Hello again from London UK

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

Hello again  from London UK

I hope you are all keeping safe and well. I am coping ok, but have to confess I am concerned about the Ukranian refugee crisis as a result of Russia's invasion of their country. It is great news that Europe is opening its arms to welcome them, but politicians  are saying  little or nothing about the numbers of Covid-19 cases in Ukraine being high as recently as late February 2022.

Welcome and help the refugees, of course, but at a time when Covid precautions are being relaxed in parts of Europe, especially in the UK, it is my view that basic precautions against the coronavirus need to be maintained - e.g. wearing face masks in shops, crowded areas and on public transport.

It would place awful stress on everyone if there were to be a resurgence of the pandemic across Europe, but a tragic irony, especially, for any refugees who had survived the horrors of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, only to be struck down with the coronavirus just when they thought they had found a safe haven.

Hopefully, our politicians have allowed for a potential rise in Covid-19 cases even as some leaders- especially president Macron of France, have been openly critical of the UK Government for not doing enough help and house the refugees.  I suspect , though, this has more to do with the UK voting to leave the EU than concern for the refugees themselves. 

The EU continues to nurse the vision of a United States of Europe, which is precisely why many of us in the UK - including yours truly - have no regrets about voting for Brexit. Democracy involves a fair degree of responsible autonomy and  the latter was being slowly but surely coerced by the powers that be who govern the EU. This is, of course, only my personal point of view, but I also have friends in EU countries who share it; they, like myself, were all in favour of the EEC (European Economic Community); it made economic sense. However, it proceeded to expand into the EU with ordinary folks having neither vote nor say in the matter.

Divisions and rivalries between EU leaders are, of course, the least of the world's concerns as Russian forces close in on the Ukraine capital, Kyiv. At the same time, an attack on an artillery base close to its border with Poland, brings the war worryingly close to NATO's doorstep, a matter of deep concern for  many Poles.

As a gay man, I have to say that any LGBT folks among the refugees who have not been made as welcome under Zelenskyy's presidency - as some of his more supportive earlier comments had led them to hope for and expect - will not have an easier time in Poland; although support for LGBT rights continues to grow there, so, too does local opposition.  Poland, of course, has been a member of the European Union  since 2004; attitudes towards LGBG across the European Union , as a whole, remain widely diverse. 

As for those readers who email me from time to time to ask why a gay poet is writing up "not only a straight but secular blog...", I can but put it to them that no one's 'alternative' sexuality means they are any less of  a person in their own right, as free to express opinions on all matters, as anyone else. As regular readers well know, I have no problem with anyone disagreeing with me, respecting as I do., that basic human right of agreeing to differ.

Time to close now and get ready to meet up with my best friend for lunch. Many thanks for joining me, dear readers, and I'll be back with a poem later this week.

Take care, stay safe and keep well,

Hugs

Roger

[Note: If you email me (rogertab@aol.com) please be sure to put 'Poetry' in the subject field or it will not be read. Similarly, any 'spam' will be ignored. I read all emails and try to reply asap, but please remember I am in my late 70's and  having to contend with serious health issues, so there may well be long delays.] RT

Home Sown

http://en.wikipedia.org /wiki/R._N._Taber

“In any moment in time, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing you can do is the wrong thing and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” – Theodore Roosevelt

After two years of having to cope with the stresses imposed on us all by the ever=present (but hopefully decreasing) threat of Covid-19 many of us are on a short fuse; frustration, anger, and confusion just three of the triggers to a flame that could see any one of us light the darn fuse any time...

Somehow, we need to bear in mind that where there are negatives, there are invariably positives, even if the latter appear to be in short supply in any Here-a kinder future beckons us all as mind-body-spirit knows only too well as it encourages us to focus.

Focus but a blur? We can do a lot worse than take our cue from Earth Mother, promising any winter of the human heart yet more of the joys of spring... all in good time, rarely just when we need them most, although a promise is a promise, a lifeline in any crisis.

 Oh, and no, this isn’t just a poet imposing the gloss of pretty rhetoric on hard times, but the voce of personal experience. Testing times, indeed, certain darker life forces, but Mind-Body-Spirit can and will overcome them; we but need to focus on and believe in the power of positive thinking to see us through to happier times.

Yes, dear readers, I draw yet again on the old adage ‘Better late than never...”; trite, indeed, it may well sound, but so true...

HOME SOWN

One sunny wintry day,
messaging a not-too-distant coming
of another spring...
we’d take stroll, just you and I,
in leafless woods
where home birds would be singing
in its trees, a hint of buddings here and there
alleviating human despair

A long winter, it had been,
dragging us, protesting loud and clear,
to abyss, after abyss,
free-fall, but a (very) near miss,
leaning on each other,
holding hands, not least to get the better
of any doubts, nurture hopes, treating any fear
with tender loving care...

Apollo, always smiling through
the troubles of world and personal space,
messaging the hope
of kinder days yet, rescuing us
not least from the worst
of ourselves, giving misty-eyed hearts
cause to open wide, let in the world – and focus;
the rest, down to us...

In winter, be sure that any silver linings to be seen
are home sown...

Copyright R. N. Taber 2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi folks, from London UK

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

" It is our collective and individual responsibility to preserve and tend to the environment in which we all live." - Dalai Lama XIV

 "I don't believe in collective guilt, but I do believe in collective responsibility.” - Audrey Hepburn

Hi Folks,

No poem today, but I am working on one. Mind you, inspiration is flagging at the moment as I am still having to deal with a bad cold. I have started to feel better over the last couple of days, but inspiration doesn't seem to have taken the hint...😉 However, I remain coronavirus-free, so am still able to keep looking on the bright(er) side of life... well, most of the time.😊

I have been able to get out and about locally just for basic shopping, but while the Omicron variant remains rampant, it is scary, so I try to go as early as I can to avoid crowds. 

