1426 - Serge surge

It’s been a Serge Gainsbourg weekend for me
I watched the new film about the great man
A very talented man, though silly
As well, sans doute, tu sais. Sea, sex and sand
I love you (me neither), Brigitte et Jane
Soixante-neuf (anné e é rotique); Gré co
Chante avec il La Javanaise; Panpan
Cucul, Aux Armes Etceté ra, and slow
Decline, mainly through bad health, doncha know
Through the seventies and eighties
From jazz to pop to rock to Jamaican
To less successful funk, dance and disco
But no let-up in booze, fags and girlies
Despite heart attacks and cancer. Rock on!

1425 - Greeced lightning

I shall arise and fly by Easyjet
To the isles of Greece; no, to the mainland
Greece is a place that I’ve not been to yet
Though a holiday in May had been planned
(Due to flight cancellation, abandoned)
Athens, here I come; hiya, hired car!
(On October the fifth). So this weekend
I’ll plan my itinerary. Not far
From Athens to Delphi, oracular
Centre of ancient wisdom. Then I’ll get
To the Peloponnese and western strands
Course you must see Corfu; Albania
As well, maybe. It shouldn’t be as wet
As it’s been here lately. It should be grand!

1424 - You can't hurry a Thai curry

There’s little that can compare with Thai food
Apart from me winning the lottery
Or people being a little less rude
Or life being more like my fantasy
Rain only falling at night, never day
God coming down to sort everything out
Agreement on goal-line technology
Buying a nice cottage somewhere down south
Some brand new teeth in the back of my mouth
Some lawyers being successfully sued
Biscuits that don’t dissolve when dunked in tea
Scantily clad girls wandering about
Knowing what is meant by indigo mood
But for now, Thai food is enough for me

1423 - The political party's over

The threat of swingeing cuts is a spectre
(I hate ‘swingeing cuts’ but I’ll still use it)
Hanging over the whole public sector
In which I serve the Queen, helping collect
Her taxes (not mine or yours). But I’m not
(Although I have been) inspector
Of VAT in my time. Pause for lots
Of sympathy for me (not). Remember
Though that tax holds society together
(Against its will, maybe), so affect a
Momentary tear. (Can you method act?)
More tax, less debt. Pay the bank manager
Too, and live frugally, or we’ll wreck a
Generation’s pension and benefits

1422 - The Dorset corset

There was a big girl who lived in Dorset
She thought, ‘Hmm. If I just wore a corset,
Then I’d no longer need to feel upset
And I’d get myself a man by sunset!’

Of course, once her mind on this course was set
She set out on her horse at a brisk trot
But slowed somewhat at Cerne Abbas. A pat
Of her horse, shake of reins, and she soon got

To Dorchester, to select her corset
Reds, greens, blues, yellows, but her favourite
Was a tiny one, of the colour jet
Black. Shiny, with laces all upon it

The slack saleswoman smiled as she forced it
Around that ample bosom, but tore it!

1421 - Autumn holiday

I’m wondering about my holiday
Later this year. Greece was where I was bound
Until the flight was cancelled back in May
So I decided to save a few pounds
And wait a few months till finance was sound
By September I should have itchy feet
And take-off should be achieved from the ground
So many places to choose from, like Crete
Driving round Lake Geneva: what a treat
Perhaps Reykjavik, Stockholm or Norway
Berlin’s U-Bahn has a real underground
Feel. The Côte d’Azur has places to eat
Leningrad (sorry, St Petersburg; they
Shouldn’t change names). I may see you around!

1420 - Peeking at Peking

The Pekinese people they’re all quite small
Apart from the big ones with their big bones
For dogs look like their owners, bones and all
Although their wall’s quite big, you dig? The stones
Were being laid in Beijing. The first homes
And palaces: the Temple of Heaven
Is begun. With its being Beijing becomes
The big one in China, called the Northern
Capital (Nanjing was the Southern one)
The Forbidden City behind its wall
Hidden from mortal sight. Emperors alone
(And their cronies) crossed its portal and won
The right to stay there, rent-free, and with all
Worldly comforts (toilet paper and thrones)…

1419 - Mother

A visit to my mother’s bungalow
With little Josie, her grand-daughter, in
Tow, proved to be great fun. And tomorrow
Is my mum’s 78th birthday. Who’d think
This was so, for she’s still live and kicking
Lots of laughs as we ate, and there’s no sign
Of slowing just yet. We enjoy eating
And chatting. Duck below the washing line
And you will find ants. Dig the soil and find
A few worms wriggling, a little below
The surface. Add to this mix some playing
Of keyboard and melodica. A fine
Combination, and her influence shows
Through generations still developing

