WOL
As we pause and take stock in present difficulty
There's something that impresses me;
Whoever we are and whatever our role
Happiness is a place called WOL.
Reaching out across land and sea
It's somewhere we're content to be
Whatever we write, whatever our goal
We arrive in hope on WOL
So - let's raise a glass to one another
Sister to sister - brother to brother
In thi...
Wednesday 23rd December 2020 3:49 pm
PRIORITIES
As for this virus - I don't dread it,
I dread the idiots who spread it;
Common preservation far from mind
They're out there and you'll find
They think that they know better...
That their "freedom" has its fetter,
To be shaken from the wrists
As they wave protesting fists.
Well, if its freedom you would save
Then avoid an early grave
For your sake and those you see
...
Monday 21st December 2020 2:56 pm
THOUGHTS AT CHRISTMAS - a seasonal re-post for 2020
It seems that these words keep up with the times. But as long as there is LIFE there is hope; something we should all bear in mind while recalling difficult times in our past.
...........................................................................
How fitting now in deep December
When days are short and life is low,
That in our hearts we will remember
Those we knew who had to g...
Sunday 20th December 2020 5:03 pm
CHRISTMAS SNOW
A personal favourite from my batch of seasonal songs - originally written for all those unable to be at
home for Christmas, but who keep the best of what it means in their imaginations: now - with added
meaning - given a fresh "airing" at a particularly relevant time around the world.
....................................................................
At home the Christmas snow is ...
Tuesday 15th December 2020 11:08 pm
WHEN CHRISTMAS COMES AROUND
An annual reminder of the positive message that Christmas brings to us all. Sing along!
1.
Lift up your voice - let all rejoice
And make a joyful sound
Cast off the care most folk (alt. mankind) must bear
When Christmas comes around
2.
Look to your hearts - that's where love starts
Where Life itself begins...
And you shall know that faith will show
Forgiveness f...
Thursday 10th December 2020 2:13 pm
VARIATIONS
Poetry can be perfidious,
Invasive or insidious,
Insulting or invideous
And occasionally just plain hideous.
But all are deemed acceptable
As long as the work's fastidious!
...........................................................
Sunday 6th December 2020 9:11 pm
THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS (A "HAPPY COVID" SONG)
Well, here we are, looking towards an unusual festive season - but let's also look on the bright side.
..............................................................................
At home, all alone
So sad on my own
I was wondering how things were so wrong
When your face filled my mind
Loving eyes to remind
Me of what I had missed all along
That night before Christm...
Tuesday 1st December 2020 2:04 pm
GET A LIFE!
Spare me your ditty of self-pity...
Your ballad of self-obsession;
Be aware this life we share
Is a "sad and glad" procession
That we all join from another's loin
Without a say in the matter
So make the best of all the rest
And leave out the "me...me" chatter!
.................................................................
Wednesday 25th November 2020 3:37 pm
HITCHING A RIDE
Men are the donkeys women hitch a ride on through their lives
Women are the workhorses to keep men stabled as their wives.
.....................................................................................................
Tuesday 24th November 2020 4:14 pm
FACTS OF LIFE
The legal side of love and romance -
And this is matter of factual......
Is when to the altar you're led a dance
And they become contractual.
..............................................................
Friday 20th November 2020 3:00 pm
BELIEF
Is belief the thief of rational thinking?
Is it rather an elixir we each choose for drinking?
.......................................................................
Saturday 14th November 2020 6:53 pm
THE MENIN GATE
From a previous Remembrance Day -
For Armistice Day 2020 - in memory of 2nd Lieutenant Ernest Valentine Venner, aged 24, The Rifle Brigade, killed during the Battle of Delville Wood, The Somme Campaign - August 18, 1916.
Wednesday 11th November 2020 3:03 pm
ONWARDS AND UPWARDS (2)
There's so much gloom about life being spouted
Please excuse me if I choose to digress,
But this much truth should also be touted
Adaptability leads ultimately to success.
.................................................................................
Tuesday 10th November 2020 10:39 pm
COVID NINETEEN (Start spreading the news)
To be sung along to Old Blue Eyes' great hit "New York, New York". Sing along. keep smiling!!
