No WiFi on the Tube

Something really must be done to sort out all the mess

As chances of a pleasant ride each day are less and less.

Problems now are partly caused by people on the move,

Who often walk quite slowly, as if just standing in a groove,

Because their minds are taken up with texting on their phones,

Causing much frustration and from other people groans.

Trains could leave more quickly if it really were the case

That everyone moved smartly, and maintained a decent pace.

But it very often happens that some platforms are awash

With people from a previous train, when others join the squash

Because they move so slowly, but if mobiles didn’t work,

And no-one on the underground could use this modern perk,

Things might be speeded up a bit, and thus reduce the crush

We all must now endure within the morning and evening rush.

Bad Hair Day

Why can’t my hair be like everyone else’s,

Sitting quite neatly on top of my head,

Instead of behaving so frightfully badly,

And giving me often a look that I dread?

It frequently sticks out and looks rather frizzy,        

And nothing I do seems to make it stay flat,

Till I’m almost tempted to teach it a lesson

And stuff it all under a scarf or a hat.

I really would like to have hair that stays tidy,

But so far unfortunately I haven’t found

A way to ensure that it stays how I want it to

Firmly in place and not waving around.

Christmas Lights

It’s  time to enjoy one of every year’s sights

The beautiful twinkling of Christmas tree lights,

Strung in the trees all along the main street,

Arranged in a pattern, so formal and neat;

Gracing shop windows, to highlight their wares,

Hoping that they will attract people’s stares;

Wrapped round the trees  placed in many a room,

Their presence defying the cold winter gloom.

Christmas lights always help make people feel,

The message of Christmas is something that’s real.

Advent

Advent is a time when we

Look forward with the hope to see

The second coming of Our Lord,

A subject over which we’ve pored

With many thoughts as every year,

We hope the time will soon be here,

When Christ in heaven above will deign

To come back down to earth again.

Stars in the Sky

Twinkling stars light up the sky

And make me often wonder why

They’re there and visible to view,

Very old, yet always new.

They have a magic quality,

Spanning the heavens for all to see’

So far away, yet seeming near,

Especially when the sky is clear.

A Common Language

If Europe ever were to be a single nation state,

Which many people in it hope will never be its fate,

It would need a common language, one familiar to all,

And which was used by everyone, so there was not a wall

Between the different people, who spoke other tongues at home,

So they could talk to everyone wherever they might roam.

A bit like in the distant past, when educated men

All spoke and wrote in Latin, so it didn’t matter when

They moved around the cities, for all educated folk,

Had a common language used wherever they awoke.

But educated Latvians and Finns and Czechs today

Can’t teach in any country where they might desire to stay,

For every country now makes use of its own mother tongue,

No longer using that to which in past times they all clung.

The French Election

The Americans have voted; a new president’s in place,

And now there’s little more to say about the US race;

But there’s another coming up much nearer home in May

When sixty million French will have the chance to have their say.

It seems that François Fillon, the republican, will stand,

And National Front Marine le Pen, will also join the band

Of those who would be president, along with several more

Whose chances are at best minute, judged by results before.

Most seem to think that there will be a run-off once again,

Between the two who gain most votes, being Fillon and le Pen.

And who will win?  None can be sure, until the votes are cast,

And have been counted and the name can be announced at last.

Overpaid Traders

Many think they’re important, just because they have money to burn,

Believing that they are superior, and deserve every penny they earn.

But when a crash comes and they’re jobless, they find out how much they are worth,

Discovering then to their horror, that of jobs they can do there’s a dearth

Except at a much reduced salary, a fraction of what they’d believed

Was their value to any employer, based on what they before had received.

And many who earned a small fortune and expect they’ll soon find a new role

Discover they’ve few skills to offer, and often end up on the dole.

It’s happened before in the City, and no doubt will happen again,

Bringing a shock of reality to swathes of the banking world’s men.

Shopping's a Bore

 Mostly shopping’s such a chore,

I wouldn’t mind to do no more;

Unfortunately, there’s no way I

Could in any way  get by

If I ever ceased to shop

So there’s no way I can stop.

Impatient People

Far too many people in this modern day and age

At the very slightest thing display a towering rage;

Used to getting what they want without the least delay,

They’ve never learned how anger should be often kept at bay.

Patience is a word they’ve little time for in their lives,

And often their reaction, faced with challenges, derives

More from their belief that they are always in the right,

And other people’s wishes should stay firmly out of sight.

