Eurovision 22

Watching Eurovision Twenty Two
aghast with whoops and cheers
we watched as UK on the boards
got its first points in years
Every time a twelve was called
to UK, loud we hailed
for this history in the making
that our 'spaceman' had regaled
Yet, saying that, the public vote
to place the winning sound
was absolutely justified
when Ukraine's turn came round

#42 POETRY =

By Charles Robert Lindholm 

Poetry =

Gigsters Divine

Though many bands we've seen
it's been six years since last we all
were collectively 'the gigsters'
at least, as I recall
But last night for Divine Comedy
the 'Gigsters' were united
once again all six together
as each had been invited
'Divine' was most appropriate
as superlative this evening
the 'Gigsters' doing what we do
for friendship's steadfast meaning

A re-discovery

In the loft I found boxes of music forgotten
CDs boxed ages ago
Downloaded to iPods listened to then
when I was much younger you know
So the discovery now of these treasures is such
that I'm smitten all over again
the i-Pods replaced with the streaming of now
these are so much like an old friend
And though there's surely suspect content in there
as my taste has changed over time
the joy of the challenge to listen again
is something that is wholly mine

Cue the music

The ambience grew as house lights dimmed
and the crowd with breath abated
whooped and cheered as music played
which they had long awaited
Tickets purchased two years past
with promise to fruition
as the Paris troupe performed and sang
with flamboyant intuition
For each they knew, the cast and crowd
this happening, this evening
was like a breath not breathed before
with wonderment and meaning

Day songs

On the edge of a morning walking down from the bridge
I hummed a tune for the day
with my headphones on
I walked along
with a smile as I went on my way

Being me

Went to a gig
with no masks in sight
well, each to their own
and each to their plight
as although the music
was fantastic to see
Covid's still with us
and Omicron's free
so I masked right up
and tapping my feet
got into the music
in spite of the heat
safe in the knowledge
I'm as safe as can be
so I'll enjoy here the life
and keep on being me

Drifting away

Red Snapper Mojo floating
I'm here, relaxed and me
listening to the stereo
the perfect place to be

Life goes on around about
and I'm ok with that
as I am in my element
chilled out to be exact

Season songs

Golden my streets
but it won't be for long
for though sweet are my words
quite short is my song
They look lovely right now
when the sunshine is bright
but lacklustre in rain
and leaden at night

And as winter creeps in
my songs peter out
for I run out of lyrics
with gusto to shout
and my golden turns grey
as the music it dies
for instead of the carpet
hard frost often lies

A revitalisation of cheer

Hiding in long shadows
of a small gig still I stood
listening to the music
but wishing that I could
find there the enjoyment
that my friends and others there
clearly understood as in
the moment there they shared

Yet despite the disappointment
in the long shadows here with me
a certain feeling lingered
that I knew with certainty
Said I was meant to be here
as this venue and this place
was testament and evidence
of promise born from grace

No word to complain

Sat with no surrender
as waves washed over me
cocooned here in sound
in my own symphony
Cancelling all externals
AirPod Pros they do their thing
and as spine tingles I am lost
to words I softly sing

This is a beautiful moment
dreamlike I drift away
lost as music envelopes me
here at the end of day
And if this is like a heaven
this moment, this refrain
in an element I will be
with no word to complain

Music Days IV

Days listening to music
the most cathartic ones I know
to while away a lazy day
and watch the hours go
And my varied and eclectic taste
will many genres see
from rock and pop and classical
all there to keep me free
And then when spine's been tingled
and tears of joy I've spilled
the knowing look behind my eyes
shows I have been fulfilled

Public Service Broadcasting

Brighton's Dome, a place I've missed
whilst Covid's kept us in
for live music's long hiatus
which has bordered on a sin

But though the virus is still with us
freedom has now found a way
to open up the doors again
'Thank Goodness' hear me say!

