Category Archives: Poems on the theme of Living our Lives

Poems that reflect aspects of thoughts and actions that will influence the living of our life

Apprenticeship

Apprenticeship

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Today is Budget Day and it is interesting to note
a new emphasis on Apprenticeships.  An old idea
being given new clothes 

The image in this picture represents great distortion
Of what apprenticeship today is really all about
Their TV show antics seem out of all proportion
The normal rules of business they prefer to flout

Of course there is little doubt it brings us entertainment
But do the images they create show us much of business?
Surely apprenticeship involving good work placement
Should let us experience a working life in all its richness

In latter years many young people have shunned apprenticeship
So off they went in droves, hoping to become a graduate
Believing that the University would them for life equip
But in the end wealth and success proved not their future fate

So recently there has been greater realization
That practical training rather than lofty theory
Might better serve the young denizens of our nation
Than book learning of which they become weary

Getting your hands dirty in workshop or in laboratory
Might then prove for many a much wiser bet
Adding steadily to a growing skills inventory
And incidentally avoiding piles of student debt

In the old days apprentices into journey-men became
And now-a-days these trainees can show similar success
The system of advancement is now much less arcane
As in the modern day labour market they smoothly can progress

So to Lord Sugar we must offer due deference
He and his team of two have kept us all amused
But the real life apprenticeship is our own preference
And between the two we are surely not confused

Ken Fisher

 

Fly in the Ointment

Fly in the Ointment

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Ecclesiastes 10.1 Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour,
so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour

 Do we stop to think when tempted to sin?
A little peccadillo or something akin
To cut the corner, giving less than our best
I am sure that no one would ever have guessed

So that the face that we show to the credulous world
Is not quite so upright, but slightly impaired
‘Cause we are not just as honest as you may well think
In our shiny armour there is that little chink

Somehow a fly has sneaked into the ointment
And the facts are not quite as we would present
In our past life there’s a secret we continue to hide
A fact of which we in no way take pride

So we hope that if this flaw you were to discover
You will accept that o’er time we have tried to recover
And by honest hard work our reputation rebuild
That nasty fly in the ointment now hopefully killed

There is one final point I think we should make
And I hope this won’t cause you any heartache
To wipe the slate clean we must each other forgive
That in true harmony we all then may live

Ken Fisher

The Elephant in the Room

The Elephant in the Room

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An elephant seems to have entered our room
Surely someone will say something soon
Because its presence is so clearly obvious
Yet apparently ignored by the entire audience

Despite the fact of its enormous frame
Everyone agrees to play the game
Of pretending this tusker does not exist
So speaking of which they firmly resist

The risk of its presence they simply ignore
A course of action they all should deplore
Because this mighty behemoth won’t go away
A solution is needed most speedily

Of course the elephant is simply a metaphor
For a problem we must find a solution for
Like the King’s New Clothes concealing a lie
The elephant too would the truth deny

So let our profession be honest and true
Not sending that giant back to the zoo
And candour can once again resume
When we accept the elephant is in the room!

Ken Fisher

 

 

What About the Workers?

What About the Workers?

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There is much talk in the media at this present time
About the future of work which may be in decline
For the robots are coming to take every job
And thus from the people their income to rob

Started long ago with machines on the farm
Agricultural labourers indeed felt the harm
Then the cottage industries soon disappeared
As new textile machinery got into gear

But then came lots of jobs in the world of commerce
A white-collar career seemed to offer great promise
Armies of typists and clerks neatly attired
Could occupy desks until they retired

In due course the factories became automated
Old fashioned methods soon were outdated
The workers had to keep pace with machines
Under controllers at shiny computer screens

As systems evolved in the world of business
Unremitting change with no forgiveness
Artificial intelligence now to-day’s greatest threat
As thinking machines the workers beset

So clerks and typists and check-out operators
Are all under threat by the perpetrators
Of autonomous devices needing no human hands
So how might the workers this onslaught withstand?

