Killing Eve - A Villanelle
This nonsense about Killing Eve
Get on with it is what I say
I find it so hard to believe
Perhaps she flatters to deceive
She lives to fight another day
This nonsense about Killing Eve
It is a tangled web they weave
Not black or white but shades of grey
I find it so hard to believe
So surely someone can conceive
A way to bump her off today
This nonsense about Killing Eve
Call m...
Tuesday 7th July 2020 8:06 pm
The Great Indian Takeaway
The Great Indian Takeaway
Number one for poppodom
Tell me where our club has gone
Venkys you don't understand
What it's like to be a fan
Things get worse every day
It's the great Indian takeaway
Number two for vindaloo
Tell us what you plan to do
100 million down the drain
Nobody wants to explain
From the eastern hideaway
It's the great Indian takeaway
Number three for kedgeree
...
Wednesday 23rd August 2017 8:44 pm
That Shallot
So every year she plants some seeds
She tends to all their growing needs
Keeping the soil free from weeds
Her tidy vegetable plot
No peas or carrots does she grow
Just Alium Cepa row on row
She won a prize in't Cheshire show
The lady of shallot
with apologies to Alfred Lord Tennyson
Monday 15th June 2015 7:01 am
Breaking Bad for Christmas
Breaking Bad’s at last run out
Walt and Jess got even
Bodies lying all about
Someone’s finally leavin’
Can’t get by on Game of Thrones?
Not a fan of Dexter?
If you want more Breaking Bad
Here’s a Christmas Extra
Heather Page and Stan Bymee
Lived in Alberquerque
Stan was cooking crystal meth
Heather breeding turkeys
They went on a date or two
But it came ...
Friday 12th December 2014 6:26 pm
My Bullet
Forgive me please, my sins, I beg, for I
Am not the glorious hero that they claim;
For I am one who dares to reason why.
They spoke of honour, courage, do-or-die;
They showed me how to shoot, to kill, to maim.
Forgive me please, my sins, I beg, for I
Am no brave lion, no matter how I try.
Returning home I feel somehow to blame,
For I am one who dares to reason why...
Wednesday 26th November 2014 7:36 pm
Click It
(with apologies to Michael Jackson)
They told him Christmas time is getting so near
Don't want to go shopping you'd better look right here
The goods are there and the instructions are clear
So click it, just click it
You better order stuff whenever you can
The Trafford Centre is one big traffic jam
Just sit back, wait for the delivery van
So click it - cos you nee...
Saturday 14th December 2013 10:04 am
Depends
So much depends
on the
little nut
that holds
the wheel
on the
red wheelbarrow
(Apologies to William Carlos Williams)
Friday 15th February 2013 6:59 am
Omniverse
The fish was from another time; in my time he was dead.
I stopped to look him up and down, he stared right back and said,
There’s consternation on your face, perhaps I should explain.
Keep it simple, I implored, don’t cabbage out my brain.
The explanation you require is one of elegance
And for a fish so dead, I thought he spoke with eloquence.
I sense your dread, the dea...
Thursday 8th November 2012 1:17 pm
Compy Dompy
I represent our client Mr Dumpty
He had an accident you may recall
And though some might regard him as a 'numpty'
We feel the blame lies squarely with your wall.
In short to watch the Royal pageant pass through
Mad throngs had lined the streets as mad throngs do
And Mr Dumpty being short in stature
Climbed your wall to get a better view
Our client was...
Wednesday 25th July 2012 9:12 pm
Man Flu
(with apologies to The Clash)
DOCTOR YOU'VE GOT TO LET ME KNOW
SHOULD I SNIFF OR SHOULD I BLOW
PLEASE DON'T SAY THAT I'LL BE FINE
AFTER I'VE WAITED ALL THIS TIME
SO YOU'VE GOT TO LET ME KNOW
SHOULD I SNIFF OR SHOULD I BLOW?
IT'S ALWAYS SNEEZE, SNEEZE, SNEEZE
siempre achu, achu, achu
THIS MAN FLU'S GOT ME ON MY KNEES
manflu me tiene arrodillas
...Tuesday 22nd November 2011 9:17 pm
There's an App
For your dietary requirements
there’s an app
If you're planning your retirement
get an app
If you want to check the weather
there's an app
It was written by a clever Asian chap
If you're somewhere on vacation
and you need a quick translation
of the country's salutation,
with correct pronunciation,
there's an app
Why n...
