Category Archives: Poetry

SUMMER HEALTH ALERT

Last bus home at night
Then the first bus in the morning,
Is not sustainable
And should not be habit-forming,
Behaviour that should really come
With some kind of health warning,
But one must take advantage
Of the weather while it’s warming,
I can always sleep in winter,
When the weather comes a-storming.

Wish I’d Looked Into Your Eyes

If I’d only looked into your eyes,
I believe I would have realised,
Would have eased the panic and the fear,
Let my heart speak and let my head hear,
Would have seen me in you standing there,
Broken the spell, made myself aware,
Could have slowed things down, applied the brakes,
Thought of more than just my own heartaches,
Would have known what’s true, felt what is real,
Before stepping on the hamster wheel,
Because after that things went too fast,
Can’t stop ripples when the stone’s been cast,
So I find myself, a decade on,
Wondering what I’ve done, and where you’ve gone,
Wishing I’d been, just a bit more wise,
Stopped myself, and looked into your eyes.

Summermild

It’s feeling rather hot.
Though, truth be told, it’s not.
It’s a lovely breezy day.
Not at all like in LA.

Where the desert heat distresses,
And the summer months oppress us.
From the summertime we hide,
‘Cause it’s too hot to go outside.

To say it’s hot feels somehow wrong,
I’ve been in Sweden far too long.

MIDSOMMAR

(to the tune of These Are A Few Of My Favourite Things)

Sill and potatis, and strawberries too,
Dance round the pole because they tell you to,
Act out små grådarna in a big ring,
Although you know it’s a quite foolish thing,
More nursery rhymes acted out willy nilly,
But just a few schnapps and you don’t feel so silly,
With all of the food, and the drink thrown your way,
No wonder it feels like the longest day,
Friends and family
Get together,
Full of fun and cheer,
And if you’re not a Swede,
It’s still generally agreed,
It’s the most Swedish you’ll feel,
All year!

Erect the Pole

It may look vaguely Christian.
It may seem quite devout.
But the meaning of the Maypole,
Is not that hard to figure out.

Every year around Midsummer,
We stick it in the ground.
We erect it and insert it,
And then we dance around.

Then we eat and drink too much,
And into the woods we run,
To do our own impression,
Of the Maypole just for fun.

All this Maypole imitation,
Is the reason, no doubts or maybes,
Why every year in Sweden,
There are so many April babies.

A Traditional Swedish Midsommarstång or Maypole

Calligraphy Kaleidoscope

Caligraphy kaleidoscope
Searching for a Calliope
Language turning
Constant colours reeling,
Burrowing down deep within
To see what kind of state I’m in
Heart still yearning
Wondering what I’m feeling,
Fly close to my inner flame
Put fingers on what I can’t name
Fires burning
Layers I am peeling,
Try to make some kind of sense
Some logic or some recompense
Always learning
Little truths I’m stealing.

NERD

I have always been a total dork.

I am a NERD.
As a kid, I often heard that word,
And I recall how hearing it,
Would anger and upset me.
And how they used to look my way,
And immediately forget me.

They never really saw my face.
Huge glasses took up half the space.
And kids who’d been friends years before,
Suddenly weren’t friends anymore.
Too embarrassed to talk to me,
Or even to be seen with me.

Saying hi was all it took,
For them to give a dirty look.
Don’t talk to me. You are not cool.
You do not exist at this school.
You are nothing. You are a NERD.

There it is.
That word again.
That hated, hated word.

But the thing is…

I really am a NERD.
Of that there is no doubt.
No longer do I hate the word.
For being a NERD is what I’m All About.
I never will be cool. I am a NERD.
And I’m okay with it.

Truth be told, I am a NERD
And pretty damn proud of it.

Bargument

Ever had a bargument?
Sure you have, you know it!
A few drinks at the local pub
and your logic starts to show it
taking stands you never would
if you were clean and sober
but suddenly it’s clear to see
the chip there on your shoulder
you think you’ve a point to make
so you’re damned well gonna make it
then you see there’s a pint to take
though you really shouldn’t take it
you dig your heels in and
as the night goes on just more so
the silver lining being
you’ll not remember it tomorrow.