I bought myself a thingamajig
Now you know what I mean
They come in red and yellow
In blue and black and green

It’s a really clever gadget
And a labour saving device
A thingamajig’s very useful
A thingamajig is nice

I bought it new on eBay
A steal at seven pound
It really was a bargain
The cheapest price around

It works for years on batteries
You know those ‘extra life’
My friend was so impressed
He bought one for his wife

“A thingamajig is foolproof
One really can’t go wrong”
That’s what the advert said
But how do I switch it on?

©Marian Barker

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Oh yes it exists
It lurks somewhere beneath
Waiting to snap
With big yellow teeth

And just when you feel
It’s quite safe to blog
It’s there at your heels
Like a troublesome dog

You can kick all you want
That’ll just make it stay
Don’t join in its games
And it might go away

Don’t be dragged to its level
That’s no place to be
Stand firm and keep blogging
Set the blog monster free

©Marian Barker

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Ode on a Turkish Delight

Thou still unwrapped bar of confection
Thou tempting morsel teasing still
Oh chocolate coated ruby jewel
I need to take of you my fill
I yearn to have you to myself
I cannot bear to share
You’re mine all mine
Greedy? - yes but I don’t care
Thy purple wrapper catches light
I lust for you Turkish Delight

©Marian Barker

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Poppies growing in foreign soil
Reminds us of all those soldiers brave
Who went to war but came not back
But lay forever in some distant grave

©Marian Barker

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Birdsong

Take me where the earth meets sky
To a place that lifts my spirit high
Take our time to sit and gaze
At the landscape through the haze
Let me sit in silence still
By familiar rocks beside the hill
Take me to that higher ground
Where birdsong is the only sound

©Marian Barker

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I’ve got a little problem
It’s eating me alive
Because my poem titles
Exceed the number five

I try to keep them short
I try to keep them brief
But sometimes I need six
And it’s causing me some grief

I’m sure that Burns and Byron
Didn’t have to count each word
Their titles could be any length
This problem hadn’t occurred

But they used pen and paper
Whilst other poets used quills
But this technological age
Is the cause of all these ills

I’ll try and cut my words down
It might take quite some time
Though I’m afraid that sometimes
The poems simply might not rhyme

Six words just keep appearing
Six word just seem to scan
But I’ll try and cut the last word
I will, I must, I ……(can)

©Marian Barker

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Come blackbird, sit in my garden
Tell me of all the things you have seen
And all of the secret places
That I’ve never been

Come blackbird, don’t be afraid
I’ll do you no harm I give you my word
Sit next to me right here on the step
I’ve saved you some lunch gentle blackbird

Come blackbird, stay for a while
Sing me your song, that’s what I like best
There’s no-one but me, so you will be safe
Come little bird, just take a short rest

Fly blackbird fly, as free as the wind
Take to the air, fly where you will
But do call again when passing my way
So we can relax and simply sit still

©Marian Barker

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I have a box of treasure
Belonging just to me
Containing priceless souvenirs
And full of history

I have a box of memories
I only have the key
To unlock the many secrets
And reveal the mystery

I have a box that’s precious
In so many different ways
Crammed full of recollections
Of countless lovely days

This box cannot be stolen
Nor damaged by mankind
My precious treasured memories
Are here within my mind

©Marian Barker

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Millions of years ago
Before snow and ice
There lived many creatures
Some nasty, some nice

One cute little chap
All covered with scales
Had points on his back
And claws for his nails

His mum called him Denis
I don’t know what for
But I cannot ask why
‘cos dinosaurs are no more

©Marian Barker

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I won’t try and steal your husband
It you ask me to your home
I won’t try to seduce him
When you leave us in the room
I won’t flirt behind your back
When invited to your place
I won’t do or say a single thing
That I wouldn’t do to your face
I don’t know why you consider
That I might be a threat
I haven’t nicked anyone’s husband
Well at least I haven’t – yet!

