MikeSmithUK

Rhythm & Rhyme - with Time for a Song ..... for audiences of all ages.

[mikesmithuk]

Saturday, 21st May, 2016

A beginning ....

The thing about laughter is -

Haven’t a clue!

Or

'Where,’ shall we say,

Do you begin?!’

That side-splitting,

Belly-aching

‘Stop it. STOP IT! PLEASE!

[mikesmithuk]

Friday, 20th May, 2016

Isn’t this a lovely poem by John Clare?

“Written in Clare's wonderful Northamptonshire dialect, with a word Clare no doubt learned from his gypsy friends” (from the ‘John Clare Poet (13 July 1793 – 20 May 1864’ Facebook page.

He wasn’t  a man for ‘perfect’ spelling and punctuation because he didn’t have the education to know about them - but ability to read for meaning is not impaired.

‘Song’

When Jimmy did leave me the thorns wer in blossom Three years have gone bye but I think on the day I stoopt for a cowslip to stick in my bosom While he from the bush got a branch of the may & when we had done wi our vows & our parling My heart when I think ont wi doubtfulness burns He held it to me & he calld me his darling Saying take this & keep it till Jimmy returns

A keep sake so odd did he mean to abuse me & give me the thorn that his scorn I might see But how foolish girl - coud he mean to ill use me When he rubd off the pricks ere he gave it to me We parted good friends & he hugld me dearly & telld me hed neer gi me cause for a pain & so coud I think were his last vow sincerly Saying go where I will my heart stick to my Jane

The Early Poems of John Clare 1804-1822

ed. Eric Robinson, David Powell and Margaret Grainger

[mikesmithuk]

Thursday, 19th May, 2016

#EUantidote

I only added the hashtag as an after-thought .... all the ‘dead’ language of the E.U. campaign thus far, compared with the life-enhancing properties of the rain:

To walk outside

And simply stand

In gently falling rain

To feel

The trickling

Tickling drops

And be

Alive again

After poetweeting these lines I re-read them and realised they were ambiguous and could imply that standing outside of the EU (as an antidote) made me feel alive .... Not my intention or belief at all!. Thus....

#RemainCampaign

Earlier.....

I poetweeted

Lines about

The 'Feel Alive'

Of rain,

Implying, perhaps,

I wanted 'Out' -

Sorry!

I'm 'Remain'!

[mikesmithuk]

Wednesday, 18th May, 2016

Nigel Farage, the UKIP Leader has said that violence could follow a close Remain vote if no second referendum is granted. Sounds like blackmail to me.

Democratic politics:

Live

With disappointment;

Accept

Defeat with grace;

Reflect -

And then continue

To articulate

Your case.

And it works both ways.

[mikesmithuk]

Tuesday, 17th May, 2016

The Leader of UKIP on Radio 4 this morning, suggesting that if the EU referendum vote is close he would want there to be another referendum (for both sides, presumaby?)

#bbcr4today #euref #pre-empt

So sad,

If so predictable,

On Radio 4 today:

"I'll want to have

The vote again

If I can't have -

My way."

Hull City nearly blew it tonight. With a three-goal lead from the first 

#HCFCvDCFC 

Not sure I'm looking forward to a week on Saturday, never mind premiership football ......

Talk about

The Theatre of Tension

Talk about

The Theatre of Dreams

Talk about Hull City

And there's one thing guaranteed

They will never take

The easy way,

It seems!

Talk about

Aspiring for promotion

Talk about

'No less than Hull deserves'

Talk about Hull City

In the premier league next year

And I'll once again

Be living

On my nerves.

Think about

This simple game of 'kick'-a-ball

Think about

That 'bladder' full of air

Think about

The origins

Of football back in school

And the pride

Of winning

Loads of silverware (Priory Road Juniors!!)

Time to

Recognise that I'm an addict(!)

Time to

Take awareness on the chin(!)

Time to

Come to terms

With what the school

And family taught

That it's not the taking part -

It is the win!

