MONSTER IN THE CUPBOARD

From my book "Juggling Jelly"

There's a monster in the cupboard,

I hear it breathing in and out,

Waiting to grab a hold of me,

Of that I have little doubt.

Some days it's cold and frosty,

The days when I need my duffel,

But on reaching in to grab it

I swear I hear a shuffle.

Just like football strikers,

I have to be quick on the bounce,

In and out in seconds before 

The monster has time to pounce.

People say I imagine it

And urge me to stop my bleating,

Saying the noise and creaks and gurgles

Are from the central heating.

(Yeah, right!)

CIRCUMFERENCE

"All my life's a circle......" Harry Chapin

It could be a lake, a flat-earth water space
with edges to dare the intrepid to go beyond,
or for the meek to stop an inch before,
a circle, not pure and planed like curved wood
but a ragged, rough free-hand pencil drawing,
a corral of experiences and memories,
a place of commas, full-stops and capital letters,
pauses, shocks and new beginnings,

a lake where a ripple heads towards the circumference
not knowing if it will rebound or spill over
into someone else's space.

ANDY MURRAY....UPDATED

ANDY MURRAY - UPDATED - & UPDATED - & UPDATED AGAIN

From 9 July 2012:

Based loosely on the format of the song The Scottish Soldier...........

There was a player,

a Scottish player

who came across as dour

on the tough tennis tour,

he’d grump and smoulder

with good broad shoulder

he fought in many a set

and sometimes won.

His chance at glory

was the Wimbledon story,

a battle glorious, a tad laborious,

he lost the prize, tears in his eyes

but won the hearts of all who cheered him on.

You see his driving force is to find the guts,

no ifs, ands and buts, just a sportsman’s guts,

and when he wipes away that final tear, have no fear,

he’ll have next  year,

to fight in many a game and fight to win.

From 5 August 2012

There was a player,

a Scottish player

to the Olympics came

to play a tennis game,

he proved much bederer

than Roger Federer,

he toiled and lo behold,

he won the gold.

His chance at glory,

great GB story,

sublime, victorious, perfect and glorious,

he claimed the prize, joy in his eyes,

another legend, London 2012.

From 11 September 2012

There was a player,

a Scottish player,

no more an also-ran,

he won a Grand wee Slam

there's no more mopin'

he won the Open

by beating Djokovic,

he fought and won.

After years of frowns,

of ups and downs,

this is the best of years,

triumphant smiles and tears,

he scotched the doom,

erased the gloom

in this his purple patch,

game, set and match.

From 8 July 2013

There was a player,

a Scottish player,

who was no simbledon

'cos he won Wimbledon,

he is the best,

he beat the rest

and the last thing he deserves

is a stupid poem.

Congratulations

and celebrations

with or without Sir Cliff,

Andy reached the final tiff,

it was no shock

he knocked Novak's block,

with Lendl in his camp

he's the Wimbo champ.

Applause.....................

CRACKED SAUCER

On a cracked saucer in my father's last abode,
two shirt buttons, a blue paperclip, three drawing pins,
a curl of brown thread and a crumpled bus ticket.

There was no last will and testament,
so I followed the finders-keepers rule,
and lifted the saucer closer to my angry eyes.

This was it. These items and a few tacky Bic razors,
all that remained of this man, all that he became
in those years after "the leaving".

I carried the saucer and contents to the window,
looked out into the dull Clapham day,
dropped a glance to the waste bin 
and threw the lot away.

I strained my eyes looking over the rooftops
beyond the beyond to see as far as I could see,
looking for the assurance that I was right in my judgement
that he meant nothing to me.

JUST BECAUSE (RE POLITICIANS, MAINLY)

Just because someone
assumes,
affirms,
asserts,
believes,
contemplates,
declares,
deems,
estimates,
expects,
fears,
feels,
foresees,
maintains,
postulates,
presumes,
supposes,
surmises,
suspects,
is
opinionated,
biased,
cocksure,
confident,
dictatorial,
dogged,
dogmatic,
firm,
obstinate,
resolute,
stubborn,
unbending,
unyielding,
wilful,
doesn't mean
they are right
or what they say
will happen.

DISTRACTIONS

Too many distractions,
the rain,
the wind's whisper,
trees in conversation
with urgent birds,
a fly that taunts,
a memory that haunts,
the distant thrum of traffic on the by-pass,
PPI nuisance phone calls,
the words that won't come,
the chapter that has to wait,
a day ticking along,
time wasted
listing too many distractions.

A SWEET BABY BOY

Six weeks,
a new life,
tiny human,
nine pounds,
wrapped in a baby-gro,
miniature fingers,
exploring eyes,
the joys of food, sleep
and innocence,
pure, simple,
beautiful life,
lying there,
a definition of joy,
a sweet baby boy.