On The Bright Side The Sun Is Shining, comical poem by Angela Lansbury

 On the bright side, the sun is shining

Although in the long run all life is dying

The parents, the children, the fruit, leaves and roses

The balding hair, sniffing, blocked noses

The cracking teeth, hammer toes, feet

The cracks on paving stones in the street

The closed down shops, the potholes on roads, 

The fruit flies, the fruit, mosquitos, frogs, toads

The ancient Egyptians, those who lived long before

The peacemakers, those who started the war

Those in the news, the heroes and villains, 

Those near and those far, millions and millions

Last night norovirus, or some tummy bug

Which inconveniences those who I love

Keep far from me, no need to panic

From your point of view, I'm just a statistic

I'm a bright breezy blonde to hide my grey hairs

Away on holiday, fell down the stairs

How can I learn? Don't repeat what I've done?

I didn't phone home, it would upset my son

When I got home, he saw me

Walking and smiling, I mentioned in passing

What had happened, beguiling

What in the future we can both see

He said, 'Oh dear, you fell - again.'

Not a question, it wasn't blame

I won't warn friends, 'The start of the end.'

Just, 'Each day's mixed, more of the same.'

We all get older, world's hotter, wet, colder

Earthquakes, tsunamis, suicide, wining

But I've one more good day to make things go my way

What a lovely day, the bright sun is shining!

-ends-

I began with whining, changed in to wining. Thought of extending the line to ten syllables to make 'whining to wining'. But felt the poem need more positive words in the last verse, so left it as wining, drinking wine. In that case, but should change to yes, yes wining, rather than suicides but