Monthly Archives: May 2019

Don’t Give Up the Day Job

Don’t Give Up the Day Job

Wise advice when we are considering some mad-cap enterprise
And yet if caution is our only compass what is the gain?
Sometimes we need to step out into the unknown
Take a gamble, be adventurous for once

They say a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step
If we are too timid to take that first stride, no headway
So why not cast aside all doubts and fears
To boldly go…………

But hang on a minute, do we need to burn our boats
Must we throw all caution to the wind?
Slam the door on past achievements
Eschew all that has given us comfort and security?

Surely there is a middle way, not stagnating
And yet not stifling all initiative, all creativity
Are we so confident in the need for change
That the decision to act can only be binary?

After all, when advised ‘not to give up the day job’
Isn’t there just a hint that others have reasoned
That, in the gamble we are about to take
The odds may be stacked against us?

The day job may seem tedious and tiresome
Characterized by boredom and routine
But at least it ensures that life is sustained
And others can still depend on us

But lest we think this view is a spoiler to all initiative
Many an enterprise has sprung from hobbies and pastimes
From the energy and enthusiasm of amateurs
Eagerly beavering away at moments snatched outside the day job

Ken Fisher

Election Over

Election Over

 

The Euro Election has come and gone
Some are pleased, others forlorn
Brexit party fired a huge barrage
Launched by smiling Nigel Farage

From the EU, Brexit wants us out
We must stay in, the Lib Dems shout
SNP say yes to Europe,  but in UK don’t stay!
Most other parties in complete disarray

The Tories have wasted almost three years
Infighting among their peers
Labour simply prevaricate
And now they’ve left it much too late

The Greens have gained a high profile
Something sure to make them smile
The planet is what they want to save
From a perpetual heat wave

In Europe itself there has been change
Centrist parties hit across the range
Europe’s voters are making different choices
Not a fact in which everyone rejoices

So there we are, the election’s over
New MEP’s will now take over
Who knows how that might make us feel?
Only the future will all reveal

Ken Fisher

Vacancy at Number 10

Vacancy at Number 10

 

There’s a vacancy at Number Ten
Open to women and to men
No need for you to be a snob
Just a Tory, to get this job

The money isn’t really great
Far short of a CA’s rate
Or even of some City clerks
But there are some quite good perks

At the start you get to meet the Queen
This might make your pals turn green
With envy at your new high status
In charge of such power legislative

But you have to toe the party line
Normally that would be fine
But no-one is clear what that’s about
To Europe are we in or out?

Facing the rabble at PM’s question time
Might induce you to commit a crime
On every side the baying mob
Your peace of mind they’re sure to rob

The press are bound to wind you up
And delight if they can trip you up
To them politicians are fair game
Unconcerned whom they defame

Eventually you’ll have no defence
Facing a vote of no confidence
Your promising career evaporated
And at the end humiliated

Having said all this it’s some surprise
So many seem to want the prize
Of occupying Number 10
It truly is beyond my ken!

Ken Fisher

Election Fuddle

Election Fuddle

Does anyone know how I ought to vote?
Hold on while I quickly take a note
Confusion abounds causing me such trouble
Who will release me from this gigantic fuddle?

Our esteemed politicians have not helped one bit
‘For purpose’ they clearly are quite unfit
At one time we thought they might provide a lead
But sadly in that duty they have failed to succeed

Every media debate seems to end in a fight
And the last thing that happens is increasing light
On the issues that concern the whole population
We only feel ever-mounting frustration

For we cannot see a clear road ahead
And conflict and division is so widespread
The prospect of uniting in one common view
The political classes certainly seem to  eschew

If only we could come to any kind of consensus
Some basic core ideas, nothing pretentious
Then we might be able to see the way forward
By which our future affairs may then be ordered

At the heart of it all is that one basic question
If answered we might clear the congestion
Do we leave or stay on in the European Union?
Do we hang on in there or opt for exclusion

The half-way house seems to please very few
Demanding compromise which would surely ensue
So perhaps someone will show how we get out of this bind
And tell us it’s time that we all made up our mind!

So as you come to vote in the impending election
When you finally have to mark your selection
Try to make it clear to the powers that be
Thus from fuddle and fog we might at last be free!

Ken Fisher

 

 

Public Intellectual

Public Intellectual

Acknowledged for their lofty thoughts
From whom doubtless we can all be taught
Critical thinking, deep reflection
Hallmarks of such an esteemed person

Legions of experts proffer solutions
How to save the planet from pollution
No problem beyond their power to solve
When brilliant minds become involved

The public intellectual, wisest of all of these
Fame gained through demonstrated expertise
Consulted on perplexing issues of the day
Never reluctant to have their say

The luminaries are nothing if not highbrow
Common knowledge they simply disavow
On higher thoughts is built their reputation
To exercise our minds is their great aspiration

The influence of public intellectuals is widespread
Their quality of mind that of a thoroughbred
Thus we lesser mortals may feel second rate
Our simple musings made to seem lightweight

But in our world so complex and diverse
It would undoubtedly appear perverse
If in the realm of discourse and debate
Thoughts high or humble we can’t accommodate

Ken Fisher

Keep on Keeping On

Keep on Keeping On

Keep on keeping on! What do we mean by that?
Perhaps the persistent griping of a little brat
Enough to drive a parent to distraction
Prompting a less than generous reaction

Keep on keeping on! is often no bad thing
When by perseverence we find it brings
The fruits of hard work and determination
An end product yielding great satisfaction

When we are tempted to throw in the towel
In the heat of play, to simply cry foul!
Keeping on amidst dark discouragement
Casting aside all that brings impairment

In days when life seems to have no point
When things conspire to disappoint
Try not to give up midst the gloom
Keep on,  surely change must come soon

So what is the value of keeping on?
Hoping the victory can be won
Those who persist until the end
Justly deserve a dividend

Heed the message of that hare and tortoise
Tenaciously just hold that poise
Consistent all the way along
The prize assured for keeping on!

Ken Fisher

It’s No Longer Retire But Retyre

It’s No Longer Retire But Retyre

Someone has suggested that the twilight years
Which in days gone by were deemed unattractive
Are no longer filled with impending fears
As pensioners to day are quite hyperactive

For decades liberation from drudge was the worker’s prayer
And although many are still able to make their escape
Active pensioners would be wise to beware
Lest they are sucked into the ‘voluntary’ landscape

For this is the territory with which they may get embroiled
And wherein  many might well be taken advantage
The unsuspecting retiree could simply be foiled
Finding their planned freedom has rapidly vanished

Some have invoked a motoring analogy
To keep us on the move simply all that we need
Is a  new set of treads to  avoid any lethargy
Thus equipped nothing will our progress impede

So forget the word retire and think of retyre
A new spring in your step as you sally forth
There’s lots of mileage to go before you expire
But don’t let all those others discount your true worth

Ken Fisher

The Man on the Clapham Omnibus

The Man on the Clapham Omnibus

Why can’t we all be like the model so sublime?
Upheld by the courts of law that shining paradigm
The man or women whose every action moderate
Ensures his deeds and words are always temperate

It seems reasonable to assert that such a canny being
Demonstrates an attitude which we should all be seeking
And an appeal to the virtue of that patent common sense
Requires no explanation or elaborate defence

The problem seems to be control of our emotions
So when provoked our mind succumbs to wildest notions
Thus our rational thinking simply evaporates
As blind zeal or passion begin to dominate

Of course it is true that the Clapham bus passenger
For sensible conduct is a fine ambassador
On decency and convention his reputation’s built
But the judiciary’s appeal to it increases our own guilt!

Ken Fisher