6 hagstones

Six new hagstones, Mother's Day
one for every Bean
drawn and inked by Lee the star
Best hagstones ever seen
Symbols of longevity
crafted by the sea
Of love and fortitude and zest
for everyone and me

Work in Progress

One thing they don't tell you
is that Chemo's pretty shite
If they did no one would do it
and there'd never be the fight
at least not one where poison
is pumped into your body
followed by three weeks of drugs
insidious and shoddy

And yet still here with cancer
it's a choice which must remain
as you're always in the driving seat
and the most to lose or gain
I made the choice to leave it
two infusions; six weeks in
as it took away the best of me
stopped me being; stopped my grin

Rested

Some days merge and meld
There's a place for that
and when coupled with a healing
they border on a beautiful
mostly peaceful use of time
purpose and meaning merging
and melding and slipping away
And I am rested.

Arrival 7

7 of 12 in the ’12 months VII’ series

A daffodil to greet the month
birth flower for first of March
as here we greet the cuckoo
and the primrose and the larch
Spring pops up in every corner
to awaken and appease
the doldrums of the winter
as it does its best to please

I am the one in four revisited

I am the one in four
leaping through the years
my letters match my value
unique, so it appears
I'm the plus-one to the three six five
my invitation rare
tagged on as February twenty-nine
a tetrad seldom there.

Borrowed time

Borrowed time, often said but
in context mostly wrong
particularly when in actual fact
it was stolen in the first place.
That's my story; stolen big time
So, though I'm now eating into
time I've been told I shouldn't have
it's far from borrowed as it was
wholly mine in the first place.
'Borrowed time' Pah! What's that about?
It's not borrowed. It's yours. So use it.
Wisely and sincerely and wholeheartedly
and profusely and passionately and aways.
Seize it and hold it and live it and be it.
It's wholly yours, so never ever let it go.

Rebellious hope

I believe Belinda may have got it right
and heaven IS a place on earth
not that I'm planning on
going there anytime soon
For those of us who live in rebellious hope
(sic. Dame Deborah Jones R.I.P.)
stand up to adversity no matter how bleak
it sometimes gets.
Heaven is a long time coming
but when my time comes
I'll be off to the place Belinda sees
Right here, in perfection as God intended.
Meantime rebellious hope prevails.

Skin and bone

I now know the meaning of all skin and bone
and it's not something I would choose to condone
for I've lost so much weight it's now bothering me
and as part of this illness scarce solution I see

I've not been this light since I was a lad
and that in itself is making me sad
The answer of course is to eat more but there
is the rub and the root I'll gladly here share

Scaffolding

Outside my window the scaffolding blight
is getting annoying and hiding the light
It's been up too long and there in  our sight
and long overdue to be gone

Good form

Last Sunday, not a good day
thoughts were swirling, caught me up
needed rest and got it
but this remains a bitter cup
Some days it just gets like that
comes in from the left field
and though I do my best to counter
it's hard to stand and not to yield

Music the great healer

Been through all my vinyl
got them into plastic sleeves
protection from the dust and grime
that passing time it leaves
Cathartic, it was wholesome
remembering the time
when I purchased each and brought them
home when they were all then mine

Six mile loop

I have a six mile loop
which I know well of course
I've walked it many times before
as it's a conquering force

It does me proud, does not take long
and in a circle door to door
it's something to return to
which I have and will do more

Gratitude

If it wasn't for my wife and children
I am not sure where I would be
as it's purely for their devotion
that I'm anywhere now actually

It's unreserved and complete and boundless
given freely, born fully of grace
and I have no words that would carry
the thanks I'd like to embrace

Half a century

Half a century since your passing
can't fathom it's that long
fifty years ago today
since the fading of your song
Pops, I have outlived you
but never is a day
when you don't cross my thoughts
in your own special way
So here upon the nineteenth
I remember it each year
You've been gone a long, long time
but I wish you were still here

We sing

Back to the Buckingham, freedom at last
it's good to be normal for a bit of a blast
Alcohol zero of course as the pills
don't mix too well with my ails and my ills
But this new trusty steed, my blue wheelchair
and the feeling better got me back there
with friends and family, it's a marvellous thing
as life and normal return and we sing

Slope

When gifted with new wheels
self-propelled - it's best go slow
for you never really know for sure
what's waiting down below

Mobility

I wish I didn't have to
and that I didn't have the need
but I do and am quite chuffed
with my shiny new blue steed
A self-propelled and comfy
wheelchair to get around
and though legs are getting better
means I can get to town
And yes I hope it's temporary
of course I do, but hey
it's all about my comfort
to make the most of every day

Chemotherapy

Another shock to the system
a few days just gone
when second visit to chemo
it came along
In our understanding
this block was the last
then a rest for my body
to recover, but - blast...

46 Valentines

Screenshot

First yellow

First yellow on my windowsil
beside my special bed
the one installed to help me
which I can use quite well instead
Daffodils in water
turned from green to yellow there
bringing smiles and joy and more besides
pleasantry to share

New Loo

Decided to resite our downstairs loo
but the placement may be wrong
This may be a little public
and I'm concerned about the pong
Access may too be restricted
but let's see how things pan out
Cos we can always put it back
If the placement is in doubt

Roofing & Sparks

Bang! Crash! Wallop! Bang!
the Sparks is in the hall
Slates are coming off the roof
Rubble's in the wall
New lights are going up around
The chimney's almost down
noise is almost everywhere
with all this building sound
It feels almost chaotic
yet by the ending of the day
A new roof will be up there
and we'll have light to shine the way

The view

The view here is a belter
it always takes the breath away
particularly on a bright and
sunny late January day
Up here high up in Sussex
Devil's Dyke across the Weald
Low cloud and haze not quite enough
with Chanctonbury revealed

Slipped Discs

A new record shop for Shoreham
hip hip hip hooray!
Not had a dedicated one right here
since the Atomic days
'Slipped Discs' right on the High Street
Vinyl heaven, I'll be there
to play on my new turntable
for pleasure and to share

Hagstone

Roxanne sent me a hagstone
quite the best one I'd ever seen
appropriately remindful
of the beach I've seldom been
At least not of late but soonest
when I'll be back with eyes in train
on the shingle finding hagstones
to add them once again
Meantime I have this treasure
tactile, close by for smiles
Until I can be back searching
on the beach, a little while

Importance

Let me tell you a tale of importance
and then you can make up your mind
of what to spend time to think about
and what to do to unwind
You see it's all to do with values
and comparisons at the end of the day
some will be imperative
some can go by the way

Roof

The tall chimney stood
for a hundred plus years
but when it came down
there weren't any tears
for it had ceased function
ages ago
and was now letting water
seep in below

The Past

Jemverse is mostly two weeks ahead
or behind if you think like that instead
So what you are reading I wrote sometime back
Keep that in mind and you'll keep on track