Start spreading the news
It ain't gone away
Show that we want no part of it
Covid Nineteen !
We can't pick and choose
If we do, it'll stay
With us right in the heart of it
Covid Nineteen !
I want to wake up every morning that's for sure
With no wish to add to its greedy s...
Monday 2nd November 2020 2:54 pm
A JOB OF WORK TO DO
In these dull days of ennui - seeking a task or two
I found myself wondering - and before I knew
It came to me clearly that this much is true
We all have a job of work to do.
We each plough our own furrow, me and you,
And sow seed and deed our whole life through
Depending on our talents and what we pursue,
Doing our best in life's hullabaloo.
But whatever we're b...
Tuesday 27th October 2020 12:39 pm
BE GRATEFUL FOR THE DARK DAYS
A lyric from other days that seems appropriate at this time.
...................................................................................
Be grateful for the dark days,
And when they come along
Don't waste your time in worrying
Just how it all went wrong.
Be grateful for the dark days
And when they come in sight
Don't devote time despairing
Whether things wil...
Tuesday 20th October 2020 1:05 pm
POWER UP!
It's said the power to be alone
Is managed by very few
But I'm content to be on my own
And don't find it hard to do
Very handy when extremis exists
And the sheep instinct kicks in
To contribute to the plague that persists
With its deadly rictus grin
I lean out of my window here
To watch the world go by
And manage a silent heartfelt cheer
As above the bird...
Sunday 18th October 2020 2:57 pm
THE STUPID STRANGERS
Watch out for the stupid strangers
And what they have to share;
Take care with their barefaced dangers,
Wherever you go - beware!
They like to get up close unmasked
And give you what they've got - unasked!
......................................................................
Monday 12th October 2020 4:47 pm
QUALIFICATIONS
Did Shakespeare go to university
To ensure his place in immortality?
Did Gray possess a PHD
When he sat in Stoke Poges cemetery?
Did Hardy feel the need to blush
At the unqualified talent of "The Darkling Thrush"
Did Kipling require an honours degree
To see his star rise permanently?
Did Masefield boast some intellectual score
To write of the sea and so much more?
In ...
Saturday 10th October 2020 4:51 pm
PERSONALLY SPEAKING
Wherever we go
Goes the ego,
Admitting we can never bid
Farewell to its companion, the id.
........................................................
Thursday 8th October 2020 11:57 am
EXPUNGE THE GRUNGE!
It's been said that revenge is sweet
But it's neat and often sweeter
Just to press "delete"
And exclude egregious excreta.
..............................................................
Saturday 3rd October 2020 3:28 pm
PEST CONTROL
I've just had a visit from pest control
You know - those people who take the role
Of addressing nocturnal visits by mice
(And maybe other things not seen as "nice").
It seems another tenant made a complaint
About an absence of rodent restraint.
I live in a house two centuries old
And frankly would be surprised to be told
That it was free from timorous wee beasties
That s...
Wednesday 30th September 2020 4:16 pm
PRACTICE
There's a lot of stuff out there about love
And probably more about sex -
With its trendy reliance
On appliance and science
When practice is all that it "teks"!!
Tuesday 29th September 2020 3:56 pm
APOLOGIES
Do apologists get out of bed each day
To make sure we hear what they say?
Now pursuing perceived crimes...
From distant days and different times.
They raise their supplicant banner high
Beneath its folds they loudly cry
Their endless shame at what was done
That lets them profit from what was won.
One thing seems plain and should be said -
Let the dead say sorry to the de...
Sunday 27th September 2020 4:47 pm
MOVING ON UP
When the fire within me dies
And my spirit flies beyond the skies
To reach that unknown place that lies
Past earthly need of ears and eyes,
This much I know - this much is plain -
That I shall be but born again
To take my place in the timeless train
Of Creation's everlasting chain.
So, save your tears...your sad goodbyes
This breaking of familiar ties;
Be comforted by...
Tuesday 22nd September 2020 10:12 am
CONVICTION OF PURPOSE
Much has been made
Of the part love has played
In the course of human existence.
Once lost, one thing's plain -
That to find it again
Requires some personal persistence!
