Writing A Successful Speech. Comical poem 880 by Angela Lansbury

 One day when I was on the beach

I thought that I would write a speech

My husband said, don't give advice

That really isn't very nice

I know that you were trained to teach

People don't like it when you preach

And so I sat and thought and thought

About the things which I'd been taught

You find a problem we all face

When we are in a scary place

A speech should always give you hope

In bad times provide the antidote

And say we've all been there before

One day peace comes to end the war

And just as daytime follow night

And after night time there is light

If we all strive to do what's right

The bitter times turn to delight

The food and drink in coloured piles

From front to back.and side to side

Lick lips and open your mouth wide

After the feast, see joyful smiles.

-ends-

A Poet's Secret. Comical poem 879 by Angela Lansbury.

Angela Lansbury selfie.

 I used to have trouble

To find a picture to fit my words

The same picture would double

Then , again, now that's a third

Now I reverse the system

By starting with the picture

The poem must describe it

That method is a fixture.

Painters like to tell you that

A picture's worth a thousand words

It depends on the picture

And which words you've heard

Sometimes a picture is a slum or litter

I will only fit a picture

Or somebody who's bitter

Of that I am quite sure

I think I'd rather show a portrait

My best picture of me

Because most poems are about me

As anyone can see.

-ends-

At Harrow WRrters' Circle we used to have evenings called write on the night. Sometimes we would all be given a sentence and have to write a short story or poem. O r we would pick three items for a short story or poem, a person  a place, and an object. A random collection.

A third system was for the meeting convenor to bring a series of postcards, some of scenery, others of famous paintings. We would all have a different one, and have to write a poem inspired by the scene. You could write about the season, the place, the people, or a drama.

Please share links to your favourite posts and poems.

Poem Storage. Comical Poem 878 by Angela Lansbury. List of My Poetry Books, My Poems. My Guide to Writing Poems.

Angela Lansbury with one of her books at the Writers' Summer School in Swanwick.

Poem Storage by Angela Lansbury

I wrote a lot of poems

So I put them in a book

Now when I want to find one

I know where to look.

When I wake in the night, I wake compelled to write

And have a crazy thought, I fight to sleep before it's light

I write urgently so my magic thought is caught

All will be worthwhile, if only one book's bought.
-ends-

Poetry & Writing Poetry 

a) 

Angela's Alarming Animals by Angela Lansbury 

Out of print. 

b) 

Poetry Pets & Pests by Angela Lansbury 

 

Poetry Pets & Pests   by Angela Lansbury

A-Z Gives each animal’s characteristics, such as diet. 

c) 

Poetry Workshop Workbook Write New Poems!  by Angela Lansbury 

 

 

ISBN 978-1-291-49752-6 

ISBN-13 978-0706372199 

Lulu ID 2228624 

 

What's in it? Humorous quotations about authors, poetry, and writing. Definitions and guides for writing an A to Z of simple fun poems from couplets to limericks, sonnets to villanelles and more, with amusing examples. 

Who is for? Parents, poets, students, teachers, and readers who want to be educated and entertained. 

 

d) 

Seriously Funny Poems! By Angela Lansbury 

Lulu.com ID 931758 

 

 

 

e) 

We Saw A Dinosaur by Angela Lansbury 

For children. Large size illustrated. 

 

f) 

Writing Poetry For Fun by Angela Lansbury 

 

I already have six books which contain many of my poems. No that I have a blog, I feel obliged to write a poem every day. This poem is 878, not counting those already in the other six books, and odd unpublished poems which I find in notebooks. Even if I put only 100 poems in each book, I would have nine books this year, 2026. I shall have to stick to poems which will be more popular, about everyday situations. And perform poetry. And make the books cheap and thin, cheap to post, easy to carry. What do you think> The successful poets and authors are out every night performing their poems at communities and festivals and events.

 

Survival. Comical poem 877 by Angela Lansbury

 At eighty or ninety I still have my old fears

But my fears have helped me to survive all these years

I avoid all dangers, and people who bring tears

I'll tell you my secrets to help you live, my dears

When I was young and innocent  and dating men

If things didn't work out I could just try again

So I avoided rides in attractive, fast cars

And pranksters who told stories of their life on Mars

I have a worst scenario stored in my head

I don't want to die, but I want to die in bed

I can't say when I'll die, but I can tell you now

The ways that I won't die, because of my know-how

I'm not going to die surfing the high waves

I travel  round the world  but I'm not very brave

I'm not going to die bungy jumping off a sheer cliff

I've tried lots of sports, but I'll give that one a miss

 At eighty or ninety I still have my old fears

But my fears have helped me to survive all these years

I avoid all dangers, and people who bring tears

I've told you my secrets to help you live, my dears.

-ends-

Note on spelling

Bungee jump is the more common spelling globally, particularly in American English. Bungy jump is a very common spelling variant, especially in British, Australian, and New Zealand English.

Please follow me and share links to your favourite poems.

 

 Poetry Pets & Pests   A-Z  

Gives each animal’s characteristics, such as diet. 

 

Poetry Workshop   Workbook Write New Poems!  

Lulu ID 2228624 

ISBN 978-1-291-49752-6 

Seriously Funny Poetry 

 

We Saw A Dinosaur  

For children. Large size illustrated.

 

Writing Poetry For Fun 

 

Other books on embarrassing moments, etiquette, quotations.