Paddington station is the best
For travellers heading to the west
Work, happy UK holiday
Or on to far off USA
Selfie statues: Paddington Bear,
Engineer Brunel on his chair,
Tall hugging lovers stand upstairs
Symbolise travelling everywhere.
-ends-
(More tomorrow)
Toastmasters International
Holds contest twice a year
Clubs send best speakers to compete
At clubs or places central near
It's for fun, skill, not for money.
One contest is impromptus
Four speakers try to be funny
Perform with props. Then interviews
Judges have given in their vote
Ballot counters secret counting
Interviewed speakers self-promote
While the tension's mounting
I had my moment on the night
When they asked me to recite
That welcome invitation heard
Alas, I can't recall one word!
I improvised, just like a rap
Suddenly some rhymes came back
I'd just one minute left to speak
To be remembered half a week
'Here I stand upon this stage
Helping you turn your life's page
I hope that I shall be a winner -
Then I can go home - to dinner!'
I'd done the best that I could do
Impromptu rhymes, few and not new
Rhymes rushed, climbed, wave brave - just used half
At least my punchline got a laugh.
-ends-
I could have said home to Pinner, but that is personal and parochial, a place only known to local people, and only interests those who live in or near Pinner. Dinner is more general and affects everyone and is understood.
I had won first place in the Table Topics contest (impromptu 2 minute speech answering a question) at both my London clubs, HOD and Harrovians. In this contest I represented Harrovians. This gave the opportunity to the second place winner from HOD to represent HOD. If I had won first place, Harrovians could have claimed that their member won first place, representing them. But HOD could also have claimed that their member had won first place (not mentioning that I was representing the other club) because I could bring the benefit of my experience of participating to HOD members.
What did I learn? If you are a poet, always carry a copy of one of your best and shortest poems or couplets in your pocket, or memorise it, if you are likely to be interviewed at an event, or at any big meeting in case members of the audience are invited to speak, or volunteers are asked to speak.
If possible, plan a couplet about the event of location, season, or something which related to the audience, for an impromptu rap.
At the Area Contest I was placed second. Out of five. But I was the only one performing poetry out of nine. And the only one from my club of multiple members to be on that stage. Second of all the people in all the clubs of the area. As Woody Allen famously said, 80 per cent of success is turning up.
The humorous speech contest is at the start of the Toastmasters year, along with the impromptu speech, so it is open to all members of the club, including the new speakers. It is only national. The next contest, in springtime, is the International Speech, usually a motivational speech.
Your words will chooose
If our lives meet
Words shake my hand
Or push my feet
Speak with your eyes
Words from your lips
Offer choice, like
Salad or chips
Good words you choose
Predict we'll meet
Do your words smile?
Your poems greet?
Your poem's just
A set of words
Just one tells me
Should you be heard?
Which mood to choose?
One glance, I'll know
Should I linger?
Or quickly go?
One false, glum word
And I'll be gone
Say one good word
And I'll stay on
One negative
I turn the page
One happy word
I'll share your stage
Questions can be
Just a decoy
I'm looking for
A word of joy
A happy way
To start my day
Choose win or lose
Your choice, you choose
So I will share
A happy note
To be depression's
Antidote
Strike out words which
Sound negative
Always end with
The positive
A laugh, a smile
Cheerfully say
I'm glad you stopped
Have a great day
I hope my words
All positive
Will show you how
We all should live
If just one person's
Mood, day, I save
My adult's thoughts
Like one child's wave
Will make you jolly
Happy, and brave
A wave of joy
A summer wave.
-ends-
Autumn has a Smile Day.
I started my day feeling happy. Then I opened the first page of somebody's poem, a depressing rant. I shut their poem and started my poem. Why should I ruin my day with his or her depressing poem? I thought, I'll write a positive poem, telling other poets politely, to be positive.
Birthday cake, decorate, with heart
A candle to glow, light the dark
The symbol of a birthday gift
Clean green, and warm red, spirits lift
Good poems should be like fine speeches
Which everyone can remember
Because of the message each teaches
More joy each time it's dismembered
The words should be simple and clear
The thought clear and bright as daylight
Every verse, sentence and word
Should strike major chords when it’s heard
Dissecting speeches, cutting cake
Each person chooses what to take
And everyone finds something good
To satisfy and lift your mood
Don't put a foot wrong, nor stay too long
A poem should be like an old friend
Always there when it is needed
But brief, know when meetings should end.
-ends-
This poem was updated and revised with additional first and fourth verses on October 10th 2026.
The poem has eight-syllable lines.
When do you need a hyphen? Eight-syllable has to be hyphenated to show that eight refers to the syllables not the lines.
Please follow my blogs and share links to your favourite poems.
My blouse and jacket, both in white
Glow like a beacon in the night
Like a scarecrow designed to fright
Yet welcoming in kind daylight
If I came back as a friendly ghost
A blessing not given to most
I'd like to dress fine as a bride
Whose blemishes the night would hide
I might come back on Halloween
When all the best dressed ghosts are seen
In a contest I'd win the prize
Be named the Queen of Halloween.
-ends-
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Alas today my spider's gone
If I see flies, yes, even one
I'll go to my bathroom and mourn
Pray: Dear spider, where have you gone?
Are you hiding in fly spray fug?
Or hiding underneath the plug?
There's nothing that my day will lack
If you, dear spider will come back.
Whilst I am sleeping in my bed
I hope you'll build your spiders web
'though I'm sad when a dinner dies
I wish you health and lots of flies.
-ends-
Posted with two verses on Friday September 25th. Updated with third verse on Saturday September 26th 2026
Please share links to your favourite poems.
I'm glad to see my readers grow
Numbers of readers, glad to know
What do I do right? Wonder why
I know - I shall ask AI!
Bad news, I do not have a lot
Most of my reader are just bots
But my poems are a success
I've got lots more bots, and not less.
Oops, obviously not less but fewer
Grammarly will correct my grammar
So, why waste - precious hours on this?
Will AI write posts quickly, for a kiss?
-ends-
