An Odd World

A kid 'wags' school, so we suspend them,
A car parked illegally gets wheel clamps,
Is there a touch of irony?
Do we stop people by forcing them to continue?
Should convicted thieves be locked inside banks?
It is a strange old world!!

Pesky 'Pies

Wandering to the bus, thinking about things,
Suddenly startled by a flapping of wings,
Instinctively, I turn and duck,
Startled, thinking, "What the fuck?"

It flies away, I wander on,
Not too much care for where it's gone,
Then suddenly it swoops once more,
Again I dive to hit the floor.

So cautious now, I watch him sit,
On wires above (the little shit),
I glance at him, just now and then,
But suddenly, he strikes again!

I reach the stop, and find a tree,
But even so, he swoops at me,
This bugger's viscous, there's no doubt,
I wonder what he's angry about?

Another day, another swoop,
I'll have to walk a wider loop,
And find a stop that's not near him,
(the longer walk might help me slim).

Along that road I walk in fright,
My eyes are dating left and right,
I jump at any birdie sound,
There's laughs and songs from all around.

It may be dumb to fret so much,
The bird has never made a touch,
The wings so near are startling, though,
I can't wait for that bird to go!

Incident

I don't know quite the hist'ry,
Of how it all began,
The details are a myst'ry,
About a funny man.

Perhaps I got the details wrong,
Maybe it was a broad,
Well either way, it wasn't long,
Before they found the fraud.

Or then again, that wasn't it,
You know, I don't recall,
And now I think a little bit,
That wasn't it at all.

To tell the truth, nothing occurred,
There wasn't any fuss,
There's nothing in the stuff you heard,
It didn't happen thus.

Animals

Monkeys are such funny creatures,
Animals with Human Features,
Eat bananas every day,
Little rest and lots of play.

Other animals are wierdo's too,
We only need to check the zoo,
A tiger: orange, fairly bright,
Yet stripes that hide him in the light.

The penguins like the weather cool,
Yet spend their days around the pool,
And in the cold they'll swim and fish,
To serve up tea or some old dish.

An Emu, tall, long neck and legs,
Yet balanced on those long thin pegs,
A mop that waddles here and there,
Around place without a care.

Koalas are quite lazy sods,
Stuffed full of plenty Gum-Leaf wads,
Hanging strongly to the trunk,
The Eucalypt has made them drunk.

An otter: playful, lazy so it seems,
She lies back, floating up the streams,
A sudden dive to look for treats,
Then back to all the lazy beats.

And then there's bats, such strange old things,
Like hamsters who have found some wings,
The wrong way up they find some rest,
The roof of caves would seem the best.

There goes a mouse, a little pest,
He's out to find the food that's best,
A startled dart - there goes a cat,
We're out of there - 2 seconds flat!

And others, too, their also strange,
A rooster, possum.... such a range,
All have evolved for different things,
With beaks, and claws and sometimes wings.

Eating, Computing

Spam,
Open Source,
Byte

or is it:
Spam,
Open Sauce,
Bite!

Take a break, clear you Desktop:
Cookies, Easter Eggs and Java.
Cables for Cereal with blackberries,
and cores inside.
Hash, washed down with TAB.
Have a carat, with the letters...
Good for the colon.

What to say, it's all a dog's breakfast!

Evil Cold

Sorry to do another 'It's cold' one, but it is....

All rugged up, I leave home into the dark coldness - cold but not horrible.
Jacket, beanie and scarf warm my torso, but my thin pants brush against goosebumps.
Ice crystals cover everything, making even the letterbox look cold.
The clear sky opens, almost forgetfully allowing the cold to settle on the earth.
With each step, the grass beside my path shimmers and sparkles.
Cars look like convertibles with white roofs, and translucent windows.
Smokers brave the cold, and as I look around, most of the houses smoke too.
I guess how far cars have driven by the layers of ice still covering them.
Off the path toward the road, and the slippery grass crunches softly underfoot.
The normal early plane overhead is missing - perhaps delayed by ice.
A hint of warmth in the light appearing in the east, when will it arrive?
Much fewer walkers than normal, no dogs today, but rugged up fitness fanatics.
An itch on the back of my neck is inaccessible through my scarf.
My pocket turns to ice in the brief moment I remove my hand.
Reaching the bus stop means standing still, and the cold hits harder.
Joints numbing, freezing now that movement has ceased.
The sound of an engine in the distance has all of us at the stop glancing up the road eagerly.
Finally the bus, and we huddle aboard into the warmth.
The sky brightens, and coupled with the heater on the bus gives the sense that a warm day comes!
But still I'm greeted with a blast of cold as I alight in the city, the warmth all an illusion.

