Poetry - November 2022
Christmas Should Be In December
I have already suffered Whamageddon this year
Thanks to John Lewis playing that song
I've seen too many Christmas trees
Without any snow, and that feels wrong
There's an assault on the senses of money
An urge to put your purchases on credit
It just doesn't seem to right to me
And in November, I just don't get it
There's a real cost of living crisis right now
Where making ends meet is difficult enough
Without all those pressure points
Where Christmas comes in and makes it tough
We need some sort of reflection
Where actually we'd all wait a bit til December
And then feel a little more festive and kind
Giving everyone a Christmas to remember
So please, shops and television adverts, stop now
Wait a few weeks to give people a pause
When it then turns into a more festive period
There may be less optimism to celebrate of course
But it's the little things, the gift of giving
Which would be a sense of goodwill, I digress
So let's stop all this November Christmas nonsense
And give to those some love and kindness.
(All the adverts, all the shops, and seems a bit callous to me when there's much worse to think about at present.)
World Cup Emptiness
Normally I'd be getting excited
For the World Cup to come on our screen
But this year I am definitely not feeling it
And I'm not the only one either, it seems
Because of the location being where it is
And their lack of equality for all
Meaning that if you're gay, lesbian or transgender
Then you're not welcome there at all
Football fans come from all backgrounds
With a common goal of supporting the team
So if you can't all be there as one
It just doesn't feel so right, it would seem
There's also the human rights record
Which again has to come into question
And how awarding the tournament there
Was just bowing to all the oppression
I can't get excited about it all really
I'd rather the normal football carry on
And move the World Cup to next Summer
In a country where we can all be as one.
(I'm not feeling it at all for the World Cup coming up to be honest. It just doesn't seem the right place to be (and it never was in the first place) and having to break the regular football season up like this as well doesn't feel so right either. It would take a brave team to take a massive stand and not go, but can't see that happening.)
The Joy Of Wheelchair Rugby League
It's fast and furious indoors at the Copper Box
As England wheel out to play
In a game that's captured everyone's imagination
Where everyone can come together to play
There's no quarter asked and definitely none given
As the wheels clash with a massive thud
Where those not disabled can play with those that can
With the passion running through their blood
The wheelchair takes a pounding
With passes aimed with skill and precision
A pull of the tag meaning you've been tackled
And a quick switch in the chair being your decision
To sprint down the wing and avoid the others
Touching the ball down under the posts
Fist pumping a kick over the crossbar
And scoring tries to win by the most
There's so much joy in wheelchair rugby league
The passion is clear for all to see
But the teamwork and the respect
Goes side by side with your cameraderie.
(I've hugely got into this sport, and am not the only one. It's the best thing I've seen in ages, fully inclusive and a fast paced, powerful, and passionate sport too. Well done the BBC for showing the games.)
Train of Pain
Engineering works meant I knew I was in
For a long journey back down to London
I'd be going via Birmingham along the way
And it was at least three hours plus, all said and done
But things started going wrong even before I left
As the driver had arrived late in the incoming train
And so needed the break before driving us home
That was just the start of the train of pain
The half hour delay was one thing to endure
But then things got gradually worse
Crawling to a standstill on the way to Wolverhampton
As we found out that the track ahead was closed, a curse
So it was a divert around Walsall on a go slow
And getting into Birmingham almost an hour late
It was more go slow as we approached Rugby
Because the line damage meant at any rate
We'd have to go via Northampton and slow
But at least it was keeping going
As the train eventually headed to Milton Keynes
I did wonder if the staff were going to give in
Eventually I got back into London Euston
But almost five and a half hours after I started
It was a train of absolute pain and rubbish
And I kind of wish that I'd never departed.
(Sometimes some train journeys end up being a total nightmare - this was one of them. I did eventually get a full ticket refund via Delay Repay, but that's five hours of my life I am not getting back!)
New Harness Haiku
Brian has a gift
A new harness for his play
So he struts outside!
(Brian the cat is loving his new harness and so he can play out with confidence and have a good walk around and be safe - he looks adorable as usual.)