When travelling on the railways these days you often hear announcements, over the PA system on the trains and at the stations, which urge you to look out for things that don't look right. A few days ago, at Great Missenden railway station I had the good fortune to hear just such an announcement "If … Continue reading Great Missenden!
"Don't ever lose me," she said, "or you'll never find me again." And she smiled with such frivolity, I didn't take it in. Like something I didn't understand, left me standing there, Like another court jester. Unfocused for a minute, wounded but not yet feeling the pain. Wondering what secrets, lie behind your dark eyes, … Continue reading No Grey Areas.
EDIT I have edited the "introduction" to this poem because I have a confession; I wrote originally that "Like something I didn't understand" was written in 1993 after an unhappy love affair. Well, I have to put the record straight and admit that it wasn't. I started writing "Like something I didn't understand" in 1988 … Continue reading Like something I didn’t understand.
On Sunday evening last, buoyed perhaps by the Irish win against Scotland at Murrayfield, I thought that maybe the thing to do was to watch an Irish filum or at least a filum set in Ireland. I had seen a film being advertised, The Banshees of Inisherin, so we thought we'd give it a go, … Continue reading The Banshees of Feck Knows Why.
I'm out of sorts I have to say. Oh, I still work They send me pay and maybe that's the root But nay. I've worked all day again, but nay I've done but six hours For my pay. The hours that I said I'd do and management agreed it too but when I logged off … Continue reading I’m out of sorts.
A couple of days ago, it being Friday afternoon Kath and I watched a film called "Fall". It was nothing to do with autumn in Vermont and the wonderful colours of the foliage, it's about two young women, both experienced climbers, who decide to climb a disused and soon to be demolished, 2,000-foot-high TV transmitting … Continue reading Fear of Heights?
Did you see that Rishi Sunak the other day in that soft drink canning plant in Norn Iron? Rishi said, and I quote: "Northern Ireland is in the unbelievably special position, unique position in the entire world, European continent in having privileged access not just to the UK home market, which is enormous, fifth biggest … Continue reading Norn Iron is in an unbelievably special position so it is.
I had six books on the go, now I only have three. Admittedly one was "only" a comic book, one was a volume of railway photographs with minimal text, and one was Dicken's "A Christmas Carol." "A Christmas Carol" then, yes, after decades of watching various versions of it on the telly I've read the … Continue reading Three books on the go.
I've given up looking at Facebook. For the time being. "Yeah, right." I hear you say. No, really, I have. Today is day eight of not looking at Facebook. The other morning I'd put the TV news on, and I sat there idly scrolling. Putin is waging war against the ordinary folk of Ukraine, there'd … Continue reading Six books on the go!
I haven't written much lately, I mused upon the length of poems, more precisely on how short a poem can be in "How short can a poem be?" and I transcribed another poem, "New Star Rising" that I'd originally written back in the 1970s. I've had ideas, lots of ideas but most didn't get past … Continue reading On the deckle edges of life.
A Point of Views, A Polish Odyssey and Other Stories. 