Poem

Another poem I wrote when I was in a reflective mood. Not exactly full on festive cheer and goodwill but here goes anyway.

Adagio

Mist falls on tired eyes

No time left for long goodbyes

Lungs empty then fail to inflate

Teeth chatter then slowly grate

Blood that once was free to flow

Coagulates in veins no where to go

Lips no longer part and smile

Just sag to issue unwanted bile

They say it's worse for the people left

But of course its worse for the poor bereft.

There what did you think of that?

Ella Wheeler was born in 1850 on a farm in Johnstown, Wisconsin, east of Janesville, the youngest of four children. The family soon moved north of Madison. She started writing poetry at a very early age, and was well known as a poet in her own state by the time she graduated from high school.

Her most famous poem, "Solitude", was first published in the February 25, 1883 issue of The New York Sun. The inspiration for the poem came as she was travelling to attend the Governor's inaugural ball in Madison, Wisconsin. On her way to the celebration, there was a young woman dressed in black sitting across the aisle from her. The woman was crying. Miss Wheeler sat next to her and sought to comfort her for the rest of the journey. When they arrived, the poet was so depressed that she could barely attend the scheduled festivities. As she looked at her own radiant face in the mirror, she suddenly recalled the sorrowful widow. It was at that moment that she wrote the opening lines of "Solitude". Information taken from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Ella also wrote "Love lights more fires than hate extinguishes". This sentiment remains true to this day.

Solitude

BY ELLA WHEELER WILCOX

Laugh, and the world laughs with you;

    Weep, and you weep alone;

For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth,

    But has trouble enough of its own.

Sing, and the hills will answer;

    Sigh, it is lost on the air;

The echoes bound to a joyful sound,

    But shrink from voicing care.

Rejoice, and men will seek you;

    Grieve, and they turn and go;

They want full measure of all your pleasure,

    But they do not need your woe.

Be glad, and your friends are many;

    Be sad, and you lose them all,—

There are none to decline your nectared wine,

    But alone you must drink life’s gall.

Feast, and your halls are crowded;

    Fast, and the world goes by.

Succeed and give, and it helps you live,

    But no man can help you die.

There is room in the halls of pleasure

    For a large and lordly train,

But one by one we must all file on

    Through the narrow aisles of pain.

After my pictures of Shakespeare characters I thought I would follow up with a little Quiz. The questions and answers are taken from the book I have just published on Kindle titled “Shakespeare at a Glance”. A handy guide to who is who in the plays by Shakespeare. All the answers are posted below so don’t be too hard on yourselves.

Available from Amazon here

Questions

Question 1       Who said? "But love is blind, and lovers cannot see."

Question 2       Who said? "If you prick us, do we not bleed? if you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you poison us, do we not die? and if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?"

Question 3       Who said? "Why, then the world 's mine oyster."

Question 4       Who said? "This is the short and the long of it."

Question 5       Who said? "Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble."

How are you doing so far? Just a few more to test yourself with.

Question 6       Which play did Alice appear in and what was her role?

Question 7       Which play did Audrey appear in and what was her role?

Question 8       Which play did Constance appear in and what was her role?

Question 9       Which play did Elbow appear in and what was his role?

Question 10     Which play did Gremio appear in and what was his role?

Question 11     Which play did Mustard Seed appear in and what was his role?

Question 12     Which play did Quintus appear in and what was his role?

I think that may be enough of that I hope you managed to get some right answers. The full list of answers are set out below.

Answers

Question 1.      Jessica in the Merchant of Venice Act II Scene VI

Question 2.      Shylock in the Merchant of Venice Act III Scene I

Question 3       Pistol in The Merry Wives of Windsor Act II Scene II

Question 4       Mistress Quickly in The Merry Wives of Windsor Act II Scene II

Question 5       The Witches in Macbeth Act IV Scene I

Question 6       Alice appeared in King Henry V as a Lady attending Princess Katherine

Question 7       Audrey appeared in As You Like It as a country wench

Question 8       Constance appeared in The Life and Death of King John as the mother of Arthur

Question 9       Elbow appeared in Measure for Measure as a simple Constable

Question 10     Gremio appeared in The Taming of the Shrew as a Suitor to Bianca

Question 11     Mustard Seed appeared in A Mid-Summers Night Dream as a Fairy

Question 12     Quintus appeared in Titus Andronicus as the Son of Titus Andronicus

No prizes for guessing where I went yesterday.

