Poetry - September 2021

Sinking In The Sand

The beach looks peaceful and quiet
On this rather windy Sunday morning
And you head out towards the sea
With the tide that's relatively far out
But of course there's remnants of water
Where the tide came in last night
And the sand doesn't look so clean
And seems quite muddy in places
So you start to walk towards the sand
And it feels a little too soft for you
Sure enough it's a slow sinking feeling
As your trainers are soaked wet through
It's definitely a little bit less shallow
Than you thought that the sand might be
So you take an alternative route along the beach
And think that it's rather not so nice.

(Parts of the beach at Blackpool are notoriously like this - not sinking to your neck sort of sand, but definitely a lot softer than you think it looks, even if there's ripples of raised edges.)

Facing The Wrong Way

You booked the train and wanted
A seat that would face forward
But when you get to the train on the day
You do somewhat feel rather awkward
What the train company told you on the site
Was factually and completely incorrect
You're going to be facing backwards
For this journey up North, by eck
So what now you think - do I move
And try and find a carriage and spare seat
Or accept that it's just one of those things
That will mean that you accept defeat
It's hard on some places to get the right way
But you don't want to face the wrong way
In case you feel dizzy on the train
And don't want any sick feeling to hold sway
But bear it you do and are able to look back
To the scenery that passes your window
Maybe it's not so bad after all you think
And so reflect on the journey's end so.

(Some people do prefer to sit forwards on a train - I do like it, but it's not the be all and end all and always give The Love In My Heart the option if sat facing each other.)

Last Minute Mission

I need to head up North pretty quickly
As my love isn't feeling one hundred percent
I may be able to rebook one train
And no arrangement admin fee, they relent
But still it's a case of what can I do
To get there tomorrow as soon as I am able
Knowing that I'm in a race against time
Before the deadline falls, no cheap fares on the table
So do I switch trains and do a split fare
Or will that take too much time an expense
Is it an option to even go overnight somehow
And find a cheap hotel for some recompense
But in the end I hatch up a plan
And can go early on the Saturday afternoon
Safe in the knowledge I have a seat
And also knowing I'll be there pretty soon.

(I had to sort of get a train booked last minute last weekend - still found a decent enough fare to do so, but was a bit of a scramble around to find something suitable.)

Crewe: Trainspotter's Paradise

The station that is trainspotter's paradise
A lot of people will pass through Crewe
On their way to their own destination
And yet there is the person there
Who braves all sorts of weather
To find that elusive class 47
That will arrive at platform six
And have the spotters running around
Trying to get a good look at it
On my many journeys down south
Passing through this Cheshire town
On the platforms I notice them
Trainspotters of all ages
There's the real beginner
With the pad and his log book
Writing down every number he sees
Not knowing what many of them mean
Then further on you see someone
Looking even more studious than last
As they carefully plan their shots
With their camera, ensuring they get
That aall important classification
And then you have the real diehard
Here with camcorder in hand
Filming everything that walks past
I bet if you travel on a train
And you've passed through here
You'll unwittingly be on video
The video of the trainspotter
Can these people be married?
Can they possibly lead a life?
If you want to really know
Then you know where to find them
At Crewe: Trainspotter's Paradise.

(As long as I can remember, Crewe and trainspotters go together.)

Itchy Cat Haiku

Brian feels itchy
It's more tablets for him now
No more licking bits!

(Brian the cat has been a little bit impatient and itchy lately - buit some tablets did the trick to sort him out!)