Titbits & Poetry

Even when an author is not writing a novel or working on some other major project, he or she must keep writing. I do that.

This is just a repository for titbits, or tidbits to my trans-Atlantic friends, that I produce which I think may amuse or interest my followers. I’ll index them with short descriptions and links to the actual articles. I promise that they are all short!

Golly – My constant companion for the first few years of my life, until he was just too naughty.

Tony’s Toast – The speech that I made at the celebration of my father’s eightieth birthday.

June’s Epitaph – I wrote this during the night after my mother died, and read it at her wake. 

Confessions of a virgin candidate – My account of my first attempt to be elected as local councillor. This was published as a two-page spread in the local newspaper.

Top Notch Omelette – A short amusing millennium anecdote regarding the hurt of a top French chef when asked for a plain omelette.

Lance’s Poetry – This is just a dump for some of the poetry I’ve written over the years. It is definitely not my forté.

Your Driver Cries – My poem that was derived from The Last High and Low of a Mouse, which I wrote after harrowing, early morning experience when I was an Ocado delivery driver.
The Last High and Low of a Mouse – This poem was written in my head during my delivery route after I had witnessed the elation of a mouse who escaped death only to suffer a horrible end, moments later.
A Significant Speck – I awoke with this on my mind… at 3:19 am on a Wednesday in September 2019. I got up, wrote it down and went back to bed.
The Bond – interconnectedness and sharing of energy
Wearing Silk – the unbreakable bond of eternal friendship and love.
Flutter Back – a poem about the life of a butterfly, only backwards.
The Decamile of Life – I wrote this for the party that we held to celebrate the remarkable life of my father.
Gone – written when my Mum died in 1999, but not shared until ten years later.
Ted – my first ever poem, written when I was seven.
Billy – Another little verse that I learned from friends at school, but there’s a story attached to it.
Bonar Rock – The scattering of my Mum’s ashes in the Highlands of Scotland.
My Adoring Gardener – I am a blossoming, yet dying, tree. I am desperate for the loving attention of my gardener in my final hours.
Flutter Away – A tribute to a little bird, who became weaker, and smaller, until eventually, she fluttered away to grace the universe with her beauty.
F-F-F-F-Fossas – I wrote this in response to the F-Challenge.

Other Poetry – A small selection of poems that I did not write, which may appeal to you.

Death is not The End – this is a poem that my mother shared with me many years ago. I have no idea who wrote it, and I have failed to find it anywhere else except on the piece of paper that she gave to me, with the poem written in her own hand, and my own electronic copy. I have since shared it with many friends who have been recently bereaved, and they all tell me that it helps. It certainly helped me when Mum died.

The Earliest Letters – God gave Adam one luxury: a letter-writing kit. This is the correspondence that ensued.

Adam to God
God’s First Response 

Chess made simple . . . and Pink! – This is how I explained the game of chess to a lady radio presenter (Charlie Crocker) who loves to laugh and loves the color pink even more. She kept telling her listeners that she had never been able to understand chess, so I thought I’d help her out.

My Small Part in a Hitchcock Film – I believe that my claim to fame in the conclusion of this story is unique. Can anyone else make the same claim and destroy my belief?

Some quotes that I like – Just a few of the quotes that have appealed to me down the years. If you like the ones on this page, you may wish to look at my longer list on my Goodreads “Favourite Quotes” page.

Five Word Stories – These five word stories are inspired by Esther Chilton‘s weekly challenge to her followers, entitled, “Can You Tell A Story In . . .”

Limericks – I enjoy writing limericks. It doesn’t take too much effort and it is real fun. The trick is to make it flow and make it rhyme and try to make it’s readers chuckle.