You know that I am joking
That “yet” is just a joke
So trust me I’m quite harmless
I’m just like other folk
I can’t help that I am single
And don’t have a ‘better half’
But you can invite me round for dinner
And we all can have a laugh
So when you are entertaining
Even numbers aren’t a must
Remember that most singletons
Are humans you can trust

Numbers don’t have to be even
Guests don’t have to be in pairs
You needn’t have eight guests
Just because you’ve got eight chairs
But if you’re really bothered
Why not set an extra place
And pretend there’s another person
Sitting at the vacant space
Imagine it’s someone famous
Someone you’d like to have about
Then everyone can be happy
And I’m not the odd one out

©Marian Barker

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Deep in the forest
Where nobody goes
There sits a green man
With bright orange toes

He sings to the animals
He talks to the trees
He eats what he wants
Whenever he please

He dances at dawn
With the wind in his hair
He doesn’t wear clothes
He hasn’t a care

He bathes in the pool
Then he runs to and fro
Nobody to tell him
To come or to go

He’s as free as the wind
He hasn’t a name
He’s just a little green man
They all look the same

©Marian Barker

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Poems, poems go away
I haven’t got a thing to say
There are dishes piling in the sink
I haven’t got time to stop and think
The ironing pile is far too high
I really think I’m going to cry
There are papers to file and bills to pay
I must get on with some work today
The carpet needs a real good clean
My window panes have lost their sheen
So much to do so little time
I must stop writing so much rhyme
My head is spinning like a top
This poetry will have to stop
Full stop!

©Marian Barker

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These walls are my shield
They shimmer and shine
This shell is my home
This place is all mine

The world is out there
It’s loud and it’s wild
I’m safe where I am
Tucked up like a child

Though dangers do lurk
If I keep quite still
They’ll go on their way
And do me no ill

These walls are my shield
They’re solid and strong
This place is my home
It’s where I belong

©Marian Barker

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The times they are a changing
I’ve heard those words before
But they’re not getting better
And I am very poor

Last year was ham and eggs
Last month was bread and ham
Since I’ve been made redundant
Now it’s simply bread and jam

I used to have real butter
Today it’s just plain toast
I haven’t any cash
The cheque’s still in the post

The bills just keep arriving
The gas has been switched off
The house is getting colder
I’ve got a dreadful cough

I wake up every morning
And shiver in my bed
Things really must get better
Or I might as well be dead

©Marian Barker

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Do you ever get fed up
of the sound of your own voice?
Do you ever stop to wonder
if you’ve really any choice?
Do you ever wake up wishing
that the thoughts would go away?
Do you ever think it matters
what you have got to say?
Do you think that people listen
when you feel you should confess?
Do you want to know what I think?
Well actually yes

©Marian Barker

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The muse is not amusing
It’s switched to overload
And if it doesn’t slow down
My head will soon explode
The muse is being playful
And wakes me up at night
I know I can’t ignore it
Though I do put up a fight

The muse sits on my shoulder
And watches every move
Perhaps I’ll take a big stick
And give the muse a shove
Perhaps I’ll pack a suitcase
And put the muse inside
The last time that I did that
A piece of me just died

It’s funny when you read it
And amusing when observed
But living with the muse
Can often be absurd
I wish there was a switch
Just there within my head
But I guess if I stopped writing
I might as well be dead

Perhaps we’ll strike a bargain
The poetry muse and me
And organise a ceasefire
And both sit down to tea
Of course this poem is barmy
And quite a waste of time
But the muse thinks it’s amusing
To keep churning out in rhyme

My fingers keep on typing
The words keep spilling out
I’m not amused I have to say
“Enough, enough” I shout
It’s all gone very quiet
There’s nothing in my head
Perhaps the muse is sulking
Was it something that I said?