........................................................
Monday 21st September 2020 12:45 pm
MISS ME BUT LET ME GO
I was clearing out old papers when I came across the following poem attributed to "Anon" which
had been a part of a late elder sister's funeral ceremony. It seems very appropriate to share it in
these difficult days.
....................................
Miss me but let me go
But when I come to the end of the road
And the sun has set for me
I want no riles in a gloom filled ro...
Tuesday 15th September 2020 2:19 pm
GRATITUDE
The ready expression of gratitude
May sometimes seem a platitude
But needs must
Before we come to dust
..............................................................
Monday 14th September 2020 2:01 pm
AS TIME GOES BY
With a fond nod to a great "standard" from the past. Play it Boris! Will it go viral, I wonder??!!
........................................................
We must remember this
A kiss can't be a kiss
A sigh can't be a sigh
The government rules apply
Here's why - so we get by
It's now a brand new story
In this land of hope and glory
A case of do or die
So we do...
Friday 11th September 2020 11:41 am
A REMINDER TO BLM
There is a letter in the latest edition of a magazine issued to London police pensioners that describes the
experience of the correspondent and a colleague at the time of the Brixton riots when "Two days after we
had been bombarded with bricks, and anything else the rioters could lay their hands on", they were back on
patrol in Brixton market when they were approached by a young black la...
Wednesday 9th September 2020 4:09 pm
WHEN YOU'RE OVER SEVENTY...WHO CARES? (2)
Sure to offend some...but hey -
I was at the bar of the Legion minding my own business the other evening when I was groped by a distinctly unappealing member of opposite sex.
"You're cute" she says, "have you got a phone number?"
"Sure. Have you got a pen?"
"Yep...I've got a pen."
"Then you'd better get back in it before the farmer misses you."
Cost me a knee in the nuts, but he...
Saturday 5th September 2020 9:20 pm
LAUGHTER LINES
Have you noticed - that right from birth
Human kind is meant for mirth.
Before a baby knows its place
You'll see a smile upon its face,
And when a child is growing fast
A smile's the thing that's sure to last
When life is hard - not being kind
The face will show how folk can find
A refuge from the grief and care
That somehow seems we all must share.
When pressures see...
Wednesday 2nd September 2020 2:26 pm
WHEN YOU'RE OVER SEVENTY....WHO CARES?
Sure to offend some but, hey..........
I was talking to a young woman in the Legion last night.
She said "If you lost a few pounds, had a hair cut and
cleaned yourself up, you'd look all right."
I said "If I did that, I'd be talking to your friends over there instead of you."
Cost me a fat lip - but, hey...
when you're over seventy.....who cares?
................................
Tuesday 1st September 2020 12:46 pm
INVITATION
Where you are born is the passing partner of chance;
Of whom you are born is the invitation to the dance.
......................................................................................
Sunday 30th August 2020 5:44 pm
VOLTAIRE IN MY EAR
The words come down the centuries - as relevant now as they ever were.
"We have a natural right to make use of our pens, as of our tongue: at our peril, risk and hazard."
"Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers."
"There are truths which are not for all men, nor for all times."
"Opinion has caused more trouble on this little earth than plagues and earthquakes."
"We c...
Tuesday 25th August 2020 4:11 pm
HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT?
The other day i counted the WOL blogs
In total: forty nine;
There was only one you couldn't like
And that was one of mine.
...................................................................
Monday 24th August 2020 4:00 pm
WHAT THE BUTLER SAW
From the shade provided by tinted glass
It was an opportunity too good to see pass.
Beyond stood two officers of the Law
The perfect target to get what for ---
According to what the Butler saw..
......................................................................
Friday 21st August 2020 8:37 pm
WITH RESPECT
Those who demand respect rarely deserve it;
Those who deserve respect rarely demand it.
.........................................................................
Wednesday 19th August 2020 1:25 pm
OSCAR LEVANT REMEMBERED
The other evening, intent on avoiding the repetition and depression of news reports on the 24/.7 media
"not-so-merry-go-round", I took a trip back in time via the DVD of the last musical that Astaire and Rogers
made and found myself enjoying the additional presence of Oscar Levant. He appeared, invariably as the
disenchanted, sharp-tongued pal - reflecting much of his own personality. H...