Tuesday 15th November 2011 9:59 pm
File not Found
Disc drive stutters.
Confused eyes stare.
Information is regurgitated
by acquiescent lips.
Old data perfectly preserved
in files long forgotten
but yesterday's data
has to be re-entered
and re-entered.
Directory error.
Friday 21st October 2011 6:06 pm
Not a tit at all
(photo by The Rev'd Richard Stamp - Australia)
The bearded tit is not a tit; it’s not a tit at all.
The clues are in the finer points, the details very small.
I know you’ll not believe it, and you’ll want to verify;
So if you’re out one summer’s eve where tits might catch your eye;
If there’s a rustle in the reeds, a twitcher in the rye;
The chances are that you will find a ...
Friday 14th October 2011 6:46 am
Logic
"I see you've been out on your bike again,"
said the woman who's worldly and wise.
"Does my helmet hair give it away?" I asked.
"No, your forehead is splattered with flies."
Tuesday 4th October 2011 9:35 pm
Sparky
I thought I heard a scratching at the door
Familiar scrabbling across the floor
I thought I saw the curtains move and yet..
Do dogs have ghosts I ask myself? – You bet!
Friday 12th August 2011 5:00 pm
Reading, Rioting and (A)rithmetic - a villanelle
I’m interested to know what makes you tick
So tell me what you learned today, my son
Oh reading, rioting and arithmetic
When you go late night shopping with a brick
Can we blame too much drink or too much sun?
I’m interested to know what makes you tick
Somewhere along the line I missed a trick
So this is all you’ve learned – excuse the pun
Just readi...
Thursday 11th August 2011 6:39 pm
Political Statement - The Latest Decree
Those days are over when we ruled the seven seas
And when we wanted money we could rob the Portugese
'Cos now they're robbing us through the european coffers
And there isn't any fighting, they just come and take it off us
You buggers are too healthy and you're living far too long
Now that's all fine and dandy when economies are strong
Even for the reaper, times are hard and things l...
Wednesday 20th July 2011 7:47 pm
Sockless in Scarisbrick
Cycling socks stolen,
in suspicious circumstances -
suspect secondborn -
I cycled sockless through Scarisbrick,
Skelmersdale, Shevington and Standish,
circa summer solstice.
Satisfying Saturday.
Somewhat sore on Sunday.
Tuesday 5th July 2011 6:32 am
I took my chest of drawers to Mull
Someone took a grandfather clock
for a ride in a convertible Morris Minor.
I thought ,
How considerate!
My furniture doesn’t get out much.
So I took my chest of drawers ,
in a Vauxhall Zafira,
to the Isle of Mull –
a truly magical place.
We drove across the uplands,
where eagles spiral effortlessly
into moody clouds.
I felt inspired.
I took it...
Wednesday 22nd June 2011 5:24 pm
Every cloud
Our promise of a
red moon rising,
eclipsed by clouds,
we opened
a bottle of wine
and observed
the kitchen spotlights
through half-full,
rose-tinted glasses.
Thursday 16th June 2011 7:54 pm
Femme Fatale
The barman nodded knowingly, she smiled and said “Bonsoir”
She moulded to a barstool and he brought her café noir.
Her scarlet beret matched the lipstick rosebud on her cup,
I sat beside her, caught her eye then winked and said “Ey up”
I said “hello love, what’s your name” She answered “Femme fatale”
I asked “Well, how’s it going lass?” she shrugged and said “Pas mal”
Sh...
Thursday 19th May 2011 6:28 pm
It's a King Thing
It’s a king thing.
All this talk of a royal wedding is doing my head in, doing my head in.
Let me tell you about royal weddings.
I've had a few do you know who I am?
I’m Henry Tudor, yes Tudor. Without wishing to be rude or crass
these royal weddings are a pain in my Tudor ass.
Oh yes I’ve had a few, do
you want me to regale you with tales of regalia,
of conquest...
Friday 13th May 2011 5:16 pm
Delivery
Oh look! here comes the postman
With letters in his hands.
I hope he's brought something for me -
More red elastic bands.
Tuesday 29th March 2011 10:00 pm
Natasha
I asked you for the recipe for Lettuce Diabolical;
You turned away and shrugged as if the question was rhetorical.
