Monthly Archives: May 2021

Silence is Golden?

Silence is Golden?

‘Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent’ – Ludwig Wittgenstein

How often have we declared
“I simply had to say something”
But would it not have been better
If we had just said nothing?

Can silence actually say something?
When we remain tight lipped
In the face of some blatant calumny
An outrageous slander

But what is being said by the silence?
Approval, disapproval, support or opposition
Or it might simply be indifference
Who cares anyway?

You’ve met the silent participant I’m sure
The mute committee member at meetings
The deaf ear when asked for their view
The parent pretending not to hear offspring’s pleadings

The toddler who has discovered language
Her favourite word is Why?
Amusing at first, but eventually Dad wearying
Of this unending inquisition, resorts to silence

‘Speak now or forever hold your peace!’
The pronouncement on the brink of matrimony
Time to stifle the dark misgivings of the bride’s father
Who has refrained from expression of his inner forebodings

Then there’s the sullen teenager
Silent amidst internal angst
The morose husband
Long ago mislaid his power of speech

On a wider canvas, we refer to the Silent Majority
What is the meaning of this reticence?
If you are not for me – are you against me?
Such taciturnity – explain please!

But silence ought not always be indicted
In moments of ignorance, or awe, or tragedy
Whereof one cannot speak,
Thereof one must be silent

Ken Fisher

Browser

Browser

Your Gateway to the World

 

Before the digital age what was a browser?
A bookworm ensconced in the library shelves
Earnest students somewhat absorbed in themselves
But now a browser is seen as an essential tool
To plumb the depths of a bottomless pool

Of all the ‘bells and whistles’
Your computer may offer
No matter what other charms it may proffer
The browser is the greatest of all these gizmos
Every fact from ocean’s depths to infinite cosmos

Between our enquiry however recondite
In simplest terms the browser aids navigation
As through millions of web pages we seek direction
In microseconds to our obscure questions
A medley of equally arcane suggestions

Browsers have opened the gate to internet usage
And nowadays this space is filled with world-famous names
Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Opera and others make claims
To circle the globe with limitless archives
Without which the tech world could hardly survive

Into the Web Browser the URL you insert
The HTTP sets up the communication to the server
Such codes are a vital necessary precursor
Click and the search engine obeys your command
The world of knowledge accessed, what’er you demand

Ken Fisher

 

En Plein Air

En Plein Air

En plein air describes outdoor painting
Famous French artists adopted this style
But not only art has moved into the open
Al fresco dining would all us beguile

The pandemic has taught us how to endure
Elemental forces while our hunger we sate
No rain or shine, icy blast or heat wave
Thwart gratification we eagerly crave

We have learned how to huddle tightly
Together at tables in any courtyard
Social distance breached despite the risk
Quite cavalier of this simple safeguard

All this in expectation of steady progress
When en plein air is no longer commanded
From threatening skies once more protected
Such pretence of comfort swiftly abandoned

Ken Fisher

Y O L O – You Only Live Once

YOLO  – You Only Live Once

Unless you believe in reincarnation
Perhaps even in resurrection
‘Life in not a rehearsal’ is what they say
So make the best of each new day

But that sounds fine until we reflect
How much of our life we are free to direct
For most  of our time is already prescribed
The pattern of years quite circumscribed

Society constrains the way we behave
Family duties and work readily enslave
Although these commitments may bring us much joy
The concept of freedom they surely destroy

But if Y O L O is true, and even if not
The notion should certainly prompt the thought
How best can we live out this tenure of years
Yielding contentment rather than tears?

Y O L O seems to exclude any afterlife
Perhaps therefore promote love rather than strife
So why not stick with the Golden Rule
Do to others as you would have them do to you

Ken Fisher

 

Ode to the Banks

Ode to the Banks

A lot of money to the banks is owed
Huge sums from those who have borrowed
So this little ode is such a tribute
To acknowledge what the banks contribute

The banks take money from deposits
Holding it within their closet
Then much of it straight out they send
As we request that they might lend

Of course lending does not come free
Interest charged to you and me
The borrowing rate is somewhat more
The deposit rate is near the floor

In this way a profit’s made
And dividends can thus be paid
But bankers can not be sure
Those borrowers won’t turn poor

If this happens they might default
The transaction grinding to a halt
So before bankers hand us any cash
Must ascertain we won’t be rash

In days of yore the Manager you would meet
Nowadays only computers will you greet
An algorithm on you adjudicates
Digitisation of your fate

The banks do other things than lend
Our monthy payments they will send
And happily receive our pay
Holding it from day to day