[mikesmithuk]

Monday, 16th May, 2016

Why label people as ‘something’, and therefore run the danger of defining them as that and trading on people’s assumptions about such labels? Labels are dangerous

#nationalvegetarianweek

A vegetarian diet, but -

I'm not

'A Vegetarian':

Just me - a person....

Likewise, I am -

Not 'A Septuagarian'!

Boris Johnson talks about the long historical push towards a united Europe - since the Romans - and evokes the names of Napoleon and - Surprise! Surprise! - Hitler ..... not even Adolf Hitler

#RegisterToVote

#Remain

Re a state Of Europe, chaps:

First step?

We highlight HIS NAME:

Calculated gamble

But let's play

The Language Game!

[mikesmithuk]

Sunday, 15th May, 2016

17.55: Listening to Radio Humberside.

And especially for the attention of Sacha Baron Cohen.....

Well done - amazing! North Ferriby United: Likewise to Grimsby - For whom I'm delighted!

Thinking in threes - Tuesday night.... Will they? Could they? The Tigers? They might ......

As for the final - If final they're in: I've bet a tenner - Ten pounds to win!

Poetweeted re Grimsby Town:

Especially for the attention of Sacha Baron Cohen…

Promotion for Grimsby -

Positive too.

Congratulations!

No more than you're due!

[mikesmithuk]

Saturday, 14th May, 2016

Love this from a Tumblrogger:

“Some people feel the rain. Others just get wet.”

12.30pm: Derby County v Hull City - and ironing ...

An early start this afternoon....

Twelve thirty we begin....

The ironing ahead....

I’m ‘good to go’.

I plan to iron

Right to left:

With nothing left to chance:

My planning will be, once again -

Just so.

I know I’ll make a luke-warm start,

But when the iron gets hot

I shall hope to show

My natural, old-style flair:

I’ll iron with experience,

Precision, knowledge, skill -

Performance to delight ....

Beyond compare!

And so the shirts and pillow-cases

Sit and wait for me:

The board is up and ready -

Tension rises:

The ironing-water bottle

On the sidelines also waits,

For nothing's left to chance:

No late surprises!

Now it's time to stop this writing ....

It's time to make a start ....

It's time to do my warm-ups:

Here we go.

Slowly I approach the board

To take up my position ....

And calmly wait

To hear the whistle blow!

Well, what a result! And - perhaps more importantly - performance!

Derby County 0 v Hull City 3

Result as I expected (!!!) Ironing now completed Perfect execution Derby now defeated

What's more, a final-minute goal - Just one more shirt to go - A bonus from old Robert's son To add to Derby's woe

And now the world is made of threes Three goals, three goals - three nil - And if I'm being honest I'm in shock and wonder still!

[mikesmithuk]

Friday, 13th May, 2016

My 1,000th blog post!

A thought I should like to explore further: i.e. the beautiful cowslips in our front garden are dying off. They have been wonderful. I’ve now more or less finished.

Home Thoughts From A Home Garden

Cowslip

And, yes,

There is beauty in the birth …..

Of memoried early growing in the spring

Of early shoots and promised yellowing bud

Of once again the fulsome upward thrust

And, yes,

There is beauty in the living …..

The confidently flowering to a fullness

The thickening spread of densely greening leaf

The days of soaking up the strengthening sun

And, yes,

There is beauty in the ageing and the dying …..

Though weakening in colour and in strength

Though sowing thoughts of tenderest beginnings

Though slowly dying off …… until its gone

And, yet ....

The beauty lies in all this little flower represents ...

A beauty to enthrall, and yet appal ...

A simple garden cowslip in perpetual renewal ...

And the beauty? That a flower exists at all.

[mikesmithuk]

Thursday, 12th May, 2016

Passing Polite ....

There was a young man from Peru,

Who bent down to tie up his shoe:

Miss Sonia Golightly

Stepped forward, politely -

“Whilst down there, please tie mine up too!”