Monday 17th August 2020 3:40 pm
LIMITATIONS
You shall,,
I shan't.
You can,
I can't.
You will,
I won't.
You do,
I don.t.
You may,
I might.
No relationship in sight!
............................................
Sunday 16th August 2020 1:51 pm
STIR AND THE POT
A liberal landscape gardener
Achieved some sort of renown
Designing each plot with displays of pot...
He was called Culpability Brown !
...................................................................
Friday 14th August 2020 12:32 pm
CHOICE
There was once regard given to "choice"
In life's give and take it had a voice;
But now it suffers a transformation,,
Defined instead as "discrimination"..
...................................................................
Wednesday 12th August 2020 12:37 pm
PROCRASTINATION
"Procrastinate" = to defer action.
................................................................
If procrastination is the thief of time,
Then to aid and abet it must be a crime!
Let this be an admonition
To each pusillanimous politician.
................................................................
Tuesday 11th August 2020 12:39 pm
WEALTHY PEOPLE
I quite enjoy wealthy people
Even though I'll never be one.
I see them like a fairy story -
And those are always fun.
They occupy a different world
With various types of wealth;
Some inherited, some from talent,
And some from silent stealth.
I gaze into their goldfish bowl
At what they do - or don't.
Sometimes wishing I would be them
But more often glad I...
Wednesday 5th August 2020 2:39 pm
KNEE JERKS
English folk would bend the knee
For a sovereign or a bride to be;
But there are those whom it would please
To see all England on its knees.
....................................................................
Monday 3rd August 2020 6:00 pm
THE MYTH OF EQUALITY
Am I equal to Albert Einstein?
Am I equal to Usain Bolt?
Do these questions (just two samples)
Give your intellect a jolt?
Am I equal to Her Majesty
Or Jeff Bezos and his cash?
Rupert Murdoch with his empire?
Sense says such claims are rash.
Being equal before the law...
With talent given opportunity
These two we shouldn't ignore
For the reality of social unity
...Tuesday 28th July 2020 3:49 pm
SPIKED !
Moan and groan,
Whine and whinge
Grate on the ear
Like a rusty hinge.
..................................
Saturday 25th July 2020 12:51 pm
VIRTUE
Signs of virtue however small
Maybe thought good overall
But the selective sort
With its sanctimonious retort
Doesn't represent virtue at all.
.....................................................
Friday 24th July 2020 3:37 pm
SOME LIGHT RELIEF
Spotted in my London street - a van from a well known plumbing outfit bearing the registration mark -
BOG 1
...............................
Thursday 23rd July 2020 12:56 pm
THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK
An evaluation of the wider ramifications of history................................................................................
The advent of the BLM movement and the assaults, physical and verbal, on the visible evidence of the past
history of the British Empire had me considering a hitherto overlooked/ignored aspect of its existence, not
least with regard to its relationship with bl...
Saturday 18th July 2020 4:32 pm
MORE OF THE SIMILAR
Please complain to anyone who shares your revulsion and distress at this content.
...............................................................................................................
Anyone who jumps off a bridge in Paris is in Seine!
Dijon vu - the same mustard as before.
Condoms should be used on every conceivable occasion.
Definition of a will: :a dead give away.
Wi...
Friday 17th July 2020 2:10 pm
HUMOUR IS THE RUMOUR
Warning - some viewers may find the following content distressing, disturbing and likely to offend, coming
as it does from a more robust time. (Well, you have to laugh, don't you?)
.......................................................................................................................
Definition of a shotgun wedding: a case of wife or death.
A man needs a mistress jus...
Thursday 16th July 2020 2:34 pm
GHISLAINE MAXWELL
Justice delayed is justice denied
............................................................................
Despite not yet being tried and convicted
A woman has had a year's jail term inflicted.
Despite reservations, I feel conflicted
At this long delayed justice we see depicted.
Even if the accused woman abused her bail
The final result would still find her in jail
No ...
Wednesday 15th July 2020 2:50 pm
SUTURES AND FUTURES
Excuse me if I don't wilt
Under post-colonial guilt.