©Marian Barker

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I know I should be grateful
And happy with my lot
I know I should be satisfied
And content with what I’ve got
I know I shouldn’t grumble
And wish that there was more
I know that what I’m missing
Won’t come knocking at my door

I accept that I am healthy
I accept I’ve hearth and home
I accept what life throws at me
I accept and do not moan
Sometimes I feel disheartened
When my back’s against the wall
I’ll accept but I don’t like it
I’m only human after all

©Marian Barker

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Standing on the platform
Waiting for the train
Watching fellow passengers
Shelter from the rain

Train is drawing closer
Heading down the line
Driver gives a signal
Things will be just fine

Sitting by the window
Staring through the glass
Time to start the journey
Watch the moments pass

Going through the country
Travelling down the track
Looking to the future
No more going back

Journey’s almost over
Just a few more miles
Waving at the children
With their happy smiles

Train is going slower
Journey’s almost done
Feeling tired but happy
It’s been a lovely run

©Marian Barker

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Dreams are like bubbles
That blow on the breeze
Impossible to hold
They go where they please

Dreams are for dreaming
In bed late at night
Dreams are like bubbles
I know that is right

Dreams disappear
When you want them so much
They’re lovely to see
But they burst if you touch

Dreams are like bubbles
They don’t want to stop
But don’t last forever
They’re fragile and pop

Reflecting the light
They fly high and fly free
I won’t try and catch them
I’ll just let them be

©Marian Barker

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Snake-like it lies before me
Winding through the countryside
Endless strands of blackness
Sometimes narrow often wide

Thrown carelessly down
Like a ribbon of black
Stretching in front
And flowing right back

Across fields and moors
Astride rivers and streams
Miles and miles of darkness
Years and years of dreams

That black velvet ribbon
That keeps us apart
Still joins us together
Heart to heart

©Marian Barker

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Daughters

Where have both my babies gone?
Those cupid lips of deepest pink
Which smile and brightest eyes
That seldom blink
Those chubby hands with dimples ten
And arms outstretched to mum again

Where have both my little girls gone
With frills and ribbons in their hair
With stockings white
Without a care
Those laughing children as they play
Where have they gone – and where today?

I look around and now I find
Two loving sisters fully grown
They share my joys, my hopes, my fears
They turn my house into a home

I did not see the years fly by
And looking back I can but try
To understand when babies turned
To little girls, then women learned
But this I know I glow with pride
To see them standing side by side
And feel the love that we all share
And know that they are always there

©Marian Barker

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Frosted windows etched like lace
Icy curtains frame this place
Icicles like frozen fingers
Breath that on the cool air lingers

Burning logs that scent the air
Big old couch for us to share
Blanket big enough for two
It’s cosy being here with you

Hold me close and hold me tight
In the flickering candlelight
Take my hand and lead me there
Through the door and up the stair

When our naked bodies meet
All we need is body heat
We fit together like hand in glove
Our limbs entwine as we make love

And still outside the cold winds blow
Whilst here we feel the afterglow
And our two bodies are as one
As winters’ freeze goes on and on

©Marian Barker

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Through the eyes of a child....

Grandma, show me the photos of you as a girl
The big factory chimneys with black smoking curl
The noisy machinery blasting your ears
Dust clouding your eyes and welling up tears
Show me tall mountains touching the skies
A world disappearing in front of your eyes

Grandma, tell me the stories of you as a child
Running so free and running so wild
In meadows of green bursting with flowers
Making chains out of daisies for hours and hours
Tell me of summers of days in the sun
Long sandy beaches on which you did run

Grandma, where is the book full of creatures and birds?
Picture on picture and words upon words
Describing those animals most of them gone
Those that were tiny and those that were strong
What were they called? Please tell me their name
Why have they all gone and who was to blame?

Grandma, what happened to the world of your youth?
Please give me a reason, please tell me the truth
Was it the motor car polluting the air?
Was it great nations who just didn't care?
Let me sit on your knee and hear you explain
What really did cause all that acid to rain?

Grandma, where is the world that you promised to save?
That land of the free that land of the brave
Where are the towering hills once standing proud?
Where even the small could stand out in the crowd
How did it happen? Where has it all gone?
Did you just stand there whilst all this went on?

