Poetry - March 2024

Orange Train

The London Overground stops at every stop
Which may be why some thinks it is slow
But for plenty of people living in London
It gets them where they want to go
Through the tunnel under the Thames to Wapping
And along the East London Line
It really does have an identity of its own
With the orange train looking divine
So there's changes afoot coming soon
Where each of the lines will have its own name
And the customary orange we're all used to
Won't appear to be the same
I'm not sure it's such a good move all round
Because there's something about the way
That the Overground is a known thing now
And gets you where you want to today
Is it an encouragement to use it more
Because the trains are already busy
With many people using it to commute
And certainly for nights out in the city
So why mess with what works really
And keep those orange trains alive
No rename or rebrand will work the same
As seeing those orange carriages of five.

(I have mixed feelings about the London Overground rename and rebrand. The Orange Trains must stay!)

Moving

There's so much to do
And so little time to do it in
Everything is being moved
And it must all be done in time
There's a massive amount of stuff
That needs to go in boxes
So transport can be loaded up
And ready to head off
It feels like the end of an era
Saying one last goodbye
With a new place on the horizon
And new adventures to have
And new places to find
With new people to see
It's all exciting but nervous
As the time counts down.

(In the weekend we were moving offices, my girlfriend's niece and her boyfriend were also moving flats too, so definitely felt like a long moving weekend)

Everything Was Easier In Gaming Back Then

You had your playgound arguments about which machine was better
You even brought them in sometimes to show off your games
But there was also a great creative innocence about it all
Where you wanted to just be able to play
Take yourself into a fantasy adventure land
With platforms, enemies and some iconic music
Where you could control your course of the game
Determining how you would find the best way to play
No fancy multiple keyboard controls with the mouse
It was one joystick with directions and one fire button
All you needed to shoot down the enemies
Jump around platforms or even go though a maze
It was a more innocent time where everything was easier
The games were had to complete but you had fun doing it
And behind all those arguments in the playground
Were those great games on all the formats
Some that defined a machine and its users
Others that were just really weird and original to play
Yet in all of that we all shared the same goal
Of enjoying our leisure time with something special.

(I so sort of wonder whether those who play games today don't realise the importance of how the early years of computer games really did make for what we have now.)

Join In The Chant

You're in the singing end of the ground
Everyone joins in the chant in union
They love their team, they do
They sing the praises of the player
Make derogatory comments about the opposition
Such as if they don't bring many fans
Or if it's a local derby
They will sing as the pride of their area
Slagging off the opposition
And when their team scores
Just watch them go totally mental
A unison embrace of ten thousand
As they celebrate their goal
As only football fans know how
And they will groan with anguish
Yelling their team on even more
When the opposing team scores
And at the final whistle
Cheers if their team wins
Boos if their team loses
If things are going really bad
They'll call for the manager's head
But one thing is for sure
You'll look out of place
If you don't join in the chant.

(It's a strange thing, but when there's a good football chant sung by so many, it's a real hairs on the back of the neck moment.)

Playing Out Cat Haiku

Brian loves to play
Outside on the patio
Taking in fresh air.

(Brian the cat loves the new outside patio and just sits there in the fresh air admiring himself. Bless.)