Nightime Release

A late night (or an early start),
Long time before Sparrow's Fart,
At work, All dark, and all alone,
Patiently waiting for the phone.

At half past two, it finally rings,
And interrupts my thoughts and things,
The games afoot, we have begun,
And now at last, these things get done.

All over now, we wait once more,
The testers try, they must make sure,
that all has been deployed to plan,
And everything that should have, ran.

It's almost six, barely awake,
I sit and wait for morn' to break,
Real processing will start to run,
And then, at last!! I shall be done!!

Working Winter

The cat sits on my lap, as I waste time at the computer,
Facebook, blogspot, email and other odds and ends,
Off to work soon, but first a little sanity,
Then out into the cold darkness of the morning.

Marching in place at the bus stop for a little warmth,
Clouds erupt with each breath, dissolving into the darkness,
A lonely plane makes its way across the lightening sky,
The drone of the bus approaches, and at the bus stop we form a haphazard line.

The ticket machine reluctantly accepts our tickets,
Too early, too cold even for computers,
The bus drivers warm greeting briefly takes and edge off the cold,
The old bus rattles off, looking to save more people from the cold.

Through the foggy windows we see the surroundings lighten,
As we traverse suburbia, street lights gradually disappear,
Replaced by a warm looking glow from the sun,
But when the doors open we feel that the look is just a deception.

The bus slows for roadworks, as the city skyline comes into view,
Other Motorists zoom by - ignoring the warnings to slow past the works,
Nearing our destination, we see increasing signs of a city waking to life,
While cleaners and newspaper deliveries farewell the last signs of night.

Alighting from the bus, I am reminded that it is still winter,
Frosty cold starts to seep in, starting at the toes,
A hot air balloon rises, and disappears towards where we came,
Mainly buses and street sweepers fight for position on the road.

Entering work, instant warmth greets me, and the outside cold is forgotten,
yet removing my scarf, I am reminded that this warm is superficial,
A heater under my desk thaws my frozen toes,
The darkness of the window reminds me that winter days aren't so bright.

The Week

Monday gone,
Four more days,
Then weekend.

Tuesday slows,
the working week,
boredom comes.

Wednesday hump,
Downhill from here,
Sick of work.

Thursday, wow!
This week is flying,
Nearly done.

Friday's here!!!
Lunchtime some beers,
Home at last!

Saturday flies,
shopping and stuff,
Restocked fridge.

Sunday, no!!!
Weekend nears end,
Work beckons.

Monday's back,
No rest for wicked,
far too soon

Football

It's gone...or is it?
we're now 4 and 7 - not the best stat,
But I guess preseason we weren't ranked?
we could still make the final eight.
And irrespecitve, we look quite good.
Ordinary sides still flog us sometimes,
but only one good side has flogged us,
Even sides that beat them are scared of them,
They shouldn't lose too many games.
We'll lose some more, but it's not all bad,
some of our young-fellas look good.
This year is gone, perhaps the next,
but mark my words (I wouldn't jest),
I think our future looks quite bright.
I'd love to say 'next year',
but perhaps not quite.
Two or three might be a guess.....
46 years between grand finals is far too long....

Football

I love my team, I hope they win,
I'll Wait for the game to begin,
We had no chance at start of year,
yet these young blokes must have no fear.

They might be twelfth, it may be true,
But there's still more that they could do,
In fact I heard the experts say,
They might be in the 'eight' today.

This year there's not much in the teams,
And any side can win, it seems,
We're 4 and 6 with 10 rounds gone,
The season's not yet halfway done.

