Monthly Archives: June 2018

Sunshine On Our Face

Sunshine On Our Face

Someone asked me the other day
Surely you have much to say
To ignore this heat-wave is a pity
So why not write a little ditty?

Indeed this hot spell is unusual
The daily sun glowing like a jewel
As in its warmth we duly bask
And keeping cool becomes a task

And then we have to watch radiation
As sunshine smiles o’er the nation
All is not lost as ice cream sales go through the roof
Profiting from weather, this is surely proof

Beaches deserted most of the year
Now crowded out we fear
We hope we can find a little space
To lie down and enjoy that sun’s embrace

And gardeners lament the dried out earth
Watering for all their worth
Their precious plants and burgeoning blooms
Until precipitation may resume

Forecasters can’t believe their own predictions
The bulletins sound just so much fiction
Heat-wave continues unremitting
To any change they’re not admitting

But no doubt in due time it will
And that will be a bitter pill
When glorious sunshine must give way
To what we call a ‘normal’ day

But while it lasts, why not enjoy
It all seems like a cunning ploy
To make us believe in climate change
I doubt if rainfall is far out of range

Ken Fisher

Bubble Wrap Society

Bubble Wrap Society

[A protective sonnet]

I read somewhere, the other day
We are far too protective
Kids no longer out to play
Of dangerous risk obsessive
Of course there are a lot of threats
Lurking in places unexpected
Harm and loss brings much regret
And should never be neglected
You will have heard of the GDPR*
All-pervasive in its intentions
We may have gone somewhat too far
In cyber crime prevention
A life cocooned thus saved from all mishap
Enveloping each and all in swathes of bubble wrap!

Ken Fisher

 

  • General Data Protection Regulation

Self-Congratulations

Self-Congratulations

Forgive me today if I succumb to temptation
And indulge in some self-congratulation
For today the overall total of visitors to my site
Reached 2,000 – for me a highlight

So to all of you out there who gave me chance
My poetic aspirations to slowly advance
I offer my thanks for your fortitude
And my heart felt gratitude

As you can see from the recorded statistics
Since starting this blog I have been persistent
Over 10,000 visits to the site have been made
As my simple rhymes I have boldly displayed

I never made any claim to special insights
But tried to reflect life’s triumphs and plights
And in plain language my views to express
Not seeking to elate you or cause any distress

I hope that you might yet wish to explore
The range of my work to be found in this store
And if perhaps I have brought you some pleasure
That will for me be reward beyond measure

Ken Fisher

The Bard of Kelvindale

June 2018

 

Summer Solstice 2018

Summer Solstice 2018

A glimpse of sunshine warms our heart
Flowers and leaves reflect the light
The gentle rays caress our brow
Our lips widen with a smile

For now the daytime stretches out
Filling each hour with gentle light
Dark days of winter long forgot
We rejoice in life outdoors

From this ‘crows nest’ of the year
We scan the horizon fore and aft
Behind, long hours of winter gloom
Then spring pregnant with promise

Ahead the prospect of summer warmth
And autumn’s gold and russet tints
But winter’s spectre lurks beyond
Vaguely threatening summer’s calm

Ken Fisher

Your Friendly Bean Counters!

Your Friendly Bean Counters

[A tribute to BN Associates – small accountancy Firm of the Year 2018]

 

Some claim that accountancy is really boring
And the subject is simply not worth exploring
But I would reject this view superficial
‘Cause accounting for business is most beneficial

Accounting can outline the state of our wealth
And strong cash flow is vital for health
If we find ourselves too deep in debt
Our creditors become a serious threat

So by keeping track of such vital numbers
Monetary issues should never encumber
And accurate accounting will show us the way
To monitor the business each working day

Enough of the system, it’s people that matter
And I don’t intend to unduly flatter
But I know of a squad who deserve all our praise
As they help their clients in so many ways

So today I offer warmest congratulations
To a firm now peerless within our great nation
So raise your glasses to Brett, David and team
As they tick every box and count every bean!

Ken Fisher
The Bard of Kelvindale

A Broader Mind?

A Broader Mind?

Mark Twain wrote: “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”

 

Having just returned from a mini version of the Grand Tour
Travelling by train and coach and occasionally by boat
Through parts of northern Europe with much allure
New vistas are to a parochial view a strong antidote

In the passage through towns and cities unfamiliar
Observing the lives of others lived out in far-flung places
Noting phenomena sometimes appearing quite peculiar
We see likenesses and differences in peoples’ faces

The architecture of Churches, civic buildings and habitations
Demonstrate patterns developed over historic time-scales
Piazzas, market squares, and hostelries distinctive of each nation
And many structures reflect the ideology which there prevails

But perhaps it is in meeting with the denizens of each location
That we may challenge our thinking and our attitudes
If only we could overcome our linguistic limitations
We can break the bonds of our insular solitude

And no matter that our sojourn in unfamiliar lands
Is bound to be limited ‘less time and distance be reconciled
There can be little doubt that our horizons will expand
Prejudice is challenged as by foreign lands we are beguiled

Ken Fisher

The Swiss Army Knife – Even More Useful

The Swiss Army Knife – Even More Useful

[This is a sequel to my previous poem – The Swiss Army Knife-
Published Jan 24, 2017]

The Swiss Army Knife is quite cutting edge
No limit to the uses to which it can stretch
This latest model has pen and shining flashlight
Features which surely will bring much delight

I crossed the boundaries of this innovative nation
Whose mechanical products deserve admiration
Their fame is well known for watches and clocks
But my joy is the penknives of Victorinox

Imagine my delight when I discovered a store
Whose shelves were laden with penknives galore
Some were enormous with unlimited functions
To deal with every problem or tricky malfunction

But my preference is for the smaller device
Not only because of its more reasonable price
So the one that I chose to add to my collection
A multi-tool, a pen, and a light, all which act with perfection

Ken Fisher