 Now,  while wearing a mask won't necessarily stop anyone catching  Covid BUT it will stop a person spreading it. At 76 years old and living with prostate cancer, I am vulnerable, so hate it when people get too close to me in a queue, especially if they are not wearing a mask. Unfortunately, many stores no longer have the floor markings to show how people can remain at least two metres apart.

If someone has genuine medical reasons for not wearing a mask, fair enough, but it does not excuse that person getting too close to others in a queue. This happened to me only yesterday. I was queuing at a supermarket checkout.  I asked a Muslim woman queuing behind me with her grown-up daughter not to stand so close to me in the queue; neither were wearing face masks. The woman took no notice, just glared at me and I hear someone say "Racist." I was angry, but managed to keep my temper and moved away as soon as I had finished loading my shopping bag.

Now, I am not a racist and if someone chooses not to wear a mask for any reason, that is up to them BUT where their not wearing a mask potentially and directly affects me, I reserve the right to protest. It seems to be a fairly common problem everywhere. While Omicron continues to spread and fill hospitals, social distancing remains important for all of us, especially with regard to those people who are not wearing face masks. 

Given that data appears to show that the vast majority of people who are critically ill in hospitals are those who have not been been vaccinated, I can no more understand the reasoning behind not being vaccinated that not wearing a face mask in shops, on public transport and in crowded areas. Such is human nature, I suppose, sometimes wise and wonderful, sometimes plain stupid. 

Celebrities from all walks of life and ethnic backgrounds have appeared on television to persuade others to get vaccinated against Covid-19; it beggars belief that a significant percentage of  populations in various parts of the UK  have chosen to remain unvaccinated against the coronavirus. Data suggests that the majority of the unvaccinated are from ethnic minority backgrounds. (No, I am not being racist it is a fact.) 

Collective responsibility is for the good of everyone and rejects discrimination of all kinds except on grounds of an individual's bad or criminal behaviour.. . well, doesn't it?

Hopefully, the coronavirus will pass sooner rather than later, but all the while certain people, from all walks of life, refuse to be vaccinated against it, the likelihood remains that is likely to be later rather than sooner. Don't the rest of us deserve better than that?

Now, whoever and wherever you may be in the world, I can but wish you all safe, well, and finding the inner strength of mind-body-spirit to nurture a positive-thinking mindset, whatever your personal  circumstances; never easy, I know only too well just as I know, too, that it's always well worth the effort.

Take care, everyone, and do drop by again soon. Meanwhile, you may enjoy browsing the blog archives?

Hugs,

Roger

Looking to the Future

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

Here’s wishing everyone as Happy (and Healthy) a New Year as mind-body-spirit can magic up for us... in the spirit of Togetherness...with more than a little help from loved ones and friends.

Hugs,

Roger

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

So, we begin another year
as well as another day, looking ahead
with mixed feelings
of happiness and hope, yet dread too
for wondering whether or not
the coming months well see the end
of Covid-19, who may get
to re-enter the Arts and Politics of Life
and who will not...?

New Year celebrations muted
for many of us, both Delta and Omicron
variants of coronavirus
raging all around the world, striking fear
here, there, everywhere, in all
walks of life, opinions varying as to just
when and how science-led data
will help restore return us a greater security,
now... or never?

There is a sickness in the world
other than Covid-19, not least a beast
that is jealousy-prejudice-hate;
if we cannot ever be rid of the species
for all time, we can at least
try to educate and inform, let them know
who should know better
that, as a common humanity, we all need to get
our acts together

We can but trust mind--body-spirit
to make sense of the world, encourage us
in playing our part
to make the worst (far) better, to darkness
bring the lights of hope and love,
not play ourselves false or wish others ill,
nor let our differences divide us,
but listen to Reason and Conscience, let them
help us find Peace

 Copyright R. N. Taber, 2022

From London, UK...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

Hi, Everyone, from London UK,

I suspect I am not the only one with mixed feelings today, on the brink of a new year that holds more than life's usual share of joys and fears, given that Omicron continues its rapid spread around the world. We can but focus on nurturing a positive-thinking mindset and, yes... be sure to keep our fingers crossed. 😉

Some people argue that, when in doubt, do nothing; my mother, though, preferred the adage, "When in doubt, it's better to err on the side of caution..." I am reminded of that as New Year's Eve approaches and everyone will be celebrating, each in their own way. Me, I will spend a quiet evening watching a favourite series on BBC i-player as if it were just another evening. I will treat myself to glass of red wine  and wish for a kinder 2022 that this year has been for many if not most of us.

In London, especially, but also in other parts of the UK there has been a noticeable rise in violent crime among and against young people; while much of it can be blamed on the stress we have all been under since Covid-19 came into our lives, there can be no excuse for violence. Young lives matter, whatever, their ethnicity, religion or sexuality. Young people not only deserve a future, they are also the future of this planet, all of our futures.  

The stress of the past two years has placed incalculable stress on everyone, lockdowns especially, not least for young people unable to see and mix with loved ones and friends, an essential part of growing up, not to mention a vital learning curve in understanding ourselves and human nature in general. Let's face it, there is a LOT to learn...from the here-and-now to eternity. It is never too late to learn of course, but much of what we learn (or don't) in our youth, we will carry with us for the rest of our lives. All the more reason to get it right, yeah? Or, as near to getting it right as personal space and circumstances will allow.

I well recall a moment in class at my old secondary school when the English  teacher told us that "Life is a perpetual learning curve..." to which someone piled up, "Oh, sir, that is so trite, and you're always telling us to try and be original..." 

"Yes, well," said the teacher, "That's true, but where our thoughts are concerned, the chances are someone, somewhere has already beat us to it and we've heard it voiced so many time in so many variations that it becomes a case of familiarity breeds contempt. For contempt, read trite. Never but never, though, make the mistake of ignoring someone else's original thought. Where it helped them, it may well help us, if only by adapting it to our own approach to life or whatever. Few ideas or thoughts in life are original. It is in how we approach and what we make of them that we can all be original in our own way... Sayings, proverbs, there is plenty of food for thought there, believe you, me..."  

