Poetry - June 2020

Wake Up

The recent unfortunate events in America
Has sent shockwaves around the world, it's true
But are we really surprised by this happening
When all the time this is inherently what people are used to
With persecution of anything or anyone different
And the brutality of some police forces present
That there's no wonder that there is such passion
And yet a dislike of the system being so reticent
It's no good at all saying "we're not that bad"
Or claiming that it's not the problem to own
In fact, it's the opposite if the truth be told
That everyone needs to be together and it's shown
That when you get together and be equal as one
It's a very powerful force for all that is good
So let's not all be part of the problem
But be part of the solution in your neighbourhood
Talk to people, have empathy with their different lives
Appreciate that we can all be different
We cannot wipe out hatred with love alone
But we can start to eliminate the resentment
If that means we all need to learn by our mistakes
Then we need to all look at ourselves in the mirror
And together, vow to make up in the future
So we know that we'll end with a world that's kinder.

(Recent events have made me think about just how much we as a whole world have to go to eliminate racism and to actually treat everyone equally. Not just in terms of racism either, but how we see others if they have a disability, a different sexuality, or a different religion. Having empathy with those differences is a start, and learning about those means rather than be fearful, it's a way of starting to get a grasp on the reality.)

Loading. Ready.

Switching on the Commodore Plus/4
And seeing the iconic initial screen display
Showing 60671 bytes free for programs
And then it was time for some game play
So it was a case of connecting the tape deck
And locating the games that I own
Entering L O A and D and then hitting RETURN
So I can see the press play on tape prompt shown
The blue screen would search for the program
And then it would show it was found
The game continues to load into memory
And Novaload has the stripes in the background
Without further ado the game I wanted has loaded
It's time to play a classic old game
And yet there's something about the word loading
That makes me feel completely no shame.

(Ah, the Plus/4 - first home computer I ever had. Loading from the 1531 tape deck still works even now - and some classic games have been played these last few months or so.)

Skate or Die

Skateboarding was all the rage in the 80s back then
With everyone wanting to do some special move
You couldn't move around parts of a city without a board
Hitting anything resembling a ramp to jump, to prove
How good they were at their board control
And how much respect they'd get from their friends
It was a culture all of its own with a style and its music
That really did start to set a fair few trends
Naturally of course there were arcade games to follow
With 720 degrees having a good rocking soundtrack
So you could pull off all the moves without breaking your legs
And showing a real style as you went on board attack
And your thought was always the same as that game
As it pronounced in its speech to skate or die
Which would later became the name of a great game too
Where the music was rocking and the high jump going so high.

(I can so remember skateboarding in the 1980s being right on trend and so many places being used for stunts and so on, and indeed the whole influx of skateboarding computer games too.)

No Football Without The Fans

As sport takes its tenative first steps back to reality
In a slightly still in the pandemic type of world we are
Then it's clear that safety has to be paramount
So it means empty stadiums and no allowed from far
It makes me wonder as the atmosphere will be lost
No chanting or support from any of the fans
Meaning that any boost in performance
Won't be there, turning the team into some also-rans
I like being there and supporting my team as we all do
Giving full and passionate vocal support
I know it's not really safe to go and do that
But the fans not being there isn't the same for the sport
The football can't survive forever with these measures
It will feel all stale and insipid in comparison
So for me there's no football without the fans
And without anyone being able to show their passion.

(I naturally wish it was safe for fans to attend games and at least give some atmosphere to the remainder of the league season, but alas I can't see it happening. It may even start next season the same way, so will have to see how it all pans out.)

Drawer Haiku

Who's hiding in here?
Of course it's Brian the cat
Finding snuggle time.

(The Love In My Heart was clearing out a drawer, so what does Brian the cat do? Snuggle in it of course..)