William Shakespeare

Falstaff

Prince Hal

Lady Macbeth

The River Avon

The Jester

Falstaff Again. What a character.

They are all at Stratford upon Avon of course. Well worth a trip.

Another day going through old files on my computer and discarding some of the rubbish that has accumulated. I came across a poem about Oxford that I wrote a while ago and thought it may be worth posting to see if there is any feedback. Yesterday was also a little out of the ordinary as I published my second book "Three of a Kind" on Kindle. It's three short stories and quite different in nature to my first Kindle book "Reflections Tall Stories and Short Poems". Anyhow try my poem and see what you think.

Oxford

By

David Higgins

I can almost see Oxford from here

Dreaming Spires lazy picnics cloudy beer

Eights on the Thames rowing as one

Students in punts just having fun

Willow strokes leather around the Parks

Retire to the pub for high jinks and larks

Bicycles leaning against college walls

Sightseeing parties obstructing the Broad.

I can almost see Oxford from here

Clean-cut athletes on cinders appear

The starters gun fires to signal the off

Straight down to business for eager young Toffs

Ibbotson sets the pace Bannister sits poised

He wins in sub four listen to the noise

History was made on the Iffley road track

The standard was set no going back.

I can almost see Oxford from here

The Izigonis revolution is near

Tired models and staid old designs

Choking life from the factory lines

Enter the Mini cool funky and fun

Bright colours turn heads of both old and the young

It’s had a face-lift or two in its time

Larger more comfy than old ones of mine.

I can almost see Oxford from here

Fans rise to their feet and cheer

Ron Atkinson Tony Jones Maurice Kyle

Use a mixture of brute force and guile

To dash Blackburn’s cup dreams once more

Division one side are ousted by four

Dreams of Wembley were quickly dashed

Preston North End and Kendal saw to that.

I can see Oxford from here

Mist that descended has cleared

Cars still roll from assembly lines

Foreign owned but never mind

United have moved from the old Manor Ground

To the Kassam stadium with seats all around

Dark Blue sportsmen play hard but fair

Forging bonds that in business later they’ll share

Colleges still attract the cream of the crop

Brilliant young minds who strive for the top.

Visit to Royal Leamington Spa.

Acorn sculpture in the park.

Hippo Hooray

Seat for one to meditate.

Poppy sculpture.

Flower beds in the park.

I just had to include a fountain.

 Abstract Sculpture.

Fog knitting

Fog knitting

It is believed that Fog knitting was introduced to the British Isles by the Vikings. It Is understood they knitted on their journey across the North Sea where the raw material was readily available as a way of passing the time on the crossing. The art lay dormant for several centuries before being resurrected by explorers sailing to discover new lands in the fifteenth century.

The fog is best harvested in November and December on the coast of Cornwall and Devon where the quality of the product is cleaner and finer having been blown in off of the Atlantic Ocean. Fine mesh strung between wooden uprights is a favourite method as it can be dismantled and re-erected should the wind change direction. Lesser product can be obtained from some of the major industrial cities of the world where pollution gives a coarser texture with a dull finish.

Shortage can be difficult and it is critical that glass jars are used in a temperature controlled room. To knit with the fog it is best decanted into a piping bag with a fine nozzle and squeezed slowly onto fine wooden needles. Patterns can be found in some old reference books but it lends itself to crochet where ad hoc designs can be very rewarding.

It is planned that national championships will be introduced with international competitions organised between countries of the New World who received the original settlers. If the trials are successful it will be submitted for inclusion it the Winter Olympics in 2022 as a demonstration sport. Because of the nature of the material it would be considered unsuitable for summer Olympic due to higher temperatures. Competition would be on a knockout bases with the best of three pieces submitted against the clock being adjudged the winner.

Research by David Higgins.