Poetry - August 2019

Barking Mad

At a station in East London
Everyone is waiting on Platform seven
For a train to take them to the beach
And warm sunshine that is heaven
But it's clear to see it's barking mad
That so many people are here
Attempting to get on the same C2C train
That will already be busy and that's clear
We move further down the platform
In the hope we might see it less busy
But as more come off the tube
They're heading across from platform three
As such it means that it's totally rammed
Not fit for the purpose of what it's for
And it's a jam packed journey to Southend
That I don't really wish on anyone for.

(Definitely the level of services C2C run at weekends in Summer are not enough for the people of Barking, never mind anyone else on the line to Southend-on-Sea!)

Victory From Defeat

Bowled out for a really low score
Headingley couldn't provide a miracle, could it?
The Australians were piling on more runs
And it did not look at all good I must admit
It was a case of being able to survive
Each and every ball not out was met with cheer
As the day on Sunday wore on
There was a glimmer of hope becoming clear
If Ben Stokes could just stay around
And start hitting the ball with aplomb
Maybe the pressure would get to the Aussies
And it certainly did to Nathan Lyon
Wanting a chance for a run out
He had the simplest ball to handle and hit
But the cricketing gods did not shine on him
And survival was prolonged for a little bit
Jack Leach sprinted for the other end
He had managed to tie the score
Having Stokes smack it around the ground
He did so again for one final four
The highest run chase England had had
And a real heroic act to keep the Ashes alive
A sense that at least on this warm Sunday
England had regained some sense of pride.

(Even if England don't go on and win the Ashes, this day will at least be a happy reminder of what can happen in cricket - and almost as much as a miracle as in 1981.)

All Along The Pier

Walking down towards the sea in Southend
It soon all becomes all so clear
When the longest one of its kind comes up
You know you're about to enter the pier
It's either walk both ways, or use the train
It's certainly worth a good walk on a warm day
The wind from the estuary flutters around you
As you walk down past the train and say
Just how much you really like this fresh air
As the end of the pier pavilion is in sight
Having lots of little huts worth of food
And crazy golf with a breeze feels just right
It's one and a third miles long overall
So was pleased therefore to take the train back
Definitely the highlight of my visit there
For me, it had the class the rest of the place lack.

(Definitely well worth heading to Southend Pier of course for the fact it's so long, it has the place Jamie Oliver used on Friday Night Feast, and a good value crazy golf course too!)

Heatwave Again

Yet more warm fronts are coming
And another heatwave appears to be here
The temperatures are soaring once again
With the likes of the end of Summer is near
But yet with all this heat comes humidity
And a closeness that doesn't feel so good
It's also a sign I want to stay inside
Not being able to be outside is not good
I am really concerned that all the global warming
Is making the place just hotter to be
Where the heatwaves will soon become the norm
And that's not good for you or me.

(More records broken and more thirty degree heat, absolutely mental really.)

VAR Haiku

The goal is ruled out
As VAR strikes again
I can't celebrate.

(Hence the fact that now us Man City fans wait till the kick off before we actually celebrate that the goal will actually stand!)