The lesson continued, all about the use of adjectives and adverbs as I recall... but I forget quite what. His words about Thought, though, remain with me to this day, possibly because years of hormone therapy for my prostate cancer have thrown my ow thought processes into such chaos that old sayings and proverbs provide as good an opportunity as any for licking them into shape.

That's all for today, folks, except to wish you all an enjoyable evening, whatever socialising you have in mind. Let 'caution' be the keyword, but don't let it stop you having fun, if only just for being in good company.

Take care, stay safe , keep well and I'll be back tomorrow with a poem to greet 2022.

Hugs,

Roger

Mist, Mountains and Motivation

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

"Our life is what our thoughts make it." - Marcus Aurelius

I wrote the poem below during my recovery from a nervous breakdown back in the late 1970's and have only slightly revised it.. Until now, reading it has always left me depressed as it recalls a period in my life I would much rather forget. Yesterday evening, though, I found myself in something of a perfect storm; computer crashing, TV failing to respond, a rising panic leaving me unable to quite get my thought processes - already in a mess due to years of hormone therapy for my prostate cancer - into any kind of order.

After a kind friend had helped me send foe, Panic, into retreat over the telephone, I found myself needing to read the poem again. I recalled someone telling me it was "a load of hackneyed crap" at the time, and maybe they were right, but it had done nothing for my fragile morale. Reading it again now, after nearly two years of the world having to live with Covid-19 and now, another rapidly spreading variant, Omicron, it did not leave me feeling depressed at all. On the contrary, it reassured me that, like everyone else, I have the potential to try and rise above the stress that Covid-19 has imposed. 

Along with all of you, I  can but try, succeed or fail, do or die, and may mind-body-spirit see us through this stress, just as it did your truly 40+ years ago. My choice, and I decided to GO for it; already, I could feel my panic retreating, no victory in sight, but the potential for it was there and my depleted energy levels all but restored. I feel the same now, a positive-thinking mindset well and truly kicking in...

I rarely sleep well, but last night I slept better than I had for a long time..

MIST, MOUNTANS AND MOTIVATION

I creep up on you unawares
over periods of time as the going
shifts from gentle slope
to steep hill, until it starts to feel
like there’s a mountain
to climb, its peak shrouded in mist
as if acknowledging
a nagging fear that an enemy is near
if not already here...

At the peak, the scary mist
emanating half-forgotten faces
I can barely place,
whose names long since forgotten
in mists of time, no less
scary for reminding me who I am,
even yet could be,
left wondering why mind-body-spirit
gone eerily quiet...

Tempted, to leap into space
rather than risk descending, ending
all pretence at living,
better to die now – and prove what?
That it has counted for nothing,
this endless searching for something
and getting nowhere fast?
Suddenly, mind-body-spirit finds its voice,
“Do or die, your choice...”

A global challenge, Choice. Do we, nurture
or give up on our past-present-future...?

 Copyright R. N. Taber, 2021

.

A Sparrow Falls

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

Another recently revised poem today, the original of which was written 20+ years ago; I have made significant changes. 

Until the coronavirus pandemic and the various safety precautions generated by various lockdowns, I hadn’t realised how much I take some of the ordinary, everyday pleasures of life for granted; one of these is birdsong. 

During dark, lonely days alone in my studio flat in London, I would listen to the uplifting, inspirational sounds made by birds nearby and not only feel less alone, but also better able to focus on nurturing a positive-thinking mindset rather than succumb to what had been but a growing sense of negativity and despair... 

Never again will I take our feathered friends for granted or the simple but effective magic they weave, whether in the life-music they may make or  always being there for us.

A SPARROW FALLS 

World, falling apart;
dreary, all but empty gardens
of the heart;
senses, playing tricks;
everyone, a victim, few of us
suspecting 

Walking out one day,
aware of little or nothing but
in shades of grey;
bonding with a sparrow
in a gutter, its wings barely able
to flutter... 

Anxious hands reaching
down to hold, if small comfort,
bird already cold,
each teary eye looking
death in the face, like a child’s
on a safehouse 

Suddenly, ears pricking up
at sounds familiar on overhead
telegraph wires;
songbirds, keen to re-engage
our personal space with life-music
of life-music

As one, the tiny birds fly off,
once having fed on seeds tossed
by human hearts
eager to thank them again
for returning the mind-body-spirit
to its safehouse

Copyright R. N. Taber, 2002; rev. 2021 

[Note: An earlier version of this poem appears in my collection First Person Plural, Assembly Books, 2002; rev. 2021]

Hi folks, from London UK

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

Hi folks

I hope you are ok and continuing to nurture your mental as well as physical well-being. Never easy at the best of times, let alone during a pandemic. Yes, here in the UK and other parts of the world, vaccines are proving very effective and safety restrictions are being gradually lifted. Even so, there is no room for complacency.

Some people remain wary of vaccination, especially significant numbers from ethic minority communities despite assurances from public figures from those same communities going on TV to urge everyone to get both jabs. Yes, there is an element of risk, but it is very small, while the greater benefit to those communities at large is immeasurable. True, the so-called Indian variant, for example, has shown itself to be far more easily transmitted from person to person than even the original virus, BUT even if someone is unfortunate enough to catch it, data suggests the chances are it will be (far)  less likely to mean hospitalisation. 

I have heard people say, "Oh, I'll chance my luck..." Fair enough, one might argue. but it is not only their own luck these people are chancing, but the luck of everyone around them should they get symptoms and unknowingly pass them on. 

There is such a thing as collective responsibility, and if ever there was a time for it, yours truly feels  that time is NOW.

As regular readers know, I have to contend with prostate cancer among other health issues, and was very nervous about getting both vaccinations, but went ahead anyway and remain coronavirus-free; I had symptoms in early January 2020, but there was no talk of a pandemic then so I thought t was a bad dose  of flu....