Grandma, please tell me I can't understand
Why there's so much sea and so little land
Will I have to grow fins and live in the sea?
Grandma, what is going to happen to me?
So many questions are making me wild
As I see the world through the eyes of a child

©Marian Barker

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Unsung Heroes

In fact or in fiction
Just look all around
Heroes and heroines
Everywhere can be found
In legends, in novels
Comic books or the news
You’ll read all about them
Which ever you chose
The Greeks had their togas
Robin Hood dressed in Green
Superman wore his underpants
So that they could be seen
The soldier wears khaki
The fireman’s in blue
But what makes a true hero
Or heroine too?
The man in the street
Or the girl on the bus
Helping someone in need
Without any fuss
These everyday heroes
We pass without note
I’d like to reward
With this poem that I wrote
You may not have a medal
You might not hit the news
But you’re heroes and heroines
In everyday shoes

©Marian Barker

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There’s a dark side to this planet
I’ve seen it once or twice
When the inhabitants were warring
And it wasn’t very nice

There’s a dark side to this planet
I’ve seen it once or twice
When the little fish were eaten
By the big fish in a trice

There’s a bright side to this planet
I’ve seen it and it’s grand
When someone needs supporting
Someone’s there to lend a hand

There’s a bright side of this planet
Give and take and make amends
Show the real world that it’s better
If we all could just be friends

This planet’s what we make it
We have it in our power
To make a world of difference
Without it turning sour

©Marian Barker

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A chill creeps through my being
A coolness felt before
Perhaps a window gaping
Or perhaps an open door

A seasonal intruder
Comes tapping once again
I sense it and I hear it
Outside my window pane

The golden leaves are falling
I recognise the sound
Of children as they’re laughing
As they crunch them on the ground

The berries in the hedgerows
Are Mother Nature’s store
Along with nuts and acorns
They’re gathered up once more

The birds are getting ready
To leave behind the cold
Now autumn is arriving
In robes of red and gold

©Marian Barker

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My Lover Has a Red, Red Nose

Oh, my lover has a red, red nose
That’s newly blown each morn
Oh my lover has a ‘comb over’
Because his hair has gone
Though old he is, my wrinkly man
So deep in love are we
And I will love him still, oh yes
While he has got money
He’s got a load of cash, oh yes
He’s got a load of cash
And I will love him still, oh yes
As long as he’s got cash

He’s got a load of cash, oh yes
And got a fancy car
And I will love him still, oh yes
While the joint account goes far
But fare him well when he is broke
Oh fare him well goodbye
For I will run a thousand miles
When the joint account’s run dry
When the joint account’s run dry, my love
When the joint account’s run dry
For I will run a thousand miles
When the joint account’s run dry

©Marian Barker

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A friend is there to see you smile
And share a joke or two
A friend will listen to your woes
Won’t tell you what to do
A friend is there in good or bad
Won’t judge you or condemn
A friend is there because they know
You’d do the same for them
A friend will love you as you are
Won’t try and change your ways
So many people come and go
But a true friend always stays

©Marian Barker

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I see reminders everywhere
Of a girl that once was me
I see her face reflected
In almost everything I see

She’s glancing in the mirror
She’s gazing out to sea
She’s dancing in the sunlight
Just like I used to be

Those memories are golden
The image crystal clear
Of that girl that once was me
In the days of yester-year

But now ripples on the water
Make lines across that face
There are scratches on the glass
That time never can erase

The photographs are fading
The eyes are growing dim
But the memories still linger
And that girl is still within

©Marian Barker

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Enchanting moments
Whispering breeze
Dragonflies hover
In soft willow trees

Translucent wings
Reflect many hues
Of reds and orange
And greens and blues

Iridescent violet
And deep indigo
Delicate yellow
All shimmering so

They dance in the rain
Their silent minuet
Amongst dewy reeds
And through rushes wet

Dragonflies and rainbows
And sunshine and showers
Playing gently together
For hours and hours

©Marian Barker

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