Alive? Eternal Thrive, comical poem 686 by Angela Lansbury

 Some say that we're all dying from the moment we are born

Some say live in the moment, others treat philosophy with scorn

Some die early, going mental, some outlive their teeth, all problems dental

Teeth. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

From a cockroach point of view, insects score a point or two

Teenagers are likely to survive those middle-aged and half alive

We hope all babies thrive, and live lives healthy and long

Run marathons and are strong, so nothing will go wrong

If you follow a religion it promises us all heaven

Where we'll live sixes and sevens

With ancient Egyptian men, and all the enemies

Exes and insects we hoped we'd never see again.

-ends-

Please follow me. Share links to your favourite poems.

In the long run, they out-run us, though I think humans have more fun

If we evaluate evolution, which one of us has won?

Memories Good And Bad comic poem 354 by Angela Lansbury

 Cashew Heights in Singapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

After I have left Singapore

I'll have a host of memories

Throw out the old, make room for more

Remember good, bad, how it is

I'll speak only of what was good

Will I remember sunny days?

Or fool myself that it was cool

In air con, stuck indoors by haze

Ignore the cockroach on the floor

Nothing worse than a cockroach, dead

Ignore peeled plaster, mouldy shoes

It moves! I take back what I said

While I pack up, I feel so sad

But we have found a remedy

Think of the bad things and be glad

I'll fool the world whilst fooling me

Then later I'll speak of it well

Whilst not regretting what has gone

Have many happy tales to tell

Feign equally glad where I've gone.

-ends-

Singapore - what do I like? Comic poem number 152 by Angela Lansbury

Singapore, Singapore

What do I like?

Every day shopping

And one day I'll hike

I can take Uber

Or MRT trains

Or watch 3 films on

Singapore Airlines planes

What should you pack?

I'm always forgetting

Thick cut marmalade

And mosquito netting.

The orchids, magenta

Palm trees, lipstick and green

When food courts are dirty

Limping old folks sweep clean

Singapore is a place

Where I know I'll survive

Law-abiding, and silent

Then I'll stay alive.

If they say wear masks

Then we all wear masks

We do what we're told

They just have to ask

They have Disney style barriers

Outside public halls

Polite army cadets

At the entrance to malls

I can register a scooter

Or hire a bike

Trains and roads run in circles

What's not to like?

If I end up paying double

I might feel a bit cross

But a quiet guard helps

Whenever I'm lost

I can queue at the bridge

Go abroad - half day getaway\

But I'm glad to be home

See sunrise, then storms, then sunsets, most days.

I can eat all cuisines

If I want, I can swim

Join religions which permit armies

Join the army, pray, sing hymns.

Almost all speak Chinese

But at school learn English

They'll understand you

But can you translate Singlish?

It's simple, 

An exclamation ends 'la!'

It's simple

A question ends 'ma?'

It's simple, it's easy

The word mother is ma

For mummy, or two mothers

You screech (high tone) ma-ma.

They are all keen to help

They chatter and smile

They even have smiles

On cross cockroaches, cross dragons and cross crocodiles.

I've a doctor or dentist

If I'm willing to pay

First thing tomorrow

If it's too late today.

I can turn on the air con 

In a gym, ride a bike

Ride a bus round in circles

What's not to like!

-ends-

copyright Angela Lansbury 31 July 2022.

Komodo dragons are in the Singapore Zoo, and alarming monitor lizards are freely wandering in the Botanical gardens. The friendly monkeys would love to destroy your house. You only have to open a patio window when you see one. There is no mosquito netting, no fly screens.

I am a Singapore resident. I was not born there. I chose to live there. My husband went there for work, got used to wearing shorts all year, and paying less tax. So we stayed.

Pease share links to your favourite posts.

Another Cockroach On The Floor and a Spider's Web Over The Bed

Another Cockroach on the Floor and a Spider Over The Bed
a lament by Angela Lansbury

I am barefoot in the bathroom
There's a cockroach on the floor
Which is worse, running or still -
Between me and the door?

If there's one thing I don't like
It's a spider on the bed
I'm sure its bad for flies
But now it hurts my head

Right now things would be better
If one of us were dead.

When I see a spider's web

Lurking empty overhead

I wonder where the spider's gone

It's bound to show, before too long

If I stay still and look around

Inspecting walls, ceiling and ground

Brooches shaped like beetles I don't like a bit
What use is a cockroach, a mosquito-ridden lake
Though I'm prepared to eat a pig-shape chocolate
And I've had round salmon-pink 'steak' from a cut-up snake

But another thing I don't like at all
Is ants on a table or desk
Although a gecko which eats them is useful
Up the wall, like me, devouring pests

We have filled the floor with insect traps
We're choking on insect spray
It's another day in the tropics
But neither they, nor I, will go away.

I read somewhere that cockroaches

Have survived a million years

Frankly a single insect, now

Is enough to tug at my fears

I can throw it through the window

Pretend I did it a favour

I didn't kill it - it might come back

Thinking I am its saviour.

-ends-

The Cockroach On The Floor

The Cockroach On The Floor
A lament by Angela Lansbury

There's a cockroach on the floor
I think it may be dead
I wish I knew what killed it
Was it something that I said?

For if it's something which I said
Then I shall not complain
Cockroach, go back and tell your friends
Please don't go there again.

I scooped it with a dustpan

It's gone but not forgotten yet

Although the damned things gone

I wish I could forget.

-ends-

Poem Catching a Cockroach by Angela Lansbury

I was emptying my gmail when I found a poem I had emailed to a friend.

1104 The Cockroach and A Woman’s Reaction

by Angela Lansbury

Regarding my no bread diet

Kitchen and bathroom scales kept quiet

Therefore I don't think I deserve

Such strong tests of resolve and nerve

I thought that I’d been very good

Someone anticipates a sin

So sent a subtle keep out sign

A cockroach in my kitchen bin

Alone, I’d deal with it, I’m sure

I’d stun it with a killer spray

Or else I’d simply lock the door

Shout, ‘Go away!’ go out all day 

Once when cornered by a spider

I called a passer-by, a man

Could not wait for my ex with specs

Impatient - that’s the way I am.

I am a typical woman

And if I were caught on a cam

I like men but hate cockroaches

Predictable, why, yes, I am.

Who needs a porsche or MBA

Just be here at the close of day

And be calm, not fazed, when I say

Cockroach - in bin - take it away!

You do not need a diamond ring

You do not need to strum or sing

I no longer need a life coach

Just get rid of that big cockroach

I'll call a passer-by or ex

You do not need to wear a suit

It helps if you are wearing boots

I'll give you coffee, money, sex

It’s the moment which strengthens love

The moment when you prove yourself

More important than health or wealth

The macho broom, bin, plastic glove.

The missus won’t greet with kisses

She’s staring at the kitchen floor

But you’re the strong man she adores

You’re always welcome at her door.

-ends-

copyright Angela Lansbury 2017