Author Archives: thebardofkelvindale.com

Hi Viz Vest

Hi Viz Vest

If your intention is always to be clearly seen
Not obscured within some devious smokescreen
Then the solution which undoubtedly is best
Is to make sure you’re wearing a Hi Viz Vest

Such a garment is not meant for showing off
Of Health & Safety measures you really must not scoff
The bright yellow colours help in your detection
Therefore providing the necessary protection

Apart from safety, other functions they fulfil
Sometimes they imply you have a certain skill
The uniform provides some guarantee
That on a building site you can be set free

This idea set me wondering if it’s the case
That others might use disguise by donning a face
Of apparent license to seemingly validate
A white coat, a name tag, thus might fabricate

Perhaps we should beware of authority ostensible
To check their badges of power might be quite sensible
Is the parking attendant, even our friendly copper
Simply a phoney acting out a monstrous whopper?

I am sure that most Hi Viz Vest wearers are not trying to deceive
The message of their bright gilets we can surely believe
And uniformed workers of whatever profession
Have aims other than this good life’s suppression

Ken Fisher

In Real Life

In Real Life

 

In Real Life
I wonder if there is
Any other kind of life?

I read the expression
ILR  ‘In Real Life’
Comparing office life
With WFH
(Working From Home)

Some workers seem to feel
Apprehensive about returning to real life
Will we remember how to interact
With others not framed by a tiny screen?

But apart from Zoom and Teams etc
I wonder how we might be
Living in a manner which is
Not real life

Perhaps our imaginings and dreams
Are not real life
Can we escape real life
To hide in fantasy?

Humans can have a life of the mind
Animals, only to a limited extent
I guess they are trapped in real life
We can enjoy or endure the unreal life

Many say this is the only life we have
That is the real one, the here and now

But surely the life of ideas
Embracing our hopes and fears
Our plans and strategies
Our beliefs and aspirations

Brings both joy and sorrow

A much richer journey

Let’s not Get Real too quickly!

Ken Fisher

 

It’s Now or Never!

It’s Now or Never!

On the lifting of Covid Restrictions July 2021

It’s now or never declares the PM
Lift all restrictions, breathe free again
One wonders if that’s really wise
Is the bug still on the rise?

Yet not only with Covid but in life at large
Comes a time, horizons to enlarge
Grasp the reins, control regain
Take the profit or the shame

In such moments be prepared
‘Though the risk might make you scared
It’s now or never, don’t hesitate
Step boldly, espousing fate

So if today you vacillate
Doubting makes you prevaricate
Upwards and onwards forward facing
It’s Now, not Never, you’re embracing.

Ken Fisher

 

 

The Northern Lights

The Northern Lights

A sojourn in the North
Broadens the mind
From the self-obsessed view
Of the Central Belt

Aberdeen must be distinguished
From the Shire
The City slightly careworn
It’s energy like its oil, degraded

The County offers open fields
And wide horizons
Verdant land and beefy livestock
Earth and sea happily combined

The strand of sunkissed beaches
Busy harbours
Vibrant boatyards
Burgeoning off-shore wind-farms

Country riverside rambles
The gentle ascent of Bennachie
Nature reserves teeming with wild flowers
Myriad Castles, the treasures of Haddo House explored

The Northern  Lights
Shine brightly, not just by solar wind
But by a country and a people
Still confident in life

Ken Fisher

Kindling

Kindling

Kindling,
Seems like a rather old-fashioned word
Reminiscent of getting the coal fires lit
In days before central heating

Kindling,
Gathering a few sticks
And sometimes cheating by using paper
Or even firelighters to get the campfire burning

Kindling,
Might also be a metaphor
For planting some idea in your head
And providing the spark of stimulus

Kindling,
The promotion of some initiative
Combined with the oxygen of enthusiasm
It might burgeon
Impacting its own sphere

Kindling,
Without it the fire aborts
Tinder may start the fire
But kindling feeds the flames

Ken Fisher

Summer Solstice 2021

Summer Solstice 2021

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
Rejoice again 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

Yet in these years of virus blight
We pray that prospects may turn bright
Gradually those persistent fears subdued
Our hearts once more with hope renewed

Ken Fisher

Fiat Lux

Fiat Lux

[This poem is not about a small top-of-the-range
Italian mini car!]

Let There Be Light

Let there be light was God’s command
Ordained by His almighty hand
In those primordial days He spoke
Within creation’s masterstroke

And ever since the need for light
To bless humanity with sight
Was recognised by all mankind
Illuminating heart and mind

Light to shed on darkest mystery
Understanding gained through history
Of whom we are, how to survive
Sustaining life that we might thrive

From simple crafts and artifacts
Technology embracing facts
Enlightenment shed on our way
Progress the watchword of the day

In modern times let there be light
Penetrating all that would blight
Abounding threats to our welfare
Preventing freedom everywhere

Thus Fiat Lux become our plea
From tyranny that we be free
World poverty, widespread disease
Compassion’s light might bring release

Let light illumine every soul
Rational thought our minds control
The commonweal our deeds promote
Our attitude inspiring hope

Ken Fisher

Next Slide Please!

Next Slide Please!