I have read since that some people experience no symptoms even though a subsequent test has proven positive. Since it appears possible that people who appear to be coronavirus-free can still spread the virus, all the more reason, surely, to have both vaccinations and protect others, including those closest to us?  Yes, I know it can seem as if free choice is being undermined if not eroded altogether, but there are times when the proverbial 'greater good' becomes a FACT we ignore, not only at our own risk, but everyone else's too.

Herewith ends the 'lesson' for today... 😉

The weather here is looking GOOD, hope is it looking GOOD wherever you are based as well. 

Whatever, we all need to call on any GOOD vibes to get our thought processes up and running smoothly for the rest of the day. No, not always easy, but Hobson's choice all the same; we can let our own problems get the better of us or tell them to "Get lost!" - for now, at any rate. 

In the immortal words of Scarlett O'Hara in Margaret Mitchel's novel Gone with the Wind, "Tomorrow is another day..."

Take care, my friends, keep well,  let's all do our best to nurture a positive thinking mindset (we can but try) and many thanks for dropping by.  For those who living  alone, on-line company is always welcome, especially when real-life friends are unable to visit...for whatever reasons. 

Hugs,

Roger

PS, Yes, I am working on a new poem, slowly but surely, as I contend with the usual everyday matters that contribute to our survival... on the best footing available, even if it that  particular life-force isn't our first choice. 😉

Insomniac

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber 

As I have said before on the blog, prostate cancer has a mind of its own; sometimes it lets me off lightly with my only having to get up a few times during the night to have a pee. Some nights, though, it will have me up every hour on the hour, clearly determined to get the better of mind-body-spirit’s reluctance to cave in. Last night was one of the latter. Eventually, I gave up trying to sleep and began working on this poem which, ironically, saw me fall asleep for a good five hours although it was already 4 am. 

I suspect it isn’t just the prostate cancer unwilling to let me relax sufficiently to get a decent spell of sleep. The stress of coronavirus restrictions during lockdowns refuses to (quite) go away, despite its implications and consequences for everyone then substantially easing as safety restrictions are gradually relaxed and the vaccination program gathers momentum. We are assured the worst is over and we can relax here in the UK...but is it, and can we? We can but nurture a positive thinking mindset...and keep our fingers crossed. 😉

This mind-body-spirit, for one, plainly continues to nurse such concerns as likely to keep sleep at bay for a good while yet… unless it can keep finding ways to let sweet dreams override any troubled consciousness. Growing old, doesn’t help, but one thing I know for sure. I won’t be attempting to write  poems at 4.00 am too often! 

Good luck, everyone, and many thanks for dropping by, always much appreciated. 

Hugs, 

Roger 

INSOMNIAC 

Unable to sleep for disturbing images
haunting my consciousness, chasing shadows
over my head colluding with moonlight
to transpose into stark images of such regret,
as missed opportunities, time ill-spent
mulling over what-might-have-been instead
of rallying positive life forces enough
to galvanise me into action, make things better,
get real with warning signs 

Oh, but I listened to all the wrong voices,
made all the wrong moves, and now the process
of growing old is fast catching up with me;
all I can do is look back in anger and tears, none
to blame for my actions and inaction but me,
unable to go into reverse gear, left to toss and turn,
yearn for sleep, if only to spare me the agony
of more waking my nightmares as have dogged me
all hours during my later years 

A face at my window, peering through a gap
in the curtains, old man Moon making time for me,
throwing me a wink as if to say he empathises
with age-related issues while not inclined to agree
that wishful thinking will get either of us
anywhere fast, better (surely?) to make the most
of who we are, consider how past positives
may yet bear fruit (if they haven’t already) dismiss
any negatives, too late for tears

“Easier said than done,” I hear mind-body-spirit
retort, but the Old Man’s one good eye plainly hints
at mocking the plight of a human so distressed
that he’d rather count fantasy sheep that any blessings
as bring good times as well as bad (rain or shine)
peace as well as wars, love as well as hate, triumphs
as well as failures - such is the lot of such kith
and kin as ever having to make sense of mixed feelings
held to account by looking-glasses 

I glared at this one-eyed jack for making me feel
worse than I felt already; what could he know about
all we endure for doing our best, being put down
for it, time and again, yet we find ways to rise above
the sneers and stereotypes, graffiti on walls passing
fake news or imaging threats for not consenting to this
to this or agreeing with that, supposedly reflecting 
local opinion, but more likely someone’s paranoia fuelled
by a singularly egocentric social media 

“No need to defend yourself to me,” says the eye
n the chink of a curtain starting to cloud over already,
“I have seen it all, and rather you than me for a life
on Earth, all for the sake of piling up capital gains
(or poverty as the case may be) hardly worth the effort
of giving birth, surely, only to end up an insomniac
with nothing to show for it?”  Now mind-body-spirit’s
turn to mock, “Oh, and what know you of such joys
as love and friendship, celebrations enough to keep worlds
turning, give divisions the heave-ho?” 

The eye disappears, as are the ways of night skies,
as unpredictable as humanity, now here, now moved on
to new places, new ideas, new attitudes, new worlds
of being, seeing, thinking, feeling - a rollercoaster, true,
but such is the fun of any fair, and only right we pay
to try what’s on offer, thrill to a sense of shared good cheer
among crowds come together from communities,
of all shapes and sizes, differences put aside for making time
to take heart from simply being human 

I fell asleep on the rollercoaster, shrieks of joy in my ears,
relieved, finally, to let happy times dry my tears 

Copyright R. N. Taber 2021

 

Hi folks, from London UK (3)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

Hi Folks,

No poem today, but I m working on one. Meanwhile, a  reader, J.M.  has emailed to ask How I cope with the prostate cancer as he is not managing his very well. Regular readers will know that  the subject has been raised before... Even so, I empathise with J. M, and how! 

 My consultant advised me at the start (in 2012) that prostate cancer has a mind of its own, and she was so right. I have hormone treatment with zoladex injections abut every 18 months, and I often get little sleep for having to get up so often during the night to let my bladder have its wicked way with me. 😉 Even so, I take each day as it comes, try to make the best of things and not dwell on the negatives.  I don't really have any tips, except to say that DIET can help a LOT (I try to be vegan, while straying from time to time (e.g. I love fish occasionally) while still eating as healthily as possible by at least keeping to vegetarian alternatives.

