The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2015 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 2,700 times in 2015. If it were a cable car, it would take about 45 trips to carry that many people.
AT THE THRESHOLD OF THE YEAR
Time is sometimes called the Fourth Dimension
Length, breadth and height the other three
But time can fill our hearts with apprehension
No wonder that it’s often said to flee
‘Tempus fugit ‘ we plead as ready-made excuse
When everyday concerns and never-ending cares
A sense of guilt and failure doth induce
Our quest for peace and freedom thus impaired
But time cannot be stalled; its steady progress will not falter
It’s march like Roman legions moving ever onward
Along straight roads, their fixed direction does not alter
The army moves in steps that take them ever forward
And so it is that in these dark fading days of late December
As we approach the threshold of yet another year
Thoughts filled with joy and sorrow as we remember
Hopefulness for days ahead but not without our hidden fear
What lies ahead beyond the gate of this New Year?
We’ve been warned: ‘the past no guide to future performance’
Would life be simpler if the way ahead was clear?
Why do we ever have to seek for reassurance
And so as we peer into the void beyond this New Year’s Day
We simply must accept that unlike length or breadth or height
The realm of time brings with it ‘come what may’
Our prayer remains that faith and hope will bring us light
And so my friend step onward with a steady pace
Give thanks for many blessings in the past
Let love for life and all mankind your heart embrace
And to God’s providence our trust remain steadfast
Ken Fisher
The words of the familiar Christmas song say:
“No room for the baby at Bethlehem’s Inn
Only a cattle shed,… nowhere to lay his head etc.”
……………………………………………………..
Will you still say to Him – no room?
I wondered if in this modern sophisticated age
There is even less room now than in those ancient days?
A glance at the nativity scene no longer can our souls engage
The conjunction of God in man fails to set our hearts ablaze
We’ve grown beyond such simple tales of the incarnation
Who needs God when mankind becomes of all things the true measure?
The manger scene no longer commands awestruck prostration
Our hearts now drawn to the shrine of our own worldly treasure
We have ensured that in our life so self-sufficient
The only saviour that we need, immortalised in our possessions
Achievement and success regarded as omnipotent
No more obliged to appease a God with praises or confessions
So why I wonder do we still cast a wistful eye
Towards that stable bare where power was turned upon its head?
The star still twinkles in the dome of that celestial sky
Pointing to the Holy Infant in the manger bed
But perhaps in all our self-assured and confident living
We may just falter for a moment, our souls yearning for a home
And for all life’s blessings make our own thanksgiving
Discover, for that Baby, in our heart there still is room
Ken Fisher
A happy Christmas to all who read this, and other poems, from thebardofkelvindale
Winter Solstice
Winter Solstice
The shortest day the longest night
Benighted souls seeking the light
The sun in deepest declination
Darkness shrouds the northern nations
The solstice marks a time of change
From the light we’ve been estranged
For longer days our hearts do yearn
Sunlight surely must return
For in due time by steady progress
The sun’s climb will this dark suppress
And soon its penetrating rays
Bring the lengthening of each day
As the solstice now we mark
Entombed in gloom and shadows dark
Let’s look to brightening days ahead
As light again becomes widespread
Ken Fisher
TURKEY DINNER
It’s that time of year again when diets are discarded
When reasonable restraint seems no longer such a virtue
After all ‘tis the season to bring benevolence and charity
To all God’s creatures – except perhaps the fated fatted turkey!
It’s amazing how most of us neglect this flightless bird
Throughout all the other months of our culinary calendar
Then suddenly, as advent signals the season of “goodwill”
This benign breed now the object of desire
Who can ignore the flavour of that firm carved flesh?
