Ethel and Ernest

 
ethel and ernest
did not have much

a card and flowers
on her birthday were enough
to make her little heart flutter
it was all he could afford


come to think of it
they had everything
more than most

Monday's Child

i was told 
i was  monday's child
delivered by the stork
in the petunia patch

it did not spare me
from working hard for a living
which is the fate of saturday's child




so much for the credibility of
mother goose

Cicero and Christmas

more than 2000 years ago
little has changed
in politics or human nature


meanwhile
i will tuck into a crusty baguette
with fresh mortadella 
put my feet up
turn the phone off
watch 'Breaking Bad'
a small glass of valpolicella in hand
and chill out
..la vita e bella

sorry Cicero
there is a place for bread and circuses
proving a great distraction
to what has been a stressful week

just a plebian poetic thought
from a woman who  is not a vestal virgin

no point in wishing you
A Merry Christmas
you died 50 years
before He was born.

Richard Parker

richard parker
lay sprawled across my bed
heavy on my feet

we have jumped
so many hurdles together
so close i thought

it is hard to believe
he can walk away
without so much
as a hint of goodbye

Sales Rep Meeting

as product evangelists
let's take an idea shower
keeping everyone in the loop
capturing our clients

it's all scalable
maybe our mission
is not in the low hanging fruit dept
however we need to rise to the challenge
all singing from the same hymn page

don't overdo it with bells and whistles
keep it low keyed optimum
sincerity based  strategy
with a blue sky outlook
not opening the kimono to all and sundry
(muriel...please note )

with seasonal targets in your radar
sprinkle your magic
this is the game plan
now hit the ground running
namaste

Three Cheers For The Paraclete

i happily declare myself
to be a loser
as long as i am a winner
to you

Pigeon Toes

i sent this message to you
by pigeon express
it was an elderly bird
could have plummeted into the ocean
or
been struck by lightning
or
you might have read it
and decided not to reply
because
i did not use a question mark
or
because
you doubted its credibility

a pigeon with a war helmet of that era
would never deliver a message
unless it was coded
you thought

Anyway



 
perhaps not
this may not be the best time

It's Raining Men

it's raining men
hallelujah

the drought has broken
no more vodka fuelled nights
speed dating
looking for mr right

it's raining men
hallelujah

it's raining men
in bowler hats with brollies
they speak english

wear knitted swimming trunks
at the seaside
plimsols and wellies

know what toad in the hole
and spotted dick is

and at some stage
have been versed in
Mrs Tiggywinkle
and
Jemima Puddleduck
 

Swede Speed

                  


 you are the only swede
 who is ever going to be in my life
 black and sleek

 costly to maintain
 strangers stop me sometimes
 offer to buy you
 i am tempted

you are now the last of your line
the americans have failed to understand you
so in spite of your nordic break downs
i think 'll keep you a while longer
but how much longer

Male Messy and Single

melancholic prunes
overwrought dried  apricots
in jam jars
compete for attention
from the empty beer cans
on dusty shelves

the butcher's apron screams for a wash
while the distraught fridge weeps
all over the black and white tiles
nigella above the cooker
pouts and slurps spaghetti

Afflicted By Asides..Poetic Asides Id Est

 


Day 17

i'm singin' in ukraine
just singin' in ukraine
what a glorious feeling
i'm happy again

Right On Vlad

barry white is happy too
sitting on a diamond encrusted cloud
halo'd with a bevy of babushka dolls
sweating and smiling
a flash from the gold in his teeth
lighting up the sky

Right On!

the 40 piece love unlimited orchestra
and a choir of angels sing
never never gonna give you up
(vlad's favourite theme song )

Right On ! 

Day 18

Sweet And Sour

>

you're the sweet cream in my coffee
sour cream in my stroganoff
without you
i am neither sweet nor sour
neither here nor there
i just don't work
without you


Day 19

Excuses





it was a bad hair day
it was a full moon

the cheque wasn't in the mail
it started to rain

got struck by lightning
fell madly in love
never regained sanity
and life from then on
became summer all year round


Day 20

i'll never be famous
i'll never be wealthy
i'll never climb mount everest
i'll never swim the english channel
i'll never regret it

i'll never have a life with you
i'll never have a future with you
i need to erase you from my heart
i leave you with profound regret
i leave you with the deepest sorrow



Day 21 





i should have flown north
but this year i stayed at home
calming my frayed nerves
in bubble baths with scented candles
wrestling with the demons

they have finally returned
to the south
i will know peace again
christmas will be lovely
this year
i have my wings back



An erasure poem
based on Day 21




home with scented candles
have finally returned
peace will be back

Day 22

/

                                       clarity
                                sometimes hits
                             like a lightning bolt
                       the last piece of the puzzle
                    was in my pocket the whole time
                      i just didn't want it to be there
                          a pas de deux was never
                                 on the program
                            
                                    
                            
                 
   Day 23   

aloneness 
Life Of Pi                    
                     




richard parker
did not say goodbye
it was not in his nature

pi was heartbroken
he assumed because
of his devotion
of their shared experiences

there would have been
some feeling of emotional closeness
some sort of connection

he was wrong
an important life lesson

Day 24





i'm living in the clouds
if you need me
i'll be in space

i 'll be back one day
for a brief visit
just to remind myself
of what i'm not
missing out on

until then
i'll be away with the pixies



Day 25 



What is this thing ...... ....?

