Monthly Archives: January 2018

Blue Moon

Blue Moon

On the thirty-first of January in 2018
Observe the moon tinged with a strange blue sheen
The cause is due to the intervening atmosphere
But the unusual colour is nothing we should fear

A blue moon is a second surprising appearance
After an earlier quite regular occurrence
Thus in the month we see two successive moons
One is a New Moon followed now by the Blue

Of course there is only one moon which pops up twice
As if in this month only one won’t suffice
A calendar year has a surfeit of days
So with the 12 lunar cycles timings get out of phase

To keep the annual pattern duly uniform
Scientists had to devise  a quite clever reform
Thus on occasions which really are quite rare
A blue moon was scheduled quite reasonable and fair

But because this event is rather infrequent
A new name was given some time subsequent
Blue moons are events that make you stand and stare
Thus here on earth a ‘blue moon’ marks something very rare

Ken Fisher

See also: September Moon  Summer Moon   Moon

 

Wait

Wait

Most of us find it hard to wait
To pause momentarily becomes a trial
Somehow we can’t even hesitate
Take our foot off the pedal, once in a while

Why must we live life at this headlong pace?
Forever rushing through the tasks of each day
Determined to stay at the front in the race
Ever onwards, our motto, come what may

So no wonder we take it so very hard
When some obstacle forces us to halt
What causes our progress to retard?
Who is to blame, whence cometh the fault?

Why should we be surprised at having to wait?
Surely it’s part of the natural order
There is no reason why delay should frustrate
Or bring our emotions into disorder

At the very start we had to wait to be born
And through infancy, wait on parents’ loving care
Then wait at the school gates, somewhat forlorn
Wait as we acquired knowledge for life to prepare

Wait to develop through our teenage years
And as young adults wait to decide on our life’s direction
Perhaps wisely wait as we mix with our peers
With a suitable soulmate to make a connection

Wait for the result of the job interview
Or the news of a hoped-for promotion
Coping when our mood turns to blue
Wait for a calmer emotion

And thus as we progress through life’s diverse pathways
No matter what might come in fame or in fortune
Or trial and challenge which may mark our days
Waiting, surely no great misfortune

And later in life when more freedom is prized
Waiting might yet be seen as a boon
We may discover to our great surprise
The long coveted snooze in the afternoon!

So let’s not despise the fact that we have to wait,
In traffic, at checkouts, in queues, at the surgery
At the bus stop, the filling station, or for that longed-for date
Wait for the passage of years ticked off at each anniversary

And then at the end we wait the last final call
Heralding our separation from the joys of this life
When our waiting is over once and for all
The interruption of time can cause no further strife

Ken Fisher

See Also: Life Will See you Now  May we Hallow Life’s Brief Span

Get Out Your Pen; Ditch the Keyboard

Get Out Your Pen; Ditch the Keyboard

[for National Handwriting Day 23 Jan 2018]

 

Perhaps it has become a forgotten art
Being viewed nowadays as somewhat quaint
Technology has certainly played its part
But I am not sure to whom to complain

For each of us in early school days
Many hours were spent in learning to write
Each letter shaped in its own special way
All endeavours aimed at getting it right

We dotted the I’s and stroked all the T’s
Tried to ensure the words were all clear
Thus we shaped the letters with loops you could see
Gradually improving our style every year

Practice gained in notes and compositions
Eventually we achieved considerable skill
Some even entered writing competitions
As their aspirations they tried to fulfill

But then came along the computer revolution
The use of the pen soon became redundant
The keyboard for data became the solution
QWERTY suddenly appeared quite abundant

As well as the keyboard we have the touch screen
And sensory devices the data to capture
The old fashioned pen is now rarely seen
With so many alternatives input to gather

We have taught our computers to hear our voice
And mouse clicks replace the stroke of the pen
Indeed there is now an infinite choice
To feed in data again and again

So what of the diminishing art of writing?
Well perhaps there are still times it can play a part
When we wish to ensure a personal greeting
On a generous cheque or a birthday card!

So my plea is get out your pen; ditch the keyboard
Jot down a few lines, straight from the heart
That biro or fountain will bring its reward
And for one brief moment restore the lost art

Ken Fisher

Buy NONE Get One Free

Buy NONE Get One Free

Never mind those offers that say ‘Buy One Get One Free!’
Here’s something better which you really have to see
In this case you are placed under no real obligation
To entitle you to claim your free remuneration

Most of us are cynics and find it hard to believe
It sounds as if someone seeks the public to deceive
In these hard times surely we can get zilch for nothing
Clearly we expect to pay in return for something

In the tough world of commerce all things have their price
And often to acquire them we must sacrifice
It may take a lifetime for us to acquire
The countless cravings which are now our heart’s desire

Perhaps that is the problem, the endless stream of wants
We try to suppress them but still our mind they haunt
Of course we must strive our daily life to sustain
And those of our dependents we also must maintain

And thus the quest to maximize our gain
Achieve satisfaction yet minimize the pain
So what is this gift that comes completely free
No necessary purchase, no expensive fee?

