Dear Regular Newsletter Readers,
I hope this edition of our newsletter finds you all in good health.
The Olympics is now under way and despite having to contend with the Corona virus there have been some very good performances from some of the competing athletes. I was particularly impressed with Japan’s win in the mixed doubles table tennis final against China; Japan came back from being 2 games down to take the match which was completely unexpected. Team GB (Great Britain – where I am from) is not doing so badly, I think we have about 6 gold medals and we’re currently lying 6th in the medals table. The team GB swimmers have been putting in some good performances in the swimming pool and getting rewarded with gold medals; also diving has brought home a gold medal for team GB. I hope both team GB and Japan manage to win a few more gold medals between them; it would be nice to think that team GB could catch up to Japan and possibly overtake them by the time we get to the end, we shall see.
My little offering for you all this week is not so much a poem but a string of rhyming meandering sentences joined up to look like a poem; I hope you find it interesting.
By the way, this is the last newsletter until September, so I hope you all have a decent summer break and please continue to remain very Covid vigilant, at least until you’ve been double jabbed.
58 isn’t old, it’s just further away from warm than it is to cold
I don’t feel or look it.
The only time I’m reminded of it is when I fill in forms or look down at my waist.
It’s only when you get older that you really appreciate having been blessed with a clear complexion and a young looking face.
My hair is silver grey and thinner than it used to be.
My eye sight has diminished to the point that without my glasses I struggle to see.
My difficulty in seeing both near and far has made me less interested in wanting to ride my scooter and drive around in my car.
I’ve never sold my soul to get something that only hard work and honesty can truly provide.
I’ve rarely, if ever, been given to over thinking and letting things affect me, I’ve much preferred taking such things in my stride.
Unlike Icarus flying too close to the sun, I’ve never displayed hubris, I’ve always tried to maintain just the right amount of healthy pride.
I’ve dug myself in to quite a few holes and I’ve always been able to dig myself out of them.
Being able to lie in beds that are self-made will sooner or later turns boys in to men.
I’ve never once shied away from paying the required price when it needed to be paid.
I’ve always known when enough is enough, so my welcome has never been outstayed.
I occasionally arrive late, but it’s only because I’ve been delayed.
I’ve faltered at times, but I’ve always managed to make the grade.
I once pretended I couldn’t when I could and to this very day I regret not having played.
There are times when I cannot remember things and I fear my memory is beginning to fade.
I’ve been lucky to live my life on open plains and not behind barbed wire and barricades.
I was once a page boy at a wedding and I was apparently never too far away from the flower girls and bridesmaids.
Whenever all hope has seemed lost, I’ve knelt down at the side of my bed and prayed.
In moments of despair, I’ve looked towards the sky, put my hands together and said a prayer.
There was a time in my earlier life when I thought that my carefree way of living had rewarded me with aids.
In relationships I’ve cheated and been cheated on, but I have never been a betrayer nor have I ever been betrayed.
On odd occasions, when all my good shirts were in wash, I’ve had to wear old ones with cuffs and collars that were frayed.
I’m only now beginning to enjoy the benefits of being self-made.
I was introduced to the music of Glen Miller by my late dad and as he was being laid to rest out of the speakers came Moonlight Serenade.
The fire inside me is still burning brightly, but as I get older the light I emit will inevitably begin to fade.
As a 15 year old kid, I can remember buying all the latest punk and new wave records from Peter Hall’s music shop in Goole arcade.
I’ve been a victim of unfair business practices and the company that subjected me to them is operating within the home appliances manufacturing trade.
58 isn’t old, it’s just further away from warm than it is to cold.
A string of rhyming sentences (in no particular order) by Stephen Austwick