Farewell

Farewell my friends
But then all love affairs
Must have their ends some day
And as we fade away
Into our island mist
Like the ghosts of old
In Celtic times
We will have our memories
Of how we kissed
In Paris, in Vienna
In Rome where all roads lead
But no more
Of that European tour
And with moist eyes, goodbye
Our sharpened sword
Awaits the fatal deed

Vote

Immigrants from a foreign land
Their welcome overstayed

Worshipping a minority God
To which many have never prayed

Workshy and taking from the state
Living lives at our expense

So we must take our country back
And end this Royal pretence


Imagine a country for the workers
With wealth in common held

The diseased trees of nobility
All cauterised and felled

And spreading across the continents
A soothing salve of peace

Equality for everyone
Where bitterness will cease


So don't let them misdirect you
And fill your heart with fear

They hide who truly has the power
For the sake of their career

It's not the question we should be asking
This should be a different vote

Laying siege to their entitlement
And drain away the moat

The River Forking

They had followed the river for years, small groups joining the throng from time to time as it moved through the scarred, deserted valleys. Food was sparse, but enough, whilst the river provided all the water they required.

One day they came to a fork in the river, and a discussion was held over which direction to take. One fork led away into the far unseen distance through a landscape similar to the one they were used to. The horizon above the other fork, however, appeared to be a hazy blue-green in colour.

“Look!” some said, pointing to the North East. “There are green fields. That must be a verdant land to cater for all our needs. We will be able to take back control of our own lives by planting crops and animal husbandry, rather than relying on foraging what we can as we travel.”

“But how can you be sure?” Said others, as they pointed to the North West. “At least on this path we know where we are headed, and know that we can find food and shelter. Why take the risk into the unknown?”

“Listen!” The first group said. “Hear your experts! They do not know but they are afraid of change. They have no new answers for you. We have allowed our numbers to grow too large and now there are too many of us to be supported within this landscape.”

“But it will cause fighting amongst ourselves if you prove to be wrong and there is not enough food.” Responded the second group.

And so it went on, with each argument infused with greater fear than the last until a great confusion reigned amongst the populace. To them, it seemed, whatever they chose would cause War and Famine and Pestilence. There would be a great Suffering by all concerned and Disaster would befall their community.

Eventually they decided that each person would choose for themselves, as the leaders were so petrified of making the wrong choice, they would rather make none at all. The majority chose the North West path, as it was a landscape they trusted and knew how to eke an existence out of. But a few chose to travel towards the inviting hazy blue-green on the horizon.

Over the long days they found the distant haze slowly begin to take on a darker hue. The hopeful green shade diminished in favour of the blue, before becoming purple and black, until they realised that they were staring at a range of bare mountains, rising up from the other side of a deep chasm.

Their fork was throwing itself off their side of the chasm, falling with a deafening roar that echoed amongst the rock formations like giant flapping birds.

“What do we do?” some asked. “Do we turn back?”

“No. There is no turning back. You made your decision at the fork. You were brave and curious. You trusted your instinct for freedom over the control that the others would have forced you to bend to. Have we not too been able to feed ourselves since the parting?”

“Yes”. They replied. “But now what? There is no verdant land here, nor on the other side of the chasm. And we dare not leave the river for losing access to water”.

“It is simple. Do you not see? We throw ourselves over with the water and carry on following the river until we reach our perfect green and pleasant land.

“It will be for us only, because we will be the only ones brave enough to take the difficult path and it will be our reward for perseverance. And we will defend it from all comers”

The people were unsure, but since their leaders were so sure of an outcome which they all craved, they slowly formed up a line on the edge of the chasm, with the water rushing headlong down by the side of them, growling like a fearsome dragon. They all held hands with one other and closed their eyes in this leap of faith.

Until suddenly the cry went up.

“Jump!”

Inept

Oh! How our leaders were inept
And how we kept
Our misgivings to ourselves
But we could have wept
At their indecision-making.

For we knew we could
Be so much more adept
Had we worked our tasks
At the same time as we slept

But we did not wish
To find that we had overstepped
The mark; Thence to be cast adrift
In the chasm in which we'd leapt.

Towel

I wish the world would stay
Far, far away from me
A barge pole length apart
With me hiding under
My duvet

I wish the world would
Leave me alone
Stop buzzing me like a
Spying drone of bees;
I'll switch off my phone

I wish the world wasn't
Quite so foul
That it makes me want to
Scream and howl
Wrapped up in my towel

My safety net
That dries me when I'm wet
A call for help when
I whip it around
Above my head; I'll bet

I look rather manic
Eyes volcano burning
Like a satanic soul
It won't necessarily follow
That I won't panic

Canada - Ten Years On

Ten years ago exactly I flew out to Canada to embark on a two and a half month journey from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast, something I find hard to imagine even as I write this. I still have many fond memories and images in my head that surely it could not be that long ago? But it is; The date on the front of the calendar proves it.

So, over the next few months, as a project to myself, I will write some posts based on the places that I visited and my memories of them, along with a few photos. It will be fun for me to relive my experiences and share them with you, and will hopefully be of interest to anyone who reads them.

One of the overwhelming memories I have of that trip to Canada was the friendliness of the people I met there, whether they be youth hostel employees, museum ticket vendors or barmen. Not to mention the people I met in hostels, both local and foreign. So much so, that when I returned to London I found myself trying to talk to people in shops! A cardinal sin which any Londoner will know and I was soon pushed back into my old ways by the silences and the stares.

I was also amazed by the dramatic landscapes; The forests and lakes, mountains and waterfalls (well one waterfall in particular), and the expanse of skies. I have only really experienced anything like it since in Sweden. And coming from a relatively small island, I had to adjust my distorted sense of distance. Here a few hours will take you from one side of Britain to the other, whereas there it will barely get you across a province.

I grew a beard for the first time while there; A much bigger, bushier one than that which I have now. I learned to enjoy ice hockey, as well as getting a taste for a Tim Horton's with a boston creme donut.

All in all it was a wonderful trip, and I hope I can get that across in my future travelogues / reminiscences as we go from east coast to west.

Foxes

The foxes are in the henhouse

The cock has lost its spurs

The guns misfired

And let them escape

Sky blue thinking

Has lost its shape

The foxes are in the clubhouse

As the end of the season blurs

The blues and red devils

Suffered devils and blues

But Leicester's champions

Are the headline news