Poetry - November 2025

Scotland's Seminal Moment

It is the last match of the qualifying groups
And the maths on this one is pretty clear
If Scotland beat Denmark, they win the group
And off to the World Cup they go next year
No one expected the match to unfold as it did
Most would have been happy with a one nil win
But yet the way that the game panned out
To not mention the madness would be a sin
First of all Scott McTominay does an overhead kick
That opens the scoring with aplomb
An absolutely superb strike leaving Man U fans head scratching
As the passion from the nation soon comes
Denmark do get forward a lot
And it's last ditch defending until half time
An equaliser does then appear in the second half
Due to a foul on the box that's a VAR penalty crime
Yet there is hope that is eternal as a red card
Mean that Denmark are now down to ten
Surely it would only be a matter of time
Sure enough, the ball was forced in from a cross then
So 2-1 up with not long left, and surely now
But Denmark equalise and they have other ideas
The tension ramps up, the crowd gets louder
What would be next as stoppage time appears
In a twist of fate, Kieran Tierney strikes
And he has had so much happen in his career
The ball hits the back of the net with power
And all around Hampden Park the crowd will cheer
It's agonising to get over the line now
As the stoppage time seems never to complete
But Kenny McLean sees Schmeichel off his line
And lobs him from half way with a touch so elite
They have done it, Scotland are there
And twenty eight years of hurt are done
The World Cup will come beckoning
Just don't come home too soon.

(Congratulations to Scotland - what an epic game of football that was and if you were there, then wow, you were treated to something special that you can say "I was there" for, and rightly so..)

Grabber Grabber Joy Joy

Arcade grabber machine
How it looks at everyone with disdain
Rigged to pay out after so many attempts
With no staff around for when you complain
"But the toy dropped into the slot" you state
But the machine has other ideas
It cannot take the fact you were so skilled
And instead just makes up the oh so nears
Yet here I come, fresh from the rain
Seeking shelter on Brighton pier
I see this grabber machine in the distance
I wonder what we can do here?
I put the pound in and start to move up
And then press the button to move to the right
Down comes the grabbing claws
And up comes a toy to my delight
But can it make it ot the slot and drop
Indeed, it most certainly can do that
It must have been payout time for the machine
As I now have a cuddly furry toy, natch
I am sure I know who to give it to
And I walk away from the machine pronto
Because I know the rigging starts again
And resist the temptation to spend more dough.

(I was fortunate enough to win on a grabber machine in an arcade recently. Needless to say I walked away once I had won to avoid spending shed loads thinking I might win again - as I know I won't!)

The Seaside in Winter

The wind whistles along the promenade
As any stalls that are open are clearly a few
The weather is turning somewhat miserable
Sheltering in a lonely arcade is all you can do
There's a sense of emptiness everywhere
As lots of hotels have rooms for you to stay
But you know as darkness descends it's home instead
As you have just ventured out here for the day
No matter how gorgeous the scenery may be
It can be unforgiving with the wind
So being here for a few hours to clean the soul
May be somewhat of a better win
However if you live here, it's all different
As this is your home and your town
With not much to do and not much trade coming in
It all feels somewhat a little down
But yet there's plenty going on for the locals
With the pubs having all sorts of nights in
It's just a case of being away from the sea
And finding somewhere warm to be cosy in.

(Being by the seaside, and in some resorts, is a very different place in Winter.)

The Bull of New Street

Somehow getting to Birmingham New Street
Feels much more poignant today
Since Ozzy Osbourne has left us
And no more will his band play
Yet as you come out of the ticket barriers
You see the sight of Ozzy the Bull
The mascot for the Commonwealth Games
That seems just right here and makes the heart full
It may not mechanically move as much
But the imposing figure is a landmark
That welcomes the weary traveller
And one that certainly you can pose with for a lark
The sense of being here is greater
And a wise move to keep this where it is
So for anyone getting out of New Street
Seeing this sight is one of pure bliss.

(Such a wise move to keep Ozzy the Bull inside Birmingham New Street station and Grand Central - it just feels so much more wlecoming to the city having it there.)

Playtime Cat Haiku

Brian wants the ball
Bouncing it in front of him
And out come his paws!

(Brian loves playing ball - when he wants to of course, and swipes it away with his paws as it bounces in front of him.)