The world of the call centre is another workplace
Where humans may no doubt soon be replaced
With robots programmed to handle our needs
Without delay at remarkable speed

And the press is full of stories of cars
Who will drive themselves however far
So taxis and vans with armies of drivers
With redundancy there won’t be any survivors

Because make no mistake this robotic invasion
Even of professional work will see infiltration
So that Doctors’ diagnoses and lawyers’ advice
Replaced by software at reasonable price

Even accountants who make a comfortable living
Charging fancy fees without any misgiving
May find the deep mysteries of their craft
Undertaken by robots instead of their staff

So how are we going to earn our daily corn
With no work to do won’t we be all forlorn?
With no wage coming in, how will we survive
For it’s surely money that helps keep us alive?

Well perhaps in due time we’ll find paradise
If some generous government being oh so wise
Lets the robots do all the work that there is to do
And we get the income which was our wage hitherto

In such a perfect world at ease we could rest
With no daily toil we would be free of all stress
The robots will serve and never complain
And we the ex-workers can take all the gain!

Ken Fisher

By way of evidence for the above tirade here are just two
quotations from the Business Section of the Daily Telegraph
on 27 February 2017:

‘Robot lined up to handle O2 enquiries’
‘The car giant FORD has teamed up with an artificial 
intelligence company to work on new generations of
driverless cars’

From the Sunday Times 26 Feb 2017:
Aviva Insurance has asked its 16,000 staff: 
could a robot do your job?  If so the company 
will retrain employees for new roles.

And this more ominous headline from the US:

‘Why the United Nations must  move forward with a killer 
robots ban  – If we don’t get a ban in place there will be
an artificial intelligence arms race’

 

 

The Man on the Clapham Omnibus

The Man on the Clapham Omnibus
[the legal stereotype of the ordinary man]

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The ordinary man is considered to be
The usual chap that you would often see
This kind of guy rarely makes any fuss
Meet him every day on the Clapham bus

This man is beloved of the powers-that-be
The regular guy known to you and me
Ripe for conscription or the labour market
He is the man those in charge want to target

Sometimes accused of lacking ambition
And not all his qualities gain recognition
But this everyday man has achieved prominence
When cited in court by a judge eminent

In deciding a case of alleged negligence
Both the prosecution and the defence
Were asked to consider how this oh-so-reasonable chap
May be thinking beneath his everyday cap

So thus in our legal system it became a convention
That to this man’s concerns we should pay attention
Thus determining the view of the man in the crowd
Sets a standard of which we should really be proud

Because it means that it’s not only expert opinion
That forms the ratio of any decision
But the obiter dicta  from the ordinary man’s view
Ensures the judgement can’t be misconstrued

Ken Fisher

Ratio decidendi : the rationale for the decision
Obiter dictum :    other words or guidelines in judge’s expression of opinion

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This is more like the Clapham Omnibus in the
original court case according to a Law Report of 1903

 

The Street Evangelist

The Street Evangelist

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‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature’
Surely these are the words that provide the driving force
For street evangelists, sometimes, unkindly called Bible-thumpers
Those whose urge to proselytize will not be suppressed

And as I edge by why do I feel slightly embarrassed and ill at ease?
Is it because I think that it is vulgar for the sacred word
To be exposed to ridicule, or more likely, totally ignored
The Message condemned because of the ranting of the messenger?

The preacher and his henchmen encourage others to gather round
And just a few pause for a moment tuning their ears to unfamiliar words
Spoken from the King James Version – is this Shakespeare or what?
Words of challenge familiar to us from Sunday School texts

I suppose that in this modern day of social media where many
Voices clamour for our attention, street preachers are an anachronism
But perhaps for that very reason I feel both admiration and discomfiture
Why should the glory of the gospel be retailed on street corners?

