Dance of the Munchkins

Dance of the Munchkins

Pause everything now,
Put this world on hold,
A moment so special,
Commands this beauty I behold,

In front of me I see you,
I don't know what to say,
The word I think I want 's in French,
That word my sweets "Parfait",

I sit, I gaze, admiring your eyes,
Can't I just be with them until sunrise?,
Chemicals flow like rapids filling my bloodstream,
Babe, did you just say "I want some ice cream"?,

"I'm so happy that I'm with you"
What can I say except "well, me too"?
I love you babe,
I love you too.
Explanation Another one I'm going to leave completely to personal interpretation. It's basically those moments you spend with your girlfriend or boyfriend that are kind of silly, but very special. The only part I'll comment on is "Babe, did you just say "I want some ice cream"?", which just refers to a lovely content moment I was sharing with my girlfriend when she was cuddled up to me. I thought it was all romantic, but with resulting hilarity, she just blurted out "I want some ice cream" :D

Alive and Drumming

The rush of playing live in a band.....

Alive and drumming

Stepping forth into the arena,
A band of merry gladiators appear,

Brandishing our weapons and ready to fight,
A vibrate sound we shall play here tonight,

Swords of different shape and size
Cheers from the crowds making our prize,

Oozing blood sweat and tears,
The reggae and funk fill our ears,

Chemicals rush into our bloodstream,
Charging with weapons at fullsteam,

Smiles and happiness fill the air around me
Did I just hear "have another cup of tea"?
Explanation
You kinda of need to have played live in a samba band to get this. I recommend doing that!

Sunday Lovers

Sunday Lovers

Together in this moment,
Serenity exists,
I have everything I want
When I feel your soft sweet kiss

This moment is ours,
The world stands still,
Gazing into your eyes,
This feels such a thrill,

Loyal by your side, holding your hand,
For this special moment, admiration demands,
On these shared paths both the new and the old,
I have just to smile, your beauty I behold,

The sun on our backs, the wind in your hair
I know that I want not to be elsewhere,
Matters not do the sights, smells and sounds,
For you my sweetheart my love knows no bounds.

Explanation
I think this is pretty much self explanatory and in fact I'll just leave it as this so each person can have their own take on it. Kept meaning to do this one for some time since I saw a couple walking past a few Sundays ago, having a lovely romantic moment to themselves (yeah guys can be suckers for romance too you know folks!). Today (although a Saturday), I saw another couple together holding hands, so with that inspiration engaged :).......

Well with spring firmly on its way, the Sunday lovers shall soon be out in force! Yes, that secret (and envied amongst singletons) club of couples who dominate the paths of towns, cities and parks across the country. Sharing their love for one another as they stroll innocently along the streets in their own little bubble of love.

Twenty-six Little Squiggles

Twenty-six Little Squiggles

Twenty-six little squiggly lines,
All innocent and inconspicuous,
Like a love who is unrequited,
They sit unaware of their power,

Upper and sometimes lower,
Set ready for the dart thrower,
Going from quill to keyboard,
The pen is mightier than the sword

Rosetta Stone to Tweeting
Hieroglyphics to "OMG",
Continually evolving?,
Definitely, maybe,

W.H. Auden to W.H. Smiths,
Both places for squiggles to enlighten,
Shakespeare and Wordsworth,
Inspired by authors unknown,

Causing smiles and tears, happiness and despair,
In the right hands, beautiful, in the wrong, hell,
Eight squiggles to tell someone they're special,
Yeah, those are my favourite of all the squiggles,

Twenty-six little squiggles.
Explanation
Twenty-six little squiggly lines,
Should be obvious, but in case it's not, it's the letter of the alphabet
All innocent and inconspicuous, Like a love who is unrequited,
They sit unaware of their power,
On their own, they just sit there, waiting to be used. It's when they're put together that their power begins to emerge
Upper and sometimes lower,
As in cases...
Set ready for the dart thrower,
The person who holds the pen, keyboard, ready to be used and create pleasure, humour, joy, even distress.
Going from quill to keyboard,
The evolution of writing instruments
The pen is mightier than the sword
A well known quote and very true I think