History is chapter and verse of the past,
For better or worse, its die is cast.
If wounds persist requiring sutures
Then let those sutures be better futures
For logic will say that this much is real:
Keep picking away and no wound can heal.
.........................................................................
Monday 13th July 2020 7:34 pm
FREEDOM OF SPEECH
Common sense can be heard to beseech:
What has been done to freedom of speech?
Now the prisoner of opinion and offence
None of which makes very much sense.
Words chosen have to be - shall we say "foxy"
To avoid the wrath of the me-me orthodoxy,
Like the Hays Office that controlled what was seen
In days long gone on the cinema screen
When couples on a bed had their feet on t...
Wednesday 8th July 2020 3:43 pm
SOME POETRY
I wish for a cure
For what is obscure
...................................
Monday 6th July 2020 5:08 pm
SIGN FOR THE TIMES
I can't help but notice the proliferation of signs that are evident around virtually every road and road junction.
Here's my suggestion for impatient drivers wherever they are.
CARING UNDERTAKERS LOVE CARELESS OVERTAKERS!
...................................................................................................
Sunday 5th July 2020 5:35 pm
RIGHT ON OSCAR!
Great writers are relevant to any age >>>>>>
"The Americans are certainly great hero-worshippers, and always take heroes from the criminal classes."
Oscar Wilde (from a letter).
"Washington has too many bronze generals."
Oscar Wilde (in conversation).
Wednesday 1st July 2020 1:52 pm
KEEPING WATCH
Criminal deceit is out on the street
Along with its partner in crime called conceit.
The far right's in plain sight,
The far left's more discreet.
.........................................................................
Monday 29th June 2020 10:30 am
FOOT, FOOT, FOOTSIE!
Taking a lead from the excellent JC....and with a nod to a famous song from Al Jolson. Sing along!
.........................................................................................................................................
Foot, foot, footsie - I sigh
Foot, foot, footsie, - Oh my!
Even though the virus now forsakes me
Away from you no words can tell how sad it makes m...
Thursday 25th June 2020 3:07 pm
ABSURD IS THE WORD!
Anyone with an interest in the American Civil War
Who fought where and when, and what for...
Will know of the Massachusetts Fifty Fourth
A regiment that fought and showed its worth.
Strange that BBC online made no mention -
In the circumstances a very curious abstention -
Of the BLM daubing of its famous US memorial!
My thoughts on that are inquisitorial..
Just what was it ...
Friday 19th June 2020 2:24 pm
QUESTION
Here, in the embrace of England, with its detailed history of "class"
There's a movement abroad intended to make equality come to pass.
But that presumption tends to present two rather pertinent questions:
Equality with whom? Equality with what? PLEASE SUBMIT SUGGESTIONS.
....................................................................................................................
Thursday 18th June 2020 12:53 am
HOCUS-POCUS
Equality is a hocus-pocus word
Crusades in its name are frankly absurd.
A flight of fancy...a myth...a mystery -
A "never been known" throughout human history.
In reality here's a reasoned reference:
Those who claim it aim for preference.
Better by far for social unity
To strive for equal opportunity!
............................................................................
Monday 15th June 2020 4:11 pm
NEBULOUS NOTIONS
As I plough on through my 8th decade it seems to be that the various "isms" that have obtained currency in
the latter decades of my lifetime are based in nebulous notions, the foremost of which is that of "equality".
I dare anyone to define that single word in any way that is recognisabe, or achievable in life.
It has certainly never been known on any continent, in any country or any cul...
Friday 12th June 2020 5:19 pm
DESECRATING CHURCHILL'S STATUE
What to make of the desecration of Churchill's statue? Perhaps it's best to think that WSC would have merely
jammed his cigar firmly in one corner of his mouth and growled "Let 'em do what they think best. That's the
democracy that I and this country fought to preserve."
But there is a lingering contemptuous distaste for the ignorance of the fact that without that old man and his
pu...
Monday 8th June 2020 6:46 pm
NEWS REPORT
The following is a piece of fiction within its context but I wish it had been seen at the time in place of the
inflammatory assumption and supposition.