“Madam, you are a disgrace

To use the excuse of my lace:

But one thing is clear ...

If you join me down here,

We can talk at some length face to face.”

And so the young man from Peru

Met Sonia Golightly - from Crewe:

She agreed like a shot

And they both tied the knot:

It was Love at First Shoe Rendezvous.

[mikesmithuk]

Wednesday, 11th May, 2016

Whatever happened to the Speaker at Questions to the Prime Minister when it comes to ill-mannered behaviour? He calls it out sometimes but never when it’s dished out to Jeremy Corbyn.

Speaker?

Where art thou?

Most silent

Of men, 

When Tories

Start braying

At JC again?

Why no word

Of reprimand?

I simply do not

Understand!

[mikesmithuk]

Tuesday, 10th May, 2016

First sign of rain....

#earlyrain

The gentle raindrops

Moisten the flesh

With warm and thrilling kiss

Drip-drip .... drip-drip

Skin shocked to life

In elemental bliss

So sad when you know someone who - in this case, elderly - has nowhere to go, nothing to do, no-one to meet and talk to ....

Four times

They passed,

And smiled Hello -

Each time

A different place:

For him -

A fulsome day ahead:

For her -

The day to face.

Suddenly he decides to project seriousness .....

Boris -

Statesman-smart today:

No prize for

Guessing why!

Hair trimmed and brushed...

A suit that fits...

With neatly-knotted tie.

[mikesmithuk]

Monday, 9th May, 2016 (2)

Fortunately, our park keeper (I think) cut the grass along Parsons Lane, recently, and left this section uncut. Wait, however, for the Council Cutters to come along!

Tell me there’s no beauty

When this grass is left to grow?

Until, of course,

The cutters come and

‘One man wants to mow’ .

[mikesmithuk]

Monday, 9th May, 2016

John Clare, 1793-1864

I didn’t spot that there were two ladybirds having a bit of fun until I looked at the photo later.

This morning,

In a cowslip flower,

I spied a clock-a-clay,

As John Clare named

What we would call

A ladybird today.

[mikesmithuk]

Sunday, 8th May, 2016

What a good decision to wear shorts this morning. Such a release!

'Spring in the Step'.

Window gazing - Step outside - Fathering these thoughts: "Shall I?" "Should I?" "Dare I?" "Go on!" Once more wear My shorts?

And so the shorts Were worn today! In warmth Of gentle breeze: Fresh of the wash On long-wintered skin - And paler shade of knees!

I poetweeted about Sadik Khan not wearing a tie at his inauguration yesterday, something I thought utterly tasteful and something I should love to become the norm. Unfortunately, I wrote the last three words ‘ AND NO TIE’ in capitals, like this .... suggesting - I realised too late - that I had a problem with it. Aaaagh!

Irony & Twitter?

A dodgy game

To play

Unless you have

The language skills -

I didn't yesterday!

Far to late

I comprehended

Meaning not

As I intended!

[mikesmithuk]

Saturday, 7th May, 2016

How delightful to see Sadik Khan, the new Mayor of London today, in Westminster Abbey, elected yesterday after a very unpleasant campaign against him. Of course I am pleased for Labour - but more than this .... I am pleased for our country.

I wonder what David Cameron’s mother would say ......

How very refreshing!

So perfectly natural; So simple and fresh; So easy on the eye: The new Mayor of London - Smart grey suit; Open-necked shirt - And no tie!

[mikesmithuk]

Friday, 6th May, 2016

It was just gorgeous walking down Parsons Lane this morning. We always hear the same lovely expressions:

"Puts a spring

In your step"

"Brings a smile

To your face"

"Spring's In the air"

And all's In its place -

- for the fortunate

Someone on Twitter invited tweeters to share poems about voting Conservative! Couldn’t resist:

Tories can be nice (!!!)

Some are even

My friends!

But not

When they talk

About policies!

There

My friendship

Ends!