Poetry Thursday - 90 - Another Year

 Another year has passed for me and what do I know that's new or different? 

Shrinkage

 

Your arms are shorter

Your legs are shorter

Your sight is shorter

Your belt is shorter

Your patience is shorter

Your temper is shorter

Your breath is shorter

Your memory is shorter

Your time is shorter

Your years are shorter

Your months are shorter

Your weeks are shorter

Your days are shorter

Your hours are shorter

Your minutes are shorter

You died

© David L Atkinson April 2025 

When I was young, the time was filled with recovery from WWII, and since then, over the next seven decades, there has always seemed to be some huge threat to human existence. Sometimes, we humans are the threat, and sometimes it is natural disasters. Increasingly, human choices such as capitalism before caring. 

Time Thief

 

You will never snatch a glimpse of him,

and not because the light is dim,

by the time you realise what’s been lost,

he’s long gone leaving you to bear the cost.

 

Not always clear what’s been taken,

years later it can leave you shaken,

when you realise what could have been,

and all the things you should have seen.

 

What were you doing when he stole your years,

was your busy mind befuddled by beers,

or was your attention wandering free,

unfettered, allowed to go ignoring me.

 

You’re aware of what you wanted to know,

that youthful developments come and go,

but still you allowed your mind to wander,

leaving you to regret inattentive squander.

 

He won’t allow you to rewind your time,

to revisit that which was there in its prime,

you have to live with residual memories,

and remain alert for future discoveries.

  

To keep the thief away from your door,

allow you to appreciate life’s wonders galore,

focus attention on living in the today,

value that which he’d steal in some way.

© David L Atkinson January 2021 

God Bless 

Writing - Detail

 Some people may write for their own amusement, some hoping for big sales, and others for a limited audience, but whichever it is, you have an audience. That group of people will have a vast variety of preferences, and a writer must try to appeal to various preferences. Having said that, it is impossible to please all the people all of the time. 

As we have a vast ocean of available data, there can be no excuse for not including enough data, which could be seen as another millstone for the aspiring author. When building the story, you don't want too much detail as that affects the pace of your story, but too little information can leave a reader floundering. Both of those situations can seriously reduce the size of your audience. That is the dilemma that writers need to balance, and it is the reason why some are more popular than others. 

The girl in the sketch above is, in some respects, detailed. Someone writing about her could talk about young, modern, sad, fashionable or even frightened. There is enough detail to elicit a variety of responses. If you are describing an issue in your writing, then if it is important to the story, there needs to be enough detail to establish a range of ideas. You are trying to appeal to wider groups in your audience. 

By comparison, the elephant is simple, has enough detail to be identifiable, but is fundamentally happy. You may disagree on the level of happiness, but there is no range of emotions. 

In some respects, using models like the two above is a tool that may help you decide as to what level of detail you are going to include in your writing at any one time. 

God Bless 

Poetry Thursday 89 - Fauna

 Animals give us lots to talk about and enjoy. At various times, I have 'had a go poetically', some of which appear below. 

Rhinoceros

 

The rhino is a serious beast,

careless of where it places great feet,

wearing its suit of grey armour,

a dimly sighted herbivore.

 

A private, keratin-horned creature,

threatened by hunter and poacher,

if we fail to curb the rhino abuse,

loss of the creature's what we’ll produce.

© David L Atkinson April 2025 

Night Lepidoptera 

 

No heavily beating wings at night, 

subtle shades that diffuse the ambient light. 

A whispered, feathery brush against cheek, 

resulting in a piercing, nervy shriek. 

 

Automatically drawn towards the light 

cooking themselves in suicidal flight. 

No reason to worry yourself to a froth, 

It is only a common or garden moth.

Duck 

 

A fowl which communicates in quack, 

allows water to flow from its back, 

that waddles, dabbles and paddles in equal measure, 

allowing the casual observer endless pleasure. 

 

Colourful or drab but always waterproof, 

charming, amusing never aloof, 

a delight for every quality cook, 

our garrulous, feathery and tasty duck. 

© David L Atkinson November 2015 

God Bless 

Writing - Relevance

Producing stories should ensure that the time period chosen is accurate according to the nature of the story. For example, if you are writing about WWII and the actors have mobile phones, it would not be accurate. Similarly, sources of information have developed rapidly over the last 30 years, and the information gathered should be factual rather than the opinion of others. 

