Shirley Hawkins is a beautiful human
Interesting, wise and clever
Humble and unassuming
In her poetic endeavours
She cares deeply about world affairs
Injustice and its wrongs
Secure in speaking her mind
Assured and strong
What I love most about Shirley
Is her humour and sharp wit
A humorous attitude to ageing and life
Which shines bright with joy that transmits
So, l am popping around to Shirleys place
Picking up Gershon on the way
To have cuppa and chat
And laugh the day away
You are very welcome to join us
But only If you enjoy laughter and fun
Negative Nellies and Nasty Normans
“NOT” Welcome!
This is what we should say.
"God bless Negative Normans today,
Bless them on their way."
Far better than catty cliches!
King Harold takes shelter behind upturned barrows
The Normans approach and the gap quickly narrows
His young wife had said
Keep down your sweet head
Then begged as he left, keep an eye out for arrows
*
Sir, do you sell nuts in the shell
My mum says eat healthy and well
I know that the wealthy
Say Apples are healthy...
Not when your dad’s William Tell
*
Oops, I have run out of arrows
The old dingo, barking, just goes
An Australian man
Offers his boomerang
But I couldn't fire one of those
MY VILLGE
A small village that once was near
Long time in the past
It has a great history
Of Roman soldiers praying hear
Then the Normans did arrive
Families came to join them
They took the best land aroundaboout
On hills and by the river they survive
The family became bigger and bigger
And the settled on land by the river
As often happens discord occured
So son left home with lots of vigour
His home was mad a few miles away
He decided on the near hill was best
Because their naes were the same
They had to find a way
To make them different from the other
So they became North and South
Now did prosper in a different ways
But one is smaller than the other
Villanelle: French Gourmand once sailed to the Isle of Ewe
Dedicated to the great French actor, Off Course!
French Gourmand once sailed to the Isle of Ewe
Must you invite high breeds to the Hebrides
To maggis shellfish wine said: I love you!
Starved Loch Ness Monster kept well out of view
For this Gourmet eats even monster breeds
French Gourmand once sailed to the Isle of Ewe
Medieval monarchs gulped innerns – rest threw
To the serfs lords ladies dogs and hybrids
To maggis shellfish wine said: I love you!
French Gourmand let Scots talk their tartans through
Venison loins he carved out for his needs
French Gourmand once sailed to the Isle of Ewe
Goths Visigoths Vikings Normans or Dieu*
Falstaff nose and paunch hide much actor’s deeds
To maggis shellfish wine said: I love you!
Eiffel Tower Louvre Versailles nothing new
Mountain Man kept apart Scylla Charibdis
French Gourmand once sailed to the Isle of Ewe
To maggis shellfish wine said: I love you!
• Dieu: God, but French pronunciation, please!
He might take exception.
© T. Wignesan – Paris, 2015
My mind is euphoric from scenes historic
Assyrian chariots innovative wheels bristling Mesopotamian plains
Paring the ranks of each, dated infantry formation
In Greece, anesthetizing anvil of the Dorian invasion
Glorious bronze relics supplanted by cheaper iron distillation
Persian armies: Greek hoplites, Scythian archers; mercenary aggrandization
Shrinking rebel hordes in Asia Minor's wars of attrition
The venal nature of imperial Rome's persuasion
Crucifying a few, targeted rebels for cultural ingratiation
Devout, gentile Europeans crusading to Biblical heritage's door
Defacing cross with predations in route, arriving uplifting banner 'gainst infidel Moor
Normans in hordes splashing across the chilly, English channel tides
Under William the Conqueror's mantra, bridging the Anglo-Saxon divide
The Normans came and conquered
They landed in the night
I think we could have beaten them
Till Harold lost his sight!
The Normans came and conquered
Their country wanted more
They gave us all a thrashing
And left us feeling sore!
The Normans came and conquered
We Saxons ran to Wales
In the hills we stayed and hid
Until they set their sails!
The Normans came and conquered
Just like the Romans did before
But in good time we grew quite bold
And showed them all the door!
As I traverse the rocks in Loblolly Cove
Searching for solid footing
Amongst jagged teeth and seaweed slopes
As the shadows of Herrings call out warning
Circling high above in the slipstream
Thunderous and pounding are the waves
Sending the curious gulls to flight
Amidst the wind whipped brackish bite
Snapping at my heels with each step trodden
Watching the white caps on Normans Woe
They are spirits of sailors in the archaic hulls
Descending for a reckoning in darkened skies
A tattered and eerie line
To the horizon the cloud cover spreads
Listening to the symphony of the coastline
As I traverse the rocks in Loblolly Cove
Inspired by Vince Suzadail's "Pending Storm".
These are the rock I climbed every day as a boy.
Thanks Vince