"A man's suspicious behaviour in Minneapolis led to the required attendance of police to investigate.
The ensuing interaction between the suspect and the officers resulted in the former being held on the
ground under forcible restraint,...
Sunday 7th June 2020 2:39 pm
131 NEVER CAME HOME
The other side of the coin that rarely gets any currency in a country that has arbitrary death in its DNA.
....................................................................
One hundred and thirty one left for work
During the year two oh one nine.
They never returned to kith and kin,
Nor did any retire or resign.
"Killed in the line of duty" remains the log line
Added ...
Monday 1st June 2020 9:41 pm
DUE PROCESS
Don't talk to me of "due process"
When I'm marching with the mob;
It messes with my actions
And how I view my job
Of trashing up the neighbourhood
And plundering the shops,
Making hay as the sunshine sets
On the guilt or innocence of cops.
...............................................................
Sunday 31st May 2020 3:16 pm
MAN UP!
Say what you must
And do what you can -
That's my idea
Of an admirable man
......................................
Friday 29th May 2020 8:33 pm
FINAL CURTAIN
They say "Everything comes to those who wait"
And that includes the farewell breath;
But most would have it hesitate -
That final curtain called death.
..................................................................................
Thursday 28th May 2020 1:16 pm
DIVISION !
Can you separate love from lust?
Religion would remonstrate: "We must"!
But how better to put both to the test
Than try to work out which is best.
What joy to know they're hand in hand
To lead us to that promised land
That's often sought but seldom found
When sentenced to remain Earth-bound.
Lust has its place to draw us in,
There's much to say for so-called sin;
Then...
Wednesday 27th May 2020 3:53 pm
PAVEMENT ARTIST
The lines below are a result of an incident just witnessed in the street outside my flat.
I've just been leaning out of my bathroom window
Taking a breath of much needed air
When a young woman with a dog paused below
Looking on as her mutt did its business there.
I watched, somehow knowing she wasn't prepared
To clean up when the doggy deed was complete
And sure eno...
Tuesday 26th May 2020 1:29 pm
CAUSE AND EFFECT
When humanity and nature become corrupted
The health of both is interrupted
And hidden forces find a way
To grab their chance to make both pay.
The unlucky are like lambs to slaughter
While the rest seek hope in soap and water.
.........................................................................
Monday 25th May 2020 4:30 pm
GOODBYE PICCADILLY, FAREWELL LEICESTER SQUARE?
Shh. now..they kept it quiet,.
But don't keep it under your hat;.
I got the startling news just now,
The first I knew about that!.
It wasn't reported in the papers
No mention on the news,
But it's a fact, not silly capers,
(No, I've not been on the booze!).
The world knows about Piccadilly,
Its famous history in London Town
Where for centuries the free of spirit
...Friday 22nd May 2020 2:53 pm
NEGLECT
In anticipation of the accusatory sycophantic sob
Let me state at once that the NHS does a marvellous job.
But I have this nagging concern about those helping hands
How come so many are imported from distant far needier lands,
Whose people are now without the medical help that they deserve
And when falling sick have lost the ones who'd help them hold their nerve?
Why have our "pa...
Thursday 21st May 2020 4:54 pm
DOWN BY THE MEWSTONE
Come, take a walk with me in beautiful South Devon - starting high above Kingswear and following the track that leads down to the coast and the estuary of the River Dart where the Mewstone Rock lies opposite the
old wartime coastal defences. Let your mind float free in the air, unencumbered by four walls Walk along
as often as you please.
..................................................
Monday 18th May 2020 2:30 pm
FAT CHANCE (or "Only in America")
I get email promotions about gadgets and gizmos seeking funding. The latest aims to "treat your fat" via the
"Cryofreeze" method. The link provides big glossy pics (plus prices and promises!) - New York/USA based,
promoting a waist-belt device and accessories that are offered as aids to reduce fat via so-called "freezing"..
A thought about how frozen water becomes ice has me wondering ...
Saturday 16th May 2020 5:10 pm
BADLY, MADLY, SADLY
On the few occasions I now look at the main media news I am assailed by the latest fatality rate from Covid 19
bad enough in itself, but I find myself getting mad at the utterly unnecessary use of the phrase "sadly died".