Soon enough I turn away but not before I have heard snatches
Of the invitation to accept the saving grace of Jesus
The call to walk in God’s way and to repent my sins
This is altogether too heavy – I skulk off  for a burger!

Ken Fisher

 

Doctor’s Appointment

Doctor’s Appointment

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Why does waiting fill me with such apprehension
Alert for that buzzer, body tight with tension
Trying to appear cool, calm and collected
Pretending I am really quite unaffected

I thumb through the magazines in the waiting room
Christmas adverts although it’s well into June
Santa’s jovial face beams out amidst snow
My anxieties he clearly does not know

Names are called on the buzzer’s pulse
Each time it seems to make my heart convulse
Only two more ahead of me in the queue
Surely soon they are bound to call me through

Bored by those journals out-of-date
I spy notices which describe my fate
If I don’t seek early treatment for my ills
Remedies much more radical than pills

Doctor now ready, just go on through
I chap the door, to face the interview
But I really should not have been so scared
As with my GP pleasantries are shared

What’s the problem she gently enquires?
A question of which she never tires
I say that I am just in for my regular check
Hoping I haven’t turned into a wreck

She takes my blood pressure with that fancy scope
That its not gone sky-high is my earnest hope
Then bodily fluids are drawn off in samples
Sent off to the labs in clear shiny ampules

I stand on the scales to check on my weight
I claim that my shoes will the figure inflate
Then she asks about my exercise and diet
Of my answers she expresses some disquiet

Well fortunately now the session is over
I am hoping the tests will no nasties uncover
‘Keep taking that tablets’ she loudly declares
In a tone that’s intended to show that she cares

Ken Fisher

 

200th Poem

200th Poem

This is the 200th Poem I have published on my website

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What was the reason for my turning to verse?
So many thoughts I have tried to rehearse
Words about persons and things all around
A wide range of topics where variety abounds

Poems for the seasons forever changing
Poems about nature, ever wide-ranging
Poems about places throughout our land
Poems on all topics – nothing was banned

Poems on deep points of theology
Poems on obscure and opaque philosophy
Poems on movement and locomotion
Poems on ideas that can cause a commotion

Poems on food that may cause indigestion
Poems on the Bible which oft raised a question
Poems about work and earning a living
Poems about duty – oft unforgiving

Poems on themes of faith and matters moral
Poems on clashing ideas that may make us quarrel
Poems that are prayers offered to God
Poems that His spirit be seen abroad

Poems that sought to explain complex terms
Poems that our ignorance seemed to confirm
Poems that dealt with our changes in mood
Poems that probably did little good

Poems on funerals and occasions quite sad
Poems with nice pictures for which we were glad
Poems whose rhymes don’t easily fit
Poems with points quite hard to transmit

Poems on the city and our great nation
Poems on politics and the election
Poems noting the result of the referendum
Poems that praised our United Kingdom

Poems that attempted to explain astrophysics
Poems as obscure as vague metaphysics
Poems about money and the great credit crunch
Poems on our leaders – an inspiring bunch!

Poems that noted our life’s brief span
Poems to urge us to live as well as we can
Poems pleading that you be fully mindful
Poems that warn us to never be spiteful

And so you can see in my versification
My inner thoughts given verbalization
I hope all this effort has not largely been wasted
And some of its flavour you have joyfully tasted

Ken Fisher

USB

USB

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Where would we be without this gizmo so cute?
Vital for all with a need to compute
So many devices it helps to connect
The flow of our data by its use we direct

Over the years these gadgets evolved
Internal architectural problems resolved
Using both parallel and serial connections
The messages moved in every direction

The transfer of data between computer components
Is the task of the ‘bus’ from moment to moment
Thus hardware and software it seeks to unite
And moves all the data at the speed of light

Apart from aiding so much data traffic
USB’s have features that seem almost magic
As storage devices they can hold a huge stash
In the memory systems which they now call ‘flash’

