Hello from London, UK

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

“In order to carry a positive action, we must develop here a positive vision. -  Dalai Lama 

“Correction does much, but encouragement does more.” - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“A good laugh is sunshine in the house.” William Makepeace Thackeray 

“Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact.” – William James

“Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained.” - Marie Curie 

"What we have once enjoyed, we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us." - Helen Keller

Hello from London, UK

No poem today as I am very unwell, but while my body may be ailing, my spirit is as strong and resilient as ever, so… expect a new poem soon.

Now, all is not well here in the UK, as in so many other parts of the world, but our thoughts are always with those so much worse off, not least the people of Somalia suffering the effects of a devastating drought. Ukraine, too, deserves our support and compassion, especially those families losing loved one in the course of Putin’s cruel invasion. 

The ordinary folks of Russia loom high in our thoughts, compassion too, for they are not to blame for the machinations of Vladimir Putin’s dictatorship.

Across much of Europe and, indeed. the world, Putin’s invasion of Ukraine continues to badly affect everyday lives; a duel energy- financial crisis deepening everywhere.

Here in the UK, our politics does nothing to ease anyone’s fears of a tough, rough winder ahead. Few people I know, myself included, have any faith in our new Prime minister’s economic policies. Liz Truss - and the Conservative Party generally – are, as usual, high on rhetoric and all but negligible on detail. A neighbour who attended the recent Party conference says she had the impression that no one was coming away with much, if any, confidence.

People hate uncertainty, it scares them and makes them feel unsafe. Liz Truss’ maiden speech as Prime Minister, did nothing to allay such fears; again, high on rhetoric, low on detail. Certainly nothing to alleviate the average family’s fears regarding, energy costs, mortgages, and how to afford to put food on the table in the light of rising prices for essential groceries and travel costs.

Nothing I can say can do much to allay anyone’s fears, except perhaps to trust in the power of mind-body-spirit to unite with heart-and-soul to help us rise above the worst and keep looking on the bright(er) side of life. Never easy, I know. But… we have a choice?

Take care, everyone, I am thinking of and rooting for you all. I can offer little comfort to those in distress, except to urge you to be resilient, never give up on hope or underestimate the power of the human spirit to see us though to kinder times.

Here’s wishing you safe, well, and nurturing a positive-thinking mindset, no matter what your circumstances. 

Hugs,

Roger

Hello again, from London UK

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

Hello again, everyone, from London UK,

Sorry, no poem today, but will try and compose a new one soon. I've has traumatic few days and only just rediscovering a sense of normality.. Last week, I found myself locked out of the computer  by Microsoft. As I have preferred to use Google for many years, I had no recollection of the information I was being asked to input. Several times, my screen told me to "try again tomorrow", but the situation persisted , so I had to take the pc into a local store; I needed to save the data so it was a few days before I was able to collect it, in good working order but operational changes to which I have yet to become accustomed.

Years of hormone therapy for the prostate cancer have played havoc with my thought processes and also left me prone to panic, but lots of herbal tea and doing word puzzles helped keep me on an even(ish) keel. I would have coped much better when I was younger (will be 77 later this year), but I suspect that old age as well as the hormone therapy haven't helped the ole thought processes.😉

I had bought a laptop sometime ago, so managed to get it up and running- with a lot of help from my friend Graham (who created the videos where I read poems on YouTube) but getting used to anything new, takes me awhile these days. Problems with setting it up have now been (hopefully) solved and today I collected my pc from the local store.

This pc, too, has significantly different features with which will take me awhile to become comfortable, but (hopefully) I will be up to the challenges ahead. Again, another friend, Richard, kindly set it up for me as I have forgotten much of what I ever knew about setting up computers!😀

So, I am all set to go again, engage with you all and invite you to to (hopefully) enjoy my poems, both on regular posts and in the blog archives.

Although I have always loved writing up the blog and composing poems, I haven't the words to describe just how much the latter, especially, has helped me through the pandemic. So, a BIG thank you to you all for staying in touch. Sadly, we are not over the pandemic just yet, but let's all hope we are at least over the worst of it and there aren't too many Covid variants out there just waiting to pounce. I am still wearing a face mask in shops, on busy thoroughfares and public transport even tough we are no longer legally obliged to here in England; I may be in a minority, but that has never bothered me...😉 Better safe than sorry, I say...

I hope to be back real soon with a poem, but suspect it may take me longer than a younger version of yours truly, to get used to all the changes associated with finding files and logging on etc. 

Take care care, stay safe and keep well, dear readers, and remember to keep looking on the bright(er) side of life, no matter how it may drive you up the proverbial wall... as so often happens to us all from time to time😉 Should you ever feel unable to cope, never hold back from asking friends for help; it shows that mind-body-spirit knows best even when we don't... as I have discovered time and again over many years, and done my nest to reciprocate.

Love 'n' Hugs,

Roger

Helping Hands at Cliff Edges

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

Regular readers will know that I am having a hard time dealing with various health issues at the moment. No matter how aware and /or reminded we may be that there are many people out there a lot worse off than ourselves, it is small comfort in the circumstances and does little or nothing to ease our own distress. Selfish? Probably, yes, but I suspect it is human nature to see little further than our own problems from time to time.

I have often said that various forms of creative therapy can save us from going into free fall; the arts have a central role here, but so, too, do crafts, gardening etc. For me, of course, it has to be poetry, and – for better or worse (for the reader, that is) – I practise what a preach. 

We all know, and it goes without saying (doesn't it?) that, in the absence of Apollo, and as someone’s family member, friend or neighbour we all have a supporting role to play from time to time in their lives … well, don’t we?

HELPING HANDS AT CLIFF EDGES

Hanging on,

wanting, needing to let go

but for old habits

kicking in where life instinct

ever made itself heard

even to deaf ears, mind-body-spirit

older than its years,

risen above its tears for fears

of living nightmares,

fingertips clinging to cliff edges

above an indifferent sea

Hanging on,

wanting, needing to let go

but for happy times

in the company of loved ones

haunting me;

cinema of mind-body-spirit providing

private viewing

intended to kill tears for fears

of living nightmares,

lend fingertips at this cliff edge

a helping hand

Hanging on,

wanting, needing to let go

though an old stand-by

making its presence felt yet again,

climbing up my spine;

no nasty creepy crawly thing, this,

but bent on killing off

tears for fears of living nightmares

with positive thoughts,

lend fingertips at any cliff edge

a helping hand 

Hanging on,

wind turning southerly now,

as if anxious to prove

a kindness exists beyond any stormy gusts

as buffeted me here,

reminding me that hope springs eternal

and love never dies

in a mind-body-spirit up for more

than alien sentiments

bent on sending it to The Edge

ever bargain for

Safe, if shaken,

but still on dry land for taking

Apollo’s helping hand,

up for a marriage of mind-body-spirit

with a past-present-future

acknowledging errors, working on any flaws

of (human) nature,

taking heart in playing its part

(however small)

in keeping a kinder perspective,

resist free fall

Copyright R.N. Taber, 2020