3237 - Make it hard

Completely forgot to do yesterday's
Sonnet diary. Well, remembered at one
Point, but then forgot again as I based
Myself in the moment, distracted from
A magazine, a TV show. Early on
I painted walls and window sills all white
Trying to cover discolouration
Brown stains and dirty fingerprints. It's nice
Now but not even. Guess I need advice
In decorating technique in this place
Played guitar, struggled at first, the volume
Was a bit quiet to hear the music, plus
I wore my Soviet hat and some dark shades
To make it harder like a performance

About Sun 28 June

3225 - The One Day Late Show

Oops, one day late, I did so much last night
I didn't post a sonnet, clean forgot
The main reason was painting the walls white
In the spare room (I didn't start til 8)
Then played guitar, watched Big Brother til late
And went to bed with 'Mrs Dalloway'
By Virginia Woolf, depression and fate
Of a gloomy end looming large each day
As borne out by Ginny's watery way
Of ending it all, fed up of her plight
In real life (and death). Well, now that I've put
This belated entry online, today
Will be covered shortly, when I shall write
About Wednesday - that's today - not as hot

Tue 16 June

3224 - The fun factor

Think I'll play some guitar soon tonight, not
Doing anything special. I won't paint
The spare room tonight. Its final white coat
Can wait a day or two, but what won't wait
Is guitar practice. My skill will grow faint
If I don't put in a shift frequently
So tonight, when this sonnet's done, a great
Time - some dance, some reggae and R and B
It's time to forget about jihadi
For a minute and produce western art
Decadent art maybe, not of the saint
But then it's a craft, so is comedy
Like fishing or carpentry, could be lost
If someone preserves not just the ancient

3200 - People come and go

Late night sonnet writing ain't so easy
Especially if you're a little worse for
Wear, as is obvious to people free
Of prior association before
They know me or you and so then therefore
They judge but unfairly, knowing nothing
I had to do stuff at work that was poor
No back-up, from absent managers, things
Were sorted. After that, Tracey's leaving
Do and plenty of drink was drunk, you see
Now I'm back home, and things don't seem so sore
Indeed, I'm celebrating, enjoying
Just being here, safe and sound, and simply
Seeing it through, relaxing like of yore

Fri 22 May


       

3167 - Tomorrow night

A late night sonnet from a tired brain
I've spent hours today learning material
For tomorrow's gig. It's not going to rain
That's good news when you've got to walk a mile
Or two carrying a guitar. The Castle
Pub's the venue on Oldham Street. I've tried
To learn the gags and lyrics - have I failed?
Well I've still got time tomorrow inside
The flat after work, to run through the slide
Of fingers on fretboard, refine playing
Only run through the two songs tonight - still
More practice needed to make it more tight
The Nina Simone song, that is the main
Difficulty, both chords and lyrical!

3145 - Flat to(i)let

Oh shit, I need to go the the toilet
But I'll see if I can hang on until
I finish this sonnet, for this sonnet
Will then be finished quickly, so it will
Just like my shit when I use force of will
To force it out of my gut with a splash
Of toilet water that I hope won't spill
Onto the bathroom floor. Same when I slash
Or have a slash, no splash should miss and crash
Upon the floor, thereby making it wet
An ancient art, time immemorial
Has told me that when I fart, it can clash
With the desire to wee, causing the shit
To shoot out prematurely, floor to spoil

3138 - Floor talk

I went out last night soon after sonnet-
Writing, so just as well didn't waste time
Before I got the call. Had a good chat
With Dermot, just back from Milan, and time
Was one of our themes, as was films. Not rhyme
But comedy and comedians, funny
To take the piss out of some who still climb
On stage but never get a laugh. 'Bout three
When I hit the sack. Talkin' bout beddy-
Byes, was looking at new beds today at
Benson's For Beds near Old T, and think I'm
Settled on one I'd like for spare room, be
Easier to find a lodger, but first, got
To improve the flooring, make home from home

3125 - It's gnat funny

Enjoying a quiet Sunday evening in
In the evening, evening in, evening all
Bend your knees laddies, ladies welcoming
You up their ladders to the window sill
Aladdin's flying all around the world
On a magic carpet ride starting at
The Carpathians, going to Istanbul
Straining all corpuscles like a pet cat
Training from St Pancras with Stan and Pat
Pancake Day's fading, Lent is just lending
Like spending time saving your dollar bill
Will Dalai Lama harm a fly or gnat?
Employing a quite funny scheme rhyming
Sorry, rhyming scheme, this sonnet's full

3123 - Seasons of shiver

I've put the heat on - but they said it was
Getting warmer! Not yet it's not, not hot
At all, the heat is small, it's at micros-
copic size, like the world's smallest teapot
Divided by a million, that's a lot
Of tiny teabags from me, Tea Bagster
The heating's on now though, it's a hotspot
The heat is on, and heating up faster
It's blasting out heat, a master blaster
Such waves of heat, heatwave without a pause
Actually it ain't so hot, no it's not
But I'm snug as a pearl in an oyster
With my warm woolly on, it's quite a buzz
A cup of tea, and writing this sonnet

3028 - Stud u like

Popped home to drop off Jo's new football boots
Half of her Christmas present (a onesie's
The other half) and also write my thoughts
For the day, tossing off sonnets with ease
As I've done since Sept 2006
When this is done it'll be time to dash
Out again, though my tummy's had its fix
Already, at the Arndale cafe, mash
And mince (cottage pie). Spent most of the cash
From Lou's November rent, lasted throughout
The month, spent so little, just saved moneys
Did go out several times, had the odd bash
But no splurges of dosh. No, lots of loot
And hope to keep it that way, if you please!