1418 - Carry on fighting

The ’14-’18 ‘war to end all wars’
Did no such thing - in fact it was the cause
Of the subsequent one between the years
’39 and ’45, in which scores
Of millions died, and scores were settled. Pause
Then the Korean conflict. Still outlaws
The North stores its warheads and shuts its doors
Vietnam outfought France, then the States. The Doors
Sang ‘The End’ but when will it? The Cold War’s
Melted since global warming. Oil still pours
Its black death on us all. The West restores
Order in The Gulf. Afghanistan draws
No nearer to ‘democracy.’ Our laws
Today bar hungry strangers from our shores

1417 - Freedom of choice

Liberty means we can do anything
Our human rights seen as inviolable
We can protest and refuse everything
From parents and teachers that’s possible
Which makes authority unworkable
Now kids decide, not adults. Kids have kids
Then refuse to bring them up, unable
To do so properly. Liberty fits
If you’re a businessman. Capitalists
Love it, especially when they’re outsourcing
Or downsizing. Keep jobs affordable
So they can pay less and keep their profits
The minimum wage: that is the worst thing
But Chinese kids are more employable

1416 - Against all odds

What are the odds, reader, that you read this?
What are the odds, reader, that you were born?
What are the odds against this universe?
What are the odds humans were ever formed?
And this earth being neither cold nor warm?
And all our ancestors, human and not
Procreating through drought, disaster, storm?
I think you will agree it’s quite a lot
Yet here we are. But do we give much thought
(Did we ever?) to the future abyss
Not our own death (that neither) but the dawn
Of new life long after our families rot?
What are the odds, reader, of that selfless
Devotion to others over our own?

1415 - Henry V at Agincourt

You’ll win, you English rabble, or you’ll die
In this muddy October field of France
Our nobles will be spared and ransomed; I
Cannot pledge your safety, so make no plans
Therefore to be prisoners, but now advance
Move your stakes nearer to the enemy
That hesitates, but be quick, for their ranks
May fall on you, their crossbows raining free
On your unarmoured flesh, brave peasantry
Look, see, they stand and wait; their chance goes by
Men-at-arms in the centre. Take your stance
On either side, good longbowmen; fill the
Narrow strip between these two woods. Let fly
Your stinging bows with weathered singing hands

1414 - Hey Jude

Hey Jude, it only seems like yesterday
You saw me standing there, fool on the hill
That long and winding road to a hard day
Might in the end need your bungalow, Bill
I played it cool, four thousand holes to fill
Or fix, cos I’m the taxman, oh girl, girl
Was your magical mystery tour a thrill?
You’re something to this nowhere man: the world
Is at your command. Say say say the word
I’ve got to get you in my life, blue J
We can work it out, Jude, help me, I will
Hold your hand, come together like the birds
In the trees. Don’t let me down. Here I’ll stay
Another day. From me to you, until…

1413 - Recent reading

Right now I’m reading Dr Zhivago
Well not right now (that’s artistic licence)
And next I’ll read some Edgar Allan Poe
Short stories (since I hate happy endings)
The last novel I read had some suspense
Hugo’s Hunchback of Notre Dame - that dame
Was certainly a swinger by the end
The Mayor of Casterbridge almost the same
That tragic protagonist’s mortal flame
Blown out, like Rebecca, or Saul Bellow’s
Humboldt, the tortured poet. Innocence
In a sense, in these works, finds man to blame
And also woman. Inspiration’s so
Easy to find for our eyes and our pens

1412 - South East by North West

It’s so long since I’ve driven to London
The old familiar route down the M6
M40, A40, A409
That harrowing drive through Harrow - got it licked
Now, just about. Grant Road, that’s where I picked
Up Louis with all his stuff from that dump
Where he’s been living this year. He’ll select
A better place next year, he says. We un-
Packed his bags, put them in my flat, and jumped
Back in the car to go get Pearl. Had fun
Us three all together here, watching flicks
Or talking about them. We saw oil pumped
In ‘There Will Be Blood.’ It flowed on and on
Until the blood and oil were nicely mixed
Sat 17 July

Sonnet for Kate Bush

She cartwheels her way across the west York-
Shire moors as the wind howls and the rain falls
The quiet-voiced sparrow learns to fly and talk
In high-pitched notes she makes her mating calls
Answered by males from Wales to far Cornwall
She dances with them but then flies away
Into the air, really ethereal
Not grounded. Then, like Plath, one cloudy day
She finds herself doing his washing. They
Expected so much more. It goes round. Walk
Into the sea, dear Kate; walk among shoals
Like Virginia; the lighthouse in the bay
Will light your way. There’s one in County Cork
The USA’s too far to reach landfall