Another reader asks about my perceptive deafness, a subject I have also tried to answer as best  can previously. She wonders if her son might also be similarly deaf.  She doesn't give his age, but, if he hasn't done so already, I urge her to ask her local GP to arrange for him to see an ear specialist asap. 

Perceptive deafness is not uncommon, nor is it easy to identify; at home and at school, it was invariably assumed that I wasn't paying attention when, in fact, I was struggling to hear correctly. Perceptive or "pitch" deafness, means that  how much the person hears another person depends on the pitch of the latter's voice. Local acoustics also come into play; for example, I might hear a person fairly well in one location, but barely at all in another. Growing up with perceptive deafness was a nightmare until I was finally diagnosed and issued with hearing aids especially made to help with perceptive deafness. (All the while I was growing up, I had to cope without hearing aids at all.)

Oh, one learns to cope with perceptive deafness and the various misunderstandings it causes between one's family and friends; most people are sympathetic and understanding when one explains.  It is so easy to forget, though, as many people do... and continue to take offence when I don't respond appropriately (as they see it) to whatever it is they are telling me. Essentially a people-person, I have tended to avoid people - especially groups - over many years now; I understand that people forget, but have grown weary of repeating myself by way of trying to explain. Mind you, in the kind of digitalised world we live in these days, it is only too easy to misread and take offence where none is meant. If  beauty (or otherwise) is in the eye of the beholder, so (all too often) is meaning. 

Ah, but spring is in the air here in the UK, leaves and blossom are appearing on trees and songbirds are passing on a joie de vivre such as we haven't felt for a long time due to the ravages of Covid-19. Society is beginning to open up again, safety precautions relaxed as the vaccination program here remains in full swing. There is, indeed, cause for cautious optimism, news of coronavirus mutations notwithstanding.  While our hearts reach out to those still suffering the effects of coronavirus around the world, we are reminded that there are so many people so much worse off than ourselves in so many different ways; all the more reason to keep looking on the bright(er) side of life, count our blessings instead of dwelling on our woes, and trust that a sense of joie de vivre will prevail (if only for embracing the Spirit of Love - in all its shapes and forms - even when it seems in short supply.😉

“The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.” - J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

Take care, folks, many thanks for dropping by, and I'll be back with a poem soon.

Hugs,

Roger

Getting the Better of Covid-19

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

It is looking increasingly unlikely that the world will be rid of Covid-19 and its variants any time soon, in spite of vaccines becoming available; no one seems to know just how effective certain vaccines will prove to be against this strain or that.

Be sure that mind-body-spirit will do its best to see us through whatever lies ahead. 

In the meantime, we can but give ourselves and each other the best chances of survival by following whatever restrictions intended to make us safe(er) rather than follow our more natural instinct to do our own thing… 

The world is more unsafe than it has been for centuries; subsequently humanity has a collective responsibility to show that it can work together and rise above its various socio-cultural-religious differences instead of using them as tools and/ or excuses, to make a bad situation worse. 

Fat chance of that, do I hear you say? Well, maybe… but where there’s life, there’s always hope; it has  always been hope, as well as love and kindness that not only keeps the happier heart beating, but also comprises the better part of who we are, the part that saves us from going into freefall. 

Take care, be safe and keep well, 

Hugs, 

Roger 

GETTING THE BETTER OF COVID-19

I love the sunny side
of the street, nodding and chatting
to people I meet,
if only simply passing the time
of day, give or take
little else to say likely to raise a smile
while a coronavirus
chases up our every move, left or right,
anywhere, by day or night 

Covid-19 also prefers
to haunt the sunny side of the street,
but I’ll not be fooled
into thinking there’s any safety
in the shade
beyond making sure I wear my mask
correctly, nose and mouth
covered completely, no fashion accessory,
but a social responsibility 

Safer to stay indoors
if we can, but there are key workers
on whom we rely
continue to take risks (do or die)
for all our sakes,
a selflessness putting any to shame
whose conspiracy theories
appeal to the (universally) significant few
left anxiously begging a clue 

Though all the world 
in pain and grieving, a Beacon of Hope
that is love will see us
through to whatever end in store,
whoever, wherever
we are, its truth making itself known
and felt in such ways
as sure to inspire us all our days, the nearer
for our sharing, and the dearer 

Copyright R. N. Taber 2021

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cold Hands, Warm Heart

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

A reader asks how I can write about the power of love when I am growing old and living alone. Love, the same reader suggests, is  "... a fool's game, a fantasy, here today and gone tomorrow".  I disagree, of course, although I understand where the reader is coming from, especially as he, too, lives alone.

As I have said on the blog many times. love comes in all shapes and sizes; once we let it in to mind-body-spirit, it is there forever. We may love a person, and that person my leave us or die, but the love we once had for that person does not die with them. We may love a place, and developers may move in and destroy any  natural beauty that once so captivated us; in our mind's eye though, it will remain the same albeit out love for it touched by sadness. Well, that has been my experience of certain very special people and places anyway... and they are always on hand to distract and inspire me whenever my mind-body-spirit feels inclined to dwell on the darker side of life.

Now, winter will be with us here in the UK for awhile yet, as will the threat of Covid-19. People are feeling scared as well as cold. In some parts of the North, families have been evacuated from their homes due to flooding after persistent heavy rainfall and/or snow; our thoughts are with them during these hardest of times. 

All we can do is get my as best we can, try not to worry (easier said than done, I know!) and keep to the Covid-19 safety regulations by staying at home as much as possible and, when exercising outdoors, taking care to avoid crowds and maintain social distancing. I wear a face mask all the time too. When  shopping, or using public transport, it is obligatory to wear a face mask (unless exempt for medical reasons) not only for our own protection, but for everyone else’s.

