Sunday 21 August 2011

A LAMENT FOR LOST WORDS

To a postman

Sir, you are a wit and a wheeze, you have three degrees
Your memory is excellent, you are indeed intelligent
You are skilled in your profession but could I offer the counsel of perfection ?
I don't want to cause you anger, outrage or anguish, but I don't want you in foul language to languish
Well is there an alternative to swearing ? Indeed I find it all quite wearing
Well if I may have a word in your ear, there is a poem I'd like you to hear

In another world, in another time, people spoke more logically then
when they felt annoyed they said, 'I'm annoyed about what's happened"
when they felt angry they said; "I'm angry that he did that"
but in this blanking crazy blanking world I blanking well can't understand it
peoples blanking thoughts are blanking decrepit
it makes me want to shout
in fact half their bleeping  words should blanking well be blanked out

But I greatly lament the loss of certain words from circulation in our vocabulary
in fact I find it intensely sad that words denoting size and magnitude are missing quite regularly
I deeply despair about the absence of words which express feeling and emotion
to hear a phrase like; "That maddens me", would be something of a lotion
I quite mourn their displacement by a couple of vulgar swear words
which keep reappearing like stinking pavement dog turds
I'm severely sickened by the constant use of a particular swear word I won't mention
If I'd had twenty one pence for every-time it was used I'd already be on my pension
why when there is a library of words do you make do with just two?
I'm afraid that doing so just degrades you
I'm very sorry but when I'm enraged my mind goes all haywire and confused
it grabs for something / anything dumb and overused
Oh help, oh help I need some help whenever I am furious
that I won't say something that is useless, hurtful or injurious
Instead I plan to say something like; "I'm infuriated"
and certainly not anything which might be berated
So I will, I must, I need to expand my diction, even if it causes me or you a certain friction
Dress thyself in fine words oh men, and deliver a good reputation for postmen.


Actually swearing and name calling is banter, lazy thinking, quite funny sometimes, you can get a joke out of it. It isn't really an issue if you understand that it is low resolution thinking and not proper thought. If you can instantly put it into an emotionally literate form then you don't have anything to worry about. 
  Look at the phrase, " He is a flaming annoying little ----"
   "Annoying" is in there, it just depends on what bit of the speech you focus on, "It annoys me that he does that".






Thursday 11 August 2011

What love is like

I welcome all with kindness, a cheering smile I bestow
hearty, warm, courteous; this is what I show:
always quick to help you, I care for all your needs
I want you to be happy, to enjoy the life you live
I advize you to live by the Golden rule, treat others as you want them to treat you
and the Silver rule, do not do to other what you do not want them to do to you
and the copper rule, do to others as they want done to them
and the diamond rule, be loving ,caring and don't hurt anybody
and no matter how you hurt me, my patience is quite plain,
I reply to offence with a quick witted retort
I expose the error and point at truth, violence would be a last resort
Patience is what sustains me, it's the virtue that I love
But I'm quick to defend the truth about me and to defend my interests
When you scorn me or speak words intent to wound
I just interpret them by recognising that you are angry about something
But you haven't chosen to put your objection in a caring way
In your red mist of anger you have sunk and your careless phrase smells like a skunk
I turn the other cheek when appropriate but otherwise parry with a witty point
and when you show ignorance, the truth is my reply. Without derision, invective or disdain
The words I speak are reason, I aim to speak good sense
I dwell together with truth and am born on it's wings, I am its fruit
Seek truth and you will find me, speak truth and you will show me
Seek truth and it will grant you humility ,for humility is realising that what you think or say might not be
as close to the truth as it could be and to realise that you are only eyes to see or ears to hear it
I fill your mind with goodness, with knowledge of what will help
I come to all who seek me, reach out and you will find
That I can fill with good things, your brain

WINTER

I delight in the beauty of the snow, in the glory of the scene it does bestow
in the sparkle of the sunlight in the crystal flakes, in the untouched wilderness it creates
and in this wilderness I find wonder, in this new land rejoice to wander
where no human foot has trod, no other soul explored
and seeing the tracks of wildlife in the snow, we discover the secrets of where they go
and marvel at the architecture of the drift, and the elegance of their shapes

In the excitement of this novelty, in the brilliance of this view
When snow lies all around me, virgin, chaste and new
when the moon's beams gleams astound me, when the stars are shining bright
when the heavens vastness thrills me, I drink deeply of such sights

