Topical Poetry

"Lessons for How to Use Facebook"

Facebook is the place to be
For posting photos of your tea
For moaning online when no-one cares
And when you're ill or have fallen down stairs
It's great for posting all those selfies
Or even cartoons of self as elfies
So many birthday wishes to make
And adding piccies of your cake
For playing games like "Candy Crush"
Or status updates when you're in a rush
They give a snapshot of your life
Your kids, your house, your cat, your wife
Funny meme's may make you laugh
Just don't post photos whilst in the bath!
Topical jokes, and hating the Tories
Telling lies and making up stories
Books you've read, and photos of cats
Whinges, moans and nasty spats
Hateful comments make it there too
Just hope and pray that they're not about you!
Song lyrics which tug at your heart
Or remind you of a time when you were torn apart
Its a place to make a difference

Or changing views of your friends, your audience
For hating Cancer and other diseases
Or telling the world when your kid has the measles
Videos of songs that you really love
For poking people (or giving a shove)
Yes Facebook is the place to be
And especially great for poets like me!

"The Morning After the Night Before"

The harsh morning, after the fun night before

Feeling more jaded than you’ve got credit for

Clothes all dishevelled and head thick with pain

Just like you’ve been flattened by a runaway train

Last night’s mascara and last night’s expression

Far too little sleep you glide into depression

Too many drinks and too much passion with strangers

Beguilled by the night, ignoring the dangers

Your memory’s fading with the dark of the night

Selective retention in dawn’s early light

Awakening in surroundings completely bizarre

Sneaking away from the place that brought you afar

No idea of your mind, or your current location

You gaze at a map, try to find a station

Others look at you sadly, eyes filled with pity

You have no concern for them, or this city

Sunglasses on, and your best party dress

You recall last night’s fun, a total success!

"It's Your Musical Taste That I'm Judging You On"

I don’t care for the colour of your skin
Or the God you pray to,
Or the mood that you’re in

I’m not concerned if you’re gay or straight

Or something between; that’s not what I hate

I don’t give a fig if you’re a man or a woman

Active, passive, lazy or sloven

But when it comes to music, then that’s where I’m at

I don’t care what you like, even if its old hat

Passive popular melodies just aren’t my goal

Give me some PASSION, something to stir the soul

Punk, SKA, Reggae or Rap

Something with soul, not any old crap!

Electronic, Synth, Alternative or Goth

Are where my heart lies but that’s not enough!

Shades of Brecht, sea shanties, and Brel

Delivered by Almond, now they ring my bell!

Siouxsie, the goddess, is my kind of girl

A fan since the 80’s, I’ve watched her unfurl

Mode are the synth gods, delivering sound

Which bridge the gap ‘tween pop and underground

Too many to list that have a place in my history

(Some combinations, quite frankly, are a mystery!)

But forget any prejudice, traditional hates

My music is who I am, its fate

Its me, its who I’ve become

So please remember when its all said and done

It’s your musical taste that I’m judging you on

8th April 2013
"Death of a Grocer's Daughter"

The streets are full of revellers
Who are partying tonight
About the death of a woman
Who would not give up the fight

The memories of Thatcher will
Always stain my youth,
And the Poll Tax and other riots
Where we all fought nail and tooth

Clause 28, and sanctions and
Of course the privatisations
She brought about a future of sorts
And the wholesale death of a nation

Her passing means nothing now
Some 30 years have passed
And I now feel indifference,

Or something else, when asked

So Maggie died today,
and I will celebrate
When Thatcherism dies as well

Now wouldn't *that* be great?!

When Tory cuts and slashes
Targeting the disabled and the brave
And Bedroom Tax for masses
Are given an early grave

When Cameron and Osbourne
Come to learn, what *real life's* all about
THEN I'll be dancing in the streets
Of that, there is no doubt