1059 - Up early

So short of sleep, I went to work today
The guy below was singing, half-seven
Before that I’d been woken up by… Hey!
Wheelie bins being dragged at 7.15?
What gives? Got up and went in. Yes, went in
But not much done, well, unsurprisingly
A works do, with beer and a meal looming
Blokes at one end, the girls all separately
But later, managed to talk to Tracey
While eyeing up the girls in the bar; they
Had legs to die for. Wasted, wasted on
Whoever they were with, temporarily
The rain eased off, the sun came out to play
And in the end it was a nice evening
Wed 29 July 2009

1056 - For the young

It’s one-thirty a.m. Most are asleep
Apart from rust, of course, and you and me
Not far to go till rest; I hope I’ll keep
Asleep long enough so I’ve energy
For yet another working week. But we
Who have our jobs and moan, forget those who
Are young and struggling for equality
In today’s marketplace where jobs are few
Even if qualified. Seems there’s a queue
For anything worthwhile, and the scrap heap
Is where our youngsters are condemned quickly
What will this country be like in a few
More years of this relentless profit creep
Once again, the bosses own you and me
Sun 26 July 2009

1045 - Work again

Returned to work, but took the morning off
Watched TV, and read a biography
That now and then is proving somewhat tough
It’s about Elizabeth Bathory
Who tortured and killed girls in Hungary
Around the time of Shakespeare, spearing them
Burning and freezing them horrifically
Killing 300 or more in her dens
Her castles, manor houses, noble friends
Protecting her for so long. Then work stuff
Had to be done in Warrington, where we
Discussed tax with a company. I went
In navy suit and purple tie… Enough
Smartness for one year - scruffiness for me!
Wed 15 July 2009

1037 - Fighting for breath

So here I am, late Tuesday night, fulfilled
I’ve gone to work, come home and played music
A good chat with Andy, with some beers swilled
This must be better than being fast stuck
In domesticity; there’s something sick
When individuality’s suppressed
When dreams are repressed by somebody’s thick
Obedience to society, that pest
That adds to nine to five’s slavery, worst
Of all when it extends its many ills
To our free time; that really takes the mick…
If I am allowed one final request
It’s that, before I croak, my life is filled
With doing what I want. Yes - that’s the trick!
Tue 7 July 2009

1026 - We're all going

Late June, and talk turns to our holidays
John's off to Sweden to see his brother
Amanda's off to Turkey for a laze
By the pool in the sun, while the other
John's off to far-off California
Annie will no doubt go to France again
I'm off to Ireland soon myself, hell yeah!
And Charles was talking about going to Spain
Of course, we all pay to escape the rain
Here's hoping we get our share of sun's rays
Here's hoping for sunburn (I don't smother
Myself in sunscreen; that sure is a pain)
And so we'll soon all go our separate ways
And do our best to forget each other
Fri 26 June 2009

1012 - The weekend starts here (in the office)

The weekend starts here, summery and light
It's the best time of year, makes us cheerful
There's hardly even such a thing as night
Makes the wine glass seem less empty, more full
Like the belly of the guy sitting all
Of five feet away, talking on the phone
My manager's started on the long haul
To Southport by train, eager to get home
And his manager, she wants to get goin'
We're all sick of our wage slavery plight
They want to be sat in their gardens, all
But me, who has no garden of his own
However, I'll make sure my evening's bright
I'll record some new songs, and learn them well
Fri 12 June 2009

997 - What I've got

I've got a sore throat, it's hurting me so
I thought I'd recovered a week ago
But now it's uncomfortable to swallow
It's a pain in the neck. Why won't it go?

