A Mixed Bag Of Verse # 1

BELTANE

Beltane, on May 1st
Is one of the four
Gaelic seasonal festivals
Beltane marks
The beginning of summer
And the end spring.
Celebrated with feasting,
The decorating of homes
With May flowers,
Visiting the holy wells
And the lighting of bonfires

MALEVOLENCE

It isn’t the Prophet,
Playing on their fears
Nor is it God whispering
Poison in their ears
It isn’t even the cowardly
Old men with bitter breath
That pollute young minds
To be bringers of death
It’s a more ancient evil
Spreading hatreds spoors
That turn young souls
Into satanic warriors

MY SHADOW WATCHES ME AS I WORK

My shadow watches me as I work
And I am thankful for its easy company
Because it means I’m in the sunshine
And it is a constant reminder to me

ON HER CHARIOT DRAWN BY GRIFFINS

On her chariot drawn by griffins
The maiden goddess, dispensing justice
With rod, scales, sword and scourge
The avenger of crime, Nemesis

SHARE YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND YOUR WISDOM

Share your knowledge and your wisdom
While you’re here because in reality
Short of committing mass murder
It's the only way to achieve an immortality

THERE WAS SOMETHING REMARKABLE

There was something remarkable
A special quality beyond belief
Something dangerous and daring
With the dark-haired slip of mischief

LUGHNASADH

Lughnasadh, on August 1st
Is one of the four
Gaelic seasonal festivals
Lughnasadh marks
The beginning of autumn,
The harvest season,
And the end summer
Celebrated with feasting,
Fairs and athletic contests
And the offering of First Fruits

IF LIFE IS GETTING YOU DOWN

If life is getting you down
And depressing you increasingly
Take all of your troubles
And toss them into the sea,
You don’t have to do it for real
Just do it metaphorically
But a trip to the beach
Will help you miraculously

OLD

Old man’s withered fingers,
On a gnarled arthritic hand,
Grip the knotted handle
Of his twisted wooden cane
And in his leathered face
Is etched deep the pain
Of a life lived long
And his aged countenance
Each wrinkle tells the tale

CLASSICAL MUSIC MOVES ME

Classical music moves me
I’ve loved it from an early age
And although I can’t comprehend
The dots on the page
The music that they reveal
Is understood in any language

Lifes Infinate Variety

AS IVAN ILLICH ONCE WROTE

As Ivan Illich once wrote,
A man clearly cleverer than me
Who stated that within
A consumer society
There are inevitably
Two kinds of slaves
The prisoners of addiction
And the prisoners of envy

MEASURE YOUR LIFE BY THE QUANTITY OF SMILES

Measure your life by the quantity of smiles,
And forget the tears
Measure your age by the quality of friends,
And forget the passing years

THE NEEDLES

The needles lie half submerged
Like bleached skeletal vertebrae
Of a long dead sunken beast
That once basked in Alum bay

AS I'VE GROWN OLDER

As I've grown older
I don't question
Myself anymore
I’ve learned to accept
Things about me,
My own shortcomings,
I’ve forgiven myself
I don’t second guess
Or criticise
I even like myself
Like a friend

I’VE LOST TOO MANY

I’ve lost too many
Nearest and dearest
Friends and families
I’ve watched as they
Left this world
One by one.
Each one gone too soon
Before they came to terms
With themselves
As I have done
And felt as free as I

SHE KNOWS NO OTHER COMPANY

She knows no other company
Than her own,
Her only friends
Are heroes and heroines
Of the classic tales
Or message boards
And chat rooms
She never sleeps
And spends her time
Dancing to the old tunes
And weeping over lost love

WHEN I WAS YOUNG

When I was young
I was self-conscious
Walking on the beach
With my shirt off
Now I walk
To the water’s edge
With my abused body
Bulging over my speedos
And I go slowly and deliberately
To the waves
In an act of defiance
And I feel great

THE ANNUAL BIRTHDAY BBQ BASH 2010

Don’t the years go quick?
It’s another birthday BBQ
It’s that time of year again
When acquaintance is renewed

When family and friends
Come affably together
To eat a hearty meal outdoors
And sod the English weather

The beer and wine is chilled
The buffet has been prepared
The BBQ is well alight
No planning has been spared

So everything is set fair
Most of the guests are here
But never wanting to be the first
Ted and Rene are last to appear

So a brace of Ted’s, a pair of Paul’s
Tina and Becky, Rosemary and Rene
Not to forget Gordon and Wendy
Were all assembled at the scene

I should also mention the children
As they are part of the family
But we kept them locked away
And they were forgotten easily

We sat in the quiet shade
Beneath the big gazebo
Erected against the expected rain
That thankfully failed to show

At last its time to eat
And excitement is running high
As everyone stood up
Tina poked Rosemary in the eye

And what did the assailant do
When seeing the result of this act
Was she humbly apologetic?
No, she laughed out loud in fact

Then suddenly a disaster occurred
Unrivalled at any previous year
And the nature of this calamity
We were running out of beer
So a quick dash out in the car
To the “Happy Shopper” store
And hopefully unnoticed
Return to home once more

I returned and an eerie hush descended
Silencing the function
But nothing sinister occurred
It was simply quiet consumption

When the pudding plates were empty
And glasses were refreshed
The dishwasher could be heard
Washing away the mess

The afternoon passed nicely by
In comfortable affability
With moments of silliness
And not a small amount of frivolity

Tina with hand outstretched
With a ruby ring on her finger
Like the time of her engagement
“Oh look see the light linger”

As usual on these occasions
The cat got all the attention
Not the birthday boy and BBQ chef
I just thought that I would mention

And when enough alcohol was drunk
Tea and coffee arrived instead
Not that anyone got smashed
Only a glass, and that was Ted

There were uninvited guests
Flies and wasps descended
But traps were set for the Jaspers
And one got decapitated

All too soon the time had come
For folk to wend their way
And fond fairwells were said
Until we meet on another day

Then came the time to draw a breath
And reflect on the festivity
Then open another can of beer
And say happy birthday to ME

DECEMBER REMEMBRANCES

Every year during the festivities
I remember friends and family
Those who are no longer with us
To celebrate another Christmas
And with each passing December
It seems there are more to remember
But I take time in equal measure
To enjoy each moment and to treasure
Those special ones who are still here
Whose number also grows year on year

MY CHRISTMAS FRIEND (Acrostic)

Merry Christmas
Yuletide friend

Cherished memories of
Heartfelt love and
Remembered moments
Instantly recalled
Special moments of
Time spent together
Merry Christmas’s
And happy new years
Special friend of mine

For me always
Remembering your smile
Instantly helps me
Each time I’m down at
Not being with you
During the season

I THANK YOU

I thank you
For your love
I thank you
For your smile
I bless you
For your heart
And for being there
When I dial
God bless you
For your friendship

MY DEAREST FRIEND

My dearest friend thank you
For caring and for sharing
For the loyalty you show me
And for helping me stand tall
When sometimes I feel small

My dearest friend thank you
For your kindness and steadfastness
For supporting and comforting
And for wiping away my tears
And allaying all my fears

My dearest friend thank you
For standing by and not asking why
For holding me and emboldening me
For being their at the beginning and the end
Thank you for being my friend