Rosetta Stone to Tweeting Hieroglyphics to "OMG",
Continually evolving?,
The evolution of how sending written messages has evolved, and will continue to do so
Definitely, maybe,
Basically saying that it is, but is also the title of the an album by British rock band Oasis - another form of writing
W.H. Auden to W.H. Smiths, Both places for squiggles to enlighten,
The famous poet, W.H. Auden, author of one of my favourite poems, "Funeral Blues" to a the shop W.H. Smiths which sells books, magazines and all other kinds of written material
Shakespeare and Wordsworth,
Inspired by authors unknown,
That this famous authors of great works of art have inspired people to write, but they themselves will have been inspired to put pen to paper and realise it's an amazing process to involve oneself in

Causing smiles and tears, happiness and despair,
Basically all the different situations that the written word (or words) can create and trigger
In the right hands, beautiful, in the wrong, hell,
Think about your favourite musician, poet, playwrite whoever you admire. It's beautiful. But many of us have been in situation where someone has written something so so mean which makes us angry and upset. It's these little letters that create this.
Eight squiggles to tell someone they're special,
Yeah, those are my favourite of all the squiggles,
I L O V E Y O U

Twenty-six little squiggles.

This Is The Way We Play The Caixa

This Is The Way We Play The Caixa

Brigadier General Fred takes his place,
Standing high above his troops,

"Today soldiers, we go forth to face our enemy,
Be ferocious in battle, but magnanimous in victory,

Tame the beast, make friends with it,
Its name - The Samba. Now let us commence",

Our army's name: The Bateria,
Our weapons are cleaned and ready for use,

The command to move is issued by our commander,
"Standby, standby, GO!",

The engines of the Surdos roar into action,
As intimidating as any tank should be,

Following on in their masses - the Caixas,
The ever-present loyal and skilled infantrymen,

Bolstering the Caixas are the Repiniques,
Specialised in both weapon and hand-to-hand combat,

Supporting these forces, the Tamborims,
Diligent and competent engineers,

Combining their strengths are the Agogos and Chocalhos,
This signals corp defines our regimental march,

Our strengths are numerous,
We hold the ground,

Chanting the spirit of,
Dagga dagga da boom bang!
Explanation
If you play in a Bateria, this'll make sense to you. If not, it's hard to explain. The solution is to join a samba band. The basic analogy though is that of the director being the commander of a military unit and taking his forces into battle

An Ode to Londinium

An Ode to Londinium

Awight mate, ar you dooin?
Where we goin' tonight then guvna'?

Flashbulbs a flickerin' in the London Eye,
The tourists fill the pods,

O Lord, keep safe our Queen Victoria the First,
He keeps time on millions of schedules,

A lonesome bobby protects the door to Number 10,
Four lions on patrol roaming freely in the square,

Laughter spills out from the comedy store,
Mamma Mia, Wicked and Billy Eillot,

Sanyo, TDK and Coca-cola in neon,
Lighting the way for lovers below Anteros

Ever faithful to Her Royal Highness,
The bearskin hats stand ever vigilant,

Black and white, rich and poor,
The herds pack themselves into watering holes,

Buses and boats and tubes and trains,
Carrying the ants along paths well worn,

Returning home up the apples and pears,
To do it all over again tomorrow.

As the sun sets over London
Explanation

In my view, this is the worst one I've done, so be gentle.

Awight mate, ar you dooin?
Where we goin' tonight then guvna'?

The typical sort of thing you might hear from a London cabbie when you get in a black cab.

Flashbulbs a flickerin' in the London Eye,
The tourists fill the pods,

Often, if you're walk around London at dusk or any time after before the London eye closes, if you can see the London Eye and look closely, you can see camera flashbulbs going off from groups of tourists in the pods that go round.

O Lord, keep safe our Queen Victoria the First,
He keeps time on millions of schedules,

Inscribed just below the clock on Big Ben are the words "DOMINE SALVAM FAC REGINAM NOSTRAM VICTORIAM PRIMAM", which is the Latin translation for "O Lord, keep safe our Queen Victoria the First"

A lonesome bobby protects the door to Number 10,

Bobby is a (nice) slang name for a policeman here. You'll pretty much always see a single policeman standing outside the famous black door to Number 10 Downing Street

Four lions on patrol roaming freely in the square,

At the centre of Trafalgat square is Nelson's Column, guarded by four lions.