I've got writer's block, poems will not come
I need to attend workshops, so hold some
Give me ideas, for my brain is numb
Help me write something that will raise a thumb

I've got lots of work to do, but that's good
Without work, you can get stuck in the mud
Retirement is a dirty word, you could
Find yourself bored to death, boxed up in wood

I've got to finish now and get on home
That's passed time happily, writing this poem

Thur 27 May 2009

983 - Giggin' in Wigan 2

Tonight I shall be giggin' in Wigan
Well, okay, it's just an open-mike night
Before that, hopefully, I'll be eatin'
With Christine and Carole, something quite light
In a Wigan cafe before the flight
To the Tudor House Hotel for the show
Two nights ago, sober, managed to write
A longish new poem I hope will go
Down well like the food. Before all that, though
I must plough through some work that's been pilin'
Up on my desk. With any luck I might
Actually get some of it done, the flow
Of emails usually slowing me, and then
Leave work early for Wigan poetry night
Thur 14 May 2009

970 - Hotel bed 2

I’m sorry, my love, not many sweet dreams
Mainly my own fault, also partly theirs
Making me stay up late chatting, the themes
Of work and private life a colleague shares
In pubs, restaurants, through the wee small hours
Got off to sleep okay, but woke at six
Disturbed by sounds from the next room, those showers
Those lightswitches, tap turnings, all those clicks
Those hums, those coughs, doors, voices, real sick tricks
Like ignored wake-up calls… To me it seems
Unthinkable to sleep on unawares
Through three such calls, but next door’s guest, he likes
To wake up slowly, he needs three alarms
So now I’m really knackered, sorry dear
Fri 1 May 2009

969 - Hotel bed

I’m writing this here on my hotel bed
So that I can go out and drink my fill
And, when I get back, can empty my head
And bladder, hop in bed, exit the real
Scenic train ride to York, hill after hill
Until, after Leeds, Yorkshire land turns flat
A pleasant spring walk, Minster’s clanging bell
Celebrating or warning, but of what?
Our meeting, as expected, filled with chat
Big mouths that mustn’t be interrupted
Big and small thoughts, it all made John feel ill
But still, that long agenda has been brought
Close to the end, and that’s what we wanted
Tomorrow’s session all gently downhill
Thur 30 Apr 2009

968 - Travelogue

Last day in the office for a while - great!
A two-day meeting in a York hotel,
The usual booze-up and meal on our plates
Then, when it’s over, Friday night my girl
And I will reunite, her slim legs curled
Around me, hopefully, like times before
Being close to her’s the best thing in the world
Going on an anatomical tour
Is a thrill when there’s time to kill, to score
Is always my goal; like chess, she’s my mate
And then, on Sunday, I fly off to Pearl
In Paris, where I’ll happily spend four
Days by the Seine, then back home very late
On Friday morning. Hope it all goes well!
Wed 29 Apr 2009

967 - Best-laid plans

This week, next week, busy busy busy
This week, hard work combined with performance
Next week, visiting Paris, where I’ll see
My daughter, Pearl, again. I’ve seen her once
There last November, but this is a chance
To see both her and Paris in the spring
Today I chaired a meeting, seat of pants
Type job, as usual, the talkers talking
And me trying to do the controlling
That’s out of the way now, next one is the
Big two-day meeting in York; first, a chance
To improvise some singing and playing
Tomorrow night in Bolton, at Andy
And Gary’s poetry night…So much for plans
Tue 28 Apr 2008

961 - Work, poetry and life itself

Back home, like England World Cup Squad ’70
I ponder all the things that are not right
But there are so many, yes, too many
Nevertheless we see life through till night
In Newcastle things seemed to go alright
Potentially fraught meeting went quite well
Keeping control of babblers is the height
Of chairmanship in meetings; how to tell
Them: Stick to the agenda! Need a bell
Or gong to shut them up. But good to see
Difficult subjects dealt with in a light-
Hearted way. But I still have to deal
With life itself, and that is less easy
Than work or poetry. Life is our plight
Wed 22 Apr 2009

