This Was The Weekend

This was the Saturday where the summer was 

where the sun shone

and we played and went to village fetes 

Saturday was the day we lived for

the day we reached out for from the darkest of Wednesdays

we shopped and cooked and prepared

This was the day of boundless energies

This was the Sunday where the roast dinners where

where we rested

watched television 

we played and had fun 

and slept-in until noon and no-one cared

and where we had to say good bye to the loved ones we'd visited 

and get trains

and take long car journeys 

and then, in the evening 

we had to get everything ready for the morning

this was the day for the week to begin

This was the Monday where the weekend had ended

This was the back to school day

the back to work 

the enevitable morning that you didn't want to happen 

the day you had to catch up on

the day it didn't matter if the sun shone

the day when all you had was a head full of memories 

This was the day you had commitments 

This was the Tuesday we got into the swing of things

at school with all our mates

at work we were up and running

the day when the memories of the weekend passed began to fade

and the weekend ahead seemed so far away

there was no point thinking about it

the day of work that never mattered

This was the nothing day

This is the Wednesday where the darkness was

This was the day where you were so absorbed by work

where you had deadlines to meet

your pile of homework was growing 

but you tried to find a life for yourself 

the day of trying to finding a balance

This was the day of towing the line

This was the Thursday that brought hope

this was the day you could smell the weekend ahead 

where you dared to make plans

maybe book something 

provisionally agree to meet up

This was the day when you noticed the the tunnel actually had a light at the end of it!

And this was the Friday that was almost the weekend

the day that wasn't the weekend but tasted like it

this was the day of school but with the thought of staying up late 

a day of work but with the thought of a night out - hang the consequences!

This was the day where the weekend started

And then ..

this was the weekend!

Click here to hear me read it

(Haiku)

Early morning and

the colours of autumn drove

me to write haiku

It Hadn't Been the Best of Starts to our Holiday

The airport carpark was almost empty! - because the airport was shut

we checked our mobiles -  the travel company had sent us an email which we didn't see

luckily the travel company had arranged a shuttle bus service predicting just this scenario - and we got on the right bus but to the wrong airport

we found ourselves stuck at the wrong airport - the travel company laid on a taxi at a very reasonable rate

finally at the right airport we checked in our baggage - it was over weight and we were never to see it again!

once on a plane - it was the wrong plane but it had our luggage

we had to get off - but our luggage didn't

on the correct plane but blissfully unaware our luggage wasn't - we were now 18 hours late

when we arrived on the island - it was raining, the first time in 18 years apparently!

at the baggage carousel we waited for our baggage - naturally it didn't show as it was having a holiday of its own somewhere else in the world

finally at the hotel and very tired, we went to our room to rest - but the flashing glow from the red light outside our window kept us awake. There was a funny smell, and it was very warm!

we gave up and decided to walk down to the beach, the gossamer clouds parted - only it was smoke, we thought from a fire perhaps a barbecue somewhere, how nice!

I looked up into the dark night sky and saw the moon - only it was rows and rows of streetlights

distracted, I tripped and banged my head. 

When I came round I thought I saw the stars twinkling - it was stars but the type you get when you bang your head. There were bits of concrete left lying around, appartently left after a hotel burnt down

lying on the ground I felt a warm summer breeze brush my face - only it was the exhaust gases of a passing bus which nearly ran me over after my fall

I got up and gazed across the shore at a beautiful passing yacht lit by the moon, or so I thought - it was in fire and the captain was shouting as the yacht was sinking

I got up dusted myself off and we walked to the shore to see if we could help. 

There I heard the peaceful sound of the waves lapping on the shore - only it was the traffic on the motorway flyover

there was a smell in the air - it seemed like something was burning, probably another barbecue 

I felt the warm sand caressed my toes as I walked - only I was being bitten by crabs

we turned and headed back to our hotel - there seemed a lot of kerfuffle 

we followed a glow and as we turned a corner - we found the hotel had been totally gutted by the fire

We sat on a bench within view of the hotels remains as it burnt

and we noticed the still flashing

still working 

red light

finally 

tumble into the embers 

and eventually stop flashing...

and we cried

It hadn't been the best of starts to our holiday!

