The Routemasters

The Routemasters

A choreographed dance, though timing may stray,

These big red carriages through night time to day,

Carrying the blood throughout all its veins

They have their own place in their little lanes,

You know there's a pulse, they make its heart beat,

So follow the yellow brick road and hear that thing peep,

All ages, religions and cultures and creeds,

Reminding us all that "Londoner" 's our breed,

So next time you're on one just think where you are,

You're on a Routemaster each driven by a star.

Explanation

I'm really taken with "The Route Masters: Running London's Roads" at the moment. It's a documentary on BBC showing how London's public transportation system is kept running. Tonight showed the dedicated work of the drivers of the night time bus routes. Man, they really do put up with a lot of stuff, but pretty much every time, they'll get you to where you need to and we should thank them for that. Without them, a lot of people would be stuck. They do sometimes have a reputation as being not very nice, but perhaps it's because they don't feel respected. I would suggest we give them a little more and see how things change.

Exposure

Exposure

Well today we go play Russian roulette folks,

For fear we're about to seek and provoke,

Feels like today tomorrow and probably the next,

Six chambers are loaded, BUT determination 's flexed,

Walking opened eyed right into the lion's den,

I know that I must do this again and again,

Upon the horizon the clouds they do build,

With darkness and thunder they clearly are filled,

The drum beats do quicken, they get louder too,

But screw you anxiety, no seriously, screw you!,

The world spins round like I'll fall to the ground,

But must have the confidence that I shall not drown,

The beast of tightness comes and smothers 'round my throat,

For this to stop now, please, I hereby do vote,

Through all of this I know I must last,

Because this is what I choose, a new me I shall cast.

Explanation

I'm not going to say too much about this, except to say I'm currently undergoing "exposure therapy" for a particular anxiety issue. I believe tackling it will be extremely challenging (well I know it is), but I also believe it will make me a better and in the long run, a happier person (yes I know that's hard to believe..."Better?! But Phil, you're already the best!"). There is lots to do to where I want to get to....and the above is what it feels like to me, both in terms of how unbelievably horribly horrifically terrifyingly difficult it feels -- but also how much determination I must have to get to a better place. To quote Churchill, "Oh no no no no no".....wait, wrong Churchill. I mean this one. "If you're going through hell, keep going".

Sunbathing Moon

Sunbathing Moon

Middle of the month it shall come soon,

Prepares for her dance a beautiful new moon,

Comes about this little new-born,

Craters show a life that's well-worn,

Each day she will grow in strength,

Keeping an eye on the focal length,

Now she is so bright, lets give her a wave,

She sits there proudly in her sunbathe,

Now as the month it draws to a close,

We bid her farewell before we all doze.

A Prayer for Bostonians

A Prayer for Bostonians

The spring sun shines,

As the finish line signs,

Visitors, compatriots,

A day of the patriots,

At 4 hours 9 and 43 seconds

A flash in the corner and noise they do beckon,

Fall down to the ground,

All muffled are sounds,

The shrieking the blood and the masses of tears,

Ran right to your help left behind all their fears,

So scared and so scarred,

For your life no regard,

But to them we do say,

No this wasn't your day,

Because together we rise,

'Cos our kindness flies high.

Poetry in Street View

Poetry in Street View

Rising up from depths far beyond,

This concrete carpet is dotted with ponds,

Arrow or circle and sometimes square,

It's time for my fingers to have an affair,

Setting off with slightly blurred vision,

To go left or right is all my decision,

In a moment the seasons do change,

This colourful map of many things strange,

Dispelling the myth about what is there,

A world of cultures seen here from your chair,

Then there's just the plain old weird,

A sight for which this must be revered,

Reminders of times gone by,

The whole planet is now nearby.

Explanation


I'm not going to write an explanation for this one. However, I do suggest that you navigate around in Street View for some time and let these words mean something to you. Here's a starting point. Here is your starting point.

Delivering the News

Delivering the news

At dawn we rise in hand come alive,

A big yellow bag to command and to drive,

The sun calls me up to Wentworth Road,

Sometimes she's walked and sometimes she's rode,

From times to telegraph to people and mail,

Filled with supplements and gadgets for sale,

First it's the teacher so best be behaved,

Then the Dulux dog and a pat and a wave,

Onto the man who gets the big three,

I still wonder what we'd done unto he,

Their memory lives on these three little streets,

Delivering the words on Shelley, Tennyson and Keats.

Explanation


Like many kids in their mid teens, I had a paper round. I just did mine on a Sunday, so this is about my memories of that.

At dawn we rise in hand come alive,
A big yellow bag to command and to drive,

This refers to waking up early (very early for a teenager), after the alarm beeps. Get up dressed, and out the door with the yellow delivery bag that would be my friend for this morning.