Although there's plenty in the season yet,
The toughest sides, we've probably met,
Ironically the games we've failed,
we played the sides we should've nailed.

at ten past two the siren roars,
And then we focus on the scores,
The rain pours at the M.C.G.
but can we win? I guess we'll see...

Weekend

Another day, last time this week,
And then my week will hit it's peak,
I hope I can do half a day,
Without big drama...Then it's play!!

And once back home I'll have an ale,
I'll surf the 'net, and drink that pale,
When evening comes, the footy's on,
And after that, my Friday's gone.

On Saturday, I'll stay in bed,
Not all the day, it must be said,
A later start, then off I go,
Off to the shops, rain hail or snow.

That afternoon, another game,
More AFL, more of the same,
A quiet beer, a blog or two,
Before too long, that day is through.

Sunday sees a lazy start,
No getting up at Sparrow's fart,
The time goes quick, it's afternoon,
The dread of work takes over soon.

It's strange to think the time I wait,
To see the weekend as though it's great,
Yet when it comes, I don't do much,
just watch TV, or something such.

Eternity

Waiting for retirement,
Waiting to pay off a house,
Waiting for decades.

Waiting to be an adult,
Waiting to drive,
Waiting for lustra.

Waiting to graduate,
Waiting for World Cups,
Waiting for years.

Waiting to give birth,
Waiting for Christmas,
Waiting for months.

Waiting for birthdays,
Waiting for a new football season,
Waiting for weeks.

Waiting for Recruiters,
Waiting for Loan Approvals,
Waiting for Days.

Waiting to finish work,
Waiting for TV programs,
Waiting for hours.

Waiting for buses,
Waiting for the final siren,
Waiting for minutes.

Waiting for lights to change,
Waiting to be served,
Waiting for seconds.

Yet no matter how long,
they all seem to take forever.

What to do

Boredom strikes,
What to do?
Stolen bikes,
What to do?

Money lost,
What to do?
Excessive cost,
What to do?

Too much rent,
What to do?
Wages spent,
What to do?

All the time,
What to do?
Need a dime,
What to do?

Here's a con,
What to do?
Life goes on,
What to do?

Beers

Home from work, and there's 24 beers,
Open the first, there's 23, Cheers!
And not too long after, we've got 22,
I've waited all week to enjoy such a brew.

21 left, and it's not even six,
We're down to 20, I'm getting my kicks!
Then it's 19, and it's starting to slow,
On the next one I wonder where'd that six pack go?

When we hit 17, I have slowed and I think,
If I keep up this rate, I will run out of drink!
By 16 it's dark and the footy's begun,
A slight increase in pace, as a quarter takes 1!

By 14 the football is stalled at half time,
and at 13 my ears ring, an inaudible chime!
Off to bed now, I can't keep my eyelids awake,
And for several hours I'll have a small break!

By 2 the next day, and we've started again,
soon we're down to 11 and clouding my brain!
Then 10, 9 and 8, they are going too fast,
At this rate I doubt that they're going to last!

Then senses prevail, and we call it night,
To drink on your own just doesn't seem right.
But on Sunday we start and the count is now 7,
With 6 left I must say, I feel I'm in heaven.

A twinge of regret now, the last six-packs open,
We're down to five, they'll last, well here's hopin'
Another one sinks, and we only have 4,
Now it's 3 I start thinking, should I go get more?

I don't dare hit the road, so the count is now 2,
And I've slowed to make sure that they'll last the night through.
Before long, however, we're down to just one,
Then I've had that one too, and the carton is done!

Mind

Something,
Anything,
Nothing,
Gone!

Flying

Arrive on time,
Check in,
We wait now!

Watch the planes,
that ones ours,
Almost ready!

A voice sounds out,
Someone's boarding,
Is it us?

Again they call,
Another flight,
Joe Blogg's has missed.

And finally,
Flight 612,
Ready to board.

A sudden rush,
Must get on first,
Why not wait?

Stopped in the aisle,
Blocking everyone,
To load carry-on.

At last, we leave,
The usual drill,
Seatbelts tight!!

Roll into the air,
Sinking gut,
Goodbye ground.

Levelling off,
A meal is served,
But drinks will cost!

Descent begins,
Seatbelts again,
Below approaches.