But I loathe the snows cold companion air, that bites at my bare flesh
That freezes pipes then bursts them, and causes toil and grief
But what sweet relief to reach my evenings rest, the warm greeting of my sheltering place;
nursing my battered cheeks, lulling me to sleep, I take repose beside the fire
while outside the storm howls
Stillness and comfort surround me, while drifts pile at the door and obscure the road
Oh yes, the snow which blocks me from going where I didn't want to go
Oh no, the snow which blocks me from going where I did want to go
What bliss not to suffer the things about school I dislike
What bliss to be excused from the things about work I dislike
What fun to be cut off from the world, to be here all alone, in my home
How sad to miss seeing my friends and the school subjects I enjoy lots about
How displeasing not to do the work on which my income depends
What apprehension at being cut off from help, from provisions, from safety
I look forward to tomorrow to slide along the path, to go sledging on the hill, to make a snowman
What fun the snows slippiness provides
I loathe to face the slippiness of the snow. It hinders me from getting along the street, can cause me to fall or crash my car.
but then as I sit, the lights flicker a bit and all of a sudden all is dark except for fires glow.
The t.v and radio are silent as power is cut off. What trouble the snow creates
wet snow soaking through my shoes and coat, which flies into once dry sheds and soaks what I wanted to stay that way- like hay or barley
But what fun to sit by flickering candle light and crackle of fire
to think about the snow- the cons and pros


THE DEER

See, yonder, across the field, three deer, which once the murky wood concealed
now bounding, their gracefulness and dignity revealed,
with ease, over fence, gate, ditch and road, upon the ground where I once strode
Now through the long lush ley grass they stride. Now among the golden barley hide
and like dolphins they do break the waves,
they disapppear on each downward beat, to reappear on each upward leap
suddenly they stop to survey the scene, their head alone above the grain is seen
now once more to the wood they fly, perhaps in some pleasant glade to lie
serenaded with sweet woodland sound, birds song all around
Bluetit, great tit, robin, wren, bull finch, chaffinch, black bird, peahen
and when will they next emerge to cause me delight and thrill me, to their wildness sight

AUTUMN

Have you wandered through autumnal glades?
Have you marvelled at those russet shades?
Have you seen autumn colours painted on the leaves?
Have you beheld beauty cascading from the trees?
and have you felt beauty's sweet melody sing?
warm wonder welling up within
were you thrilled at such a sight?
did it fill you with delight?
and did you yearn that such feelings might last
longing that this pleasance might endure
But such feelings fade too fast
and I could only hope it will not be long before my eyes see such scenes again

Beauty

What scenes have stirred wonder and excitement in you?
Was it beauty amid the plain?
When the sunlight drew out an extra special scene
Did you find yourself living in a picture, a paradise come true
An oasis of colour when you felt you held your breath?
And did you wonder if  there could be a scene of greater beauty than this
Did you  stand and marvel at the glory of the scene and feel delight well up within
Did you feel excitent rouse; an ecstacy of pleasant feelings
Look, look, behold this country scene
you would have knocked on every door to implore others to see, to implore me
When the heavy shower clouds passed across the blue background with the sun shining brightly
When the full diversity and range of colours was seen; from intense black to brilliant white,
dark to light, dull to bright, red to violet,
All the contrasts, shades, shadows, vibrant
Were you thrilled by the rainbow hanging in the sparkling raindrops showering lightly down
Did you revel in the sunlight gleaming in the spiders silken threads spun across the grass stems
or lighting up a million dewdrops that hung from blades of grass?
Would you have stood to look for ever but had other things to do?
but did you quickly tire? It does not satisfy for long!
Is this how you felt when you saw such glory, such beauty?
So did I !


Ploughing

A black back gull in regal splendour, stands aloof upon his throne
Jutting from the furrowed ground; a stone
and with dignity he does reign, from his pedestal over his domain
then with majesty does glide, soaring to the ploughs gleaming side
Then black back with his beady eye, a worm beneath him does spy
And with a swoop he does descend, upon the soils faithful friend
And banquets with the assembled host:
The black headed, common and herring gull, Jackdaw, rook and carrion crow
And pied wagtail, bravest of them all, darts beside the tractor wheel
And now the sun has gone away, set for another day
The richness of the colours fade, no longer illuminated
No more the glossy, sparkling gleam, dull, drab, solemn is how they seem
Then as I turn to plough another row
The host arise and circle high, cry farewell and disappear in the sky
and I am left to plough alone in thickening gloom, with constant drone
but then I see some lapwings flapping by
they land and bob around, upon the waved and crested ground
now the forest edge is black as ink. The stars above begin to wink
I see a fox slink across the field. Thinks in darkness he's concealed
and the daylight creatures cease their play. Silenced for another day
and I too think it's time to go
I drop the revs from howling roar to mellow purr, lift the plough out of the ground,
Slip into a higher gear and whizz off homeward bound.