Laughter spills out from the comedy store,
Mamma Mia, Wicked and Billy Eillot,

Describing the theatre/entertainment area of London

Sanyo, TDK and Coca-cola in neon,

The famous advertisement boards in Piccadilly circus

Lighting the way for lovers below Anteros

The statue in the centre of Piccadilly circus is that of Anteros, the Greek god of requited love

Ever faithful to Her Royal Highness,
The bearskin hats stand ever vigilant,

The foot guards, usually from the British Army on patrol outside Buckingham Palace and St James's Palace. Their well known bearskin hats are featured in many a tourist's holiday photos

Black and white, rich and poor,

This refers to two things. Firstly the vast cosmopolitan and different ethnicites that you'll find in London. It also refers to a line from the theme tune to a British comedy TV show, which was huge in the 80's and 90's "Only Fools and Horses"

The herds pack themselves into watering holes,

Usually after a day at work, you'll see hundreds of people in suits gathered outside pubs having a drink after work.

Buses and boats and tubes and trains,
Carrying the ants along paths well worn,

The many forms of public transportation on offer in London. Around big stations, there number of people look like a colony of ants moving.

Returning home up the apples and pears,

Apples and pears is Cockney rhyming slang for stairs as all the workers arrive home and go up the stairs to bed.

To do it all over again tomorrow.
As the sun sets over London

As the sun sets of London is an album by London born and based musician Jools Holland, who has been a big musical influence to London, and the rest of the UK

Life In An "Open" Prison

Imprisoned in a room with no locks
The sun is shining outside. It's cloudy today,
It's a lovely warm day,
Yet I'm cold, A garden in full bloom
All the plants and flowers, dead,

My favourite film is on TV today,
It's a shame there's nothing on,
My beloved music collection,
Not one song I like,

My own mind,
Mine,
Turning on itself,
Scaring its owner,

Victim, or criminal,
Who am I?

I'm one very scared little boy.
Explanation
I'm not putting an explanation here. However, I will say that this poem is about depression and each person needs to take whatever they need to from these words. I don't want to influence anything here.

How Short Can A Poem Be?

Well, I dunno, but I wanted to note this moment with one.

Today, the weather is warm and sunny here in the UK. Just now, whilst writing something else on my computer, a lovely cool gust of wind entered my room through the open window.

Gust

A visitor who need never knock,
Welcome always with open arms,
Carrying the notes of a thousand tunes,
Gently she surrounds me,
Hairs stand on end,
Eyelashes flicker,
A concoction of smells fill my nose,
Ahh, lovely.

Don, The Carpenter

The Carpenter's Operation

All scrubbed up and ready to go,
The surgeon's instruments get into character,
Now is the time for the procedure to begin,
As I watch this master's story unfold,

Laid out the patient awaits his treatment,
Your passion making an inspiring statement,
Commencing the forging of grain and knot,
Your taming of the wood delicately forethought,

The floor sits covered in a fresh snowfall covered landscape,
Each gentle manoeuvre making ready an avalanche of sawdust,
Your friends in the chisels, saws, hammers and nails,
Call for your attention as you mold your next masterpiece.
Explanation
During my pre-teen/early teen years, I was having some problems at school - not settling in or adjusting to my new school etc. One of the activities I did to take my mind off things was to spend some time with a friend of my parents who was a carpenter. Together we would make bits and bobs out of wood. The "masterpiece" being a big rabbit hutch for the two rabbits my sister and I had recently been given.

Although old enough to be my grandad, I enjoyed spending time with Don who was aware that at the time I needed a break from the difficulties I was having at school.