960 - Meeting in Glasgow

Morning in Glasgow, light rain was falling
No umbrella or hood, so slightly wet
I arrived with John at that large building
In which, at 10 am, we should have met
Mike C and Dave R. Mike’s not there, Dave’s late
But Clare’s there, so is Chris, so talking starts
As the sun shows its face, and soon we get
Through numerous points. Dave turns up and imparts
His wisdom. After lunch we then report
To Tracey’s desk, then Gerry’s, for briefing
Yes, it seems they are in a right old state
But things are getting better, though it hurts
Right now. Like all of us they are learning…
Newcastle next, more colleagues there to meet
Tue 21 Apr 2009

955 - Feline good

I’m getting ready to go out again
With J, after our Easter together
What we’ve got planned is a night in Chorlton
To watch musicians play on the guitar
I don’t expect I’ll take part; not been there
Before, so best maybe if I just watch,
Ask J about my new phone, and prepare
For an early departure…work is such
A busy place this month, with a whole batch
Of meetings coming up, rides on the train
But anyway, I’ll pick up my guitar
Before I go out with my special catch
And practice ‘You Are the Cat’ once again
Well, you see, J is such a cat lover
Thur 16 Apr 2009

947 - Life in a day

This little man has had a busy day
Was dreaming about cricket on the beach
And I chased the ball in a lazy way
By driving my car after it, but each
Time I need rest someone always must reach
My eardrums with a shout or song, and so
It proved at 3:15 am, some French
Drunkard woke me up! I drifted back slow
Into a doze, then up at six; you know
I had to catch a train and plane today
To Northern Ireland to see Martin; such
A long meeting, then home. I said I’d go
To Hebden Bridge music night; saw Deb play
Her flute, I sang, and spoke in rhyming speech
Wed 8 Apr 2009

945 - Tonight's not the night

Thinking of you and listening to The Who
And shortly now Neil Young will have sung
‘Tonight’s The Night,’ but he’s not right; no, you
And me were last night; tonight I’ll just hang
Around the flat, feeling shattered; I’ll bung
On ‘Gomorrah’ tonight, not tomorrow
When I’ll see ‘Space Odyssey.’ That’ll bring
Me down to earth, grounded before I go
To Belfast again on a plane; no snow
This time unlike that last time when I flew
Tonight there’ll be a flight, but not so strong
Or fast as Belfast or last night….Oh, no
Tonight it’s flights of fantasy, not you
Tomorrow, too, ‘Without You’ to be sung
Mon 6 Apr 2009

942 - Sweet tongues

This Belgian beer’s good stuff, I sleep real good
Each morning, drifting in and out I go
Finally, out of bed and down the road
I walk, listening to rock, soul and disco
Discussing work, chatting and reading through
Today’s emails, getting quite a lot done
Refreshed in body and mind, the window
Lets in the misty morning breeze, but come
Lunchtime the cool mist is replaced by sun
Blue skies again to sweeten my workload
Made sweeter still by knowing what I know
About you so far, telling everyone
Tonight’s the night we eat our fill, the food
Will be so sweet…Shame that I’ll have to go….
Fri 3 Apr 2009

932 - Computing, not commuting

The joys of living close to work are these:
Taking an hour to wake up, radio
So slowly drifting into consciousness
When outside showers drip, no need to go
Just yet, get wet in my own shower, slow
And warm, spring fragrance from a factory
Brings soaked-in sunshine from head to my toe
Shaving appliance blunt, there’s no worry
Have time to replace blade, and watch TV
Stroll into work, stroll home, still early, keys
And shopping in my hand, it’s grand to know
So much time left, still so much energy
To write and play, still light outside; now seize
The remains of the day. Makes sense, you know!
Tue 24 Mar 2009

931 - Another week at work

A sunny day, a windy day, and rain
Combined to stun us on our walks outside
A busy day, a meetings day, the strain
Of finding boxfuls of emails to read
Like minefields over which we slowly stride
Defusing each problem and each complaint
Before we can begin then to decide
Which long-delayed project we now attempt
Which one to resurrect, which should be dumped
Back onto the backburner once again
And this same frustration extends inside
To crowded private lives squeezed to the end
Of each day’s tasks, when we’d rather have lain
Inert, or with a new lover, or cried
Mon 23 Mar 2009