A Poet's Blog: Roger N.Taber shares his thoughts & poems...

Thoughts and observations by English poet Roger N. Taber, a retired librarian and poet-novelist.- "Ethnicity, Religion, Gender, Sexuality ... these are but parts of a whole. It is the whole that counts." RNT [NB While I have no wish to create a social network, I will always reply to critical emails about my poetry. Contact: rogertab@aol.com].

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Location: London, United Kingdom

Sadly, a bad fall in 2012 has left me with a mobility problem, and being diagnosed with prostate cancer the same year hasn't helped, but I get out and about with my trusty walking stick as much as I can, take each day as it comes and try to keep looking on the bright(er) side of life. Many of my poems reflect the need to nurture a positive-thinking mindset whatever life throws at us.

Thursday, 15 August 2013

Making a Start


Sometimes everything but everything seems to be going wrong and is almost too much to bear. Then it’s time to take a step back and consider what to DO.

Tell someone, preferably a close friend or relative who knows you well. A trouble shared really is a trouble halved.

Seek practical / professional help and advice. If you don’t know where to get it…ask. (Your local Citizen’s Advice Bureau is always a good start if you have money worries).

Come on, folks. Nothing is ever quite as bad as it looks.

Try resolving things instead of letting them get on top of you. If they cannot be resolved, try making the BEST of things instead of the worst. True, it’s never easy, but always worth making the effort. Don't try and muddle through on your own either. We all need help and support sometimes. There is no shame in asking. Besides, most people - especially those closest to us - LIKE to be asked.

Remember, if no one knows we need help, no one is in a position to give it. We have no right to complain that no one cares about us if we insist on keeping our troubles to ourselves. Yes, sometimes people let us down, society too. We can but try. More often than not, being positive achieves positive results.

So come on, folks. Let’s get a life instead of letting it get to us. [Could it be that Earth Mother has the same idea? Now, there’s a thought…]

PAST-PRESENT-FUTURE, EVERYTHING TO PLAY FOR

Up to the eyes in debt,
split with lover,
redundancy rumours
hitting harder
than media hits on war, 
famine, floods,
earthquakes, disasters
breaking hearts, 
taking lives, and blaming  
global warming
when we’re not blaming
each other for never
getting it right no matter
how we might vote

No ozone hole to blame
for street crime,
racism or homophobia,
beggars (all ages)
haunting shoppers, kids
all but running riot
in supermarkets because
parents afraid to say
no, stop, don’t, mustn’t
or you’ll grow up
with few social skills
and even less hope
of getting parole halfway
into a life sentence

Must start to get real, nurture
a better, kinder world...

Copyright R. N. Taber 2007; 2013

[Note: An earlier version of this poem appears under the title 'Making a Start'  in Accomplices to  Illusion by R. N. Taber, Assembly Books, 2007.]


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