Poetry Thursday 25 - AI Taped

 Yesterday I saw a photograph online of Joe Biden and Donald Trump relaxing together and enjoying each other's company! 

Alexa 

AI Taped

 

Alexa play gentle classics for 51 minutes,

that’ll keep her on her toes,

won’t do to have her in control,

humans in charge as everyone knows.

 

Alexa what’s the weather forecast,

it’s okay I know it will rain,

just checking the location is right,

nothing wrong with my brain.

 

Alexa put cat litter on my shopping list,

I can remember on my own really,

but saves me writing it down,

a convenient aid to my memory.

 

Alexa ask question of the day,

a fun daily exercise for the brain,

I still do sudoku and crosswords,

she provides a handy bedside game.

 

Alexa set my alarm for 7:00am,

saves me buying an alarm clock,

those things have evolved dramatically,

her timing is as solid as a rock.

 

Alexa what is my flash briefing,

BBC news every minute of the day,

I don’t have to wait for auntie,

depressing knowledge without delay.

 

Alexa can you sing me to sleep,

personal services at your elbow,

who needs other people,

when Alexa is next to your pillow.

© David L Atkinson February 2024

God Bless 

Writing - Why pets?

 I have a cat. Humans like animals. Two basic truths. 

Ginny 

While a pet is generally kept for the pleasure that it can give to its owner, often, especially with horses, dogs, and cats, as well as with some other domesticated animals, this pleasure appears to be mutual. Thus, pet keeping can be described as a symbiotic relationship, one that benefits both animals and human beings. As the keeping of pets has been practiced from prehistoric times to the present and as pets are found in nearly every culture and society, pet keeping apparently satisfies a deep, universal human need. 

That is the general principle and is the reason why when examples of cruelty to animals arise, there is a storm of outrage. There is some evidence that humans have kept dogs as pets for over 30000 years. The relationship seems to be symbiotic as both creatures derive benefit. I have a cat. 

The relationships between cats and humans are less clear-cut than with dogs. I refer to the old saying - 

Dogs have owners cats have staff. 

Of course, there are lots of more exotic pets from stick insects to tigers although relationships in those cases are somewhat in the range of manufactured to risky. 

One simple message from me is that cruelty to any of the natural world belittles humans. In other words, cruelty sets us below normal human behaviour. 

God Bless 

Poetry Thursday 24 - Born to Serve

 We live in an accelerating world, accelerating towards what I don't know. However, I believe in the good intentions of the majority of people, you only have to consider the worldwide response to natural disasters and the coming together of communities to provide support. 

Alexa 

Born to Serve

 

Some were born to serve and others to command,

a mantra filled with assumptions,

when considering nature of human hand,

in the whole of life’s interactions.

 

It is part of our psyche to give our aid,

even at the earliest of ages,

and also for being on parade,

a dilemma for all of life’s stages.

 

Hence the proclivity for charitable acts,

an almost biological urge to assist,

no escaping the wealth of salient facts,

hundreds of thousands of names in the list.

 

And yet ego suggests we want to be boss,

drives towards achievement,

to gain success at others’ loss,

with some feeble signs of appeasement.

 

Thankfully most people embrace kindness,

are prepared to help their fellow man,

empathise with public distress,

and are happy to be truly human.

© David L Atkinson January 2024 

God Bless 

Writing - Episodes

 Even the most impressive tome is rich with shorter stories or episodes and we writers should be collecting these in the course of our everyday lives for later use. 

Echo Show

The innocuous Echo show which is my 21st century radio alarm clock provided me with such an episode recently. It was quite scary. 

06:36 Sunday 14th January 2024 

It sounded like a car alarm but inside my apartment. A very rude awakening into pitch blackness. Even my alarm was as black as Casey's cap. Silence for a few seconds then the alarm sounded once more. The screen on the Echo Show flickered into life and the charging light on my electric toothbrush began to flash its green charging message. All the evidence of a power outage. Then blessed silence at which point I began breathing again. 

In itself a minor occurrence that caused a quickening of the heartbeat and a sigh of relief. Of course, there was no explanation for the event which was slightly disturbing, that came a few days later when my house phone rang. The message I received was almost as spooky because it wasn't a person but an electronic voice apologising for a power cut. 

As you can see not a great mindblowing event but certainly an event that offers an opportunity for some creative writing. 

God Bless 

Poetry Thursday 23 - Snowy

 I wrote about a beautifully put together episode by Richard Osman in his latest book earlier this week. It inspired me to write Snowy. 

Snowy

 

Snowy didn’t come last night,

with russet red fur and shining tips of white,

missed him, with his evening greeting,

the glass separated, after dinner meeting,

told what’s her name, my dear devoted wife,

I think no trouble or strife.

 

Out in the garden with what’s his name,

he took me in the car again,

one of Elizabeth’s projects,

looking for Snowy the object,

found him stiff beneath the snow,

beyond cold but where did we go?

 

I think we went to see my old mate,

what’s his name but we were too late,

we should dig Snowy a deep grave,

to deter predators his body to save,

I’ll miss the evening through the window talks,

we need to resume our romantic walks.

 

I wrote that long reflective letter,

a daily reminder to make me better,

breaks camouflage with white ear tips,

the relief of words from her lips,

the frozen land was hard to break,

for Snowy’s place a final rest to take.

 

The world turning while I am still,

but the size of the disconnect bodes ill,

sorry for the trouble I’m causing,

when we signed, this I wasn’t promising,

perhaps now that Snowy is at rest,

she can only hope for the best.