3009 - Full leather jacket

A quick sonnet before I head off out
On the tram to West Didsbury, an old
Eighties stomping ground, it'll be a trout
(Sorry, treat) to revisit it, I'm told
(No, I'm doing the telling!) Not too cold
So I'll stick with the thin white coat, I won't
Change to the thick black one yet that was sold
To me last year, not had a great amount
Of wearing so far. When temperatures mount
(Sorry, plummet - when they go down the spout!)
As they tend to do when winter takes hold
I'll wear the black one, and also, all count
On seeing me quite soon out and about
In my new brown leather jacket. Clothes gold!

2942 - Weekend rules

It's late, gone 1a.m. out for a meal
With Dermot and Nancy, good fun it was
Then home, chat with Louis, keepin'it real
Whatever that means, now it's time for verse
Not quite Byronic, Tennysonian, worse
But a little bit Liz Barrett Browning
Hang on, I feel the need to dump, excuse
Me..... Ah, that's better, much more relaxing
As they say, things are better out than in
When I've done this, I'll drink some beer and feel
The weekend vibe washing over me, cos
It's my time now, not theirs, it's exciting
Just being your own master, the appeal
Of freedom, that feels so truly precious

Fri 5 Sept 

2933 - The Bucket of Water Sonnet

Last night's ice bucket challenge was good fun
Nancy and Dermot did well, have to say
And a fun time was had by everyone
Hope we weren't too rude for Yanira, eh?
She's old enough to hear that stuff, surely
Woke in the night a few times, so bit tired
And that brings us sonnetly to today
Fairly interesting day at work - quite good
To have Tracey and Julie back, both buoyed
Up by just-finished holidays, one in
Italy, one in Disneyworld USA
Just one more work day, then me and Jo head
Just like this time last year down to London
By train to stay with Pearl for a few days

2929 - Forgot again!

Oh dear, I forgot to post a sonnet
Yesterday, I don't know why, no excuse
What I remember was I worked at it
At work, and went home, then I played some tunes
On the guitar, some beers on the go, lose
Track of time, I guess, Louis was there, I
Watched some old Kate Bush stuff on TV, whose
Stuff struck me as great, and then late, ate my
Tea, dinner, or whatever you call my
Late night meal, then to bed, and I forget
Just when I forgot about daily verse
This really is pie in the sky and eye
Stuff, I'm sorry for this useless old shit
I had no idea I'd forgot my news

About Fri 22 August

2914 - What happened next?!...

A late delivery of yesterday's verse
So sorry, but it slipped my mind again
Not drunk, didn't go out, no real excuse
For letting this duty slip from my brain
So what happened yesterday? Let me strain
My mind. Oh yes, the main achievement was
Thinking of punchlines, hope it's not in vain
Punchlines for mine and Dermot's sketch, because
The aim's to 'make 'em laugh' without much pause
And not to make them stare, all tense and terse
I sent the lines to Dermot, then restrained
End to the evening. High society whores
Flocked to Rasputin's side, so the book says
Or implies. The tale draws towards its end...

About Thur 7 August

2896 - It was a sunny day

This is a day late, no time yesterday
To write a sonnet, too busy you see
After the Shrewsbury trip followed by a
Late night in Salford pubs... Today, Josie
(My last visit before my holiday)
A nice sunny day, we both went to town
I bought some clothes for when I go away
Couldn't resist an apparent bargain
New jacket and World Cup t-shirt now owned
Josie tried clothes on in Hollister. Me
I just sat in an armchair, patiently!
Ate at Pizza Express, Wilmslow. Back down
To Manchester, met Nancy to have a
Chit chat, back to flat, more chat, late beddy

About Sunday 20 July, written Mon 21 July

2824 - Hungary for you

Quick sonnet here now on this afternoon
Rain falls then stops outside, shower season
I need to see what's on tonight quite soon
And also Easyjet's Hungarian
Flights in July, time for preparation
For that holiday break to Budapest
I've got a travel book about it, it's been on
My shelf for months, but now I must invest
Some time and energy to see the best
Things to do there. I'll visit Miklos then
And we'll go to a festival. Was on
The beer again last night with John, discussed
The Greece and Albania trip. Should be fun
Walking the hills, then we're Tirana bound

2804 - Nothing's easy

A quick sonnet and then I'll watch a film
I've had for two weeks but not actually seen
Yet - Frances Ha - being slightly overwhelmed
Trying to help Nancy get her rent in
From the tenant. Her relative is being
Most unhelpful in all this. But I said
I'd help so I must try. Good results in
The football, Liverpool all dressed in red
Are top and favourites to end at the head
Of the table, just like their fans have dreamed
Man U lost weakly to old Everton
Who look far better than when Moyesy led
Them! Finally they're an exciting team
PS - It's too late now to watch the film!

2780 - Good food for good thoughts

I'd better write today's sonnet right now
In case I forget, like I did last night
The main thing on my mind somehow
Is food at the moment, healthy diet
I like reading articles people write
On super foods that really do you good
If you can keep off booze, you get real bright
Physically, mentally, seems to get hard
Then not to self-medicate, to retard
That diamond-hard perception, turn to cow
From genius, escape from this blinding light
Crash the Porsche and hobble into a Ford
But I think I'll resist that urge, and so
I'll read more 'Bleak House,' save more cash tonight!

2500 - The late late show

Two thousand five hundred - what a milestone
That's how many daily sonnets I've done
Each one a fourteen line poem, each one
A summary of my day under sun
And moon, and very often it's been moon
What with lots of late nights and having fun
It could still be better, got to press on
If riches can't be mine, then some things can
And one of them is living in this land
Another's having a permanent band
Playing in my head. And there's my quick hands
Almost able to reproduce the sounds
In my head. And there's odd glimpses of fans
They pop up like mirages in the sand