1411 - Undespondent of Slough

Here’s today’s daily sonnet from Tony
It’s not about anything but itself
I hope you get some fun from it like me
If not, then why not go and **** yourself?
I wish I was already on line twelve
But sadly I am only on line six
Remember, meaning alone cannot delve
Deep in the mystic pool of poetry’s tricks
There’s also sound and rhythm, like music’s…
This sonnet’s in that pool up to its knee
But, mindful of my sonnetary health
I’ll not sink much deeper; I’ll get my kicks
From paddling in these shallows, where I see
Everything, stepping out of obscure depth

1410 - East of Saigon

That’s it! I’m now completely exhausted
Too much so to turn my computer on
My last remaining strength now abated
I’m teetering above oblivion
And staring down at my dissolution
Nothing left now but to dive straight on down
Without any pikes or somersaulting
Got up real early (by mistake) and found
Myself in the office - surprise all round -
By 7:30! Tasks all completed
Soon after lunch (soup with bread roll dipped in)
At 4:15 I drove the gang ’cross town
To Rochdale Road. Their pint glasses emptied
We ate Vietnamese… Ouch! My full tum!
Thur 15 July

1409 - North East by North West

Crossed 250 miles of ground
Drove to Teesport, Teesside, near Middlesbrough
For a tax meeting. Luckily I found
The building easily, by asking a
Copper at the port entrance! Was knackered
But still I talked ten to the dozen, and
Then drove myself back home to Manchester
(Almost asleep at the wheel). The demands
Of my life didn’t stop there, though; had planned
To attend a poetry read-around
In Hulme, well-known arty part of inner
City Manchester, UK, World. So stand
Up and say what you know about; I found
That if you do that, then they’ll lend an ear
Wed 14 July

1408 - Clever clogs

Well done Pearl, you got a first from Oxford!
Tonight we’ll have a curry on the town
The tension’s done at last; it’s now all poured
Away like today’s rain that’s fallen down
Even you hardly believe it; it’s bound
To take some taking in. There aren’t many
I know with firsts, though I have been around
Quite a few with thirsts (for beer), frequently
What next’s the question, after our curry
After your Stateside holiday on board
A (hopefully comfortable) Greyhound
Bus…Well, whatever; what will be will be
It’s not a race anyway. We applaud
You, clever daughter! Pass the naan bread round!

1407 - Life's not for the lazy

So much to do, so little time for it
Practice guitar, see a film, meet a friend
Do exercises, writing this sonnet
(But not at the same time); yet when it ends
I’ll be sad. No, wait - just before it ends
When the end actually comes I’ll be at peace
More so than while alive. No-one will send
Me bills, slag me off (or will they?); they’ll cease
Their indifference. No, wait - that will increase
Cos I won’t be there. But I won’t care. Grit
Teeth for now, while I still can, and don’t bend
Too much in life’s wind, or slide on life’s grease
While climbing the pole to nowhere. Don’t sit
And relax, though, or I’ll get fat. The end.

1406 - Football is dead... long live football

The South African World Cup tournament
Drew to a close tonight: the winners, Spain
Madrid is mad, rid of disappointment
Previous decades of broken hearts and pain
The black bull is free: this time it’s not lain
Down in the bloody sand. The Netherlands
On the other hand, maybe feel some shame
Despite reaching the final, for all fans
Of their 70s team; we clenched our hands
At their rough play today. But Spain were meant
To win, and their win’s surely football’s gain
So now a short break, followed by England’s
Premier League kick-off next month. I’m spent
For now with football. It’s cricket’s short reign…

1405 - The hairy monster

I washed my hair this morning: it stuck out
It’s never looked right since the hairdresser
Mangled it months ago; I have no doubt
They’ll make it still worse next time I go there
The mirror! Oh, rectangle of despair!
After lunch, daughter and me went swimming
A guaranteed way to mess up your hair
Even if you wore a cap, tight-fitting
Afterwards, my reflection resembling
Frankenstein’s ugly son after a bout
Of hair-pulling on the Jerry Springer
TV show. Oh no! We won’t be going
Into McDonald’s at this rate; without
Enough style to fit in, even in there!