 It all sounds simple enough, yet there are still those who seem not to give a damn about themselves or anyone else. I, for one, am sick and tired of hearing various (baseless) conspiracy theories regarding Covid-19; invariably, it is sheer arrogance,  an excuse for being self-centred and selfish rather than a genuine belief. 

Meanwhile, yours truly struggles to make the best of things. Hopefully my later poems are not as bad as I often feel these days.. 😉 

COLD HANDS, WARM HEART 

Hearts in winter,
inevitably mulling far kinder times;
spring sunshine,
awaking nature to its potential,
reminding seedlings
they are contracted by Earth Mother
to grow, if only to bring
splashes of colour to such everyday gardens
as per everyday lives 

Cold, the hands,
reaching out for such reassurances
as only memories
in 3-D and full colour can revisit,
human consciousness
flying as wild and free as songbirds,
mind-body-spirit
searching time and space for what once it had,
called happiness 

Such warmth,
at disengaging with the Spirit of Winter
long enough
for everyday life forms to revert
to customising
such forces of nature and human nature
as embrace potential
rather than see either fail miserably or (worse still)
come to nothing 

Let love inspire
the dimmest fire to create home movies
in 3-D,
invite mind-body s
irit to cease railing
against faux fate,
but celebrate its glow, even as it fades away
for giving way
to human hearts resolving not to be left out in the cold,
but regenerate… 

There are few things love would have us savour longer
than surviving its winters much the stronger

 Copyright R. N. Taber 2021

Frontliners

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

All those in the front line of our war on Covid-19 deserve our thanks, respect and admiration. How they cope, day after day, defies belief. I have been retired for 10 years now, but like to think I would have played my part, although I suspect few of us know how we would react to certain circumstances until they are upon us and we are tested.

My father and I did not get along. From childhood, he never believed I had a hearing problem. More   than once would send me to my room for ‘ignoring’ him when I genuinely hadn’t known he was talking to me. Needless to say, this did nothing to improve our relationship. “He’s weak!” I heard him shout at my mother once, “He’s weak, that’s his trouble. Always got his head stuck in a book, it’s high time he started acting like a boy instead of a bloody pansy.”

Later, I asked my mother, “Am I weak?” Her reply was typical of her grasp of human nature. “None of us really know our true strengths and weaknesses,” she said, “… until they and we are tested. Even then,” she sighed, “… it’s invariably left to others to judge and we alone ourselves to know. It’s called life,” she added with a rueful smile. “But just you go to sleep and put it out of your mind…” She turned off the lamp I had been reading by, and I could have sworn I heard her say, “…while you still can.”

I suspect we are tested at all stages in our lives although we may not realise it at the time. As we grow up and grow older, though, we do get to know ourselves, although how much is fact and how much is wishful thinking … that’s for us to take on board, reject or work through for ourselves, hopefully with more than a little help from loved-ones and friends.

Whatever our battles, we are the front line, win some, lose some…

FRONTLINERS 

War or peace,
whatever the cause in us demanding
we fight,
at the end of the day, it needs to be
for the better,
if only to keep us safe , drive any enemy
to rout 

Early years,
learning to talk, walks, laugh and play,
choose friends
come to recognize certain aspects
of behaviour…
as in where our empathising with it begins
and ends 

Schooldays,
inviting us to see how competition
demands
targets our strengths and weaknesses, requires
we stand up
for its rights and wrongs or go to ground, head
in hands 

Come, youth
to have its day, before such times ahead
as we know
will test us, even cut us down before any gain
or losses
can take us where we may (or not) have chosen
to go 

Middle years,
basking in sunny climes or sheltering
from storms
beyond anticipation for our underestimating
how maturity
may yet see us bested by any variety of tempting
life forms 

Old age,
a final reckoning of sorts, for the better
or worse
as we harvest all mind-body-spirit has incited us
to be, urging us
do whatever may yet see all or some of our parts rest
in peace

 “Advance, friend or foe,” finding out wherever we go,
ourselves to know 

Copyright R. N. Taber, 2021

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Winterworld OR In Anticipation of Spring

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

I have often commented on the blogs how love takes on all shapes and appearances; love of family, friends, places, whatever aspects of nature and human nature that can be relied on to bring out the best in us, distance us from anything less. 

A reader writes that “Such positive thinking is all very well, but “… it’s only a theory, so typical of a poet. How, in practice, can it see we ordinary human beings through the likes of a pandemic or such intense personal crises as any of us are likely to experience at any time in our lives?” 

Well, the short answer is that there isn’t one, only as many to choose from as there are aspects of human nature. 

Regular readers will know that, some 40+ years ago, I attempted suicide, so great was the crisis I needed to confront that I felt I couldn’t even make a start, and what was the point?

The point was, of course, that we all need to confront our fears; running away (as regular readers will know I have often done) solves nothing. Somehow, that same ‘theory, so typical of a poet’ found a way through my unconscious self, and I awoke long enough to seek medical help. 

The next four years were a waking nightmare, but such support as I hadn’t expected from certain work colleagues, friends and various professionals saw me through it all. Finally, I found myself taking up the threads of everyday life again, starting a new job, and waking up each morning without mind-body-spirit feeling all but overwhelmed. 

I had a garden in those days. Birdsong, through such summers as were almost as bad any winter, helped me in ways I had no way of understanding until, some years later, I began writing poetry again, something that had seen me through such childhood crises as haunt me still, not least for my never having understood those either. 

While I suspect few if any of us ever (quite) understand ourselves, I like to think I have at least learned (better late than never) that we human beings can do a lot worse in life than take our cue from all the natural world has to offer, not least by way of making the best of and surviving even the worst of its wintry elements.