Well the answer comes from an unlikely source
One perhaps long forgotten along life’s winding course
At the heart of the Bible’s message, God’s grace is offered free
This is the saving power quite free to you and me

Like me, you may think this an old fashioned claim to make
Maybe you’re too case-hardened this free offer to take
But perhaps we simply need to learn to accept it at its word
And in trust we may discover that it’s really not absurd

Ken Fisher

 

See Also: BOGOF

 

Those Who Say

Those Who Say

 

There are those who say that we should listen
As if their advice must be taken as ‘given’
We have our own thoughts, our own opinion
Why must others’ views still take dominion?

There are those who say we are too overweight
And serious ill health will be our fate
There are those who say we spend far too much
And too-ready credit has become our crutch

There those who warn us of climate change
And soon its control will be out of range
There are those who say the seas will rise
A move to higher ground is wise!

There are those who presage the robot revolution
Threatening every institution
There will be no chance that we might shirk
Due to the disappearance of all work

There are those whose concern is population
As it continues to rise among the nations
There are those who fear mass migration
As refugees seek some safe haven

There are those who say we are over educated
Unemployment making graduates frustrated
And many say they are burdened with a lot of debt
That they will never pay, seems a fair bet

There are those who say getting a roof over your head
Will be hard to achieve before you are dead
Compared to their parents’ rich generation
The millennials often sense their alienation

There are those who claim we are overwhelmed
By too much information, yet we feel compelled
To constantly monitor hand-held devices
Being ‘always on’ – one of our current vices

There are some who claim this is modern slavery
An entrapment which is most unsavoury
We are meant to live in a world that is free
Captive to our screens, we cannot flee

There a those who say politics is in disarray
For many Brexit seems to augur great dismay
And scandals have rocked our institutions
The virtuous loudly cry for retribution

There are even those who say that God is dead
No longer need for prayers beside our bed
The funeral was attended by so very few
Only a tiny remnant there to say adieu

I could go on with this doleful litany
Of pronouncements laden with calamity
But perhaps it is time to call a halt
After all most of this is not our fault

So when someone claims there are those who say
We do not need to be filled with dismay
‘Cause at best it is only their own view
Which we have the choice to espouse or eschew

After all, from whence comes the authority
Of this amorphous, dogmatic entity?
The monopoly of truth is no-one’s possession
All such assertions we should question

Ken Fisher

See also:What Does it Matter? https://thebardofkelvindale.com/2017/12/27/what-does-it-matter/

Poetic Opacity

Poetic Opacity

 

Quote:

‘Opacity is an intrinsic characteristic of some poetry.
It simultaneously enables and complicates reception’
‘As much as we might have enjoyed reading (and writing) poetry when we were children, in school we are taught that poetry is inherently “difficult,” and that by its very nature it somehow makes meaning by hiding meaning.’    Matthew Zapruder (2017)

I wonder if a poem can only be a poem if it’s meaning is opaque?
Anything which is more straightforward is something of a fake
I don’t wish this comment to appear anti-intellectual
Perhaps my simple verses are really somewhat ineffectual

The use of English language, plain,  uncomplicated
Where each word and line of every verse is quite clearly stated
With a minimal use of tropes, metaphor or simile
Helps to convey the meaning with very little difficulty

But lack of figurative language, leaving all things quite literal
Ignores deep emotions, which ‘true’ poetry renders visceral
Thus the absence of oxymoron, hyperbole and allusion
For which bland literalism is no good substitution

But some might claim this is simply all far too transparent
Demands nothing of the reader to plumb its depths inherent
A true poem should stretch the questing mind
To open the eyes which otherwise stay blind

So poems where at first the meaning seems opaque
Where we must wrestle hard thus the hidden code to break
When we are challenged by obscure ideas and expressions
In the end the aesthetic reward is seemingly more precious

I suppose I do not wish to argue the validity of the case
In favour of poetic opacity, which doggerel might debase
But simple words conveying ideas quite transparent
I am still convinced might your close attention warrant

Ken Fisher

 

See also: In Praise of Poetry    Anatomy of Poetry

If Typists Were Poets

Clearing Out

Clearing Out

Every now and again it is time for a purge
To get rid of the clutter that bogs us down
Eventually we cannot resist the strong urge
To remove all the debris that threatens to drown