There have been rapid changes in sources of information and how and where it is stored over the last 70 years. I remember frequent advertisements for The Encyclopaedia Britannica. My father used to buy compendia of historical events because he liked knowing factual information. 

Commodore Pet

In the early 1980's the government introduced computers into schools. At that time, there was no internet and data was stored on databases which could then be searched. The largest of this type of storage involved huge machines running data that was held on magnetic tape. Until Tim Berners Lee invented the World Wide Web. 

Along with the internet came search engines like Google and smaller data collectors like Wikipedia. I have used both of these when writing the Steele novels, and they have been invaluable. However, there must be a warning about the results of searches. 

When you ask a question of Google, you can get millions of responses, and not all of those are factual. They may be the opinions of other writers and researchers rather than the actual facts you are looking for. It is therefore important that the source of the article is checked for its authenticity. 

So keep it simple and make it relevant. 

God Bless 

Poetry Thursday 88 - Stages

 Life is so busy, travelling at such a rate that we get sucked in to the speed with the risk of missing out on the enjoyable bits. 

Stages

 

At first all is simple,

as simple as an adolescent pimple,

a drive to succeed and live life at pace,

to prove one worthy as a member of the race.

 

Then less certainty and some serious hurdles,

tests to determine life’s significant boggles,

whether to take the left or right,

may determine how you sleep at night.

 

Then years on life’s production line,

sweetened by well-selected down time,

aiming for a lucrative final account,

towards enjoying the inevitable dismount.

 

At last when the bus is finally in park,

time is yours with which to savour and lark,

look to the success of nearest and dearest,

to assess the lessons learnt by those closest.

© David L Atkinson April 2025 

God Bless 

Witing - Cognitive Shuffle

 Cognitive shuffle sounds like a ballroom dance for those with two left feet. However, it is so much more and has nothing to do with dancing. 

In fact, it is not really to do with writing, but rather health. The concept is intended to aid those who struggle to get to sleep. It just seemed to me that the exercise freed the mind to explore and therefore lent itself to the writing mind. 

The idea behind the exercise is to quieten the busy mind and allow it to rest and go to sleep by considering things unrelated to the normal passage of a busy day. 

In short, instead of going over the events of the day and other sources of stress when we lie down to sleep, it is suggested that we think of a word that is unrelated to the day's events, and then to consider each letter of that word and create articles then picture them in your mind. Do that for each letter. I have never gone beyond the second letter. 

Example 

Word: brave - b = bicycle

                        r = radio 

                        a = arches 

                        v = veal 

                         e = eagle 

The above is my set of words and I've no doubt you all have a different set. As far as possible you should avoid examples that are too closely linked to your own experiences. 

It is my contention that the strategy would help the blocked writer and the writer who needs some suggestions to facilitate their work. 

There is no harm in trying the strategy - the worst that can happen is that you might drop off. 

God Bless 

Poetry Thursday 87 - Wednesday

 We are already into April, the fourth month, almost a third of the way through another year, yet it seems Christmas was only ten minutes ago. We are guilty of wishing our lives away when we have probably all heard some statement admonishing us for the same. So Wednesday, today, is halfway through a week. 

Wednesday Adams 

Wednesday

 

If you peer forward from woeful Wednesday,

you may catch a fleeting, teasing glimpse,

of a couple approaching promising play,

surpassing the week as away it limps.

 

Emerging from the gloomy grind,

a diamond eclipse of brightness peeks,

like the jewel of the sun threatening to blind,

unless in reflection the observer seeks.

 

A promise of brighter times ahead,

the opportunity for relaxing and rest,

two days of not ‘do as they said’,

but spend the time as you like it best. 

 

Enjoy the company of partner and kids,

go places that evoke good memories,

spend time but not as the other 5 bids,

rather as a source of various reveries.

 

Own time is carefree and fleeting,

responsibilities can get in the way,

plan for the work week’s completing,

enjoy freedoms of each weekend day.

©David L Atkinson June 2019 

Half Time

 

If you take away the weekend

Wednesday is half time,

for those of us whose backs bend,

and who long for easier time.

 

A sign for those of us who are old,

that children wish their lives away,

when every day should be like gold,

and used in their optimum way.

 

So take this limited period of time ,

embrace it in your best way,

to not enjoy is a personal crime,

take breath and love your Wednesday.

©David L Atkinson June 2019 

God Bless