And that savoury stuffing to complement the meat
No-one can resist those chipolatas and the veg
Ambivalent views of sprouts resolved among the piping gravy
And as our picture shows the Yorkshire puddings
Join together with the carrots red and peas so green
To present the diner with a mélange incomparable
A harmony to delight the palate and the senses
So we should indeed give a thought for the unselfish turkey
The crown and centre-piece of this delectable display
And give thanks that unlike us – the beneficiary of their goodness
They bring to us such pleasure and seek nothing in return
Ken Fisher
Christmas Carol – for Party People
[This is a re-posting of a poem from Christmas last year]
[Sing this to the tune of ‘Thou didst leave thy throne and thy kingly crown’]
We left God alone with his throne and his crown
For we had little time to spare
We were too busy spending our hard earned cash
Buying gifts and grooming our hair
For it’s party time and we must look good
As we’re all heading off to town
But then someone reminds us of that stable bare
With the Holy Child in the manger
And the ox and ass and wise men three
Then we thought of those living in danger
The sick and the poor and the refugee
And all those deserving our care
So that Baby of old and the twinkling star
Tells of God’s great love which came
Into the world to save souls in their need
By kindling that loving flame
So come dear Lord wipe out all our greed
With the light from that stable afar
God never says no when we celebrate
He is happy to rejoice with us all
So give thanks to God who loves each of us
He too will come to the ball
So come dear Lord, we won’t make a fuss
As again you with us incarnate
Ken Fisher
Christmas Gifts [A reposting of last year’s Poem. Issued between Black Friday and
Christmas Eve]
The Three Wise Men – is it them we should blame?
For starting this craze which can drive us insane
Each Christmas demands that we spend so much cash
As in our giving we are ever more rash
We know that it’s time that we all took a stance
And tried to control this needless expense
But somehow it seems we cannot reduce
As the desire to give still seems to seduce
We feel that it’s good to be kind to our friends
So to one and all our largesse extends
But we know that deep down their love can’t be bought
And much reckless spending is really for nought
So why don’t we reflect as did those Wise Men
Who sought out the Infant in far Bethlehem?
That gifts are mere symbols of their adoration
As to that Baby they bent in prostration
Now, as long ago, we need only one gift
As we too our faces to Jesus uplift
Just hearts filled with love for God and for man
Reflecting that glory whenever we can
Ken Fisher
A Little Light in Darkness
A little breath of summer
To lighten these dark days
A glimmer of sunshine
To fall upon our way
A splash of brilliant colour
To lift our depressed mood
A light that brings new hope and joy
Thus making all life good
Ken Fisher
The End of Christian Britain?
[Following the Report of the Commission on Religion and Belief in Public Life]
The Commission on Religion and Belief
May cause our Church leaders so much grief
As it’s now claimed half our adult population
Are non-religious in this once pious nation
This Commission of illustrious grandees
Are unlikely the church’s clerics to much please
As ecclesiastical power they endeavour to diminish
And ancient privilege they certainly would finish
The influence of Bishops in the Lords
Is one thing they really do abhor
Being centre stage in national events
Another honour they’re determined to prevent
These reformers would cast their nets far and wide
And old traditions from them will not hide
Faith schools and religious education
Also seem to cause them great vexation
But it is claimed they do have positive views
Knowing faith issues feature highly in the news
Recognising what our people are today
Owes much to the Church’s loving sway
Ken Fisher
When?
When in the midst of these dark winter days
When we find very little that we might praise
When spirits are low and we feel ‘S-A-D’
When the political landscape seems really bad
When rumours of warfare seem to abound
When news of disasters do us astound
When days have grown short and our temper to match
When some nasty ‘flu virus is easy to catch
When Christmas is due but not quite here yet
When finding good gifts is making us fret
When meeting our bills is sure to be tight
When threats of burst pipes may give us a fright
When we’re struggling in shops and even on-line
When sorting it out takes so much time
When what we need is to simply pull back
When we should let all our tension go slack
When is not some vague time ahead
When we can stop ourselves seeing red
When must be NOW, and we know that is true
Let’s NOW take a break – yes that’s me and that’s you!
