where a soldier must go

And know what a soldier must know.

No one should see what a soldier must see

And live with the memory.

And so with the arrival of November,

It should be that we too must remember.

............................................................................

Read and leave comments (8)

Do not come to WOL expecting to be feted.

Do not come to WOL expecting to be celebrated.

DO write what you feel instead,

in the hope it might be read.

Treat your words with love and care

And show respect for those who share

Each poem that you chose to post,

Investing each one with the most

Sincere content you can muster

Avoiding ego and its bluster.

Try to say somethi...

Read and leave comments (11)

For the occasion of my funeral, I've made a last request:

That the day of my departure hears no vain protest;

No wailing (and no crowing!)

At the reality of my going...

To those present, I suggest: give it a rest!

And bear in mind as you face life anew...

It may be down with me - 

But it'll soon be up with you!

..................................................................

Read and leave comments (2)

The following is a response to the People's Vote 2 march in my own backyard here in London.

It's the March of the Misguided,

An insistent voice confided.

What sees them want a servile role

To foreign rule beyond control?

What sees them play perfidy's part

Far removed from Freedom's heart

And the history of this ancient nation

That always fought tyranny's oration?

What pe...

Read and leave comments (5)

Right-o, everyone....here's some cheer to forget the anguish and the angst for a while.

Scene - a man and woman on an otherwise deserted stage.  The man takes the hands of his true love:

.........................................................

You are the music in my heart

And with each note I feel a part

Of some eternal symphony

Written just for you and me

You are the m...

Read and leave comments (4)

There's a black shroud

Over the Kingdom of Saud;

Freedom's murder allowed

Diplomatically disavowed,

..................................................

Read and leave comments (4)

With a happy nod to Howard Dietz - top wordsmith and creator of the famous MGM Film trademark.

Dancing in the dark,

Till this life ends

We're dancing in the dark,

When all strife ends.

So - whether leading or led,

If invited - nod your head;

Never look askance...

Just grab the chance

instead -

Let's face the music and dance.

...........................................

Read and leave comments (3)

This Saturday, London's roads will be closed once again

So the disaffected can demonstrate their desire to remain

Within the EU - so selling their soul

For personal convenience - but no real control

Over the running of this nation and who gives the orders

Let alone the concerns about uncontrolled borders.

Their cotton and rag filled minds are obsessed

With travel and trivia an...

Read and leave comments (4)

That which is not understood is feared:

So it has always been;

Into the mindset for millennia seared,

Making much of the misery humanity's seen.

.....................................................................

Read and leave comments (4)

The Guardian newspaper (home of the free),

Tells us the fuzz targeted the SWP,

Over many years  - as if it were odd

That it should interest plodding Mr Plod.

Even worse - some rozzers had an affair

With SWP ladies they managed to ensnare

While doggedly pursuing their secret duty -

Acquiring some extra-curricular booty!

"Unfair, unfair", the watchdog barks,

Outr...

Read and leave comments (1)

Although I can only claim a passing acquaintance with the wedding ceremony as a best man  

and a guest, I am familiar with the longer term effects on those I know.  

I post this poem in that vein.

........................................................................................

There's satisfaction finding another

Who wants the same as you

And is prepared to bravely u...

Read and leave comments (2)

This small offshore island nation

Earned a worthy reputation

As a welcoming destination

For those intent on immigration.

But it can now be said as such

That too much of anything is...well...too much!

And that a thing too often used

Runs the risk of being abused.

When many leapfrog numerous lands

Arriving here with outstretched hands,

As if losing sight of co...

Read and leave comments (4)

Doom and gloom...doom and gloom!

One wonders at the lack of room

Obtained by those who would employ

Poems of unbridled joy.

Envy, jealousy and hate

Appear daily to dominate

The minds of many poets writing

Lines of carping and back-biting.

Lift the darkness of despair...

Let lit lanterns linger there!

Bring about the welcome light side

And like the song: "...

Read and leave comments (13)

The duty of a poet

Is to persuade people

To countenance what is not considered

And to consider what is not countenanced.

.......................................................................

Read and leave comments (4)

You can call me a wet blanket

But I love to see the rain;

I'm always sure to thank it

When I see it back again.