© David L Atkinson January 2024

God Bless 

Writing - Episodic

I am currently reading Richard Osman's latest Thursday Club mysteries. I enjoy the style and voice that the author uses in creating these stories. They are worthy of attention but I am not writing a review of the stories but of one episode within one book. This is a skill that all who write can use and the purpose can be whatever you wish but in this case it is considering aging and dementia. 

The episode I am referring to concerns aging and dementia and I have to say is beautifully put together. It shows background knowledge and great imagination that comes either from personal experience or research or perhaps a combination of both. By empathising with relatives and friends of the sufferer there are suggestions of the type of support that can be given and which may prove helpful. 

Snowy 

Snowy is an integral part of the construction of this episode and is a fox with white-tipped ears and tail. He is a focus for the dementia sufferer and therefore the friends of the patient are duty-bound to look upon the fox with sympathy and understanding. 

A second strategy created by the patient is a letter written while he is still in command of his senses. The purpose of the letter is to be read by the patient while he still can and then later by a carer. The letter is an account of life and loves in normal times and is poignant in what it represents. 

All beautifully presented by Richard Osmanwho should be congratulated. 

God Bless 

Poetry Thursday 22 - Resolution

 It may seem to be late to be considering resolutions but I reckon 10 - 14 days into the New Year is the crunch time for many people. The crunch being do I continue or not? I have been involved in training in a former life and although some of the training, once 'unpacked', is rather trite one area - setting targets - has stuck. 

SMART - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant Time-bound. 

Worth considering when looking at resolutions.

Resolution

 

It’s hard to be resolute

at the start of something new,

when faced with an unfamiliar route,

hard to choose what do.

 

If faced with making a choice,

in a new situation,

address with a quieter voice,

lest others criticise your option.  

 

So what do you want from the New Year, 

what is your aim for the future, 

to what plan could you adhere,

what strategy will make you an achiever.

 

Avoid the emotional selection,

for you it must be achievable,

avoid striving for perfection,

and select simply conceivable.

 

In forward planning be kind,

small steps are often beautiful,

to external influence be blind,

in reality be adaptable.

© David L Atkinson January 2024 

God Bless 

Writing - Wellerisms

 A fuller explanation of Wellerisms. 

Wellerisms, named after sayings of Sam Weller in Charles Dickens's novel The Pickwick Papers, make fun of established clichés and proverbs by showing that they are wrong in certain situations, often when taken literally. In this sense, Wellerisms that include proverbs are a type of anti-proverb. 

"Wery glad to see you, indeed, and hope our acquaintance may be a long 'un, as the gen'l'm'n said to the fi' pun' note." 

"All good feelin', sir – the wery best intentions, as the gen'l'm'n said ven he run away from his wife 'cos she seemed unhappy with him." 

'Vich I call addin' insult to injury, as the parrot said ven they not only took him from his native land, but made him talk the English langwidge arterwards' 

These are produced as published in the Pickwick Papers and below are some modern examples. 

• "It comes back to me now," said the prisoner, spitting into the wind. 
• 
  
• "Remarkable," said the teacher, trying out her new dry-erase board. 
• 
  
• "We'll have to rehearse that," said the undertaker as the body tumbled from the coffin. 

As an exercise in writing creating such Wellerisms can be fun and enriching.

God Bless 

Poetry Thursday 21 - Robin Angel

 Earlier this week I wrote about Sam Weller philosophies from Pickwick Papers and that research spawned today's poem.

Robin 

Robin Angel

 

Where do robins gan to dee,

perhaps they’ve got immortality,

yer nivver see’m on the ground,

even with all the cats around,

still they come again and again,

with messages for women and men.

 

Often seen near the garden spade,

waitin’ te chat - working waylaid,

with waistcoat of crimson,

a message from heaven,

 from the dear departed,

via this bird so big-hearted.

He’ll stand their quite brazen,

demanding your attention,

quite unafraid for such a little chap,

telling his tale with hardly a gap,

until he’s passed on the whole story,

then off he flits in his crimson glory.

© David L Atkinson January 2024 

God Bless 

Writing - Wellerian philosophy

When we write we put so much of ourselves into the work that personal philosophies often come shining through. It is possible to be smart and deliver those philosophies as if expounded by one or more of our characters. Charles Dickens uses Sam Weller in Pickwick Papers for that and other purposes. 

Samuel Weller 

Near the end of the story he waxes lyrical about post boys and donkeys. 

Post Boys 

When a public postal service was first introduced in 1635, letters were carried between 'posts' by mounted post-boys and delivered to the local postmaster. The postmaster would then take out the letters for his area and hand the rest to another post-boy to carry them on to the next 'post'. 

The position of post boy was still an active roll in the 19th century and it was those people that Dickens was referring to in his story. 

Post boys 

For example, 

He remarks that you never see dead postboys or dead donkeys lying in the street. 'Vithout going so far as to assert donkeys and postboys are immortal... I'd say wenever they feels theirselves getting stiff and past their work, they just rides off together, wot becomes of 'em nobody knows.'

Sam Weller was so popular in the 19th century that he became part of everyday interactions rather like some of the sayings of Morecambe and Wise in the 20th century. 'It wasn't me that said that it was Sam Weller' was often used. 

Finally, Pickwick comments on Sam - 

The fact is he's my servant, but I allow him to take a good many liberties, for between ourselves, I flatter myself that he's an original, and I'm rather proud of him. 

Which I feel is actually a comment from the author himself. 

Happy New Year 

God Bless