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Saturday 30 June 2012

THE BIG SHODCIETY


Politics shoddy,
media shoddy,
banks shoddy,
service shoddy,
everybody,
anybody,
dogsbody,
busybody,
all embody shoddy,
riding roughshoddy,
getting slipshoddy,
sparing the roddy,
inefficient and ploddy.......

........oh my Goddy......

.....and this poetic oddboddy,
all headshakey and noddy,
needs a shot of medicinal toddy.

Shod I or shodn't I?

Shod off.

Friday 29 June 2012

DEZZY

Every once in a while,
a face from the past
suddenly in my head,
random memory flash,
a neighbour called Dessie,
pronounced as Dezzy,
tall, thin, straight-backed,
decent hard-working man,
when he walked by,
he never stopped
but he would always say hello.


I was Joseph,
he called me Jodiv.


Why the sudden memory flash?
I have no idea. The mind's tricks, a whim?
Whatever the reason,
I'm glad I remember him.

Thursday 28 June 2012

THE POEMS AND SONNETS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

The Poems and Sonnets of William Shakespeare - Wordsworth Poetry Library


THE POEMS AND SONNETS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
Wordsworth Poetry Library Wordsworth Editions
£3.99

The poet, the poetry reader, the teacher, the student of language and literature, and lovers of wonderful words generally and classical works specifically, have an opportunity with Wordsworth Editions to invest as little as £3.99 in books that have stood and will continue to stand the test of time.  Visit the Wordsworth Editions website www.wordsworth-editions.com to see the full range of books available. 

“The Poems and Sonnets of William Shakepeare” comprises all 154 sonnets, as well as Venus and Adonis, Lucrece, A Lover’s Complaint, The Passionate Pilgrim, The Phoenix and the Turtle and Sonnets to Sundry Notes of Music.

The Sonnets are individual masterpieces of construction, each word and phrase, each rhyme, the pace and rhythm, combine to deliver perfect examples of how to think about poetry, how to plan its writing, how to write it and how to hone it for performance.  The main themes of life, love, beauty, desire, sadness and humour are universal, common to most poetic output, but in Shakespeare’s hands the language is crafted meticulously, each Sonnet a template for other poets to match or, if they take up the challenge, attempt to surpass.  But to drone on about studying Shakespeare, important thought it is, dulls the real point of a book like this.  His work is there to be enjoyed, to be absorbed quietly or read out loud.  For example, reading a Sonnet a day, fourteen lines of nutrition for the brain, is all it takes to remind us of this genius of a writer.

The narrative poems “Venus and Adonis” and “Lucrece” are full-blown stories that need time and the reader’s patience to pay off, but they are well worth the effort and, rather like a good novel, repeat readings will reveal more and more in terms of imagery, emotion and entertainment.

A straw poll amongst friends and family suggested that schooldays turned a lot of people off the Bard, probably the result of a force-feeding approach of the education system.  It would be too tragic for words if Shakespeare was damned and ignored because of bad teaching.  The opportunity to rekindle an interest is here now in this book. “The Poems and Sonnets of William Shakespeare” is just under 200 pages, an ideal size to slip into work or leisure luggage, handy and available for reading anytime.

It costs the same as a burger and fries, but it is much, much better for your health and well-being….and for your waistline.

SETTEE

I am building a settee,
slowly, 
painstakingly, 
methodically,
as a skilled 
and patient 
craftsman should.


Progress?


Sofa, so good.

Wednesday 27 June 2012

BEWARE

Beware
the spinners,
the nudgers,
the pushers,
the shovers,
the smarmy,
the charmy
election army.


Beware
the ones that crave our loyal votes
to get themselves through the power-door,
before turning a blind eye and a deaf ear
ditching the manifesto, opting to reject and ignore.


Beware.

Tuesday 26 June 2012

ONE FORGOTTEN ACT OF KINDNESS

In his life, he made a difference
but you wouldn't know what that was,
no celebrity awards adorned his mantelpiece,
no ovations, no publicity campaigns, no interviews,
for he was an ordinary man doing ordinary things,
satisfied that his one forgotten act of kindness
was just that - forgotten.


Nor would you recognise his name,
for he was someone untouched by fame,
a man in the background, quiet, shy,
who changed the life of a passer-by.




Monday 25 June 2012

LEARNING ENGLISH

I learned my ABCs,
progressed to DEFs,
onward to GHIs,
advanced to JKLs,
forward to MNOs,
moved to PQRs,
proceeded to STUs,
hastened to VWXs,
arrived at YZs.


I knew the pros, I knew the cons,
I knew the risks and yet,
I took an alpha gamble,
I took an an alpha punt,
and gained an alphabet.

Saturday 23 June 2012

NUTCASE

Our first and only dog,
a pup, drowned by a nutcase,
didn't even have a name,
not sure if it was a he or a she,
not even sure if we heard it bark,
too young to have teeth to bite,
no time to get used to it being around,
just shocked by what the nutcase had done,
for nutcase reasons, for nutcase fun.

Friday 22 June 2012

CITY OF PUBLI

In the city of Publi
with all its egos, angst and hubris,
self-seeking, self-promoting selfishness,
glossy gossip mags and tabloid tat,
invented traumas, syndromes and isms,
rewritten desperate childhoods,
souls to sell, chests to bear,
on morning, noon and night shows,
celebrities on lists from a to z
make money whether alive or dead.