Shaking plane,
Turbulent air,
See white knuckles!

A gentle Bump,
The nose comes down,
We're safely down.

So taxi now,
Mobiles back on,
The rush begins.

The aisles are full,
They stand and wait,
for open doors.

Despite the push,
To be first off,
Where is their luggage?

A holiday,
Too few days,
Then do it all again!!

Busy

Meetings,
Emails,
Telephone,
Busy.

Coffee,
Lunch,
Toilet,
Busy.

Writing Code,
Planning,
Documents,
Busy.

It's never enough

No matter who I speak to,
RE what they do and how,
When you ask about their salary,
It's never enough.

When you ask a sporting coach,
How well his team performed,
Even when they are the best,
It's never enough.

You ask a child after dessert,
whether they'd like some more,
and even after that it seems,
It's never enough.

An obsessive collector of stamps,
Has more than anyone (and varied too),
But is his collection ever complete?
It's never enough.

The gamer who's been up all night,
is almost off to bed,
One last game before we go,
It's never enough.

A gunzel taking snaps of buses,
has the entire fleet already,
But still he seeks another shot,
It's never enough.

The chocaholic loves Easter,
Eggs and bunnies in kilos,
But within a week, they need some more
It's never enough.

More work

We seem short staffed, we need more aid,
the deadlines stated can't be made!
We need people both here and there,
Their talents are unique, and rare.

Schedules behind, on all this stuff,
We need it done, we must be tough!!
But we can't let them do their job,
We'll have a meeting, have a sob.

Because we know it makes more sense,
To ask the questions "Why?" and "Whence?",
instead of having them get things done,
We'll call a meeting - That's more fun.

You see to we won't get both tasks out,
No time to scream, no time to shout,
instead we will do all we can,
to make sure neither goes to plan!

Stopping

I need to let my partner out,
this looks the perfect place,
I'll pull in here, ignore the shout,
and stop where there is space.

If people can't get 'round me here,
I really couldn't care,
She has to get to work, my dear,
I couldn't park elsewhere.

You see it all comes down to time,
of saving every sec,
So when I see a spot that's prime,
to save her quite a trek.

It only take a little while,
It shouldn't make them mad,
Why to they yell that I am vile?
and that my car is bad.

Yet when a car will block my way,
the same thing in reverse,
I wind my window down and say,
My cusses and a curse.

I need to let him know, you see,
the problems that he's causing,
I've lost some time, I am angry,
from this infernal pausing!

When things are other way around,
It's funny how we're changed,
Get angry, yell and stamp the ground,
And yell that they're deranged!!

Rumblings

It's almost midday, and that would be why,
My belly is rumbling, and asking for pie,
It rumbles quite loudly, and everyone stares,
So I heat up my lunch meal, they all wish it were their's.

It smells quite delicious, it looks rather good,
it feels like an age, since I had my last food!
So I dip in my spoon, and tuck into the treat,
then recoil in surprise, at the microwave's heat!

So I try once again, more cautiously now,
It still burns, but I'll manage to eat it somehow!
All to soon it it is gone, I've finished my meal,
Good food brought from home is always unreal!!

Racism

This is intended as a reflection of attitudes rather than my opinion - specifically, that we seem to accept parts of people's cultures that we like, but refuse to accept the people themselves.

Go away, not welcome here,
You're not like me, you don't drink beer,
Different looks, Just not the same,
Go back right now, from whence you came.

With different looks, and darker skin,
You don't fit in, you're much too thin,
Differences we can't include,
so go away - but leave your food.

We'll pick your culture all to bits,
You'll wear the cap that we say fits,
And if you do things differently,
we'll yell and scream - you wait and see.

The bits we like, we'll claim we own,
The foods and drinks we like, we'll clone.
But you yourself, we'll turn away,
We really don't want you to stay.

The language sounds so different too,
But don't try ours, you have no clue!
So go away, and don't come back,
but before you do, leave me a snack!

Work goes on, Oblivious

The traffic slows for the flashing light.
People in a hurry, slowed by roadworks,
The buses and cars swarm and fight,
But work goes on, oblivious.