War (You Want To Kill Them))

People.

Ordinary people

'like you and me' sort of people 

people just trying to live a life

do what they do

believe what they believe

worship who they will

and all that 

free from fear of ridicule

assault 

persecution

fear of attack

of death...

always in fear

People...

trying to enjoy a life

to dance and party

now want to fight.

Trying to enjoy a life

raising a family 

now wanting to sign up to kill 

perhaps be killed.

Trying to enjoy a life

to defend what they see as right...

to exist

not to have to cower in basements

as sirens wail...

to have their life

not bullets and bombs and rockets and hate

not to hate your neighbour so 

that you want to kill them 

with knives and guns and munitions 

...or with your bare hands - you want to kill them!

Twelve

Finding yourself at twelve - being twelve years old

is finding yourself in a time of many physical, mental and emotional changes

...as puberty strikes!

your hormones are changing

you know you are changing - but you don't know why!

you certainly don't know what you're changing into

as it goes

you are quite happy with your life

I was quite happy with my life at twelve

you're actually quite happy having your parents look after you

feed and clothe you

give you pocket money to waste on rubbish

drive you to school - in fact 

school was the biggest thing being asked 

of the twelve year old you

the rest of the time you could act the fool

twang girls bras

and nothing much more was expected of you - why wouldn't you be happy!

This is a picture of my very middle class twelve year old life by the way

the son of teachers

nice house

small boat

two cars

long summer holidays in France

presents at Christmas and birthdays

hey, we are all prisoners to our upbringing 

I'm sorry if this wasn't your image of twelve!

As a twelve year old I knew about this change

I could feel it

but what was this hair thing!

most boys grew facial and pubic hair

I grew hair everywhere 

except on the soles of my feet and the palms of my hands!

What was this change all about?

At twelve I knew the mechanics of sexual reproduction

and I knew that girls were very very interesting 

and that they hadn't grown hair!

but why hadn't they grow hair 

like me!

I think at twelve I would have been happy to stay as I was

not knowing anything about adulthood

of course that's what all those changes were making me

preparing me for becoming an adult 

a grown up man

having a deeply manly voice

but what was being an adult!

I didn't know about working 9 to 5 for 45 years

paying a mortgage for 30 years to put a roof over my own head

not having my parents sort out everything 

to have responsibilities!

responsibilities? 

Why the hell wouldn't I want to stay twelve!

But then here I am

62

and I managed to make that transition

and cross the void from once being twelve

being selfish

self-centred

dependant

...for let's face it

at twelve

you are a bit like that aren't you?

"Mum I'm hungry!"

"Mum I'm thirsty, hot, cold, blue, green,  upsidedown etc etc etc"

not doing any thing for yourself really

obviously being the son of two teachers 

I was taught to cook and clean and knit and sew and wire a plug

everything!

"but I'm twelve you surely don't meant I must use these new skills!" 

So twelve?

What age would I like to choose to be frozen in time at?

Would it be twelve?

Having worked it all out

well most of it - I still can't work out why humans think leaf-blowers are a cool idea

having worked out what all the hair is about

if you don't know me I have long hair and have had some sort of beard since I was eighteen 

having worked out that growing up meant maturing - maturing!

indeed boys do take longer to mature

if they do it at all - I still laugh at things I'm told I perhaps shouldn't

like farting for instance

but I don't twang my wife's bra as it's annoying and immature - apparently 

So 

twelve?

...maybe not

Hear me read this piece

The Dilemma

The dilemma...

There is a beautiful sky out there

but there is washing up to do.

The thought process...

The beautiful sky is transient 

washing up is permanent.

The outcome...

Grab camera!