On Hallow’s Eve

On Hallow’s Eve,
      Some believed,
             Souls went marching home
                     While ghosts and ghouls
                               Haunted evening skies,
                                         Howling, evil moans.

Time has passed
          So now, at last,
                  Other forms it takes.
                             Some become Incredible,
                                       Others adapt
                                                   And costumes make.

Little Bo Peep
          Has become a deid creep,
                  Ghoulish in all nature
                            Impaling lamb
                                    On crook with glee,
                                            Evil now in stature.

     

Humour and a devilish joy
Man and woman, girl and boy,
Embracing darkness
For a night,
Invoking fear,
And delightful fright!

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Sleep and Work Shenanigans

Dizzy with sleep, he wakes at two.

Breakfast and some irn bru

To chase the sandman from his eyes.

Then on the couch, a little lie

To gather strength to start the day

That’s almost done and gone away.

A shake or two, he’s feeling better,

Opens mail, for him, a letter.

A job, you say, to start at nine?

Oh God, you moan, well, that’s not fine,

Awaking with the birds at dawn,

Not something you can depend upon.

A night-shift would be better, true.

Teenage biorhythms grew

To such extent that day is night

And night is when your mind takes flight.

So, what’s the choice? There isn’t one.

Welcome to my world, my son.

Up in the morning, work all day,

Then off to bed, take time to pray.

Set alarm and don’t be late,

Bosses don’t appreciate

Sleepy headed, idle teens

Who float through day in slumber’s dreams.

A little while and you’ll adjust.

It’s called growing up and so you must

Arise and work and earn your way.

Just think, some effort, then they pay

A pound, a few, it’s not a lot

But that’s the way life chose the plot,

Work and sleep and play some too,

Work some more, to plan and do.

Such a message to take in.

Don’t put that letter in the bin!

You start it, when? Oh, late next week.

Well, off to bed, a shock needs sleep.

When later you are full awake,

Your mind’s had time to assimilate

The hardest fact that life will give;

You have to work to earn to live.

Birds And Then Some

So, there’s a bird that speaks

And it’s not a parrot.

Never deigns to repeat,

How boring would that be?

This bird has wisdom borne of measure

And knows sweet sentimental songs.

Many witness this bird’s tweet

And hope to emulate its truth.

This bird, however, fears morning’s song

And wants to sing the whole night long.

Alas, this flighty creature flew

Into abyss and then it grew

Enormous wings

Of such proportion

Diluted by another portion.

And dulled the sense therein.

Such bird has weekday to embrace

It’s faltering and shy of face.

Another bird may do as well,

Or other creature

That may swell

Emotions’ heart

And flighty song.

Such as those I do not seek,

I like the bird that has a beak.

Brian knows the answer true,

His answer is a teacher,

Soother.

Others here have self-confessed

That addled brain

Knows what is best

To chill and to remember when

A Friday comes round once again.

So, fortunate the heart that finds

That no bird is required,

I doff, I laugh, I seek your name,

Truly, you’re admired.

For fortune finds

A friend in you

And, I believe this happiness true,

Except for one teeny ….

Observation

That all trains stop

At my station.

This busyness I cannot thole

And so I seek another goal;

Oblivion, a chore for some

Sometimes, I like the brain that’s numb.

For The Children

Edible tree,

Trunk minted,

Silver and ink.

Merciful confetti.

Man to man,

For the children.

An Illicit Pleasure

Back and forth,

Up in the air,

Stomach somersaulting.

Stolen treats

On children’s swing,

Heart to mouth pole-vaulting.

 

Someone comes.

It’s not a kid.

The parkie’s on his way.

Jump off fast before you’re caught.

That really made my day.

 

Gasping air,

Knees to chin.

No wonder kiddies love it.

So much better being on board

Than standing by to shove it.

Trapped

Tips to tantalise

Web to weave, these

Silken threads

That bind to please.

Honeyed centre

Sweet allure

A bite of love from

One impure.

Fascination;

Drawn by,

A morbid glance,

A wish to die.

Blood withdrawn

Now life does wane;                                

Sweet release,

A welcome pain.

Celebrate. Good Times. Come on.

Well, it is officially past the witching hour here in Bonnie Scotland so it is now July 4^th.

So to all who are celebrating this day, may I wish you –

Happy Independence Day!

Have a great one.   

Cheers!x Connie, this is especially for you and yours. And to all the McVey/McCloy Clan out there!x

Hippocratic Oath

One of the blogs I’ve been on in the last week or so belongs to a brave guy from the US who is documenting his experience in dealing with brain cancer. It’s not a sob story and it’s not a pleasant one.

As I was reading his trials and tribulations in dealing with health insurance and government bureaucracy I was saddened to think that he had to even deal with financial problems given what he is suffering.

http://miketerrill.wordpress.com/2013/06/21/need-help-dont-ask-the-government/

I was blessing the existence of the NHS and the fact that in the UK we have no need for medical insurance because the finance necessary to cover treatment for everyone is garnered at source from all earnings.

This, by no means, suggests that the system is perfect. My eldest daughter is a nurse in a busy city hospital and financial strictures cause problems with staffing and beds and waiting times.

Many government-run bodies – health, education, social welfare and tax – seem to allocate a disproportionate amount of money, not to mention time, on aspects of fiscal engineering designed to save money while they only succeed in creating paperwork and motivational bonuses in the wrong quarters.

It does seem, at times that, whether the system is in the USA or the UK, one of the main aims is to thwart those working at the coalface from doing their jobs effectively. All to save a few groats.

My eldest son just returned from Cancun where he had to receive stitches to a hand injury. (Don’t ask.)

The first question he was asked by the doctor at the hospital was, ‘Do you have health insurance?’

Thankfully, he did, although he has to go through a lengthy procedure to claim back what he had to pay upfront.

Fair enough.

I don’t, however, relish being that doctor who (even while maintaining his Hippocratic Oath) has to ask if you can afford treatment before he will administer it.

At the moment, this does not happen in the UK although there is talk of such a thing in order to minimise perceived and actual abuse of the NHS. If you don’t pay in, why should you take out?

The arguments are long and varied and will continue, no doubt.

However, if Mike, from the Blog above, were living in the UK his worries about one aspect of his care would, I think, be fewer.