Many thanks for dropping by the blog, folks, always much appreciated,

Hugs,

Roger 

WINTERWORLD or IN ANTICIPATION OF SPRING 

I spied a starling
flying low, seemingly heading
for a tearful tree,,
the name of which species
escaping me,
the archives of my memory
all but running
on empty, so intense the toll on me
of everyday anxiety 

Barely skimming
the tree’s uppermost branches,
starling appeared
to have a last-minute change
of mind, taking off
in another direction altogether,
as if sensing
little (if any) welcome to be had there,
no rising above despair 

I spied a redbreast,
wings a-flutter in the bitter wind
like a flag of hope
among snow clouds spreading
mixed emotions
among various generations below
for anticipating
multifarious joys as snowfalls may bring,
or yet more suffering 

Alighting on a branch
of so woebegone a tree as appears
struggling so
to stay alive in the total absence
of any pointers
to spring, robin raises a weary head
and starts to sing,
its sweet voice drying Earth Mother’s tears
as it has for centuries 

Imagination or celebration,
tree taking its cue for a new lease
of life, as well might
its listeners all, we creatures great
and small,
for cock robin’s messaging wintry worlds
that the nature
of love demands no words or romantic setting
for the joy of its giving

 Copyright R. N. Taber 2021

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In-Betweeners OR Mind-Body-Spirit in Crisis

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

Before publishing today’s post-poem, I was hearing on the News about people having to wait for transplant and other urgent to operations dues to so many hospitals being full to capacity with Covis-19 cases. Yet again, this puts my own health issues into perspective. 

Yesterday, my bad foot was playing up along with prostate cancer problems and an ear infection. I was feeling very sorry for myself, nor did a grim day weather-wise help. Such minor worries compared to what many others are facing, people of all ages, not only here in London UK  but around the world. 

On the whole, I am a fairly fit 75 years-old who can get out and about locally with my walking stick and years of hormone therapy for the prostate cancer remains reasonably manageable. Not for the first time, I feel ashamed for letting myself get so low yesterday, and close to panicking about everything. 

Although living alone can be tough at the moment, families with young children and key workers are having so much worse a time that I can only salute their endurance levels and bravery. While I can understand only too well why people lose their tempers and become aggressive, given the kind of stress we are all under, it falls to each and every one of us to keep a sense of proportion and rein in our greater anxieties. Not always easy, but the very least we can do for others in much the same boat as ourselves is not only play safe, but play fair. 

Take care and here’s wishing all readers safe and well. May you feel loved by family and/or friends, and may that help you rise above any sense of crisis.

Many thanks again for dropping by the blog, always much appreciated. I only hope you enjoy some of the poems, especially as I dare say I'm not at my bardic best right now.😉

Hugs,

Roger

IN-BETWEENERS or MIND-BODY=SPIRIT IN CRISIS 

Heavens, alive
with pinkish hues, just long enough
for human senses
to be reassured by the presence
of natural beauty,
postscript to another day of living
in fear of a coronavirus
forcing its way among us like impatience
in a milling crowd 

Landscape, losing
its harsher edges, just long enough
to offer respite
from the harsher concerns of a day
seemingly preoccupied
with giving fear, despair, loneliness,
an edge over any happiness
forcing humanity into corners as analogous
with mortality as any 

Sun, going down,
little respite in a darkness where even
moon and stars
left struggling to find a way past clouds
hell bent on
letting night persist in pursuing demands
of a cruel day,
though up against the kinder mind-body-spirit
of human nature 

Heavens, doggedly
driving a passage between all such shades
of light and dark
comprising the human race, we in-between
travellers across
our own time and space, making of its history
what we see,
just long enough to be reassured by the presence
of a natural beauty 

In between its now embracing, now inspiring us,
a fallacious global consciousness

 Copyright R. N. Taber 2021

Hello, World

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber 

Hello World, from London UK,

Yes, I am working on a new poem, but so stressed out at the moment that I am not sure if I will complete it by tomorrow, so… fingers crossed.

Readers ask how I am coping with the rapid spread of the coronavirus variant, especially here in London where hospitals and Care Homes are under increasing pressure; Covid-19 cases are rising faster than ever before, and, sadly too, the death rate. The death of a loved one is a tragic loss at any time, so our thoughts are with all those affected at what is probably one of the toughest periods in all our lives anyway; we can but urge them to think back to better, happier times, and remember those we have lost as they were then and how they made us happy... and always will.

To be honest, I am not coping very well, but keep reminding myself that there are many people a LOT worse off than yours truly;  all brave those key workers in the front line of any Covid-19 attack, those who have lost their jobs, parents with children whoa are now expected to act as teachers where schools are closed, anyone whose hip or knee operations have had to be postponed due to the lack of hospital beds…to name but a few.  

I see living alone as  something of an advantage at the moment for much the same reason as I hate it, having relatively little everyday contact with others at the best of times. Yes, I miss travelling to visit friends and their coming to see me, but at least I can do my bit, stay at home as much as possible and wear a face mask whenever and wherever I am out and about. Even so, this doesn't stop me feeling lonely and isolated at times, feeling physically sick upon waking up each morning at the thought of another lo-o-o-ng day ahead.

Last night, I slept reasonably well for not having to get up for a pee umpteen times due to the prostate cancer. Consequently, I am feeling better able to cope with whatever life throws at me today than I did yesterday. So… a good start. Although the weather, right now, is overcast and grim, it does not fill me with anywhere near as much doom and gloom as various media reports do; the media may well have a responsibility to tell us what is going on in the world, but most of us could well use some cheering up; the latter being one of the hardest of essential tasks, especially when you live alone and have too much time on your hands to mull over life’s negatives rather than being able to take comfort and inspiration from fast diminishing positives. thate's where creative therapy comes in, of course, anything to 

Oh, well, c’est la vie, coronavirus or no coronavirus. At least humankind is blessed with the greatest if most precarious of mindsets; one whose capacity for hope and positive thinking provides its inner eye with every opportunity to look forward, move forward, anything better than staying still, especially when the Here-and-Now is as wintry as it gets for a mind-body-spirit that finds itself struggling to rise above its worst afflictions.

Yes, indeed, it will take more than any coronavirus for the life-giving, hope-giving, milk of human kindness to run dry and leave us feeling completely stranded and alone.

