I broke my vintage Holland lamp this morning
Just accidentally, when I went
To water the balcony flowers,
With a watering can in my right hand
And with my left hand
I pulled the curtain down too hard
And my poor lamp fell off the speaker,
A big Tannoy speaker where it was standing.
The dimmed glass lampshade was shattered
But the glass case survived, so now
I put a bigger piece of the lampshade on top,
And the lamp is on again.
I didn’t realize how much the lamp meant to me
Until I broke it. I shall use it as it is now,
Caring of this broken lamp
Because it still shines for me,
Lightning my way through the evenings
And in the grey days, when its nice
To switch on a lamp, to read the news
Or write something of my own.
Categories:
tannoy, light,
Form: Free verse
The sudden eighties music craze
had gone beyond the norm
the local supermarket
was swept along by the storm
as more and more of the shoppers
joined in with the revival
filling up on nostalgia
from t-shirts to CDs and vinyl
Reaping the customer whirlwind
for Boy George and Eurythmics tracks
some smart Alec from head office
said “This is no time to Relax!”
the mullet headed store manager
he looked a manic Midge Ure
a sarcastic lad on the tannoy
said “Sorry, but we’ve got no Cure”
Over at customer services
I said a mistake’s being made
“The seventies had John Lennon
Bob Marley, T. Rex, Slade!”
the guy claimed to be sympathetic
towards my point of view
then asked me to go on a website
and give him a Five Star review
A wise woman sat at the checkout
smiled to me as she said
“When this fad blows over
they’ll still want milk and bread”
so the moral to this story
is one of wisdom not sadness
that everyone’s entitled to
their little bit of Madness.
Categories:
tannoy, funny, music, nostalgia,
Form: Rhyme
Four hours now we'd been in the air
And soon we would come in to land
Then over the tannoy
The captain calmly said
"Landing gears stuck the wheels won't drop
Brace yourselves for a crash landing*.
Written 24th May 2020.
For Hexastitch it poetry contest.
Sponsored By Nette Onclaud.
Categories:
tannoy, flying,
Form: Verse
She was in my carriage
Lost in her magazine,
An angel, she sat there,
As a vision in a dream.
I wondered, should I smile at her,
Could I tempt her with my charms,
I imagined we would hit it off,
She would soon be in my arms.
I thought, is this destiny
For I was running late,
I'd seen it in the movies,
That fickle hand of fate.
The announcement from the tannoy
Named the coming station,
She folded up her magazine
She'd reached her destination.
As she got up to leave
I nearly said hello,
Then I watched her on the platform,
As the train began to go...
Entry for
Verse a Favoured form,any theme Poetry Contest
Sponsored by Brian Strand.
5/7/2019.
Categories:
tannoy, imagination, love,
Form: Rhyme
A SUBLIMINAL ANNOYANCE
Over
the tannoy-
easy list'ning
relaxing the clasp on
our purse
Categories:
tannoy, music,
Form: Cinqku
A rat, a mat, an extra large sleeping bag, and a sofa went to a swimming pool and dived in head first. Never mind the salad dressing shouted the orchestra audience from the balconies. Vast crowds. Vast castle crossroads. Strings, skins and buttons roared in agreement. That tannoy announcement was so correct and ensured gold medals for all competitors. Oh wow and a massive cow. Personified petrified pickle. Sta.singing dingys in questionable quotation queues. And arts of a foremost tongue are felt in the gentle rolling hills which were nevertheless seemingly bright and beautiful. So go bury eighty three times in a swirling swamp. Dig no division dog dream drams. And a crane of crockery is a crocodile in a cradle. Hahah an basket brought boiling broth. Trepid tantalisation terrapins Xxxxx
Categories:
tannoy, aubade,
Form: I do not know?
Standing by the rail, watching in anticipation,
Expecting that my knowledge will prevail,
Thirty,one and a half tons of flesh and blood,
All pounding over the divot ground,
Mists Of sweat, exhaled breath hovers in the air,
They get closer, the noise of thumping hooves,
sound of inhaling and exhaling of massive lungs,
sight of all the gleaming coats and ears flickering,
Amazing colours of the jockeys silks all merging into one,
race commentator bellowing out over the tannoy,
Over two miles, twelve fences, undulating ground,
Now entering into the straight, conclusion anticipated,
My selection still in contention, still on the bridle,
High hopes, excitement building, wining post in sight,
Jockeys all out kicking and pushing muscles rippling,
Three horses all in line go past the post as one,
Photo called by the stewards, just a head in it,
Could I have won? will I be collecting my winnings?
Categories:
tannoy, desire, emotions, feelings, hope,
Form: Free verse
The hospital corridors are silent
but outpatients reception is busy,
muffled voices are heard behind closed doors,
a shuffling dressing gown stalks the silent halls
in fluffy slippers pushing a drip stand,
waiting patients just in from the cold
disrobe. "Heather" the tannoy remarks,
assessment room three is empty for you,
"Heather" departs, a young girl is frightened
she hug her mum tight, a blood test awaits,
it won't hurt much she says, just a little jab.
appointment for 9 but no movement by 10,
a white uniform amazon appears,
seven vials of blood later I'm let go,
Ray of the X-Ray takes me in tow, strip off
he says chin on the bar make like the chicken.
chest out, big breath, hold it, relax and breath,
you're wearing a cross, chin on the bar,
big breath, hold it, hold it, hold it, relax.
back to reception tell them you're done,
now pay 6.50 for a latte and biscuit,
you've been done, should have had a water.
Categories:
tannoy, health, mum,
Form: Free verse
Over
the tannoy-
eas list'ning
relaxing the clasp on
our purse
Categories:
tannoy, business, music, places,
Form: Cinqku
Clickety-clack! sang the wheels on the track
slowing into a dead end shunting yard;
crawling aboard as the baggage gets stored
amidst groans from the red-faced station guard.
Scored by the nasal growl of the tannoy,
indecipherable instructions relayed to the blind;
framed by diesel fumes, tears gently dripping
into the void with clatter and whistle fading behind.
Echo and boom, career and carom
about the cortical fast track;
off steel and cement howls a chilling lament
for those leaving home to never come back.
Upon this evil stretch of line all is wrong and amiss,
the wrong type of leaves, the wrong type of snow,
wrong sense of direction, wrong love, wrong kiss,
wrong reasons to stay, no reason not to go.
Cursing this place, the look on her face
reduced life to perpetual travel;
alone in a carriage the dark side of marriage
made love's fragile tapestry slowly unravel
right to the end of the line...
Categories:
tannoy, life, loss, lost love,
Form: Rhyme