I love to look outside at clouds,

Hovering overhead like shrouds

Or veils barely hiding tears

Witnessing the passing biers.

Sun-worshippers may think me mad,

A perverse sort of chappie -

But I say to them I'm just so glad

To be wet - and be happ...

Read and leave comments (6)

"If you can meet Triumph and Disaster..."

Wrote the chap with the cake-maker's name,

Adding to his  confection like a master -

"And treat those two imposters just the same".

Now, a century on, with the odd snobbish sniff,

Lines from his most famous poem named "IF"

Are probably quoted more frequently than

Most other written works that rhyme and scan.

But there are still many...

Read and leave comments (4)

Do we die and then move on,

To re-appear new born upon

This stage which bid the flesh goodbye,

To see life with some other's eye

And once again set out to make

The journey that is ours to take?

Is that the plan for you and me...

This essay in eternity?

......................................................................

Read and leave comments (4)

October is a funny month,

Almost unwilling to share -

Like the servant of old who answers the door

And gives you that "just a minute" stare....

As if to ask you where you're from

And why you've come to call -

Like a visitor from foreign climes

With clothes that say it all.

Then - with a look beyond your face,

The begrudging step aside...

October sees you bid...

Read and leave comments (5)

Children can be a pleasure,

They can also be a pain;

Spare me the kids at leisure

In a train or on a plane!

They can be little angels,

Or the Devil's own sown brood;

Charming and disarming,

Or incorrigibly rude.

An old adage has just occurred

And refers to the typical brat -

Children should be seen...but not heard -

And I'll say amen to that!

I he...

Read and leave comments (5)

The summer wind whispers its muted message of goodbye

To the late lit leisure evenings and clear azure sky;

To the laughter in children's voices and the murmur of the sea

That linger in our quiet hours now the autumn wind blows free.

The summer wind was always warm against our smiling faces

Custodian of happy days and fond remembered places;

Of folk we knew and times we knew...

Read and leave comments (7)

Something is clearly being lost

In the "Me Me" mindset of today -

That the "free" in freedom has a cost

That never ever goes away,

And someone somewhere has to pay!

................................................................

Read and leave comments (3)

One fine day,

In the middle of the night,

Two dead men

Got up to fight;

With one blind man

To see fair play

And one dumb man

To shout hurray!

..................................

Read and leave comments (3)

Those who have been on WOL for a while may recall this poem but it seemed to fit the Saturday Rhymer's theme for today.  I'll let readers draw their own conclusions about the literary inspiration.

I like a handsome hound for sport,

But a pretty pup's my treasure;

The hound will stretch and not be caught,

My pup will stretch with pleasure.

The hound may bare his teeth at me

Read and leave comments (2)

Self-satisfied scientists will tell you that since the world began

We've always been accompanied by the life that lives on man.

Unseen and uninvited these companions do their work

Helping to keep us healthy so we need never shirk

From doing what we need to and facing each new day

With our silent little helpers keeping unwanted bugs at bay.

And whilst the use of soap and water ser...

Read and leave comments (4)

"Vanity...vanity...all is vanity!"

A statement so questionable,

It's close to profanity.

But then I suppose

We each have a weakness:

One might admire strength

Whilst another loves meekness.

But it saps at our sanity

To say ALL is vanity

Though its author might resent

Accusations of inanity.

So why not amend it

To assuage sensitivities

And be thought as genero...

Read and leave comments (6)

There are times when I question this age in which we live

With its ceaseless entreaties to give...give...give...

 When a quiet voice within makes my heart yearn

For eager encouragement to earn...earn...earn!

...........................................................................................

Read and leave comments (2)

Should tempests torment far-off Japan

Until they agree to a whaling ban?

..............................................................

Read and leave comments (1)

Fake news...fake religion...fake science - take your pick.  It usually has "money" in there somewhere!

In this world that we all share

We must be sure to be aware

Of our responsibility to mind

For each Earthly thing of any kind..

And we must also recognise

Those who see with other eyes

Whose views are not the same as ours

With values prey to other powers.

...

Read and leave comments (3)

I have this nagging notion

That if you're pro-emotion

Then logic is out the door

And sense will follow for sure.

