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

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

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

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

Taking Umbridge

Taking Umbridge

UMBRIDGE

Umbridge is something I’d rather not take
Even if just for harmony’s sake
But sometimes by others I am deeply offended
By their words which I feel cannot be defended

Now and then I am sure you feel aggrieved
By untrue statements that leave you quite peeved
Little white lies that bring on vexation
Hiding the truth of the situation

A description of something, their own critique
Prompting in you a feeling of pique
What they have said is misrepresentation
Devoid of the facts of the situation

We may take umbridge when things are unfair
When we have been denied our rightful share
Too small a slice of the birthday cake
No share in the will bringing huge heartache!

Sometimes umbridge is taken at the slightest infringement
Resulting in quite disproportionate resentment
It would be better if we might tolerate
Not allowing minor issues to quickly inflate

And the question is, does it do any good?
Tell me how taking umbridge ever would
Bring change to that perplexing situation
And resolve all resentful aggravation

Perhaps the response that’s more mature
Averting umbridge that might endure
Simply adopt a smile so benign
And the portion of umbridge quite simply decline

Ken Fisher

Scrapes and Scratches, Bumps and Dents

Scrapes and Scratches, Bumps and Dents

When your new car suffers a bump or a dent
In your mind it becomes a major event
We know we really should not be so worried
But our pride and joy has somehow been sullied

Fortunately out there are experts galore
Whose websites are keen for you to explore
Offering to restore the car to perfection
Where all defects avoid any detection

But no matter how small the dent seems to you
Other panels, we are told, are affected too
So a tiny scratch or a minor scrape
Incurs a large bill that you cannot escape

So just take care when driving and parking
If unscathed by bumps you would be arriving
And thus you will avoid those scratches and dents
Which to the eye of the beholder can give such offence

Ken Fisher

The Reading of the 5,000

The Reading of the 5,000

The Reading of the 5000

[Written on the day when I reached 5,000 unique
Visitors to my web site – with 20,700 visits]

With a nod to the Biblical Miracle
When 5000 were wondrously fed
The Bard’s ever faithful followers
His verses have willingly read

The fact that so many people
Have adopted a kind attitude
To this faltering novice scribe
Commands eternal gratitude

He is pleased you have taken the time
To explore his poetic expression
Of thoughts about life and living
From boredom perhaps a digression

The topics of poems are quite widespread
And hopefully will speak to your heart
Within the range you surely will find
Some wisdom it yet might impart

And so my friend thank you once more
For being prepared to indulge
As one of those brave 5,000 souls
To whom my poetic thoughts I divulge

Ken Fisher
The Bard of Kelvindale

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture

What’s for tea?
Do you think it’ll rain
Is the gas bill due
Is the weather the same

Does this shirt need ironed?
Can I borrow your pen
Did you switch off the light
Must I ask you again

Did you fill up with fuel?
Call in at the bank
Remember kids’ sweets
Or did your mind go blank

‘Midst these myriad affairs
Imposing strictures
Obsessed with minutiae
Where’s the bigger picture?

But there is more to life
Than the common task
Of some loftier aim
Perhaps we should ask

Neglecting not
Those who on us depend
Widen our vision
Our talents extend

A bigger picture
Of the purpose of life
Revealed through thoughtful reflection
Takes shape
When we open our heart and mind
A quite different observation

Ken Fisher

Sin

Sin

 

 

Sin
A curiously old-fashioned word
Perhaps even an antiquated concept
The old adage – it is a Sin to steal a pin!
Who steals pins these days?

Sin
What is it?

Many things is would appear
From peccadillos to mortal offences
Insulting those we should revere
Crimes that merit no defences

Original sin in Eden perpetrated
Mankind’s innocence destroyed
From guilt no longer separated
Gone all goodness unalloyed

Lapses, faults, larceny, transgressions
Falling from grace, short of the mark
Sins of commission and of omission
Slanderous words, the unkind remark

And what of all those Biblical sins?
Lust and pride, envy and greed
Much worse than just a stolen pin
Gluttony, sloth not mere misdeeds

Sin abounds when we are tempted
By this world’s blandishments
Our resistance sorely tested
Disregarding punishment

Life needs sin to give it relish
From virtuous boredom be released
Its grey canvas to embellish
Peppered with impious yeast

Ken Fisher