1404 - Red remembered rebels

From 1400 to 1404
The Welsh rebellion gathered pace each year
Led by the venerable Owain Glyndwr
And family, and Edmund Mortimer
A rival to England's Henry IV
Who, after the Welsh secured his capture
Married one of Owain's lovely daughters
And joined the fight against Henry, whose poor
Mental state didn't help matters of war
His son, of course, won big at Agincourt
Against the French and Bretons, whose boats tore
Into the ports on England's southern shore
Supporting Owain's challenge to the law
Of the English, lasting ten years or more

1403 - Big business, little sense

The corporations’ stranglehold goes on
The governments are all in their tight grip
They make policy and politician
Ensure we have to drive a car each trip
Ensure our soldiers die to save each drip
Of black gold necessary for these cars
Sell arms to feudal fascists for their ship-
Loads of oil; spoil the coastlines and rivers
Watering down anti-pollution laws
Promoting greed and calling it freedom
Slaving all day to buy their latest hip
Must-have device which in a couple of years
Will fall apart or be thought redundant
Fit only to be thrown on each waste tip

1402 - Afghan mound

The British troops will pull out of Sangin
In central Helmand, in Afghanistan
Why we were there’s open to discussion
Perhaps it’s not for the reasons given
Which are often contradictory when
Sometimes it’s to stop terrorism or
It’s more to counter the dread Taliban
Influence on the locals. Yet we pour
No comparable resources into war
Down in the Congo, or in Medellí n,
Colombia, that cocaine gang haven
Meanwhile, NATO have decided that war
In Sangin will now be American
Good luck guys, but that chalice is poisoned

1401 - Timelines

Time speeds up as we age, partly because
Of work, or kids, but also fun, later
While the weeds of decay twine without pause
Decline goes on so long, but not faster
Than when a baby’s smooth skin grows rougher
And far slower than foolish youth’s car crash
The more years safely passed by, the better
In truth, deftly caught in the net like fish
Wriggling but still held fast. And we catch cash
And partners, but, inefficient spiders
That we are, they often fly to others’
Better built webs. This life comes in a flash
Of passion, lessened with each new-turned page
But lessons learned teach us to feel richer

1400 - No trouble in Dublin

We tidied the rented house; rendered it
Spotless. A last fag. Flagging now, but near
The end. (My own bed, much later tonight!)
(I’ve just realised: today I drank no beer)
But I gorged on some chicken in the square
Of Port Laoise, the least important piece chucked
Along with some limp chips... Back to the car
Drove on the double into Dublin, sucked
In to Temple Bar tat and chit-chat. Picked
Up the Irish brogue; practised it loike twits
Down O’Connell Street and up Parnell Square
Found a new route to the port; bought a book,
Great Irish Speeches, which I might read out
Aloud, to get the accent noice and clear
Mon 5 July

1399 - Shine a light

The Dublin boys left the house about noon
Just two slices of toast to eat, then gone
Out for the day up Sheep’s Head while the sun
Painted the sea a bright blue as it shone
The grass a greener green. We walked beyond
Until finally, with difficulty
We walked as far as peninsula’s end
The lonely lighthouse looked upon the sea
Its back against the cliff, defensively
The sun painted it bright white like the moon
The next lighthouse must be American
(Calling Cape Cod…) On the return journey
I stepped into a marshy mud lagoon
Instantly, half of my legs were hidden
Sun 4 July

1398 - Tower of Bayview

A morning’s thrash on guitar in the house
Some jamming, some practice for that night’s show
Of which I was a part. Lunch in Durrus
With Andy and Jeff. Chicken, chips and coke…
In Bayview Inn, Kilcrohane, we three took
Part in a writer’s workshop, giving me
Three new poems or lyrics that I stuck
On paper; enjoyed chatting to the three
Or so I didn’t know. The pub fairly
Full of locals, some chatty, some morose
As they sat with their beers and let it go
On around them. The background noise tricky
To overcome, even with a raised voice -
Yet speaker volume had to be kept low
Sat 3 July

1397 - Sheep, kids and beer

Awoke in a strange cottage in Ireland
The sun shone through the curtains (they’re too thin!)
Amazing sunlit views as I opened
Them wide: sea, sky, sheep, farms, and hills of green
Near Bantry, Durrus, and near Skibbereen
We bought breakfast, got caught in a downpour
Rehearsed, then lunched on Sheep’s Head, where we’ve been
For a day now. Drove to Bantry; we saw
The Friday market (full of shit): such poor
Merchandise; we wisely passed it and scanned
Supervalu supermarket; within
Its overpriced aisles we found drink. We saw
Kids’ Express, which was a good show. Pints and
Chat in the Bayview Hotel; beer talking
Fri 2 July

1396 - To the land of music and poetry

I drove the two lads from Manchester to
South West County Cork, Ireland, in my car
So we can take part in two arty shows
Kids’ Express on Friday (when the real stars
Will be kids with their poems); travelling far
And wide to get here. Then Saturday night
It’s Poets’ Express. I’ll play my guitar
And sing my Four Sonnets, get the words right
(I hope!)… This time we sailed, not past midnight,
But twelve noon, bouncing, rocking as surf rose
And fell. Deadly on deck, for it was far
Quicker: two hours, not four. Dublin in bright
Sunshine; County Kildare, Offaly too;
Kilkenny, County Cork, Sheep’s Head. Ta-daa!
Thur 1 July