Saturday 20 July 2013

The Cyclist's Anthem - celebrating the finish of the Tour de France 2013



The Cyclist’s Anthem

We’re wheeling free out on a spree
The wheels beneath us spinning
We’re riding closely side by side
Wearing our gaudy lycras with pride
Which cling to our skin in layers silky thin
The wind in our faces tingling

The chainrings whirr as we pass in a blur
On tyres that thrum on the tarmac
We slog up the hills guys love to attack
Our greatest fear is to fall off the back
Our muscles burn as the pedals turn
No matter how hard you must keep with the pack

Then  down the other side we tear
Clicking up gear after gear
With the wind in our face as downwards we race
Bent over the bars
We’re as fast as the cars
Enjoying the chase

But its not all fun and games
There are losses and gains…
There are pains, aches and sprains
You can take a hard tumble
Our energy drains
But we don’t ever grumble

There’s rain, wind and ice
When with death we dice
We can get a mechanical
The jargon for puncture
Which can be diabolical
Just at that juncture

We arrive at the café for coffee and cakes
And muffins and buns or whatever it takes
To keep our legs turning the pedals
Its the sheer exhilaration
Of riding the peloton
We are in no need of medals

We are the elite -  the swift fit and fleet
We wear helmets so sleek
We’re smart and we’re cool
Where we’re riding we rule
The roads are our kingdom
Our wheels are the gateway to freedom




For all of us who love to ride.........




Monday 15 July 2013

A Dog's Life


A Dog’s Life

I’m a black and white collie
I could herd some sheep
But on warm afternoons
I'd much rather sleep

I collapse on the grass
At peace with the world
The white tip of my tail
Lies gracefully curled

But my cat can’t resist it
She is so full of bounce
And if I just twitch it
She will crouch and then pounce

As I lie there and doze
She tickles my nose
And if I don’t respond
Then she nibbles my toes

Its just a dog’s life
When I want to snooze
She gets hold of my paws
With sharp teeth and chews

I’m such a nice dog
And I do love my cat
But she does like to tease
When I’m trying to nap



Friday 12 July 2013

- Aeroplane - Published Cambridge News 17 July 2013 and Nov 2011



Aeroplane

He’s having a wonderful time
One man in the sky
In the white and the blue
And the clouds of all hue
The grind and the roar as upwards they soar
Looping his loop up there on high
Over and over, up and swoop down
Again and again – back up and around.

The rest of us are down below
We don’t want to watch his airshow
We’d love to have a peaceful time
But our hearing is tortured
Our peacefulness ruptured
By the shriek of the climb and hideous whine
Of descent in the swoop
When he’s looping the loop

We’d like to hear the birds that sing
We’d like to laze in garden chair
We’d like to hear most anything
But engine noise that drowns all sound
He is having such fun - one man in the sky
Away from us all he doesn’t care
But he’s spoiling all ours -
……….Just so he can fly



Monday 8 July 2013

Sounds of Summer - Published Cambridge News 9 July 2013



Sounds of summer

A chaffinch singing all day long
From ash  tree’s gently ruffled leaves
A loud ebullient cheerful song
In branches stirred by grateful breeze
Far in the background churchbells ringing
Soft piercing notes of blackcap’s singing

The soporific pigeons’s coo
Take twoo cows David – take twoo
Punctuated by thrush’s exclamation mark
A sleeping cockerel crows then slumbers on
A dozing dog’s half hearted bark
And high above the buzzard’s mew

Then summer sound by aircraft drowned
Ascending whine and puttering grind
That splinters the atmosphere around
Faint voices carry from afar
Rattle and clatter of working tractor
Occasional roar of passing car

The distant clack of cricket bat
From match that’s playing on the green
And quiet applause spectators clap
Humming of insects, the murmur of bees
Laughter of children out at play
And scented air that gently breathes

The murmurous day is rent apart
By angry buzz of motorbike
And obtrusive motor mower’s grumble
Mercifully fades as it turns away
Diminishing to a gentler rumble
Returning the peace of a summer day

This tapestry the background makes
That all these sounds   encapsulate
So dally a while and  time beguile
Sit a space  and quietly stay
Absorb the sound from all around
This distillation of a summer day




Monday 1 July 2013

Green Karabina




Green Karabina

Has anyone seen my car keys?
I know that I put them just here
On a handy flat place where they would be safe
They must be conveniently near
*
I got out of the car with the keys in my hand
I needed them with me to open the door
So they must be close by
But they’re not in the pocket of the jacket I wore
*
In the hall there’s a plate of useful small things
Like buttons and clips, spare coins, and three screws
My shades, and two dog leads, odd keys with their rings
Small items we occasionally use
* 
Letters and bills, a magnet and pens
A few spare curtain hooks
And a small camera lens
And a nice shiny heap of  new books
*
But they aren’t on the plate
And I really can’t wait as I hate to be late
So please let me know if anyone sees
The green  karabina that holds my car keys?