I still remember admiring his skills as a craftsman. His attention to detail and passion for doing a good job, meritorious. I actually found out a while ago that Don had passed away. I was quite sad about that as he was a good man. But this poem lives on in his memory.
This poem takes uses the analogy of a hospital procedure as the craftsmanship taking place.
All scrubbed up and ready to go,
Getting ready to do some woodwork, getting the safety goggles on, clearing space etc
The surgeon's instruments get into character,
Each tool has its own role, sometimes multi-roles to play in crafting the masterpiece
Now is the time for the procedure to begin, As I watch this master's story unfold,
Getting ready to watch, in this case Don begin to do his work. Held in much admiration the same way that a keen medical intern would watch a top surgeon perform his skills to save a patient.
Laid out the patient awaits his treatment,
Basically to start with, it's a block of wood, laid out on the workbench, ready to receive it's new limbs and appearance
Your passion making an inspiring statement,
The work of Don becoming something was really quite inspiring
Commencing the forging of grain and knot,
The masterpiece would begin to take shape and really start to look something
Your taming of the wood delicately forethought,
All masters of their work first have to the understand and tame the beast

The floor sits covered in a fresh snowfall covered landscape,
All the wood chippings that would fall to the floor during all the cutting, sawing etc
Each gentle manoeuvre making ready an avalanche of sawdust,
Continuing the shaping, little piles of sawdust would grow and become bigger ones
Your friends in the chisels, saws, hammers and nails,
Call for your attention as you mold your next masterpiece.
A skilled craftsman has to develop a health, almost interacting relationship with his tools. They need to understand each other's strengths and weaknesses. When not working, a true craftsman, whether that be a carpenter or musician will often say that his tools/instruments call to him/her to make more.

This Green and Pleasant Land

This Green and Pleasant Land

Sitting high above this checkered quilt of many shades,
A amazing technicolour dreamcoat surrounds my entire gaze,
Stretching as far as the eye can see, a moment belonging to me,

The march of a thousand delicate buds of cotton wool,
Each one casting a shadow across this enchanting landscape,
Dancing in tandem with the waves of warmth on my back,

A gentle breeze moves through the air, turning a lonely windmill,
An army ten billion strong, waits for it command to charge,
Each soldier saluting the gusts which come before him,

Dotted like ants along this vista,
A herds of cows innocently chews the cud,
A newly born lamb takes its first steps,

Off in the distance, a polished church bell reflects the sunlight,
Rising chimney smoke guides my eyes towards contrails,
Unrehearsed yet perfectly harmonised, birds tweet the chorus,

In this unconditionally beautiful landscape sitting before me, serenity exists.

When I wrote this poem, I had an image in my head. When browsing some photographs that a colleague had taken, I came across an image that was exactly the one I had imagined. It was quite a moment for me to see the words as a picture! He has very kindly given me permission to use his photograph in this post. 
Image credit: Bobiko on Flickr

Explanation

Sitting high above this checkered quilt of many shades,
A amazing technicolour dreamcoat surrounds my entire gaze,
Stretching as far as the eye can see, a moment belonging to me,

Like placed high up on a hill overlooking lots of fields, each one with its own colour tone just like Joseph's technicolour dreamcoat.

The march of a thousand delicate buds of cotton wool,
Each one casting a shadow across this enchanting landscape,

Nice, white, puffy, patchy clouds moving slowly across the sky, with matching shadow on the ground

Dancing in tandem with the waves of warmth on my back,

Along with the sun oozing through between the clouds leaving a lovely feeling of warmth on the skin

A gentle breeze moves through the air, turning a lonely windmill,

Self explanatory right?

An army ten billion strong, waits for it command to charge,

Millions (well billions!) of blades of grass all standing straight up with a light gust of wind about to hit them

Each soldier saluting the gusts which come before him,

As the wind moves through, the move slightly all together as if saluting a commanding officer as he walks onto the parade ground

Dotted like ants along this vista, 

With a huge vista in view, being able to see hundreds of cows (and other farm animals) far away

A herds of cows innocently chews the cud,
A newly born lamb takes its first steps, 

Self explanatory right? Just describing some things you might see basically

Off in the distance, a polished church bell reflects the sunlight,

Self explanatory

Rising chimney smoke guides my eyes towards contrails,

Plane contrails...

Unrehearsed yet perfectly harmonised, birds tweet the chorus, 

Birds tweeting (not as in retweeting)

In this unconditionally beautiful landscape sitting before me, serenity exists.

Just a nice peaceful moment :)