Greek flag.
The Greek had a word for five
And poetry keeps this alive
I am writing this in pentameters
To count beats of each line on my fingers
That enables me to write more quickly
Read aloud, rhyme and metre sound slickly.
-ends-
by Angela Lansbury May 20 2022.
I'm an author and live in Hillview Road 10 a
It's clean and green, I've a small abode 9 a
Tall trees lean, and arch, drop cones on the ground 10 b
Firs, flowers, bushes, busts, birds abound 10 b
Hidden away, back gardens, sure to please 10a
Hide gnarled apple, old pear, giant oak trees 10a
We grow six types of grapes, hoping for wine 10b
We might fill one bottle in ten year's time 10b
We've tame cats and dogs, a wild bush-tailed fox 10a
And an old-fashioned, domed, red letter post box 10a
Stooped friendly neighbours and neighbourhood watch 10b
Loud burglar alarms, high gates and strong locks 10b
I'll start my story with tales of Harrow 10a
Streets cobbled, then bricked, wind steep and narrow 10a
Historic and romantic after dark 10b
Drive up and find it's hard to double park 10b
Hillview Road once viewed Harrow on the hill 10 a
Now skyscrapers - please don't bear them ill will 10a
Neighbours in Harrow are nice as an ice 10b
Kids survived Covid-19, rats, head lice 10b
Pinner has Heath Robinson's museum 10a
His cartoons raise laughs, each time you see 'em 10a
Nelson's daughter sleeps in a nearby grave 10b
Near Tudor pubs whose names campaigners save10b
Walk up Pinner High street, historic, steep 10a (6a 4a)
Eat in Tudor pubs, drive round a few bends 10b
Along Uxbridge Road, flowers planted by friends 10b
And you'll reach Heaven, our litter-freed Hatch End 10b
Eat Chinese, or Jewish style served by Greeks 10a
Indian, Italian, dine out for weeks 10a
Twenty restaurants - when you've done with 'em 10b
At Grimsdyke hear Gilbert and Sullivan 10b
Mrs Beeton was our most famous cook 10a
She wrote a still-in-print cookery book 10a
A World War Two bomb blew her house away 10b
But a plaque clung on the wall yesterday 10b
We've twisted old trees, red clay soil, brown mud 10a
High street photos show cars towed from a flood 10a
We've charity shops, collection boxes
Garden fences which don't block the foxes
My name's author Angela Lansbury 10a
I hope you'll recall this verse penned by me 10a
And dear Philip, who seems ordinary 10 b
Until he hangs poems on his front tree. 10b
-ends-
10 is the number of syllables. a and b are the rhymes
Written on Friday 20th May 2022 by Angela Lansbury at the request of Philip Barnet who has hung poems on the tree in Hillview Road, Hatch End, Pinner, Middlesex, England, UK, by the pavement (Americans say sidewalk) to entertain passers-by.
Happy birthday, tut tut
I love the cake, but but
I'm supposed to be on a diet
I'll have to eat it on the quiet
Birthdays have changed
Since Covid-19
You cannot blow the candles out
You don't know where the germs have been
Another birthday, boo hoo
I don't want to be older than you
Where has the year gone, I say
I'm a year older than yesterday
Another birthday, today it's yours
That's why I'm sending you applause
It's a piece of cake, a glass of wine
Another photo, I feel fine
Because it's not my birthday
Mine is far away
You can be sighing, nearer to dying
Glad it's not mine, it's yours today
Birthdays are best for children
On the scale between girls and boys
Lots of singing out of tune
Balloons, parcels and noise
Toddlers are easily amused
Every day new food is fun
It's great to have survived your first year
When you are only one
Let's have a smiley photo
One year nearer to walk
One year older, one year dearer
Nearer to thank you, love you, small talk
Happy birthday, happy birthday
Smile Smile Smile
Granny hasn't felt this good
For someone else's birthday, for a long, long while.
Every writer loves a poor spendthrift reader
Like naive followers love a rich, successful leader
Great thoughts when you let them out
First flap like wet washing, then butterfly about
Writers may start out befuddled
With lots of fine words jumbled, muddled
But keenly clean and iron them out
With thoughts of cute baby readers cuddled
Now we enjoy the internet, beat it, meet it
Which grabs thoughts like repeated ads you can't forget
Hope readers recall where they read it
So that they can give you credit
You can boast of love
Kick the air in a rage
Drop wild emotions
On an innocent page
Steal from a dictionary
Borrow from a thesaurus
Bow down before judges,
All the geniuses before us
Ugly words obstruct like heavy logs
Half formed thoughts jump about like frogs
Indecision, like too many pretty hats
As the saying goes, like herding cats
But after years when we totter and rehearse
We can inject fast like a skilful nurse
Commas pause like little railway stations
Stops end lines, the terminus of punctuation
Shouting down the century
Daring to write on the page
Strutting on a hidden stage
Trying to dodge the waiting grave
To readers seeking what they lack
Like us, they try to answer back
Declaiming to the silent wall
When nobody can hear at all
And yet, like a map, a signpost, a guide, my writing works
Though the sender is dead, deaf or blind
Thoughts like an Uber arrow of dinner, dessert and drink
Leave my bow, reach the target, your mind.
I can pass on praise, create words of hope
For every ill, find an antidote
Paint a dance, sing a song, a merry whistle
Words can lighten, brighten and glitter like crystal.
And so, dearest reader, I share my treasure
And give to you new joy, in the old parcel of pleasure.
-ends-
You're not alone in having odd socks
I, too, have a box of odd socks
I feel so sorry, they look so forlorn
I'm sure they were twins when they were born
But now I am wondering what to do
I've found a few which are nearly new
I know that I'll find the other, one day
After I throw this one away
Sometimes you've thrown the worn sock away
But kept the one which has seen better days
Sometimes one's under the washing machine
Or found inside shoes which needed a clean
There should be a swap box for odd sox online
So you could match your odd socks with mine
You've kept my odd sock from two years ago
Found under your sofa - now we know!
Alas some odd socks have lost their elastic
Some are stained, although made from plastic
Some are shapeless, covered in balls
I can clean them with tape, then they'll wipe down the walls.
Regarding odd socks, one joy I must share
Those who worry like me, those who really care
There's no greater delight, by day or by night
Than sorting odd socks and finding a pair.
I have good reason to not throw away
November 18th will be odd socks day.
-ends-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missing_sock
Sock clips
Buying Odd Socks
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Adult-Unisex-Socks-Value-Pairs
/comicpoemsbynutter.blogspot.com/
https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2322090.m570.l1313&_nkw=odd+socks&_sacat=0
