Tigers v Trump
Comparing Tigers' and Trump's leadership skills
The tiger calmly prowls through the forest,
His paws quietly trample the twigs.
Those rippling muscles ooze with power,
A glance makes it clear: this land is his.
Poems
Roars of Pride
Celebrating England women winning The Euros, 2025
Our lionesses now rightfully reign,
Making history, they’ve won the Euros again.
Sarina’s grand plan proved to be right,
As they pulled themselves through a nail-biting fight.
We’ll Miss You Chris
In memory of my sister, Chris Penny
How to describe dear Chris who is gone?
To her children she will always be Mum,
Granny Cats was also a favourite name,
With ‘Crazy’ perhaps her claim to fame.
Crazy Cat Ladies Do Care
Responding to JD Vance’s comments about crazy cat ladies
Crazy Cat Ladies have hit the news,
Thanks to Vance’s dreadful views.
He thinks women who’ve not given birth,
Lack future commitment, have no worth.
Our Current Climate
Climate Change in metaphors and clichés.
The heat is on, we’re in full flow,
Flooded by those gloomy facts,
Drowning out our sense of calm,
As clouds do not have silver linings.
A Magpie Muses
From the only magpie living in Shetland
Gannets and guillemots throng in their thousands,
Screeching and squawking across the cliffs,
While from the rocky ledge below,
Puffins gently rise and float free.
Face Facts
Animal sentience and chimpanzees' facial signals
Since we descended from great apes,
Their gestures form familiar shapes,
We can tell if a chimp seeks some food,
Wants to groom or is in the mood.
Reading the signs upon their face,
Comes from our shared genetic space.
Calling animals dumb is simply unfair,
We know they can think and share and care,
They have their own sets of social rules,
And some can even work with tools.
They’re much better than us in many ways,
While we risk causing a nuclear haze.
We weren’t the creators of conversation,
So, let’s master the art of conservation.
There Were Only Eight Hundred
When visiting war graves on Crete, we were told that relatively few soldiers were buried there. But it still seemed a lot.
The bush-flecked Cretan slopes
Surround the glistening graveyard,
Where pale monuments salute in rows
Those heroes felled in war.
The repeated remorse of pointless loss
Laid out in military symmetry.
Notes of Loss
This poem tells of my shock in hearing ‘God Save the King’ for the first time when for my whole life I have heard ‘Queen’.
In shock we tuned in to the rolling news,
And tears were shed across the nation,
Leaders stepped up to share loving views,
With tributes and stories of her dedication. …
Fine Lines
A satirical reflection on Covid and Partygate
Why, they ask, was the gathering wrong,
Just a few people for not very long?
Happy Birthday with a slice of cake –
It seems their rules are theirs to break.