Ken Fisher
The Proclaimers [Inspired by hearing Craig and Charlie Reid perform (with others) at the Royal Concert Hall Glasgow on 2 Dec 2015]
The Proclaimers – Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
Just as this feisty duo belted out their perennial favourites
To an eagerly attentive audience at a recent rock concert
These now evergreen ‘lads’ certainly still know how to ‘proclaim’
The boys from Auchtermuchty still spread sunshine, not only on Leith
It set me wondering if our life performance shows that we have
Something to proclaim, something that we too would like to belt out?
Doubtless our message would not reach the deafening decibels
pulsing forth from their mega speakers – rather more hushed or muted
Yet perhaps we too might have the thought of what ‘I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)’
Or we have some still unfulfilled ambition or a yet incomplete journey
we wish to take. Maybe we had an aborted start and it’s ‘Over and Done With’ and it’s ‘Bye Bye Love’.
And ‘Let’s Get Married, is not going to happen . I wonder “What Makes You Cry?’
Or we want to go somewhere but we have ‘No Particular Place to Go’
We are not yet ‘King of the Road’ and we’re still ‘Spinning Around in Air’
But perhaps in the end we really believe ‘Love Can Move Mountains’
And we wait for our ‘Letter from America’ to all who listen in Methil, or Bathgate or wherever.
Anyway as the music comes to its ineluctable crescendo and finally
a palpable silence follows and our ears still ring as they seek relief
We are left in no doubt that the Proclaimers do proclaim, loud and clear
Our heightened senses wrestle with what our message would proclaim
Ken Fisher
SAVING THE PLANET [comment on current international discussions – Dec 2015]
It seems to me among the threats from which there’s no relief
is warming of the global kind which parches earth and leaf
A menace strong as solid granite
which promises a deadly blow to life throughout the planet
At first we simply turned away, pretending all was well,
but gradually increased the noise from nature’s warning bell
Awareness of this mounting vice
shown clearly in the rising tides and gently melting ice
Why worry at impending doom
this threat, if real, unlikely to be soon
Technology must have some appliance
Let’s get on and check the science
All warnings dire of petrol fumes or dangerous emissions
are set aside by one and all as ignorant suspicions
We claim clean engines now, which never have been better
all problems solved forevermore by catalytic converter
Health experts seem overwrought on dangers of pollution
but others think it can’t be hard to find a good solution
Technocrats are sure to help and even us to save
by harnessing the power of wind, if need be, the waves
We, in the West, too fond of having plenty
Club members of the great G20,
The good and great within its ranks
the chiefs of mighty Central Banks
With power like that we can ensure
the pleadings of the needy poor
do not upset our life of ease
demanding we be kind to trees!
Or temper use of fossil fuels
Or other kinds of nature’s jewels
Resources of those poorer lands
grabbed by our great colonial hands
After all, this is our life
achieved through years of work and strife
At all costs we must keep our gain
To do other, means much pain
But all the nations rich or poor
must work together, seek a cure
And rich may need to learn to suffer
their ease may prove it all the tougher
And when it comes to issues global
problems become highly mobile
No nation stands completely safe
from tempest’s winds or ocean’s waves
The rising tide and searing sun
challenge life for everyone
Disease and famine knock each door
No-one immune – the rich or poor
Perhaps there is a glint of hope,
the need to find a way to cope
Each year is dawning somewhat clearer
as melt-down time seems ever nearer
The leaders seem at last to grasp
before our breath becomes a gasp
That time is short if we’re to save
our children from an early grave
On carbon footprints let’s step light
Gas guzzlers out – get on your bike!
On grow your own, why not be keen?
Your favourite colour should be green
Recycle anything you can
Cut out all waste must be our plan
Turn off the power when not in use
Recycle glass if you must booze!
And so in many little ways
Collective effort stems future blaze
Which global warming has in store
A fate we simply can’t ignore
If citizens will do their bit
Our leaders then might well see fit
To echo modest aspirations
Giving a lead to all our nations
This cannot be the final word
To say that would be quite absurd
The God who made this world at first
remains the One in whom we trust.
Ken Fisher
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