Along with practicalities, which may quite often mean

They’ve asked for the impossible, like supper with the Queen.

Our Supermarket's Closing

Our supermarket’s closing down – whatever shall I do?

I’ll really miss them when they’re gone, and many others too

Will find it such a nuisance they can’t pop in on the way

From station to their house or flat while coming home each day.

It really was convenient, but it seems those days are gone,

And we must just accept it and just think of moving on.

And maybe plan things better, so we shop just once a week,

Instead of almost every day, so things won’t be too bleak.

A Pleasant Winter Evening

A cosy flat that’s nice and warm,

Safe from any winter’s storm;

Hot mince pies that have just been made,

Whose smell will take some time to fade;

Hot mulled wine with rising steam

Adds to a winter evening’s dream.

Lots of talk, and laughter too,

About the past, and all things new.

Experience Counts

Though the young can be good, there are many who'll feel

They’ll spend too much time re-inventing the wheel;

For they haven’t had time to have seen much before,

And picked up the tips and the industry’s lore.

Having ideas and the energy too

Are great when there’s something straightforward to do,

But may not be good, where experience counts

As pressure on how to proceed quickly mounts.

For those who are old will have possibly seen

The same situation, and many between,

And know from experience what should be done,

To make sure the most desired outcome is won.

Though the young can be good, there are many who’ll feel,

                                   

Vibrancy Needed

For dying churches to survive,

They really need to come alive,

And even if they’re very small,

Show their faith is there for all.

Don’t just go each week and say

It’s nice to while an hour away.

But be more active, have a change,

Maybe even re-arrange

The service so it’s relevant

To all, as well as those content

To come each week, as they’ve  always done

Even if it’s not much fun.

A vibrant church will tell the world,

This is where the faith’s unfurled,

This is where you ought to be,

If you’ve never been, just come and see.

And people then will want to go,

And that small church will start to grow.

Time for Change

Maybe now’s the time to change,

To take those steps to re-arrange

My life, my job, my future plans,

Seizing chances with both hands

To move away from the rut I’m in;

The hardest part though’s to begin

But it’s essential or soon I’ll find,

Thoughts of change being left behind.

Man's Not to Blame

They said the earth’d be ready to burn,

In the very near future, if man didn’t learn

That carbon emissions must be stopped,

Or at the least, severely chopped.

They weren’t, but things then stabilised,

And that was when they all realised

Talk of increasing heat wouldn’t wash,

With global warning a load of tosh.

So many then hit on climate change,

Which again seems rather strange

As climates changed before man came,

So it’s hardly likely he’s now to blame.

The truth is that climate fluctuates

As one can see if on looks at the dates

For years that were cold and others warm,

When countries were battered by storm after storm.

Going back seven hundred years,

Summers nor winters brought any fears,

But then the days of summer halved,

And millions of people in Europe starved.

The truth is we must just accept

Climate change, and become adept,

At coping with whatever comes,

By careful planning and doing our sums.

Lost Traditions

So many things are now in the past,

And others are now disappearing quite fast;

Carol singing around the streets

Once was a part of Christmas treats,

With groups of children and adults too,

Collecting tins kept firmly in view,

Walking and singing at every door,

As they’d done in the years before,

Now hardly heard, if heard at all,

Singing of Jesus asleep in his stall.

Guy Fawkes Night’s forgotten as well,

No longer to adults and children tell

The story of that plot that failed,

With all the plotters quickly nailed.

“Penny for the guy” isn’t heard today,

Another tradition that’s gone away.

Eating together was once the norm,

And every household, whatever its form,

Sat at the table every night;

Today that isn’t a usual sight,

As most people snack while on the go,

Or while they’re texting, with heads bent low.

The Joys of Holidays

It’s wonderful being on holiday, away from endless stress,

And as the days go by my job intrudes on me less and less;

No need to rush in the mornings to be out by a certain time;

On holiday leisurely breakfast are most certainly never a crime;

No need to travel sardine-style, with someone on every side,

Ensuring the shortest journey will be never a pleasant ride;           

No need to fit all the shopping into weekends or after work,

Being able to shop in the day-time is another holiday perk.

No need to dress very smartly and always look your best,

All that daily grooming can for a while be given a rest.

No pressure of any sort on you to get everything done at speed,

On holiday you are free to take whatever time you need.

No need to accept you can’t go out to anything during the day,

Or even for a number of days just simply go away.

But everything must end some time, and though it might seem cruel,

There’s no exception for holidays, which always follow the rule.

