Inherited

my mother's eyes
my dad's demeanour
not land, nor castles
income from estates
the staff, titles
the homes, the jewels
not the taxpayers cash
interest on millions
property worth billions
no power to tweak laws
before they're set
not wealth passed on
from a rich woman
to her son
an accident of birth
no one chooses
to get born
the luck of the draw
to be fit and strong
isn't that enough
with my mother's eyes
my dad's demeanour

~

CLP 06/04/2023

on Ukraine

twenty-five years for
Vladimir Kara-Murza
for calling out war

~

n.b. Mr Kara-Murza stayed in Russia to inform Russians about the invasion of Ukraine under the orders of Moscow. Sentenced to twenty-five years for being critical of Russia’s leadership, an exemplary sentence has been imposed.

As a holder of Russian and British citizenships, it is thought he may be used as a hostage to extract some concessions from London, or to negotiate release of Russians, or pro-Russian individuals captured for espionage in the west.

Meanwhile, day 419 of the war is passing and Ukrainians fighting for independence from Russia are still being slaughtered.

~

CLP 18/04/2023

on guns

they come fully armed
with land, money, privilege
fingers on triggers

~

n.b. An industry always prepared to send warning shots over the heads of the little people who want fewer guns, fewer needless deaths, limits on gun power in the UK.

Remember Dunblane. Never forget, one man on the run with a gun is one too many.

CLP 24/02/2023

on Ukraine

six jets roar over
shake windows, disturb pigeons
English seaside town

~

n.b. Used to one or two on practice runs, but six? What’s actually happening?

CLP 11/02/2023

on Ukraine

long-term investment
everyone wants a pie slice
who's brokering peace?

~

n.b. I notice that the UK economy is the only large richer nation forecast to be in economic decline in 2023, despite Johnson acting as arms salesman par excellence. The arms industry is doing very well, so the rest of the UK economy must be in a hell of a slump.

CLP 31/01/2023

on truth

now the hole story
liar by his omissions
outline of events

~

n.b. With this UK government, it’s what they don’t say we have to be careful of; the unknown knowns, so to speak.

CLP 31/01/2023

on time

paramedics wait up
patients in car parks for hours
our chronic decline

~

n.b. All very well spending £ billions of the public‘s taxed money on an aircraft carrier which broke on sea trials, PPE that was useless and never used, bureaucracy to leave the EU, (our biggest trading partner), but nothing invested in hospitals for those very taxpayers.

Meanwhile, tax dodging (avoidance and evasion) of the highest order persists by those actually in the highest executive positions of power.

Tax the richest harder. No such thing as trickle down economics, as the rich get richer and the gap widens between the excess of haves and the poverty of have nots.

The UK is a shambolic mess. How not to run a country.

Enough is enough.

~

CLP 28/01/2023

in time

concrete, glass and steel
put up lights, tie off with bow
still steel, glass, concrete

~

n.b. People raising glasses to Christmas on 2nd December, leaving just eleven months of the year festive free. This is in a country where a minority (46%) now identify themselves as Christian.

I don’t see or hear this much propaganda about any other belief system, other than Free Market ideology, obviously.

CLP 04/12/2022

on wisdom

what is going on?
a straight forward question
"I don't bloody know"

~

n.b. How soon will it be before people of the UK can ask for political asylum in the EU? It’s chaos here.

CLP 21/10/2022

on time

if this is home
what am I doing about it?
home for good or move

~

n.b. Home is not the house, but the location.

CLP 15/10/2022