True, there will always be greedy, selfish, criminal elements in any society, but -on the whole – people do care and will help as and whenever they can. Even the Good Samaritans of this world and mot mind readers, though, so some of us may well have to swallow our pride as ask for help sometimes rather than bemoan the fact that no one appears to be offering any. All of us have to take the rough with the smooth in this life, but it has been my experience that there are a LOT of people out there only too willing to help, but are reluctant to appear as if they are interfering.

Take care, everyone, stay safe, be kind, and keep well. Oh, and be sure to keep looking on the bright(er) side of life... (never easy, but always worth the effort...)

Back with another poem (hopefully) tomorrow,

Hugs,

Roger

PS.A reader complains that I am "too repetitive." Sorry about that. I guess it goes with the territory in hard times, especially as we grow old. I like to think of myself as being 75 years young... but who am I kidding? 😉

Shadows OR Points of View, Shades of Meaning

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

Hi, World, 

Well, here we go again, 

Another day of waking up to the Covid-19 variant and safety regulations we are all meant to follow, but some don’t so many of us are fearful of going out and about locally even for such essential everyday items as food. 

Overcoming fear, in any context, is never easy. I feel physically sick sometimes once I close the front door behind me and step out into the street. At 75, I have been fortunate enough to have my first vaccination, but only a few days ago so it will take a little while yet to kick in. Whatever, no room for complacency I will need to follow lockdown safety regulations, probably for months. Oh, well, needs must… and we can all but do our bit to help ease the awful stress faced by every key worker, especially those in hospitals and care homes, but unsung heroes too like those who collect our waste and clean our streets. 

Meanwhile, there is an ignorant, selfish minority who persist in protesting about their human rights being undermined and/or that Covid-19 is some kind of conspiracy. We can only ignore them, and get on with our own lives as best (and safely) as we can. 

Me, I feel a greater empathy with Humpty Dumpty every day, falling apart, and surrounded by pieces I haven’t a clue how to start putting together again. Time will tell, I guess. 

In the meantime, there is another day to get through on my own here, so I had better get on and make breakfast … having been awake long enough now to get a tighter grip on things, start re-energising myself by looking on the bright(er) side of life, and anticipating a kinder springtime of mind-body-spirit… 

Readers continue to ask how I can talk about spirituality yet separate it from any religious faith. 

As I have said more than once on the blog, and will probably say again, there is more to any human being than meets the eye, including his or her sexuality; the human spirit is as much a part of us if not more so, frim birth to death and in remembrance; one reason why I find the refusal of world religions recognise this and welcome LGBT people, instead of condemning us, as nothing short of hypocritical. Sexuality is, after all, a human condition, not a lifestyle choice, and even if it were, whatever happened to freedom of choice? 

As for a sense of spirituality, I suspect it embraces each and every one of us in various ways, religion or no religion; how we choose to use it, well, that is only human.

SHADOWS or POINTS OF VIEW, SHADES OF MEANING 

Birds of the air,
engaging with a friendly tree,
no less so for its want
of welcome shelter from wintry
elements 

Human beings,
engaging with creative therapy
by way of sheltering
from a coronavirus making what
it will of u 

Grey squirrels,
chasing shadows where grass
awaits its season
and the earth makes what it will
of winter 

All humanity,
made to chase its own shadow
for home truths
surfacing where common need
prevailing 

Yet, still it turns,
this multicultural world of ours,
no less so for its want
of welcome shelter from wintry
elements 

Neither sun by day,
nor moon by night (quite) shining
light enough
on such rights and wrongs as prefer
shadows 

Shadows, playing
much the same parts across history
in bringing
such common elements of humanity
together 

Even so, no shadow
hanging over us can resist such shades
of life and love
as comprise the (far) better, kinder part
of mind-body-spirit 

Copyright R. N. Taber, 2021

[Note; This post-poem also appears on my gay-interest poetry blog today.] RT

Hello again, Everyone

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

Hello again Everyone,

No poem again today, sorry about that, but I am working on one. I live alone and get very tired, especially after a BAD night with my prostate cancer; it isn’t advanced or particularly aggressive, but I often need to urinate during the night. I have tablets now, that help some nights, but not always.

Poetry demands a degree of thought and imagination, both of which fail me utterly sometimes. Even so, they are necessary tools for my personal survival, pandemic or no pandemic, so I am always well-motivated to recover any losses. Fingers crossed…

There are moves towards enforcing greater safety precautions here in the UK in an attempt to control the rapid spread of the Covid-19 variant. One of these is closing down all places of worship. A reader asks how I feel about this. As it happens, I agree, and not because I do not subscribe to any religion. Places of worship offer the sense of being part of a community, and this is important, but not essential to feeling close to God; praying alone can do that. 

Those attending places of worship, whatever their religion, tend to congregate before and after services, an open invitation to the spread of any coronavirus.

Another reader asks how I cope with broken sleep and mobility problems during the pandemic. I have not been told to ‘shield’ so I make sure I get out and about as much as I need to, for essential everyday shopping, exercising my bad leg etc. I always wear a mask as it helps my self-confidence.

Living in London as I do, I am very nervous about going out at all these days, but mental health is every bit as important as physical health; I need to get out of my flat sometimes, even for just 20 minutes or so, or go mad. (I don’t have access to a garden.) It’s a case of mind over matter, I guess, between my inner self and a handful of mentoring ghosts from my past; we invariably manage to persuade a wary, nervous, even downright scared yours truly, to get on with life as far as possible.

Yes, I try to practise what I preach when it comes to adopting a positive-thinking mindset. Never easy, but it’s Hobson’s Choice in so far as the alternative does not bear thinking about. (Well, does it…?)

I look out of my window, watch trees swaying, birds flying and squirrels chasing each other… and feel close to nature. For a pantheist God is nature. So, on this Sunday morning, nor less so than any other morning or times of day, I find more than inspiration enough to see me through all life throws at me as I grow old, pandemic or no pandemic, and, yes, maybe even a poem…

Back tomorrow, folks, and many thanks for dropping by; your company means a lot to me.

Take care, be safe, and keep well,

Hugs,

Roger