Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Iconic Red

                                 Jurec Nems

RUBY TUESDAY

ICONIC RED

'Iconic' is an adjective that we just toss around,
But, often, it is not deserved, as I'm sure you've found.
However, I cite the London Bus as a true iconic feature.
 I taught in London for a while as a newly-qualified teacher.
The tall red buses were everywhere; I caught some every day;
In those days they had a Conductor, whom passengers had to pay.
Round his neck was a ticket-machine, which always clicked and whirred;
Over and over, on a journey, the pleasant sound was heard.
The double-deckers are still around, but I'm sure they're modernised;
The 1950s traveller would be, no doubt, surprised
To see the innovations that modern life has brought,
But I still feel sentimental about the old sort that I caught.
From Kensington to Battersea and back each working day.
They linger in my memory in a truly iconic way.
*
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PRISTINE

The evening hung heavy, my darling,
As I waited for you, all alone.
I sat in my chair drinking coffee
And awaiting a ring on the phone.
It was five, it was eight, then eleven!
You were never this late in the past!
It must be that something had happened!
If only you'd come home at last!
Ah yes! A small sound in the driveway!
The sound of your tyres on the snow!
The sense of relief was stupendous!
I'd kill you for scaring me so!
You were there! Gazing in through the window!
Was that blood on the side of your head?
Poor dear! You'd encountered a problem!
To think I'd imagined you dead!
I dragged open the door to embrace you.......
No-one there! Just the dark! Just the dark!
And the snow, glistened smooth, glistened pristine;
Ghosts never leave any mark.
*
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PS
Yesterday was stinking hot in much of Australia but in Newcastle the weather was perfection....26 degrees with a soft breeze  and cloudless skies. So Malcolm and I took our sandwich lunch to King Edward Park. Most people were at the beach, but there was a sprinkling of people enjoying the park. I took a few photos. Greg's house is only a stone's throw from this park so the family often goes there.


Malcolm arrives with cool-bag.


Family fun near the rotunda.


The gardens in full bloom.


The gardens run down to the sea.
*

1 comment:

Margaret Gosden said...

Do you think that the weather in Newcastle tends to be more moderate than anywhere else in Australia, I wonder. Your photos show a very attractive life-style for 'stinking' summer weather.