we know how it feels

dying longing
aching missing
despair  suffering
ecstasy obssession


we know the song
we know the words
we match the feelings

we also know
it is never
a mutual situation

if we survive it
we are
depleted
exhausted
spent

the intensity
has a time frame

the heart
wilts
collapses
and at the point of
death

the timer rings -  
'enough'
saved
magically by
the tip of the angel's wing
brushing the heart and mind
healing it whole

so  that
nothing
no -one

no- one
can  ever reignite this
towering destructive
magnificent inferno
ever
ever again





Day 26





they all look the same
just takes one
to change the future

life is never the same
again

HAPPY BIRTHDAY


Day 27
 


oh dear
thanksgiving collateral damage
stressful time for feathered creatures
HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Day 28

Good News




http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/filipina-marries-boy-who-sent-shoebox

a shoe box
brought them together
worlds apart
fourteen years later
they found each other
i'm not waiting that long


Day 29

  Do It again


music
night driving
on the open road

awakens
memories
of
long
time
ago

would i
would i do it again?
yes
in a heartbeat

it
never really goes away
some people
just never get old

always
on for an adventure

i would do it again
but not with jack



 
Day 30

it's my party
and i'll cry
if i want to

besides
i have just written
30  poems

where have all the flowers gone?
meine kleine putschnitskaya

Still Life In A Messy Kitchen

veg strainers and saucepans
tea cups and saucers drying
between basil and parsley herb pots
wine glasses  turkish delight
chinese fan checkered t towels
champagne bottle
colour and chaos
coffee  and carnations
crumpled napkins and corks
would the dutch masters have been inspired
who knows






 colour and chaos a visual feast

Nonet

                       am i to be fed by bread alone?
                          if music be the food of love
                            just give me excess of it
                          with soul food and kindness
                                  poetry and prose
                                    this is enough
                                      to keep me
                                          alive
                                           yes

Poem A Day

Rikki Don't Lose That Number


Day 5


keep this number
leave a message
sing it to me in rondo form





keep this pin number
you always said
i was good at surprises



   

Day 6

you asked me
if i am happy now
what kind of question
is that?

i am a poet
a piece of blotting paper
soaking up suffering
squeezing it on to the page

intermittently
i burst a happiness balloon
for contrast

POP

that is what happens
when one is
overjoyed
over come
and
over you


Day 7






sometimes
she feels compelled
to visit
from time to time

sometimes
it's easier
not to feel
to survive

no one
invited the mischievous satyr
to open the flood gates
all those years ago

the tidal wave
has still not reached the ocean


Day 8 



without her sun specs
she is blinded
by the strong light
emanating from
his high power'd beam

it will be time
to go dancing soon

Day 9






twenty five years ago
it came down

she missed out on being there
does not have a piece of wall
as a memento
to add to her jericho collection

west of the wall
doo doo da da


Day 10





her trouble is
the most frightening
person in the world
is the one who is always right
a brainiac baroness called susan
her quote...
and she really is always right






the trouble with
all living together
in a yellow submarine

is cabin fever
long hair'd adolescents
beatle hair cuts
and 1966
bad year for guitar chords





the trouble with being over the moon
running about painting love messages
in graffiti on walls is
the leaving of a lasting  impression

Day 11


a timely poem
a timeless poem
write one
said mad hatter
to the crowd

twas brillig
doing entrechat
amongst a sea of
frowns

you know
pirouettes
in ballet flats
are just tutus
wearing crowns

the knave of hearts
he stole jam tarts
hid them under his bed
the queen found out
and raged about
'off with his head'
she said

relenting in the  clear light of day
when she saw  how sad he be
she reconsidered once again
knaves have their uses you see

the queen knew this
the queen knew that
she knew a lot of things
but when it came to
matters of the heart
all she knew was slings

The slings and arrows  of outrageous fortune

Day 12

paranoia
i know it's you
begone
stop feigning
you are a bird

'baby its cold outside'
good rendition
but you're staying out


remember -
consequences -
you went on and on
about that

now for the first time
in your life
experience consequence


 





Day 13






i opt for
a bunch of gardenias
hyacinths freesias
basil mint and thyme
to expunge the stench
of misogyny wafting
from the wilted wreath
in a blocked drain





























  

Role Reversal...

Day 4

the dead man wandered
through the supermarket

the high pitched alarm
designed to apprehend
shoplifters

continued to ring
shrill
shattering ear drums
for twenty minutes

unmoved
unconscious
expressionless

they queued
silently
oblivious
anaesthetised
to any pain

the dead man
collapsed on the floor
laughing

Poetic Asides

Day 2

together again
impossible
when nothing remains

when the trust
is broken
when one is betrayed

no second chance
no backward glance
just moving on

step at a time
each one increasing
the distance


Day 3

/>

have gun culture
have school massacres
it is up to you

Game Over...Poetic Asides

Day 1

batman
has no time
for games
any game

robin
beware
superman
too





bat fuse
is
short