Not sadly---tragically!. But why use either word at all?. The opposite of sad is happy - and no one would
expect to hear that victims have "happily died". That conjur...
Thursday 14th May 2020 8:03 pm
OOPS! (or "Double the fun"!)
Let's all cheer up at the recollection of those in the media who don't always get it right.
Racing commentator watching jockey Tony McCoy in a formidable lead: "Tony has a quick look between his
legs and likes what he sees."
Interviewer asking racing driver Ralf Schumacher at a Grand Prix: "What does it feel like being rammed up the
backside by Barrichello?"
Racing pundit Brough Sc...
Tuesday 12th May 2020 12:03 pm
GOOD ADVICE
If you are feeling obsessed with self-doubt and anxiety - and who isn't? - then bear in mind this excellent
advice from that great worldly-wise wit of yesteryear, Dorothy Parker.
Razors pain you;
Rivers are damp;
Acids stain you;
And drugs cause cramp.
Guns aren't lawful;
Nooses give;
Gas smells awful;
You might as well live.
..........................................
...Monday 11th May 2020 6:07 pm
WHY WOMEN DON'T READ IN THE BATHROOM
It has been observed that if women seek a quiet time all they have to do is hang around with men.
Men won't say a thing unless there's food in mind or the house is on fire. Women don't read in the
bathroom because men allow them solitude wherever they want it, It's harder for men to find
peace and quiet. The loo is probably the only refuge where they can be alone, but even there they
...Sunday 10th May 2020 11:11 pm
V.E. DAY 1945-2020
War may be the ultimate insanity but there can be righteous madness in it,
We British are slow to anger but once roused our aim is to win it.
The elation of a nation that prevails can be derided
By those who call it jingoism in the freedom that's provided.
But celebration embraces commemoration for those who suffered and died
So feel free to call it what you want when tyranny is den...
Friday 8th May 2020 1:40 pm
LEATHER ON WILLOW
It's strange how nightmare times can turn into the stuff of dreams
And how in the pitch black of nighttime something brighter gleams.
Sinking back beneath the duvet, my tired head welcoming the pillow
I seemed to see another life and hear the sound of leather on willow
Through closed eyes helped by the shade of a tightly drawn-down blind.
I saw the images of the scenes I once k...
Monday 4th May 2020 3:25 pm
OTHERS
Others can make you good;
Others can make you bad;
Others can make you miserable;
Others can make you glad.
You'll note I've mentioned others
But this is what is meant:
Just don't depend upon others
If you aim to be content!
.........................................................
Friday 1st May 2020 2:50 pm
DANCE ON
When life leads you a not so merry dance
As a partner of passing circumstance,
Step out to meet its fitful tune
With hope and you will find that soon
The dance will change - and you will too -
So keep in step and follow through.
Until the not so merry dance
Comes to an end and life will chance
To change its tune and see your feet
Skip readily to a happier beat..
.......
Thursday 30th April 2020 2:21 pm
I LOVE YOU TODAY - an old love song revised/reprised
Lucky it's me
So glad it's you
Enchantment in all
Of the things that we do
My feelings are many
My words but a few
Remember - I love you today
Maybe we could
Maybe we would
Always be tender
It's good that we should
When love comes so rarely
It's misunderstood
Remember - I love you today
The smile that I know
The way you say hello
The thrill...
Sunday 26th April 2020 3:25 pm
JUDGEMENT DAY
Call it artistic attrition
But I decline to budge.
In a poetry competition
Who's there to judge the judge?
...................................................... .
Saturday 25th April 2020 4:53 pm
APRIL 23 - A QUIET CELEBRATION
We English can take a lot of stick
That often misses what makes us tick.
Our reticence to boast and preen
Can be misunderstood and seen
As arrogance that needs pulling down
From those who view it with a frown,
So used are they to those who brag
And spare no chance to wave a flag.
With a knowing smile we carry on
Whether humble goose or noble swan,
Confronting the fash...
Friday 24th April 2020 2:05 pm
GRETA'S BACK!
I see Greta Thunberg's back online
On both climate change and the virus...