Your life is filled with every contradiction and perversity,
For one who boasts diplomas from a leading University.
Your shoes, one red one black, suggest a failing in your sanity
And yet the way those babies strut proclaims your cocksure vanity.
You mentall...
Thursday 3rd March 2011 6:02 pm
Burns Night
Macarthur parked his bicycle between two tartan vans
On Burns night in the Trossachs, 'twas the gathering of the clans
An evening of poetry, of rhymes and songs and ditties
While serving wenches strolled around with big plates of Mcvities
Someone read a poem about a scottish cat Mcavity
But mostly it was bawdy stuff of lewdness and depravity
Macintosh w...
Tuesday 25th January 2011 9:48 pm
Just a Synechdoche
One evening in the gloaming with the hour approaching late
I heard a sound, just ask my cat, he may corroborate.
I quickly went alfresco, thought I'd better take a look
A crowd of farmers gathered round to watch a donnybrook.
One farmer in pyjamas with a rubicund complexion,
Officious and unlaundered too, I thought, on close inspection,
Screamed words so execrable ...
Monday 20th December 2010 8:38 am
The net
Shrug away fears and firmly grasp the net;
come saddle up a snorting photon beam;
lean forward, grip the mane and ride the dream;
joust bravely with electrons tete-a-tete.
Go boldly into other worlds, forget
your leaden boots, leap out and get extreme.
In cyberspace, if no-one hears you scream,
who cares. Absorb the nothingness of jet
black night; lift just one d...
Saturday 20th November 2010 8:51 am
Groundhog
A groundhog walked into a bar and said...
A groundhog walked into a bar and said...
A groundhog walked into a bar and said...
A groundhog walked into a bar and said...
Tuesday 16th November 2010 10:25 pm
Mannequin
I’m in love with an M&S mannequin
With a hard white stare and matching skin;
Now don’t start screaming or panicking
‘Cos I’m not a pervert or anything.
Her skin is smooth like sea washed stone,
Or a stainless steely feely phone;
Pragmatic without skin or bone,
To have, to hold, perchance to own.
We sat in Revive, in a comfy chair.
She was quiet bu...
Wednesday 3rd November 2010 7:05 pm
Freedom
To dance beneath the diamond sky
With one hand waving free
A time to live, a time to die
A ship called dignity
Acknowledgements for reproduction without permission as follows:
Bob Dylan for lines 1 & 2 (from 'Mr Tambourine Man').
The book of Ecclesiastes and latterly Pete Seeger in the song 'Turn, Turn, Turn'
for line 3 ( I changed a verb)
Ricky Ross of th...
Wednesday 3rd November 2010 7:05 pm
The Departure
I wish we could have met
under different circumstances.
I could have given you more,
returned your advances
with tenderness;
Perhaps on a summer night
with a round refulgent moon,
I know you would have loved that.
Our brief encounter
And that intimate time
we spent together,
the closeness of our bodies,
the whisperings,
the frenzy,
Soon to...
Thursday 28th October 2010 5:17 pm
National Poetry Day
I thought for Natrional Poetry Day
I'd write something inspired.
A poem to set the world alight;
But no - I'm just too tired.
Thursday 7th October 2010 9:22 pm
Bite the Bullet
Bite the bullet, grasp the nettle
Pot is black as so called kettle
Ash to ashes, dust to settle
Heavy guns from heavy metal.
Down in the scullery, old wives bitchin’
Too many cooks in the brothel kitchen
Holes in time, no time for stitching
You scratch back when my back’s itching
Eye for eye and a tooth for cutting
One for all and all for no...
Monday 13th September 2010 10:12 pm
Medicine Man
Now gentlemen and ladies, could I just have your attention please,
I have a few things for you, if you’d kindly let me mention these...
I’ve linements, emulsions, compounds, antiseptic lotions,
I’ve got alkalis and acids; I’ve got anaesthetic potions,
There are tantalising tonics for your tonsil titilation
All are genuine, but please watch out for monstrous imitations.
R...
Saturday 11th September 2010 10:55 am
Play On
That music be the food of love,
Is true without a doubt.
But could I ask you just this once
To take your earphones out!
Tuesday 31st August 2010 9:46 pm
Limerick
Gone are my forget-me-nots,
All my sweet-peas replaced with shallots;
And a marrow now grows
Where there once was a rose;
Could it be a vegetable plot?
