Robin

Sonnet I

by William Shakespeare From fairest creatures we desire increase, That thereby beauty’s rose might never die, But as the riper should by time decease, His tender heir might bear his memory: But thou contracted to thy own bright eyes, Feed’st thy light’s flame with self-substantial fuel, Making a famine where abundance lies, Thy self thyContinue reading “Sonnet I”

Time out

Hope you liked the Larkin this morning. Taking time out today to have a virtual chat with the family. Back tomorrow morning in poetical mood and then the neverending story goes on.

The Whitsun Weddings

by Philip Larkin That Whitsun, I was late getting away: Not till aboutOne-twenty on the sunlit SaturdayDid my three-quarters-empty train pull out,All windows down, all cushions hot, all sense Of being in a hurry gone. We ranBehind the backs of houses, crossed a streetOf blinding windscreens, smelt the fish-dock; thence The river’s level drifting breadth began,Where sky andContinue reading “The Whitsun Weddings”

Summertime and the lovin’ is …. not that easy

In 1965 in the UK Harold Wilson was Prime Minister; wartime PM Winston Churchill was given a state funeral; Liverpool won the FA Cup for the first time; Ian Smith was preparing to declare UDI in Rhodesia; the Beatles first film ‘Help” was released; capital punishment was ended; Kenneth Tynan was the first person toContinue reading “Summertime and the lovin’ is …. not that easy”

Sea Virus

by Gwyneth Lewis I knew I should never have gone below but I did, and the fug of bilges and wood caught me aback. The sheets of my heart snapped taut to breaking, as a gale stronger than longing filled the sail inside me. To be shot of land and its woodsmoke! To feel theContinue reading “Sea Virus”

What a year

I have to admit 1965 turned out to be quite a year. Leaving grammar school at 15 was not a usual occurrence in the 60s. The point is I didn’t fit in. If a lesson interested me then I gave it my full attention. The problem was that other than English the major part ofContinue reading “What a year”

Batpoem

By Adrian Henri(for Bob Kane and The Almost Blues) Take me back to Gotham CityBatmanTake me where the girls are prettyBatmanAll those damsels in distressHalf-undressed or even lessThe BatPill makes’em all say YesBatman Help us out in VietnamBatmanHelp us drop that BatNapalmBatmanHelp us bomb those jungle townsSpreading pain and death aroundCoke ‘n’ Candy wins themContinue reading “Batpoem”

Headmaster O belligerent boy 1

All the way home after my “little chat” with the headmaster I was wondering what to say to my parents and how they would take it. I wasn’t worried. I wasn’t frightened. My father was a big man. He was also a gentle man. He never raised his hand in anger. Considering all he hadContinue reading “Headmaster O belligerent boy 1”

Pathology of Colours

by Dannie Abse I know the colour rose, and it is lovely,but not when it ripens in a tumour;and healing greens, leaves and grass, so springlike,in limbs that fester are not springlike. I have seen red-blue tinged with hirsute mauvein the plum-skin face of a suicide.I have seen white, china white almost, starefrom behaind theContinue reading “Pathology of Colours”

Feet of clay

Over the last four or five decades forensic science has become a major factor in TV series. If the main character was not a pathologist then he/she was sure to be one of the stars. The first major tv show starring a pathologist was Quincy ME, starring the lugubrious Jack Klugman as Professor Quincy, aContinue reading “Feet of clay”