Talking about how it would be fine
To have the two combined inspire us
To make this world a better place
In terms that suggest many things
That keep control of the human race
But not those pulling her strings!
..............................................................
Wednesday 22nd April 2020 4:19 pm
WE TWO - more fun to upset SOMEONE somewhere!
The wife's back on the warpath again.
She was up for making a sex movie last night and all i did was suggest we should hold auditions for her part.
..............................................................................................................................................................................
Tuesday 21st April 2020 2:51 pm
THREE WORDS
Living this life from day to day
Let's beware of three words:
Could, might and may.
Let us be careful not to react
Like startled birds
And regard them as fact.
It is essential not to take fright
When they appear...
Could, may and might
But instead let's behave like wise people should
Resisting false fear
Of might, may and could.
.....................
Saturday 18th April 2020 5:19 pm
TELL HER - a lyric on the bright side
Tell her -
When you're feeling sad
Tell her -
When you're feeling bad
Tell her -
When you want her arms around you.
Tell her -
That you need her love
Tell her -
You thank the stars above
For that precious day...
The day when true love found you.
Never let the chance go by
To hold her close and tell her why
You need for her to stay
Every day an...
Wednesday 15th April 2020 2:42 pm
YOU TOO!
In the interest of raising a smile in these wayward times, here's something guaranteed to offend SOMEONE!
My missus packed my bags and as I walked out the front door she screamed "I wish you a slow
and painful death, you bastard!".
"Oh", I replied, "so now you want me to stay!".
.........................................................................
Sunday 12th April 2020 5:04 pm
MAKING WAVES - A second coming of an unwanted sort
A wave can mean hello...
A wave can mean goodbye,
But it's as well that we should know
The difference - and this is why;
Especially now in this time of dread
To use common sense and savvily save
Our courage and keep our collective head:
Prepared for a returning "hi" after the "goodbye" wave
.......................................................................................
Tuesday 7th April 2020 10:25 pm
STATIONS
Clutching our ticket to life,
We wait at the station
Where risks are rife
As we seek our next destination.
The ticket is not marked "Class",
We take our chances to go on as one,
Hoping to continue the journey and pass
To a safe arrival when it's done.
....................................................................
Friday 3rd April 2020 4:02 pm
TEA FOR ONE - today's govt. approved version of an old song
Tea for one
And one for tea
Just stay at home
Act sensibly
It makes sense
As far as I can see
There's no requisit
For anyone to visit
No caring or sharing
No nosy folk staring
We can enjoy enough
Of the stuff for three!
Earl Grey for you
PG for me
Semi-skimmed will do
(No lactose-free!)
Now let's see
How healthy we can be.
.......................
Wednesday 1st April 2020 9:48 pm
TEA FOR TWO - with acknowledgments to Irving Caesar
Right you lot...sing along in accordance with the latest government instruction !
..............................................................
Tea for two
And two for tea
Me for you
And you for me
Can't you see
How healthy we would be?
Nobody near us
To see us or hear us
No friends or relations
On viral visitations
Can't you see how happy we would be.
...
Tuesday 31st March 2020 4:53 pm
MIN. OF HEALTH INST> COV19
OFFICIAL - for strict compliance until further notice.
If you feel a sudden unease
And an overwhelming need to sneeze,
Speedily settle the matter at issue
By sticking your nose into a tissue.
Then throw it away and understand
It's vital to vigorously scrub each hand.
Steer clear of germ and acquaintance alike
And tell this virus "On yer bike!"
..............................
Monday 30th March 2020 5:18 pm
WUHANDEMIC
This Wuhandemic
Is now totemic
Of an epidemic
That is systemic -
And points to this panic-buying polemic.
.................................................................
Thursday 26th March 2020 1:55 pm
AS IS
I find in retirement my lifestyle situation
Now provides a surprise reason for self-motivation.
Restricted by personal physical restraint
I find I'm advised not to do what I cain't!
In domestic terms it's "make do and mend"
An instruction to which, I (with difficulty) bend.
I accept it's no cause for wider elation
But I'm happy "as is" in my self-isolation.
...................
Saturday 21st March 2020 4:31 pm
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