And if you disagree

You plainly do not see

The purpose of the brain...

Is to decide on what's to gain!

It really couldn't be plainer

Simply a no-brainer!

........................................................

Read and leave comments (7)

You are the music in my heart

And with each note I feel a part

Of some eternal symphony

Written just for you and me

You are the melody in my mind

And with its tune I always find

New meaning in this life I live

New ways to love, new ways to give

You are the song I've come to know

Wherever in this world I go

As sweet as any sung by birds

But they will never...

Read and leave comments (11)

There is a planning application from a Japanese owned company to build a test/race track for driverless cars on part of the site of the Battle of Bosworth Field.  This is a personal response.

A hearse, a hearse, my kingdom for a hearse!

For carting off our history - and what, pray, could be worse?

Richard Crookback was brought to book at famous Bosworth Field

And the Plantagenets ...

Read and leave comments (4)

How many times I seem to have spent

Controlling that ephemeral environment,

A duty placed on those like me

To safely secure frivolity

That seemed to last from morn till night

Till the final clear-up came in sight;

With protective boarding taken down

By those on their return to town

Praying for homes and - inter-alia -

Gardens unsoiled by drug paraphernalia;

While hosp...

Read and leave comments (3)

The shock result in TV's top foodie show

Surprised many fans but they weren't to know

That the winner came from a long line of crooks

Whose skills weren't confined to cooking the books!

...................................................................................

Read and leave comments (3)

Some recent blogs brought the following to mind as many lives benefit from enlightened attitudes..

Homo...lezzie...fairy...queer -

Accuse, abuse and bruise the ear,

And feed on  fear.

Fragile girl and frightened boy

That hate and self-hate would destroy

Just seeking joy.

Younger soul and older friend

Fighting pressure to pretend

And not offend.

Hum...

Read and leave comments (1)

The knocks came loud at half-past four,

The wife groaned from her rest.

"You give that waste of space what for,

I loathe the little pest!"

Her hubby squinted at the clock,

With still no sign of dawn;

He'd give that youth a nasty shock,

He'd wish he'd not been born.

They'd suffered since he came to stay

With all his useless kin;

Up all night (he slept all day...

Read and leave comments (1)

In Switzerland, strange to say, they don't find it a wrench

That one side of the place speaks Deutsch while the other side speaks French.

The people have long been accepting and it doesn't seem to jar -

That Teutonic tongue that says "I'm boss!" and the laid-back "Oo-la-la".

The centuries have surely played their part to see them get along

In those cantons where commerce is king and...

Read and leave comments (6)

The former Labout big-wheel John Denham - now in academia - gave a speech recently about "English

identity" - rather timely when so many others are given so much publicity.  And I wonder how many on

WOL have memories that go back as far as mine?

Do you remember my England?

When people said "How do you do?"

And most of them were folk you knew,

And everybody joined a queue...

Read and leave comments (10)

A true story and probably ongoing....

I tned to be forgiving - you could also add forebearing,

About the ants who perchance have chosen my flat for sharing.

They march in line, or scurry about as if with no sense of direction,

Heading aimlessly this way or that under my patient inspection.

But that personal patience ended today when I picked up the telephone

And found to my ...

Read and leave comments (8)

Alone into this world I came

And doubtless will I go;

Spare me tales of pain and blame

And tears of grief and woe.

Like a river my life slips past,

Sometimes slow and clear,

And other times it races fast

Like water over a weir.

But when I walk a windswept moor

Or forests and fields of green,

I feel as if I've been before

To places that I've seen.

...

Read and leave comments (2)

Apropos the invitation from the land of good sports

For a Saturday poem on the subject of shorts

I'll be brief - avoiding any risk of retort

By going no further - and keeping this short!

.....................................................................................

Read and leave comments (4)

The British sense of humour is famously robust

And that's just as well - truth to tell

Or we might have long since bitten the dust!

Remember the Brit on holiday basking by the sea

With a knotted hanky on his head -

And trousers rolled to the knee?

Or the bowler-hatted business gent parading through the City,

So consumed with commercial intent

Mocked with many a di...

Read and leave comments (6)