Comedians are Tragic Figures

I see them on TV almost every day

see the fear in their faces

compelled to be witty

spontaneously hilarious

all the time

except when showcasing human misery

for fundraising charity fun nights.

Those desperate fake laughs

to try to ignite a similar response

in the audience

or from the co-presenter

or interviewer.

Hahaha they plead

It's not a rare condition

the longing to be noticed

recognised

the centre of attention

but it is a hard act

to do so

by making people laugh all the time.

Poets don't have to speak in haiku

or soliloquies all the time

nor singers voice their thoughts

in vibrant tune.

So spare a thought

and a wan smile at least

for the comedians

who only want to be loved

but think they can't unless

they please everyone all the time.

Lifespan

Let's say I live till I'm 100

but not beyond.

I'll see the celebrations

of the 100th anniversary of Paul McCartney's birth

but not the 100th anniversary of England winning the World Cup

Will I see the complete domination of driverless cars?

The mass unemployment of people replaced by Artifical Intelligence?

Will I live to witness mass extinction

or human greatness in preventing it?

Will climate changes render present ways of living impossible

before I am lowered into my grave?

Let's say I die in two days' time

that's 1st October 2020.

I won't see my children's journeys through life

Won't be there to help them if they need me.

On the other hand I won't face the pain

of their inevitable upsets and disappointments.

I won't even learn the full consequences

of Covid-19 or Brexit.

Does any of it matter?

Not for the dead, 

but even, ultimately for the living,

is it all just a soap opera

invented in our heads

scriptwritten by Fate

and directed by the Genes

Fate placed into our embroyonic self?

We all die

We all die...

that's just in case

you didn't realise it

Homer doesn't know

that over two thousand years

after he created his epic poems

that people still know the stories

Robert the Bruce

never got to see Scotland

join with England to make the United Kingdom

in 1707

My grandfather never got to know

that his children survived the Gulag

nor that they'd make a life in far-off Britain

and live till their nineties.

What will you not live to see?

And what do you not see even now

while you're still alive?

Champions League Final

So there we have it.

United have won the Champions League

defeating Atletico

by 3.5bn pounds to 3.1bn Euros

pipping them at the post

with a stoppage-time injection

of money-laundered 100m pounds

despite a similar-sized bribe to the match officials

from the opposition.

The President of the Federation of Football Club Owners

said it was a truly thrilling final

with both sides giving their all

with money from dictatorships

and the exploitation of local fan loyalties.

Our thanks go to Sleaze TV for their vast sums

obtained through viewer subscriptions

and we look forward to seeing all the fans

pay outrageous sums for next year's season tickets.

It truly is The Beautiful Game.

News Update

good evening

here is today's news

it's the same as yesterday

and the day before

and the day before that

and so on

back in time to when Cain killed Abel

and before that, Adam blamed Eve

and Eve blamed Adam

for taking forbidden fruit.

The names have changed

but the stories are the same

so do yourself a favour

and go and read a good book instead.

Another Purchase

minimalist me

the anti-consumer crusader

except not crusader

because they were not the heroes

we were once told they were

bought another thing

necessary?

maybe

maybe not

but maybe

so I did

and each time I buy

guilt trips me

and I fall

killing my world

purchase by purchase

or maybe not

maybe not I hope

maybe not I lie to myself

Used Green Tea Leaves

there they are

splodged

stuck in the infuser

washed out

these once magical

sticks and strands

offered the promise

- always delivered -

of a moment's grace

and serenity

like a cliche where compassion

meets clarity and calmness

now sodden and ready

for the compost heap

their manmade purpose served

impermanence exemplified

in the joy of a few sips