Wednesday 29 May 2013

"Another Young Friend Lost"

Photo Copyright © Jacob Cockle.
Dedicated to
The Loving Memory
of
Jacob Cockle
Who drowned yesterday
(28th May 2013)
whilst photographing
Whirlpools from Underwater.


“Another Young Friend Lost”

Another young friend lost.
We lose too many young people
Down here in the West.

If it’s not illness
It’s fast cars
On slow country lanes.
Or it’s the waves
And the tides,
And our youth
So brave.
So talented and
So very brave.

Better perhaps
You had saved
Some of your bravery,
For your families,
And saved your lives!

Better perhaps you
Had saved some of your
Bravery.
For  your Mothers
And your Fathers,
Sisters and Brothers
And all that loved you
Have greater need
Of that bravery now
Than you do.

By dying
You will now live
Forever young
In the hearts
That you leave behind.
Those hearts
In great need
Of your bravery
To sustain them
In their loss.
So brave but
Brokenhearted!

Rest in Peace.

Words Copyright © Res JFB 29th May 2013

Jacob was a well known surf photographer.
One of his photographs is shown above.

Wednesday 15 May 2013

"Spring?" haiku




So cold this spring
Almost June and even weeds
Struggle to prosper

Copyright © Res JFB 15th May 2013






Monday 13 May 2013

"The Wicked Witch"




“The Wicked Witch”




She told me she was a witch
And she did cast a certain dark magic
Painting herself with a false glamour
And a certain genteel need.

But eventually the magic blew away
Like stale chaff on the wind
Redolent with the smell of rot
Leptospirosis and dirty ashtrays

Revealing a face scarred with avarice
Carefully manicured nails grasping
The genteel need replaced by spite
And all consuming greed.

She told me she craved the company
Of old soldiers, loving the smell
Of sweet gun oil on sunburned skin
The faint whiff of cordite and adrenaline

But it was our stories she wanted
To steal them and adopt them as her own
So that the seven stone weakling appear giant
A ‘Rupert’…  a born leader of men!

When I gave her no stories of blood
She stole, instead, my money
Eleven Thousand Pounds credit
On which I still pay interest!

Eleven thousand pounds
Of my son’s inheritance, who never did her wrong
And she thinks herself worthy to lecture
On Honour and Integrity?

She told me in her own land
She was a Princess. But in my land
Her own words label her LIAR
Her actions brand her THIEF


I am only a crippled old soldier
And my sins are too many to name
But I never stole from comrade or lover
Give me back my “shilling a day”!

Like the pi-dogs of the desert
She scavenged behind the march
But she’s not welcome in the camp
And she is unfit
To sit
At my small fire

Copyright © Res JFB 13th May 2013


"Silence" haiku




The dogs have gone home
Silence... but just the echo
Of their breathing

Copyright © Res JFB 13th May 2013



Sunday 12 May 2013

"Bungee Cords"




I wanted a couple of
Bungee Cords.
You know,
The sort to hold
Luggage on a roof-rack
Or trolley.

I knew I had some
Somewhere.
Could I find them?
Could I heck!
Upstairs, downstairs,
Out in the shed.
They were
Nowhere
To be seen!

So I bought
Three brand
New ones!
"Now where
Can I put them,
Where I can 
Find them again?"

"I know"
I thought,
"I'll hang 'em
On that pipe
Where the
Old ones
Are hanging!"

Duh!

 Copyright © Res JFB 12th May 2013






Saturday 11 May 2013

"Physiotherapy"


"Physiotherapy"

"Aaaaaaaaaargh!"
I screamed.
Rolling off
The gymnasium
Bench in agony.

They'd had me doing
Sit-ups,
With my upper body
Overhanging
The end of
The bench.

The two
Wooden knobs
At the end
Grinding
Into
My
Sacroiliac.
Already
Inflamed
By arthritis
And ankylosing spondelitis
To where
Eight dihydrocodeine 30s
A day were barely
Holding their own.

"Aaaaaaaaaaargh!"
I screamed,
Writhing 
On the floor
Trying to find
Just one position
That didn't hurt.

"What's the matter
Mr Burman?"
The Physiotherapist
Asked, rushing
To my side
With what I thought 
Was genuine concern.

"My back, I've hurt my back!"
I gasped.
"Oh, that's OK"
She said with relief
In her voice.
"You came in
With a bad back!"
And with that
She turned and 
Walked away!

I f**king hate
Physiotherapists!


Copyright © Res JFB 11th May 2013


"Dogs"




Black dog
Seeking summer's warmth
In cold spring




Brown dog
Content... to him
Heaven is a bone

Copyright © Res JFB 11th May 2013



Wednesday 8 May 2013

"Visitors"





Visitors at Res's
Can enjoy some dog biscuits
And poetry

Copyright © Res JFB 8th May 2013

This is Derek and his dog Max. 
Derek is my daughter in law's father
so he is known as Dad 1 and I as Dad 2
Note the Poetry Bus 4 Magazine
in Derek's hand.


Sunday 5 May 2013

"A Model Tanka"




There was a bad fire
At St Agnes Model Village
You could see the flames

Roaring upward to the sky
From at least three feet away!

Words Copyright © Res JFB 5th May 2013
Picture Copyright © Alan Dixon
Inspiration by Ronit Mitchell 
&
Jethro


Saturday 4 May 2013

"Some Mornings"




Some mornings
Just set your heart
Ablaze

Copyright © Res JFB 4th May 2013


"Magic Island"




Across the pasture
And down the tree filled valley
The Magic Island

Copyright © Res JFB 4th May 2013


Friday 3 May 2013

"Alias"





“Alias”

A parcel returned.
‘Addressee Not Known!’
I phoned to check
But the address was right.
“What name are you living under?”
He told me.
“What’s that,” I asked, “an alias?”
No, No,” he said,
“That’s my proper name,
The one you use is my alias!”
Good Grief!
I’ve only known him
Forty four years!
It was easier in the old days
When none of us
Had surnames
And I was just known as
Restless!

Copyright © Res JFB 3rd May 2013