Monthly Archives: February 2018

Winter’s Come (again)

Winter’s Come (again)

[Written when we woke up to significant snowfall
on 28 February 2018]

Winter’s come again, I thought that it had passed
But lo and behold, lots of snow has amassed
The schools have closed their doors, the kids are quite elated
But no doubt others have found their plans frustrated

It always seems amazing the power of this white precipitation
To bring modern society from activity to stagnation
You would think we might have learned to cope with interruption
And overcome the weather causing havoc and disruption

However here we are, we may as well submit
And make the best of our time as we might see fit
Perhaps we can immerse ourselves in a favourite book
While sitting back enjoying a mug of welcome soup

So whatever is the result of the snow piling at your door
You have no need to compound the angst even more
By worrying about things that won’t get done today
And simply enjoy the enforced change from work to play

For there is little doubt that shortly the weather’s bound to change
And all that’s had to be set aside we soon can rearrange
And no matter how about the blizzard we then felt
It will soon be forgotten when we see it start to melt

Ken Fisher

Rewind

Rewind

If only, if only, we could hit the rewind
Swallow those words, rub out the lines
Take back what we’ve said in that moment so rash
Pick it all up, dump it in Trash

And not just our words, quite often our deeds
Ignoring others, only concerned for our needs
Blundering on with so little thought
Creating a climate ever so fraught

If only we might pause at that critical moment
And thus avoid leaving a hurtful endowment
Just stem the flow of unkind invective
Prompting regrets in the retrospective

It would be better if we could freeze-frame
Be mute for a moment before we declaim
Then ask ourselves why be so unkind?
And avert the need to beg for rewind

How might we avoid this need for regret
Praying that others will early forget?
Before every hasty word or precipitate action
Think first of others and their reaction

Let’s not forget that well-known adage
And thereby avoid unnecessary damage
‘It’s nice to be nice’ I am sure you agree
And from contrition you will be set free

Ken Fisher

Open Wide

Open Wide

To day I am heading for the dentist, not been there for some time
I will stand at the entrance and listen to the doorbell chime
I might even be tempted to turn on my heel and run away
But if I did so I would my trust in her betray

So through the door I will proceed and duly give my name
‘Not seen you for a while’, the receptionist will exclaim
I sheepishly apologise for my protracted absence
And hope that I am nonetheless still a welcome presence

I sit in the waiting room full of apprehension
Surely there is no need to feel such mounting tension
In due time the dentist calls me to the inner chamber
Up on to the sacrificial plinth I tentatively clamber

I have never met this new practitioner before
And she smilingly begins my oral cavity to explore
Mysterious numbers and codes are efficiently called out
Thank goodness the nurse seems to know what this is all about

I look up skywards into the bright searchlight
Hoping there is no need for me to feel contrite
And after a few moments of judicious prodding
She declares ‘some remedial work, and at least one filling’

I am much relieved by this judgment quite benign
And readily the treatment form I willingly just sign
Just two more visits will surely set me free
By then my mouth will have sailed through its M O T!

Ken Fisher

Seed Time

Seed Time

The time of year for the planting of tiny seeds
Pressed by the compost, forced into hibernation
Protected from threats of all invasive weeds
Laid down lovingly in hope and expectation

Embryonic plants secreting great potential
Upward  reaching tiny shoots will pierce the surface
Believers acknowledge God’s purpose providential
Nature thus mobilized in mankind’s service

Emblematic of that process of regeneration
Life emanating from a substance quite minute
As with plants, so with all life’s rich creation
Grandeur blossoms from the tiniest root

Thus the fruit of Eden’s garden multiplies
The good and evil tangled in the garden plot
Primal planting initiates the whole great enterprise
From which in time all living things are wrought

Ken Fisher

That was Then, this is Now

That was Then, this is Now

When we reflect on days gone by
We may recall with a deep sigh
Of customs we now disavow
But that was then, this is now

There never was a question whether
Before marriage you might live together
Social pressure would not allow
But that was then, this is now

Partners were business associates
Not sharing a bedroom with your mate
Today we won’t  raise an eyebrow
But that was then, this is now

Times past we blithely described something ‘gay’
Perhaps  bright flowers on a sunny day
Today gay means equal status we on all endow
Not like then, for this is now

