My Poetry Blog

Odd One Out

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

The Little Green Man

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

Stop

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

The Hermit

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

Reality Cheque

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

Actually Yes

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

“We” Are Not A-muse-d

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

Acceptance

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

Destination Unknown

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

Dreams

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