The sun calls me up to Wentworth Road,
Sometimes she's walked and sometimes she's rode,

To get from my house to the newsagents where I had to pick up my papers, I had to walk up Wentworth road, which during the summer, on a clear morning would have the sun beaming down it, as if it was guiding me towards my destination. Sometimes I went on foot, sometimes I used my bike.

From times to telegraph to people and mail,
Filled with supplements and gadgets for sale,

This is about the big Sunday papers that people would get, often filled with extra Sunday supplement with catalogues offering weird and wonderful gadgets for the home.

First it's the teacher so best be behaved,
Then the Dulux dog and a pat and a wave,

On my round, I had to deliver to a house where a teacher from my school lived (Mrs Selwood should she ever come across this....oh and thanks for the Christmas tip!). Then I had to go onto a house, where they had a huge dog, just like the one in the Dulux paint adverts. I was terrified of the thing the first few times I did it, but I soon realised it was just a big lovable thing who wanted a bit of a tickle.

Onto the man who gets the big three,
I still wonder what we'd done unto he,

I remember there was one man who got the three big Sunday papers. They were the Sunday Times, Sunday Telegraph and Observer. Huge things they were. Why he needed to get all three, I've no idea. I often wonder whether he'd hated paper boys or something and this was he way of causing us pain - to make us carry all this paper.

Their memory lives on these three little streets,
Delivering the words on Shelley, Tennyson and Keats.

Three of the streets that I delivered to were named after three great posts, Shelley, Tennyson and Keats. It's quite nice, and warming that I'm writing a poem about my paper round, which just so happened to include deliveries to these streets.

Spring

Spring

I came upon these fields of green,

All neatly mowed and looking pristine,

The yellow sea beneath my eyes,

I see the waves they fall and rise,

The choir continues to sing out their hymns,

Disco lights bounce off our needy white limbs,

The colours so vibrant a true painter's mix,

A bridge in the centre a launch for poohsticks,

A breeze arrives and gently caresses,

In front of me shows nature's successes,

This symphony of colour aloud,

I wandered lonely as a cloud.

Explanation


I'm going to leave off writing an explanation for this one. It's basically about spring having arrived. I'm imagining sitting in a park, such as St James's Park or Regent's Park in London, with all the warmth and colour being present. A resounding victory by nature to bring back life after we've had to hide away our weak British skin for the winter. Please take this as a way to create a vision of spring for you.

The Glimmer of Hope

The Glimmer of Hope

Taking their place in the silver lagoon,

Coffee stains sit upon two teaspoons

Best make sure to use the facilities,
Exposed right now are my vulnerabilities,

The road shall be long 'til our paths next cross,
I don't like this feeling this deep sense of loss,

First come the lights in the night's sky,
Then come the footprints something to buy,

December twenty first and soon things will change,
Presents wrapped up 'round the tree to arrange,

Twelve chimes of Big Ben they ring out so loud,
A list of things to change we hereby do vow,

Minute by minute and day by day,
Cross off my calendar 'til I say hurray,

Memories of you have kept me alive,
Comforted in the knowledge that you'll soon arrive,

After hoping and yearning I celebrate this day,
I've just received your text you are on your way!

Explanation

I took this photograph today. 

It was the sun bursting through my lounge window for the first time since October. For now, the glimmer lasts only a moment. But that shall increase. Very quickly, it went behind the buildings, but just for a moment, it burst in and hit my eyes and to me felt just like when you get a text from a visiting friend that you've not seen for a long time to say "don't worry, I'm on my way"

Taking their place in the silver lagoon,
Coffee stains sit upon two teaspoons

This suggests a meeting between two good friends that aren't going to see each other for some time - just like how I won't see the sunshine coming into my flat for some time. I'm imagining here the time together coming to a close where the friend must leave, and so the empty cups of coffee are placed in the sink (the silver lagoon) with coffee stains on the teaspoons.

Best make sure to use the facilities,
Exposed right now are my vulnerabilities,

As the friend prepares to leave, s/he decides it's best to avail herself/himself of the facilities (the loo basically!), but relating back to the sun leaving, and winter beginning, it exposes a feeling of vulnerability in me, both emotional and physical - for a variety of reasons I'm not a particularly big fan of winter.

The road shall be long 'til our paths next cross,
I don't like this feeling this deep sense of loss,

This just continues the narrative really of not really liking the time of year. A sense of loss for this friend.

First come the lights in the night's sky,
Then come the footprints something to buy,

Each of winter's landmarks come and pass. First, bonfire night, then people out shopping for Christmas presents, perhaps making footprints in the snow.