So endless word documents and complex spreadsheets
Dictionaries and maps showing all the known streets
And our photos and music they can thus secrete
All safely stored and labeled so neat

If you wish to display your work on PowerPoint
Your presentation you can proudly anoint
With considerable glamour all packed in a stick
The audience dazzled by your display so slick

So let’s give a cheer for this great innovation
Portable media released to the nation
Within the tiny shell of the USB case
So much raw power that we can embrace

Ken Fisher

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Power Cut

Power Cut

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Today, for a brief interval, we experienced an unusual event
There was a power cut – or outage as they call it in the US
I say unusual because it seems to happen very rarely
And I thought it must simply have been a bulb
That had burned out and blown our fuses
But no, the fuses all seemed undisturbed

And so it dawned on us that our vital energy supply
Had suddenly been removed. The spark extinguished
And all at once a number of unfamiliar beeps pulsated
From devices unused to service interruption
Little red lights flashed, and LCD displays closed their eyes
Even the Smart Meter discovered it was not quite smart enough

And then one starts to wonder if other aspects of our virtual life
Have been threatened by the removal of the magic flow of electrons
What if our planned recordings on the Tivo box are sabotaged?
What about those anxiously awaited emails. The calendar
perhaps set into disarray. The reminder messages forgotten?
More important – what about tonight’s cryogenic chicken in the freezer!

Of course all of this is simply emblematic of our dependency
Without the power we have rendered ourselves powerless
No communications, no heat and light, no monitoring or control
Much of our supply of news and entertainment gone AWAL
And unless you have your home generator, how will you manage
From your nonexistent stash of batteries and candles?

Still, in days of yore humankind survived somehow
Perhaps we have all become too reliant
We cannot believe that the rupture of these vital lines
The exhaustion of non-renewable resources
Or just a simple technical glitch can thus render us hopeless
Thank goodness the power returned in ten minutes
Perhaps it was all just a brief nightmare!

Ken Fisher

Curmudgeon

Curmudgeon

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Sometimes we should briefly pause
And ask ourselves what is the cause
Of our behaviour so carnaptious
Childlike and quite often fractious

Perhaps it’s a rheumatic twinge
Or the result of some eating binge
When sometimes we feel out of sorts
Gloomy face, and temper short

Maybe a symptom of old age
Is that the reason why we rage?
At little gripes that bring dismay
That shouldn’t happen every day!

Sometimes we echo John Paul Sartre
Philosopher so very smart
He claimed ‘hell is other people’
Among them we ne’er can be gleeful

And for our temper we always find excuse
Too often we seem to feel the blues
But if a cure we hope to find
To others we need to be kind

And if we live life with a smile
Make acceptance our new style
The curmudgeon will soon fade away
As joy to others we display

Ken Fisher

Dietary Control

Dietary Control

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Recently I had to review my diet
Eat anything but just don’t fry it!
Thus the experts would advise
Caw canny on the old French fries

Perhaps I just exaggerate
Should watch what we put on our plate
No processed food laden with fat
We should remember old Jack Sprat

In an Italian diet we can rejoice
They know what is the healthy choice
Pasta seems to do much good
A dietician’s favoured food

Of great salad meals we can be proud
Veg and fruit we must espouse
Submerge yourself in oily fish
Definitely the favoured dish

Say good-bye to oven chips
Chunky steaks must now eclipse
Subsumed by beans and other pulses
Learn to control our salty urges

Apparently we need some starchy foods
Bread and rice can do much good
Potatoes baked with their skins on
Might help promote both brain and brawn

For breakfast don’t ignore your porridge
And of cereals ensure no shortage
Dairy products, milk, cheese and yoghurt
If low-fat will never hurt

Perhaps this is too scientific
Deluged with facts, far too prolific
Energy, protein, and saturates
How do I get them to my plate?

However expert advice is for the best
And while we must not be obsessed
Following their balanced plan –
More salad bowl, less frying pan!

Ken Fisher