Direct Debits, Standing orders kept up to date
Ensuring utility payments avoid being late
Contact cards and others we can swipe
Thanks to that magic magnetic stripe

Credit cards keep us afloat
As good as any old bank note
But this money does not come cheap
Costly spending for our upkeep

Cash machines are still a vital service
When we might need cash for any purpose
And others like to go inside, served at the counter
Where even now the bank staff we encounter

The strategic role of the banks is vital to the nation
With the Bank of England money kept in circulation
With guidance from the Treasury above
All banks work with them hand in glove

Mind you sometimes things go wrong
In the banking crisis some collapsed headlong
It’s then that Joe Public was asked to foot the bill
For all of us a bitter pill

But overall the banks have served us well
For them we shall not yet toll the knell
So for all we owe to the banks, this ode I dedicate
Their worth we ought not underestimate

Ken Fisher

Do Grasshoppers Have Low Self-Esteem?

Do Grasshoppers Have Low Self-Esteem?

The Queen’s Speech to Parliament has made it quite clear
Some animals have emotions like pleasure and fear
So a new Bill will in due course be brought into law
Could mean a fine if you squash Fido’s paw

Apparently if your pet has a backbone
Its rights as a creature can’t be overthrown
It’s a sentient being, sometimes happy or sad
If we upset him he’s bound to get mad

This set me wondering if I’d come a cropper
If I was cruel to a resident friendly grasshopper
Would his self-esteem be deeply offended
If I swiped at him while quite undefended

This whole notion raises issues philosophical
Even of categories quite hierarchical
Are some creatures deserving of greater respect?
While others we can quite simply neglect

I wonder if all creatures have an opinion
As king of the jungle or just a mere minion
Does a snake have a grand conceit of herself
Or the hamster abandoned on  the pet shop shelf

Birds of the air and fish of the sea
For legal protection they might have a plea
The problem is to know where to draw the line
At the golden eagle or the sharp porcupine

I’m afraid these limits can’t be clearly defined
I’m content to accept that all humankind
Deserve our respect for their self-esteem
But for slugs don’t send us to jail, that’s much too extreme

One final point about the humble grasshopper
Its jumping performance is quite a show-stopper
It can spring to a height many times its own length
You have admit that must take great strength

Ken Fisher

P E S D – Post Election Stress Disorder

PESD – Post Election Stress Disorder

I am feeling a sense of disorientation
After the polls involving our nation
Many may claim they are so satisfied
Others think they have been sorely tried

Perhaps it depends on your expectations
Your fortunes are subject to fluctuations
Will the future bring you a bed of roses?
Or a much less optimistic prognosis

In Scotland the Nats are filled with glee
An all-tartan future is what they see
But Boris will say that’s no way to go
‘Cause many still want the status quo

The Greens everywhere are feeling proud
Planet saving message shouted loud
And Scottish Greens could well succeed
As Nats to their earnest pleas concede

Tories and Labour maintain second best
No wonder they are feeling stressed
Are their glory days now over?
How long before they can recover

In England it seems the former working masses
Prefer to join the middle classes
Labour Party too remote
No Unions to command their vote

A new breed of Mayors now arising
A phenomenon somewhat surprising
Champions of local fiefdoms they might be
Their vassals wait expectantly

So there we have the overview
Some things the same, but many new
Public marvel at this revamped order
Resisting Post Election Stress Disorder

Ken Fisher

Fumbling With Your Phone

Fumbling With Your Phone

Your mobile erupts with its jazzy ring
Into action your fumbling hands spring
You would think it easy to receive a call
To grab the phone, not letting it fall

But the modern mobile is a complex device
Quite often you find you need good advice
Its switches and buttons to easily master
To effectively use, avoiding disaster

In the past you simply lifted the old handset
From its solid cradle where it was at rest
But the mobile immediately a challenge presents
With a menu filled with diverse contents

Am I meant to speak or read a new text?
The question leaves me quite perplexed
Or is it just one of those alarm beeps
To ensure that I am not still asleep

When you want to ring someone like your dentist
Retrieve their number from the contacts list
This should be easy they are all alphabetic
But your fingers require to be quite athletic

Then suddenly find it’s the wrong number you are ringing
The disturbed recipient makes remarks quite stinging
And if you wish to send a text to someone
Find your digits are fatter than everyone

Mind you the mobile helps in a variety of ways
With facilities that will really amaze
It counts the number of steps that you take
And its compass and map help avoid any mistake

Your phone is a camera for videos and snaps
Indeed an endless array of functions through apps
With QR codes you can buy goods, pay your fare
And the pious can look up that new day’s prayer