December twenty first and soon things will change,
Presents wrapped up 'round the tree to arrange,

As December 21st arrives, as the shortest day, you know it can only get lighter. Quickly, this is followed by Christmas Day itself.

Twelve chimes of Big Ben they ring out so loud,
A list of things to change we hereby do vow,

Then, onto new year, where we all await the chimes of Big Ben to signal in the start of the new year, and so many people make new year's resolutions.

Minute by minute and day by day,
Cross off my calendar 'til I say hurray,

Noticing the days beginning to get longer. At first, it's frustratingly slow, but it does soon pick up. The friend in spring is coming bringing with a sense of renewed strength and opportunity.

Memories of you have kept me alive,
Comforted in the knowledge that you'll soon arrive,

For me, but many others too, the winter period is harder to survive, but the memories, whether it be in the mind, or perhaps photographs of a better time keep you going, along with the knowledge those opportunities shall soon be on the horizon.

After hoping and yearning I celebrate this day,
I've just received your text you are on your way!

After struggles, hopes that you'll survive and get through a more difficult time, that moment that confirms spring really is on its way (the sun bursting through the window, albeit, briefly), tells me that my friend, the spring (and real friends!) are well on their way.

The Pendolino

The Pendolino

So hail this down,
To Euston station

I bid farewell,
To pastures green,

This big red ensign,
She is my carriage,

I'm northern bound,
Await my hugs,

These fields of yellow,
All shapes and sizes,

Cut their way,
Through this green land,

Send out a signal,
To silver chariots,

Soon I'll be,
Right back with them.
Explanation

I was listening to Fare Thee Well Northumberland by my favourite ever musician, Mark Knopfler. It got me thinking about a train ride back home to my parents that I did in the spring of 2011.

The scenery was so beautiful.

In fact, I recorded about a minute of the journey on my phone (it's not too shaky either).



Since then, the experience of that has just been in the junkyard of my brain waiting for some lines to come into my head. Now, after listening to that song a number of times, they have.

So hail this down,
To Euston station,

This refers to hailing a taxi to get up to Euston Station.

I bid farewell,
To pastures green,

Where I live in London, is near several lovely squares (in fact, London is very lucky to have such a large number of green spaces considering it's a big city). So until returning, I bid these scenes farewell.

This big red ensign,
She is my carriage,

To get back to my parents up in the north, I'd use Virgin Trains. The big red ensign is their logo and of course, the train is my carriage.

I'm northern bound,
Await my hugs,

I think this is probably self-explanatory, but if not it's basically saying that I'm off up north to see my lovely family and give them a hug.

These fields of yellow,
All shapes and sizes,

As you can see from the video, the countryside can look beautiful when the fields are glazed in the colours rapeseed. Different trees of all shapes and sizes line the route too. It's really a great way to see the English countryside.

Cut their way,
Through this green land,

This refers to the canals and rivers that can be seen along the way.

Send out a signal,
To silver chariots,

Once I'm on my way, I would always text my Dad to let him know so he can be at the station to meet me and take me the rest of the way to home. At the time he had a silver (or it might've been grey, but silver sounds better!) car.

Soon I'll be,
Right back with them.

Not long now until I'm back home (and can eat proper food!)

Pancake Day

Pancake Day

Upon the horizon,

The dishes emerge,

A thousand flying saucers

Awaiting our welcome,

Settling down on terra firma,

The locals pick up their pitch forks,

First comes the water cannon,

Then a mass of mortars,

Charging forward to devour,

Scoop, fold and tear,

The battle over in minutes,

The invaders never stood a chance,

Satisfied and in need of rest,

The victors await their next fight.

Explanation

Upon the horizon,

The dishes emerge,

Laying out the ingredients to make the pancake. The dishes here are both the frying pans, and also the invading "alien dishes" as a metaphor.

A thousand flying saucers

Awaiting our welcome,

The flying saucers are the stereotypical round shape just like the shape of a pancake. Waiting for the eater/earthlings to meet them.

Settling down on terra firma,

The locals pick up their pitch forks,

As the pancakes are ready and placed onto the plate (terra firma), the eater picks up his/her fork (and probably spoon too)

First comes the water cannon,

Then a mass of mortars,

The water cannon is a metaphor for the lemon juice that will be squirted onto the pancake. Then the mortars would be the fruit to compliment it.

Charging forward to devour,

Scoop, fold and tear,

With the warm, dressed pancake waiting, it's time for the eater to fold it in half, cut it, and nom nom nom.

The battle over in minutes,

The invaders never stood a chance,

Pancakes are yummy so are likely to be eaten quickly!

Satisfied and in need of rest,

The victors await their next fight.

Stuffed and waiting for next year's pancake day!