It may be prompted by the start of a year
Or the realization we are so tight for space
The reason for action is not always clear
But some of our old stuff we have to displace

That we have gathered so much is hard to accept
Some we have been given and others we bought
Whatever the source we don’t like to reject
Thus the choice for removal becomes really fraught

Many items have become like familiar old friends
Others whose use we have still to discover
The retention of some things is hard to defend
Their secret charms we have not yet uncovered

But action is needed we can no longer delay
We must remain firm in our stated intention
To shift unwanted objects the task of the day
So it’s off to the skip with no hesitation

Yet when the clear-out has been executed
And you have resorted to radical measures
All accumulated junk has been duly looted
You cast a wistful tear for departed ‘treasures’

Ken Fisher

Password Perplexity

Password Perplexity

Most of us are aware of the daily frustration
Which often leads to exasperation
When our computers refuse to allow us access
Unless the entry codes we clearly possess

However hard you try to breach the protection
False numbers will always result in rejection
You must know the password and username
Or you wont get past that very first frame

So it seems incumbent on all computer users
To ensure they’re prepared for such maneuvers
By retaining their passwords in some secure cache
And thus seek to avoid an access impasse

If you’ve forgotten the data and just try to wing it
You will be trying to get past the system’s pickets
After several attempts to breach the defences
They will consider you have committed offences

Thus your computer system may well shut down
And it is you who might suffer a complete meltdown
So it is better to take a more measured approach
Let’s you keep using other apps while maintaining hope

So that in due time you might find the right combination
To lift the cause of data deprivation
Get the passwords reset, identity renewed
Bringing an end to this digital feud

Of course we are reminded of the everyday fact
That our machines are in danger of being easily hacked
And the existence of these barriers give vital protection
From cyber thieves acting with evil intention

Ken Fisher

See Also: Cyber Safe

The Assault on Irn Bru

The Assault on Irn Bru

I see, in the press, Irn Bru is to change
Less sugar proposed in this magical mixture
It appears some drinkers it might thus estrange
For whom this beverage has long been a fixture

There is a great history behind this well-loved libation
Without it this nation would seem somewhat deprived
So fiddling the formula produces frustration
Why make these changes, we are quite satisfied?

For more than a century the Scots sought refreshment
From this unique blend of secret ingredients
For quenching their thirst, no better replacement
In bottles or cans it was found so convenient

Of course the years have seen changes in its presentation
Glass bottles by plastic in due course succeeded
And adverts quite often produced a sensation
To rival world brands, whisky almost exceeded

But in order to meet targets for sugar reduction
The makers of Irn Bru now offer a spanking new version
And they claim there should be no dissatisfaction
A switch to the new, a quite painless conversion

But in the meantime some traditionalists are simply stockpiling
Crates of the old brand of their great national drink
The prospect of the new not quite so beguiling
And that’s their opinion despite what anyone thinks

Ken Fisher

Hot Water Bottle

Hot Water Bottle

Between icy sheets your warm body slips
That hot water bottle you cannot resist
Without its heat the harsh cold defying
Bed-time would simply be terrifying

The gentle transfer of heat to the sheets
Thus the terrors of cold we seek to defeat
Although the hot bottle is really quite small
It is so much better than nothing at all

In days of yore they relied on the ‘pig’
Compared to the bottle ever so big
With its shiny surface your feet it might scald
An experience which left no-one enthralled

If the weather outside is very severe
Several bottles would bring even more cheer
Strategically positioning is quite an art
To ensure that they service each body part

Decide how best the bag to employ
Properly used it can bring you much joy
So boil up the kettle, then fill to the brim
And winter bed-time will no longer be grim!

Ken Fisher

see Also:https://thebardofkelvindale.com/2017/01/04/electric-blanket/

New Beginnings

New Beginnings

 

[A sonnet for the New Year]

Another day, a brand new year, we pledge a fresh beginning
Forget the past, it can’t be changed, it’s now gone forever
For our dark deeds we hope you yet will be forgiving
Let our resolve to make amends be the only measure
Yet how often in past days have we promised to reform?
But ere the first month of the year has run its course
No evidence of change that we claimed would be the norm
Somehow we seem a victim of a strong external force
So at the start of this new year let’s wipe the old slate clean
And with firm resolve act without further vacillation
That in all our words and actions prove we truly mean
To live out our promises, more than mere aspiration
Give thanks for new beginnings at this threshold of the year
Confronting every challenge, overcoming all our fear

Ken Fisher

See also: https://thebardofkelvindale.com/2017/12/31/at-the-threshold-of-the-year-2018/