If while sitting in the bus or a train
You need to know something very arcane
Inside the phone you can find the solution
To the price of fish or foul air pollution

The phone can monitor your health
Keep regular checks on fluctuating wealth
Take selfies of those who are quite vain
Give daily forecasts of impending rain

Your mobile is no longer for just ringing friends
Its capabilities simply know no ends
So fumbling to use it is a small price to pay
For a multi-functional aid in your hand everyday

Ken Fisher

Election Fever 2021

Election Fever 2021

On the eve of the election, events at fever pitch
Candidates praying erring doubters will not switch
The party faithful are not the real concern
It’s the floating voters whose support for which they yearn

Some former MSP’s hope for a safe return
New aspirants desire their pleas we will not spurn
Right now everything seems in such disarray
Who knows who’ll emerge victor from this turgid fray?

This time the election has a rather different flavour
For some of us the taste of it we rather would not savour
Those of an Independent mind demanding separation
Others who love their Britishness have a sense of desperation

New parties and new faces appearing on the scene
Bright aspirants and even old ‘has beens’
Candidates don’t seem to be in short supply
Such zealots are certainly not shy

Due to Covid this year it’s a somewhat different poll
The second voting paper looks like a toilet roll
I hope you understand what’s being asked of you
What parties you will espouse, and those you will eschew

Some of us have cast our vote well in advance
Of missing the polling day we would not take a chance
Others, no doubt, will leave it very late
Perhaps this is because they prevaricate

By and large Brexit’s been put to bed
Although the wrangling is certainly not dead
We’ve heard all the latest arguments, we’ve had it up to here
So much exposure, we’re almost reduced to tears

This time Green issues are of great concern
Politicians advocate we take action firm
To counter the march of climate change
Develop painful habits we will find quite strange

It is suggested that many voters will act tactically
Hoping to secure their aim by means impractically
Thus by devious methods achieving what they want
And spike the guns of the candidates that they don’t

The broadcasters too have weighed into the fight
Much of their questioning seems simply spite
They rejoiced in making all their victims squirm
Any weakness shown they loved to reaffirm

Then the Open Forum TV extravaganzas
Were presented like an information bonanza
But as each participant talked across the others
Any clarification of views was thus quickly smothered

Truth and trust seemed to be under examination
Politicians being asked to give their explanation
Each candidate quizzed if they could say why
Truth and trust were now in such short supply!

Anyway, soon it will all be over – thank goodness we say
Tomorrow’s long hours will bring judgement day
So by Saturday we should know the fate of our nation
In the meantime we must wait in anxious consternation

Ken Fisher

Open Wide!

Open Wide!

This morning at nine I am off to the dentist
This lady is long past being an apprentice
I’ll jump up on the chair, she’ll begin the task
Of course not forgetting to take off my mask

The lamp shines down to light up the scene
Showing the gaps where some teeth may have been
There is no point in treating those that are lost
At least they won’t be added to the final cost

Before my last visit a large filling fell out
That’s what my appointment is all about
Apparently I am going to need a new crown
The estimated cost has brought on a frown

Next I am told you need an injection
Not from Covid is this one giving protection
Two Astra jabs are equal to none
When it’s my tender gums they need to make numb

X-rays can see things that no-one else can
I am surprised they don’t ask for a whole body scan
And such oral techniques are a regular feature
I am unable to smile as my gaping jaws they picture

To do the job they must take an impression
To ensure the new crown fits in the depression
I don’t yet know what expensive stuff’s being used
And such technical detail just leaves me confused

Now her face takes on an expression of gravity
As drilling begins to gouge out the cavity
Suction is applied to keep everything dry
If my mouth wasn’t blocked you might hear me cry!

While the dentist wields those whining drills in motion
The nurse is busy preparing strange potions
Sometimes to my mouth pokes in strange things
Perhaps timers, that give an ominous ping

Dentistry now has gone all high tech
Which I suppose we should not regret
Their approach is much more sympathetic
To improve our appearance it’s considered cosmetic

So if you want to impress with your gleaming smile
Be prepared to submit to their charms for a while
When they say to you, please open wide
It’s  to your bank balance this request is implied!

Ken Fisher

A Word in Your Ear

A Word in Your Ear

A word in your ear!
Some friendly advice
Nothing to fear
A word to the wise

But perhaps that word in the ear
Has a critical tone
I don’t want to hear
Just leave me alone

Yet sometimes the word
Is worth listening to
Not meant to hurt
All to the good

Now I can’t get near
Must keep social distance
No risk to your ear
No need for resistance

So no word in your ear
To cheer or despair
Bring laughter or tear
Or friendship impair

Ken Fisher