Wednesday 25th August 2010 10:07 pm
The Freckleton Air Disaster
In mid Forty Four came the turn of the war;
Our troops had advanced up the Seine,
And Hitler withdrew as the allies pushed through,
Growing strong since the D-Day campaign.
Jim thought of his boys as he worked the convoys
And patrols in the mine ridden sea.
Not sure if or when, he would see them again,
Back at home where he longed to be.
In a town on the Fylde, Ag...
Monday 16th August 2010 10:31 pm
The Oyster and The Whelk
Said the oyster, ”Do please tell, Mr Whelk, your curly shell;
I’m intrigued as to how you got these whirls.
Ours have such an ugly skin, though the beauty lies within;
Every now and then we manufacture pearls."
Said the whelk, “It isn’t clever, it takes patience and endeavour,
To accommodate my fast expanding figure.
I build a new extension, with an increasing dime...
Thursday 12th August 2010 6:10 pm
Pasta
By the shores of Lake Lambrini,
Near the foothills of Panini,
And the plains of Fegatini,
Through the valleys in betweeni,
Where the flowing Canneloni,
Meets the wandering Marscapone.
In amongst the Machiato,
Near the fading Tinto Rosso,
‘Neath the shading of Lambrusco,
South of Castle Osso Buccho.
Here a local pasta maker,
Bought out by a...
Saturday 10th July 2010 12:56 am
Limerick
A sensitive fellow from Bicester
Told his ex girlfriend how much he'd missed her
Her laughter, her friends,
The romantic weekends;
But mostly the nude games of Twister
Friday 9th July 2010 7:17 pm
Relativity (m.c.escher)
Our eyeless stares, the endless stairs constrain;
Figures of proportional intention,
We blandly trudge from plane to transformed plane.
Warping up and wefting down in vain,
Aching for a canvas of convention,
Our eyeless stares, the endless stairs constrain.
Incidental in some artist’s brain;
Ageing embryos in mock pretension,
We blandly trudge from pl...
Saturday 19th June 2010 6:15 pm
The Future is Crimson
This morning I went for a blood test;
Can’t think why I made such a fuss.
There’s obviously nothing to worry about,
It seems that I got an A plus.
Wednesday 9th June 2010 8:21 pm
Pandora's Box
I'll tell of a greek tragic heroine;
She was known as Pandora by name;
A quiet lass who didn't go out much,
A bit like the Oh lympic flame.
Zeus had commissioned Pandora,
The first lady made from the earth.
He was really quite pleased with the outcome;
Far less messy, he thought, than a birth.
Some say that Zeus craved a companion;
Some say it was...
Thursday 27th May 2010 5:03 pm
I Wrote a Line (with apologies to Johnny Cash)
I keep my notebook open all the time
I keep my pencil lead sharp and very fine
One night I sat and stared from six till nine
In all that time, I wrote a line
This bloody writing takes up all my time
The words go spinning round inside my mind
My brain is always searching for a rhyme
Because one time, I wrote a line.
I've got a real bad case of writer's...
Tuesday 18th May 2010 4:56 pm
Submerged
Letters prey
On my mind
Hear them drip
Blip, blip, blip
Capillary creeping, seeping
Through cracks
And grating
On my nerves
Infiltrating
Slipping under the door
Across the floor
Avoid the eyes,
The jays,
The whys the wherefores
Silent letters, Greek letters
Uniform and cuneiform
Catalan and Occitan
With accents from beyond the ...
Wednesday 5th May 2010 5:00 pm
Stiff letter to the FA Premier League
Dear sirs, I am writing this letter
Re - the conduct of signor Arteta.
A poke in the eye
And you let it go by?
Surely your referees can do better?
Monday 19th April 2010 6:37 am
Neck
I had a stiff neck so I thought what the heck,
I suppose I should visit the quack.
And you know, since that day, I can quite safely say,
It’s uncanny – I’ve never looked back.
Saturday 17th April 2010 12:56 am
Pompeii
Thirteen clay figures in the garden
Where time ran out
Tempus fugit
Fugitives through time
Cave canem - Beware of the dog
The futile mosaic of the tragic poet.
No warnings from your gods above
As Vesuvio coughed you into the future
In the time capsule of Pompeii
With your worldly goods
And your world
Immortal as any gods
Your final acts petrified
...Saturday 27th March 2010 7:41 am
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