I'm in Newcastle city again for the week
in situ at present here as we speak
so I thought it polite to give you a peek
of North Eastern pleasantries here
I'm in Newcastle city full of mystique
some things you'd expect and others unique
and though often the weather's decidedly bleak
there are North Eastern pleasantries here
I'm in Newcastle so with poet's technique
some of its essence I'll capture and eke
to give you the reader a mini critique
of the North Eastern pleasantries here
Today I'm travelling further
since the pandemic started
than I have travelled recently
that pleasure long departed
But later Liverpool I'll see
again and better still
two good friends I have sorely missed
again to see I will
It'll take me six hours on the train
but I have all I need
good music to look forward to
and several books to read
Last week I braved the train because I had to
and it wasn't all that nice
seemed the people had forgotten
and were content to pay the price
But today was a different matter
and I felt more at ease
travelling in for pleasure
with just myself to please
Besides I wore my face mask
kept myself as safe as safe can be
and that is all I ask for
in this new normality
So it was really quite refreshing
And I felt myself again
building further blocks to keep
this pleasure to remain
In my mind’s eye I have travelled
to the places I love most
here in lovely Sussex
on the charming Southern coast
Places I can’t visit
in these strange days we are in
but yet I know each one so well
for clear remembering
So though I am restricted
to the places close to home
I can still recall the pleasure
which freedom gives to roam
And with these recollections
I can travel far afield
to the places closest to my heart
above the Sussex Weald
The dawn’s not yet broken
and I’m travelling again
on the road for one more business trip
With birds still asleep
as the night is yet deep
I tip toe up the road lest I slip
The street lights are out
and everything’s dark
the silence is still and complete
And I quickly go
so no-one will know
and the world remains safely asleep
A bucket list of things to do
in places round the world
Ours we started years ago
with several now unfurled
So with this little series
thinking back to some of these
I’ll take you on a journey
which I hope will thrill and please
Pompeii was a favourite
Treading streets of cobbled stone
Two thousand Five in August
when, a long long way from home
we walked around the city there
this really special place
rescued from antiquity
since its tragic fall from grace
Roman dwellings there in situ
a snapshot caught in time
From bakers shops to cafes
and distilleries for wine
Painted plaster on the walls
mosaics on the floor
Columns reaching to the sky
amongst the things we saw
We were only there for half a day
but the memories it gave
were enough to last a lifetime
to treasure and to save
And they amongst the others
we’ve picked up along the way
I’ll share in this short series
in a poem every day
I’m on a train to Yorkshire
in bright sunshine for the day
Left when dawn was breaking
as it’s many miles away
Just shy of twenty hours
this working day for me
From the South Coast and then back again
by midnight hopefully
Some may question if my sanity
is all there and quite intact
as the day will be a long one
there is no doubt of that
But the purpose is resourceful
and the outcome will be great
despite the early start
and the getting home so late
The thing is, when I’m sitting here
and outside it’s cold and raw
I don’t need to dress up warm
to find the places I adore
For travelling within Mind’s Eye
is a special thing
as it allows a freedom
only it can bring
I can travel into Summer
Tread the hills or low tide sand
Feel the sunshine warm upon my head
right across the land
I can travel to a sunrise
out there on sun-kissed seas
treading boards of cruising ships
with warming summer breeze
I am not confined to local
as no limit Mind’s Eye knows
For when I have a picture
to far off lands it goes
And the beauty of this is of course
(which here I’d like to share)
Is that I can do all of these things
whilst sitting in my chair
Train a-trundles daily
inland from the sea
cross a river, through the fields
familiar to me
A journey I know all too well
although it differs every day
as the scenery changes
when the weather has its say
Sometimes it is murky
river mist obscures the view
And on other days the sunshine
brings a squint and all’s askew
Some days it is raining
and there’s a monotone of grey
But when there’s blue sky overhead
there is colour every day
Train a-trundles through the winter
when sometimes it is white
A panoramic vista that
provides a lovely sight
And it trundles through the spring
and yes, the summer too
onward into autumn
with its red and golden hue
It doesn’t take me very long
Twenty minutes either way
but it’s regular most working weeks
though not quite every day
And the nicest thing about it
is as I’m travelling through
I can never tire of seeing
something every time anew
...all about me and my life in words. I write most days, carrying an ideas book around in which I capture a word snapshot of life around me. So there's a lot here about Sussex and the sea and anything else I see that inspires.
The pictures are mine too. Some taken to match a poem; some poems written to match a pic; others chosen because they work well with words written.
Jemverse is life in words. Hope you enjoy the reading as much as I enjoy the writing...
Jemverse 