On one thing for certain you can rely
Constant change you can’t deny
Thus we must learn to cope somehow
For that was then, and we live now

Ken Fisher

Photoshop Identity

Photoshop Identity

 

It has been claimed ‘the camera never lies’
And you simply must believe your eyes
But in this modern world, oh so high tech
That final image you should surely check

Because it’s now easy to manipulate
Thus unwanted features we obliterate
From those raw images once original
Captured by our lens then made digital

Snappers are happy with their efforts
Slight imperfections bring no discomfort
But experts feel the need to titivate
Thus post-processing simply cannot wait

So as soon as their images are downloaded
And the pixels have all been decoded
Photoshop software is called into service
Ready to work its transforming marvels

With a battery of tools ever so extensive
Its capability is most comprehensive
It can adjust exposure and colour saturation
Even straighten out chromatic aberration

It can zoom in and out and remove every blemish
Wipe out mysterious shadows which seem to menace
Pick out highlights and make minor corrections
And break up the image into multiple sections

By setting up layers it tackles each issue
Overlaying the problem with a distinct tissue
Making eyes sparkle ever so bright
Turning dark patches into clear light

It is even possible to switch someone’s head
And make people appear when you thought they were dead
Thus bodies and faces we can interchange
A practice that many will consider quite strange

This magic software uses a number of tools
Each one has to be used according to rules
You can paint bits of the screen with special brushes
Causing pallor or if needed, even hot flushes!

You can crop the photo or make it expand
A tiny image made really quite grand
There is an adjustment brush and a graduated filter
Help you sort things out if they all go out of kilter

You can apparently even decide to dehaze
And reorder items that get out of phase
Indeed there nothing impossible for this mighty edit
And we really ought to give the inventors credit

But there is one thing that concerns me and perhaps you
How do we know that the final image is true?
And while we may have claimed the camera never lies
Of the final production – can we believe our eyes?

Ken Fisher

Attitude

Attitude

 

Perhaps it’s how I think
Perhaps just how I feel
I wonder if there is a link
My thoughts thus made real?

‘It depends upon our attitude’
Is a phrase often rehearsed
Is this not just a platitude
From those in cliches well versed?

But attitude does truly matter
As we confront a situation
With fear or else with laughter
Signalling hope or trepidation

In the harsh world of competition
A little ‘attitude’ is surely needed
Set aside our inhibition
To ensure our plea is heeded

‘Attitude ‘ in a product or a service
Is now seen as quite a quirky virtue
Don’t hide it neath the surface
Loudly proclaim it to be true

The attitude of others affects our own reaction
An outlook, viewpoint and perspective
Our response to each new interaction
Oftimes personal and subjective

Perhaps you have recently heard the claim
A ‘can-do attitude ‘ is much to be prized
So if that style you can maintain
Without doubt you’ll be admired

Thus attitude, under whatever guise
Doubtless has significance
To reflect on it is wise
Don’t just leave life to chance

So in your  attitude be mindful

And never be forgetful
Of that timeless maxim
“Do unto others as you would have them
do to you”

Ken Fisher

Newspaper Supplements

Newspaper Supplements

You have heard the expression ‘too much information’
An example of this stems from newspaper publications
The weekend supplements are inclined to excesses
In the vast flow of material that spouts from their presses

The very size of the bundle you pull down from the shelf
Can all this be read by one person themself?
There are endless features, sometimes in sections
News, travel, finance, business, all demand your attention

If your interest is gardening, or the life-style of the llama
Or perhaps science is preferred to music or drama
If healthy living and sport is your main obsession
The supplements will surely give it expression

And then there are the colour magazine enclosures
Here fashion and glamour are given full exposure
Photographers are thus granted undoubted free rein
If they show rather too much we ought not to blame

For editors of these weekend cornucopia
Try to showcase a world resembling utopia
The travel supplements would take us all to exotic places
Island paradises peopled by outlandish races

And let’s not forget the crosswords and puzzles
We need these to exercise the cranial muscles
Although if we get stuck it might make us furious
And their answers to quizzes are sometimes quite curious

However I think the weekend supplements are really a boon
The Radio and TV programmes, even a cartoon
A range of material, far more than we seek
And weekend reading surely lasts us all week!

Ken Fisher