I am sure we all view this man with affection
His cautious messages for our protection
Graphs and diagrams to keep us informed
Of threatening trends he ensures we are warned

He sometimes spars with the bold PM
Who this health hazard would roundly condemn
But Prof Whitty says we need play the long game
If this menacing beastie we hope to contain

This boffin is a statistician’s dream
Explaining what the baffling numbers mean
With line graphs and pie charts one thing’s for sure
The nation’s predicament is no longer obscure

With PowerPoint he has ably displayed
Hard facts that sometimes make us dismayed
But we would be wise to simply think twice
Before we ignore his prudent advice

As he progresses through his presentation
On nasty viruses’ latest mutation
He reminds us the battle’s not yet won
And the need for vigilance not quite done

The rate of vaccination should bring hope
Assuring us all that we are going to cope
The double jab is our route to salvation
From this pandemic still engulfing the nation

So let’s pray that in the course of time
The next slide might point to conditions sublime
When the graphs show the bugs almost disappear
And Professor Whitty proclaims we need no longer fear!

Ken Fisher

 

 

 

E.S.G.

 

E.S.G. = Environmental, Social, Governance

E.S.G – may not mean much to you
But for companies quite significant
Important issues to consider
Of which they must be vigilant

In this modern woke world
When public much more aware
Of how firms are cherishing
This world for which we care

In the past, profit was the only aim
Must please rapacious shareholders
But what about the hard-pressed workers?
And other worthy stakeholders

For far too long Executive pay unbridled
They claimed huge bonuses, believed they were entitled
Now stakeholders shout ‘Out of Order’
When they create such world disorder

Directors must now consider
The company’s impact on nature
And all in the wider society
Expecting  governance more mature

So rich CEO’s and executives
Can no longer just ignore
The effect of their business activities
On this wide world’s poor

Climate change, pollution, corrupt practices
Have recently been pushed to centre stage
Good governance applied in all their ventures
From discrimination to the living wage

And in order to monitor progress on these measures
Companies coerced to report on these benchmarks
Scrutiny applied by Government and many other parties
Thus E S G become the acclaimed hallmarks

Culture in any organisation
Set by those at the top
But if the moral tone is right
That’s not where it stops

Ken Fisher

The Path of Totality

The Path of Totality

The Path of Totality
Sounds rather ominous
That strange name for a strange phenomenon
The shadow cast by the moon
As it shuts out the sun’s light
From striking the earth

This is a Solar Eclipse
And it happens today – 10 June 2021
It actually happens quite often
But total ones apparently only every 400 years!
Then darkness is cast over All the earth

But the idea of Path of Totality
Might be filled with foreboding
Some all-consuming threat
Dark menace encroaching

Totality excludes all else
Brooks no opposition
No rivals admitted
Defies competition

Totality’s path
A solitary track
A one-way route
No turning back

So what else in life
Might Totality imply?
From this exclusive sphere
Would our spirit fly?

Ken Fisher

Influencer

Influencer

Over the past few years
You may have become aware
Of a new social phenomenon
That is the ‘Influencer’

These influencers mainly
Exercise their sway
Through Social Media
Computerised evangelists!

Their power rests in their ability
To condition our thoughts and actions
Primarily our purchasing decisions
But their influence can affect
Every aspect of life
From before the cradle
To after the grave!

But is this really a new idea
And is it benign or deleterious?

Here are some long-standing influencers:

Teachers and Preachers
And marketing men
Mothers and Fathers
And friends who know them

Instructors and Coaches
Who help us improve
Parking attendants
Who tell us to move

Lecturers and Readers
And lofty Professors
Even Priests who for the pious
Might be their confessor

Doctors and nurses
Concerned for our health
Financial Advisers
Who look after our wealth

Driving Instructors
To get us on the road
With due regard
To the Highway Code

YouTube performers
Who show us how
To solve any problem
We might have right now

Spin doctors and lobbyists
Cannot be ignored
Despite expressing feelings
That some might deplore

Aunties and Uncles
Who know it all
Tell us to take care
Lest from grace we may fall

From cradle to grave influencers opine
Ante natal clinics tell us if the baby is fine
Long before we get old we must set up a pension
And a funeral plan can avert future tension

Face Book, TikTok , Instagram and the rest
For the persuaders these are the tools of their trade
From these modern platforms their message goes forth
Their power to beguile us out on parade

And so it would seem the list just goes on
The range of influencers is ever so long
Perhaps we should pause, and briefly think twice
Why not just simply take our own advice?

Ken Fisher

Ticking Time Bomb

Ticking Time Bomb

Ticking time bomb, ominous expression
Laden with foreboding
Signalling some impending disaster
Primed with inexorable doom

Who set the clock ticking?
Trigger to delayed destruction
How long the time delay?
Before the inevitable calamity

Too easily we assign ‘time bomb’
To some future assault to health or fortune
As if our actions or omissions
Must lead to inevitable tragedy

Thus politicians and power brokers
Have laid up the powder
For the ineluctable explosion
Heralding the slaughter of the innocents

All this seems a little over-hyped
Threat of ticking time bomb
Used to highlight our folly
Ignoring the supressed peril

So what should be done?
Stride boldly into the minefield
Sever the fuse, eliminate the menace
Or tiptoe through hoping to remain unscathed

Perhaps we might discover
The ticking time bomb
Is a mere chimera
A threat without substance

Ken Fisher