The bus stuck in traffic traps all,
Commuters run late for appointments,
The get off the bus, and address their issues,
The work goes on, oblivious.

The Checkout queues ebb and flow,
Hurried shoppers with little time to spare,
Busy people there for an instant, then gone,
Still, work goes on, oblivious.

Burgers rushing out the door,
demands for fries and onion rings,
When lunchtime crowds return to work,
This work goes on, oblivious.

A rare meeting, or so we hope,
As people impatiently wait for Doc,
And move on here, or other worlds,
Yet work goes on, oblivious.

The fire's out, no more to do,
poor people left to recreate themselves,
An occasional thought for broken lives,
Work must go on, oblivious.

Important business interstate,
and vacationers exploring different worlds,
Once concerned with delay, now out of sight,
and work goes on, oblivious.

An early start, in town by four,
Offices to clean, and so much more,
The world is changed from this very seat,
More work goes on, oblivious.

An athlete rushing to training sessions,
Apparently having fun, while others labour,
Up early, running alongside the peak hour,
Their work goes on, oblivious.

For some reason, I thought this might need some explanation. Have you ever noticed, that when we are absorbed in a job we tend to be so focused we start to believe we are the center of the universe? Work must go on, but often we have passed through countless people's lives - if only in some small way. In hindsight, it could be the other way round, too. The World goes on, oblivious to the work we do, but somehow, I prefer the other angle....

Rent

It seemed a good deal at the time,
3 bedrooms and 2 showers too,
But now the rent is gonna climb,
We're really in the poo.

It seems the markets upside down,
Like nobody can find a home,
But still the rent-bill brings a frown,
Enough to make me foam.

To go elsewhere? A tedious task,
And the savings would not be so great,
A discount, then? I'll try, I'll ask,
We'll see what is our fate.

Perhaps to buy, would be too hard,
When rent has put you in the red,
It bears some thought, in some regard,
To keep the family fed.

But life goes on, in any case,
There's often nothing we can do,
Put on a smile, show a brave face,
and have another brew...

Football

Before the game I thought we'd lose,
To watch the game? I'd rather snooze,
But to the club I was dragged out,
But that we'd lose, I had no doubt.

We got there as the game began,
and sat beside another fan,
then, 'oh', surprise! Our team had scored,
before the our foe were on the board.

And by the time the siren blew,
We'd kicked some more, led by a few,
A quarter down, three left to go,
I still thought that we'd lose it though.

The second quarter changed the score,
Our foe had kicked a couple more,
But somehow still, we're in the hunt,
We're down by less than one straight punt.

The third one seemed to start ok,
Perhaps it would be my side's day?
But still didn't think it would,
This other team was far too good.

Early in the final term,
We'd kicked away, They'd start to squirm,
but soon enough they hit right back,
There's naught to do but have a crack.

With only seconds left to play,
We got the last kick of the day,
And only one point down as well,
he dropped the mark, we missed the bell!!

Still in the grander scheme of things,
We'll hold our head up, drink like kings,
The bookies had us beat by miles,
The end result allowed us smiles!

Easter

So Easter starts with Death, I see...
Whose Death? The Easter Bunny?
No, I see him still on TV.
I know!! The Bilby? Extinct? Not Yet!!
Then Who? The Chicken? No, The Egg?
Of Course the Chocolate Egg came first,
That solves that conundrum then.....

It's all about New Life, New Starts,
Oh, that explains the Chicken, then.
But bunnies and bilbies? Oh...
Rabbits multiply, I suppose
Like 4 time 5 and 5 times 3?
But Bilbies? New Starts?
"Vulnerable", I thought, going not coming,
Alpha and Omega, perhaps, beginning and end?
The Australian Easter Oxymoron.

Perhaps it's all for Holidays,
A longer break, some time off work,
Friday even shops stay closed,
Why Good? Who knows, A restful break!
Why seafood feasts?
A luxury, the strangest fast!
We celebrate, not knowing why,
Party and indulge, why not?
Perhaps vaguely aware that someone had to die.

And one or two, who have a clue,
Explain the meaning of this time,
Yet who will listen? Noone Cares!!
We have our chocoloate have our feast...
The only cross that's relevant,
is the one on our hot buns,
And with another easter over, now,
We wait for Santa to give birth to Rudoplph....