As last week with good friends I'd not seen
for two long years returned
to Brighton's Dome for a live gig
a treat we all have earned

Music doing its thing

Sometimes a quiet tune
playing softly satisfies
catches the mood and softens
quietly around ragged edges
calming me completely

But sometimes only loud fits
AirPod Pros resonate
with the volume north of eleven
it still catches and calms and glistens
calming me completely

For the love of music

I've fallen in love with my music again
with my new Marshall BlueTooth speaker
it's revealing the nuance of tunes that I know
and making them sound so much sweeter

So long may this continue as I've thousands of albums
to listen to all over again
and fall back in love with the songs I know well
repeated in such sweet refrain

Points of Departure

Down on the docks this evening
as the day turned into night
we had the special privilege
of a truly lovely sight
Part of the Brighton Festival
an experience to share
called 'Points of Departure'
to entertain us there

Encore

I found a song it was lovely
and it gave me a buzz
with a warm mellow feeling
and simply because
music is like that
it causes no pain
though it hits you quite often
again and again
It's a friend and companion
a comfort and more
it's my constant craving
for repeated encore

The Music

The music was there with something afresh
it had found and picked up on the way
Something perhaps
with live music’s lapse
that made it quite special today

Seemed the musicians had put in their all
throwing energy full in the licks
As they could not perform
‘Cos now’s not the norm
so they put all they had in the mix

Tri-tanka VII (Music)

Music it is said
is today the food of life
Soul food for the mind
Often hungry, it satisfies
Momentarily it fills

Many flavours here
to sample, taste and enjoy
for my sustenance
So yes, I will fill my boots
a bon vivant for music

Music days III

I sat and listened to music as the day bled away
a can of beer at my side
and closing my eyes
it was no surprise
I felt joy with those songs as I cried

For my music will do that and make no mistake
it’s something that I often do
Drift away for a while
with contentment and smile
a pastime I’ll often pursue

THE MAGIC OF OUR SONG

THE MAGIC OF OUR SONG
By Charles Robert Lindholm

I Was Drawn
Back Into Childhood Memories
As I Listened To The Wind
Whispering Through The Trees

The Thrum

The surf beat the shingle
loud as a drum
with rising crescendo
for rhythm and thrum
and the wind and the sea
gave their voice to the choir
for a symphony there
to absorb and admire

RINGS AROUND THE SUN

By Charles Robert Lindholm

It Was A Birthday Gathering
With Cake And Lots Of Candles
Blazing On Top Of It
Waiting To Be Blown Out

Waiting for Heaven

A pile of poems,
a scattering of short stories,
a minor mess of manuscripts,
all in a state of perpetual preparation.
I wait to see
what will happen today.

These things, bits of a lonely soul,
Hopeful of attention float into
Jackson Square,
New Orleans, on a random Saturday morning.
Jock and Michelle
play a mix of the classics
in the next patch of shade.

Lovely, dark Michelle on the violin,
Jock, recently of Columbus,
sits in on the keyboard.
Buffalo, the veteran, hair strapped
by a black cloth band, plucks
a soulful strain from Mozart
on a battered guitar.
Its case is open on the dirty concrete,
a few coins and bills
coaxed from a family from Iowa,
will buy one or two meals,
a share of a dump on
Decatur Street, when he’s
not enjoying the wonders
between a girlfriend’s thighs in
a ratty old apartment in the Tremé.

Music days II

Some days are for music
just sitting inside
and listening well for a while
as with much affection
here in my collection
I’ve plenty to bring me a smile

A Note

Hi All, it has been a really long time since I posted poems here. Recently I have been working on making music videos with Covid as the theme blended with my guitar compositions (to whatever extent I know to play). I am posting them in my wordpress page – https://quatrainpoems.wordpress.com/

It is not poetry in written form but then is there any thing that does not have poetry underneath? These music videos are a series as part of 30 days challenge I took on myself.

-Venkat

To see where I hide

I have a small corner
with a chair and a cushion
Comfortable, it is a place to hide
albeit in plain sight
It is here that I escape into music
to while away hours lost to rhythm
safe in the knowledge
that this is my place
My sacrosanct
My place to hide
And dream
And breathe

The Solution

I’ve spent the whole day in the garden
but I’ve not moved very far
as lockdown means the space I’ve got
is not spectacular
I can walk from the front room
to the garden out the back
thirty metres give or take
so not much of a track
The stairs afford an up and down
but some care there must be had
as they’re quite narrow so a trip
down them would be quite bad