In the city of Publi,
in Publi city,

Thursday 21 June 2012

ROGER MOORE'S TROUSERS

Roger
Moore
Has
Dropped
The
Trousers
First

I learned the elements of music theory
in this hilariousy clumsy way,
twenty five years ago 
and I remember them to this day.

Rhythm
Melody
Harmony
Dynamics
Timbre
Tone
Form

Roger Moore has no idea
of the part played by his breeks, 
in my adult education
for my musical critiques.

Raises eyebrow!




Wednesday 20 June 2012

BETWEEN ALIVE AND DEAD

The difference
between
alive and dead,
a drink of water,
a slice of bread.

Leaders ponder
guns or food,
choosing guns
as despots would.

Either way,
people die,
denied their slice
of pie in the sky.

War means medals,
and famine grief,
easier to bomb
than provide relief.


The difference
between
alive and dead,
a drink of water,
a slice of bread.

Tuesday 19 June 2012

THE POINT OF US

Who?
What?
When?
Where?
Why?
How?


We must question,
we must challenge,
we must learn,
we must yearn,
we must never lose the will,
the urge, the desire, the hunger 
for answers, for knowledge, for truth,


for when our inquisitiveness dies,
so does the point of us - no surprise.

Monday 18 June 2012

VEGAS


Lucky charms
and odds to assess,
Vegas relies on 
the random guess.

Hearts, clubs,
diamonds, spades,
each casino,
a house of cards,
where the dice rolls
and the wheel spins,
with the given rule,
that the house wins.




Sunday 17 June 2012

TOP 6 MOST VIEWED POEMS






Here are the 6 most viewed poems on this site in the last 7 days - just click to read:



CURVED BALL


CURVED BALL

2 + 1 = 4
5 + 6 = 15
18 + 12 = 42
59 + 61 = 137
119 + 127 = 333


Somedays 
the unexpected curved ball
means the numbers 
don't add up at all.

Saturday 16 June 2012

TWIG

Behind me,
the crack of a snapping twig.


Look around, scan the trees
and the gaps in between,
listen beyond the breeze,
nothing more heard, nothing seen.


Who or what?
A dog,
a wolf,
a murderer,
a mugger,
a stalker,
fairies,
elves?


Twigs don't snap themselves.

Friday 15 June 2012

Thursday 14 June 2012

THERESA MIGHT, THERESA MAY



Details of internet use in the UK will have to be stored for a year to allow police and intelligence services to access it, under government plans. Records will include people's activity on social network sites, webmail, internet phone calls and online gaming.  Home Secretary Theresa May said the change was needed to keep up with how criminals were using new technology. (Reported 14 June 2012)


Theresa Might, Theresa May,
any moment, any day,
will have the snooping powers to
see what we all say and view.


Theresa May, Theresa Might,
have her own satellite
to hear who we are talking too,
to spy on things we like to do.


Theresa Might, Theresa May,
privacy has had its day,
freedom's gained a ball and chain,
in authority's clamping down campaign.


Theresa May, Theresa Might,
talking sense or talking shite,
how'd she handle protest hits
from fifty million texting Brits?


Theresa Might, Theresa May,
says change is needed to block the way
of each criminal gang and terrorist cell -
sledgehammer/nut, who can tell?




Wednesday 13 June 2012

AFTER THE ONSLAUGHT

In the aftermath of the onslaught,
burning,
burning,
burning,
fire here,
fire there,
thick smells,
of gas, roasted flesh,
smouldering metal,
charred wood,
burning,
burning,
burning,
until each fire died in turn
when there was nothing left to burn.

Tuesday 12 June 2012

TV - IS IT A CRIME?

Is it a crime
in the privacy of your own home
to blow up your TV,
with all it's news propaganda,
adverts, reality drivel, lifestyle programmes,
panel, game and chat shows,
repeats and shows for teens -
is it okay to blow it to smithereens?

I grant you the rocket launcher
might be a step across the line,
but a junior chemistry set concoction
would do the job just fine.

The downside of this drastic action,
would be a messy living room,
but savor the thought of no TV
and the orgasmic satisfaction of the BOOM!

Monday 11 June 2012

THE CAMERON DAUGHTER INCIDENT

Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife, Samantha, left their eight-year-old daughter, Nancy, in a pub after having Sunday lunch, Downing Street has confirmed. (Reported 11 June 2012)


Hey Sam, kids, do you know
what I fancy?
A pub lunch,
so come on love,
Arthur, Florence and Nancy.


Let's go to The Plough,
and have Sunday lunch,
just us as a family
and my bodyguard bunch.


The lunch was great,
so tasty and yummy,
three kids and the heavies
and Daddy and Mummy.


Now back to Chequers
to chillaxe I fancy,
with Arthur and Florence
and....... crikey, where's Nancy?



Sunday 10 June 2012

A SIGNED PHOTO OF EAMONN HOLMES

My mother's handbag was important to her, 
like a comfort blanket in her last months, 
either on the floor by her feet or on her lap, 
something to carry, to hold onto, to grip tight 
in the scary moments of life's fading light. 


After she'd gone to rest in peace, a check 
of the handbag's contents revealed a surprise, 
in a zipped pocket, a signed photo of Eamonn Holmes, 
a treasured possession (go on cynics, scoff and laugh), 
personal to her, a picture, a message and an autograph.