End of Poppy Selling

Now that poppy selling’s past,

I’ve got some more free time at last;

No getting up at crack of dawn

For poppy selling every morn.

No rushing off when evenings come

And standing till my feet are numb.

No weekends spent with poppy trays,

Selling them on both the days.

All that is past until next year,

When poppies will again appear,

And I’ll be there again once more,

As in so many years before.

Will Brexit Come

Brexit – will it ever come?

Or will we just remain, as some

At present think, within the fold

Until the whole EU grows cold,

As countries all decide to leave,

Thinking that they will achieve

A better life, if on their own,

Away from Brussels constant drone.

And some of them like France are large,

And very easily could discharge

Their own affairs, unfettered by

Interference from on high.

Some people, too, in Italy,

Would much prefer that they were free

Of Brussels and its constant greed,

Which they are certain they don’t need.

Smaller countries too have said

That they’re unhappy and they dread

More interference in their lives,

By those who care not who survives.

Most want to keep their nation state,

And see the EU’s plans equate

With all subsumed within the one,

When Brussels’ final plans are done.

So if we wait, the whole EU,

Might have tumbled, and just a few

Like Germany, might still be round,

To hold the smaller EU’s ground.

And Britain will just drift away,

With others who don’t want to stay.

Growing Waistline

I really mustn’t eat so much

Of tasty foods like cake and such,

Which make my waistline grow and grow;

But they’re so tempting, as you know,

And it’s so easy just to eat

An extra little sugery treat.

Driving and Using Mobile Phones

How many accidents will occur,

As people’s attention is in a blur

When they are on their mobile phones?

Really one should make no bones

About the fact it is a crime

Talking and texting any time

When in charge of a bus or train

Or there’ll be deaths again and again.

Barrow Boys

The world is full of barrow boys,

Always making lots of noise,

Shouting everywhere they go

About the goods they have on show,

Hoping many will believe

The lies they tell to help deceive

Potential buyers of their ware,

Which may not every time be theirs.

We Need More Beauty

We need more beauty in the world,

More works of art to be unfurled,

More literature that will inspire,

More music to set hearts on fire,

More architecture that will last

And show the glories of the past,

More of all that aims to make

The world more bright and less opaque,

Giving all a chance to see

How beautiful the world can be.

Bad Losers

Why can’t people just accept a democratic vote,

Even if the end result before seemed quite remote,

And isn’t what they wanted, though it was the country’s choice,

And all know that democracy’s about the people’s voice?

Instead they turn to rioting, complaining it’s not fair,

Saying that their candidate deserved the winner’s chair.

Refusing to accept the person properly voted in,

Hoping they can oust him, so his rule cannot begin.

But they are only showing that they really just believe

Democracy is only fine if helping them achieve

A government that favours all their interests and views,              

But not it produces ones of very different hues.

Bertie

Bertie is a little bear,

I’d miss him if he were not there;

He sits all day in front of me,

Atop my desk, for all to see.

His eyes are black, his coat is brown,

Very neat and all brushed down.

He has a black and dainty nose,

A tiny mouth which hardly shows.

Around his neck he has a scarf,

Bright enough to make one laugh.

He is m y mascot, always there,

Bertie, my pint-sized teddy bear.

The New Boy

Donald Trump has made it there         ,

As Americans declare

He’s the one they think is fit

In the White House now to sit.

Only time will tell if he

Will be the one they hope he’ll be,

And make their lives much better than

When his presidency began.

It seems the whole world lies in wait

To find out what will be their fate

With Donald now in charge of what

Could possibly change quite a lot.

Or maybe things will settle down,

And having a new boy in town,

Will seem at first a little strange,

But won’t result in too much change.

Decision Time

Today Americans will decide

Who will over them preside

For all  next four years at least –

The little woman, or larger beast.

There’s only just the choice from two,        

Who in many people’s view

Aren’t the best that could be found,

But they’re the ones who are still around.

Tomorrow we will know which one,

Will be basking in the sun,

Elected as the president,

And to the White House will be sent.

Wrapping Up

The temperature is going down and winter’s on its way,

Long balmy evenings now have gone until another day.

It’s time to bring out winter clothes, and wrap up for the cold,

Sound advice for everyone, and not just for the old.

Boots and gloves and woolly scarves when you go out of doors,

Ensure the bitter winter cold must on the outside pause,

So you stay warm and shiver free, despite the cold outside,

With wearing lots of layers throughout winter being your guide.