Winter Comes

Winter approaches, Change in the Air!!
I feel the chill as I walk to my bus,
The wind blows icily through my hair,
The fogged up windows hide the world from us.

Fog shrouds the city, an eerie feel,
Into the Chill, pulling tighter my coat,
Still not the coldest, not yet the real deal,
But cold enough now, to put a chill down my throat.

At last I arrive, my workplace is warm,
Once I've put down my bag, a coffee seems nice,
I forget for a while the weather, the storm,
And ignore the outside, with its rain and its ice.

The as afternoon comes, my mind turns back again,
To the weather outside, the wind and the thunder,
I watch lightning, and sigh, as I hear the loud rain,
I forgot an umbrella, Oh My!! What a Blunder!!

X-Lotto

I do not care,
I will not share,
You were not there,
It's mine!

The win was me,
Why can't you see,
I paid the fee,
It's mine!!

You didn't pay,
To join and play,
what can I say?
It's mine!!!

Since you're my friend,
I'll let you lend,
but never spend,
It's mine!!!!

Don't stake your claim,
You missed the game,
My numbers came,
It's MINE!!!!!

Incompetence and Blame

I had to do the stuff again,
I really don't know why,
The numbers came out all the same,
The numbers that don't lie.

I thought that someone had gone wrong,
this proves that I was right,
I humoured them, and tried again,
Let's hope they've seen the light.

The effort that was needed, though,
Is really quite a shame,
I had to do it all again,
E'en though I'm not to blame.

It's curious what people do,
When they know that they're wrong,
'We'll all repeat this task again,
Although it's twice as long.'

I know that people have their pride,
I know they must save face,
But it's things like this that make me wish,
I worked some other place.

The problem was quite minor, too,
A simple test could see,
But people seemed determined,
To lay the blame on me.

I can prove that they're the problem now,
But somehow I don't care,
The time's been spent - it is no use,
It's neither here nor there.

And disappointed though I am,
I wouldn't cause a scene,
Despite the time I spent on it,
And where I could've been.

It's things like this that make me look,
through all the classified,
to find some other place to work,
some place I haven't tried.

Deep down, I think I realise, though,
As sad as it may be,
Most other work is just the same,
They'll lay the blame on me!

It's off to work we go...

Rain on the windscreen clouds my sight,
An early trip, no traffic here.
The road is dark, it is still night.
There might be roos, a touch of fear,
that one will come from out of sight.
I slow, and hover near the brake,
And wish for just a touch of light.
My mirror shows (for heaven's sake!),
A driver with his beams so bright,
I squint and flip the night-view switch,
the mirror now refracts the white,
My brake foot now begins to twitch.

At last I enter lit up street,
And all around me traffic builds,
All driving to their unique beat.
But either side, still empty fields,
Some roughly mown, and some quite neat.
Yet still I fear the wandering roo,
I sit quite tensely in my seat,
and silently wish "Shoo, roo, Shoo",
I jump at just the slightest tweet.
Now almost there, I look to park,
The ride to work is quite a feat,
Especially starting in the dark!

Technology Bytes

I've clicked the link, I tried it twice,
It doesn't work, it's still not nice,
And once again, it's 'file not found',
and windows makes that silly sound.

Where has it gone? Where can it be?
I saved it where it's labeled 'C:',
And now I search on C: through Z:,
I'll have to look offline instead.

I'll have to start that work again,
To think once more, switch on my brain,
Where can my document have gone?
I think this software is a con.

And finally, I'm nearly done,
My battle here is almost won,
Another paragraph or two,
There isn't too much more to do.

And as I write the final line,
I settle down with glass of wine,
and realise where I saved... not 'C:',
but rather on my USB!

Shopping After Work

The Bus Stops,
Off he Hops,
To The Shops,
To buy his tea.

Quick he races,
several paces,
ignore faces,
down the aisles

Shopping done,
Now he'll run,
To stop one,
await the bus.

Never fear,
Bus is here,
(A silent Cheer),
And now off home.

Not so fast,
Time has past,
home at last,
to have his food.