Paul Cookson

OPULENCE AND CONTRADICTIONS

Kings and Presidents dine
The most opulent of food and wine
While in Ukraine and Palestine …
Contradictions of our times

Poem 2050
Thursday 18th September 2025

THE RIGHT TO FREE SPEECH

Is not just having the opportunity to
Air your views in the public domain
But allowing others the same privilege
So they can do the same

Even if you disagree
That’s why it’s democracy
And if you cannot do that
Then you will not be free

Poem 2046

THAT’S NOT THE JOB DESCRIPTION

Today
I will mostly
Be sobbing
In the market square
In my
Official capacity
As Retford
Town cryer

Poem 2045
Saturday 13th September 2025

SIMPLE MATH … or …MATH FOR THE SIMPLE

Guns = bullets
Bullets = shootings
Shootings = deaths

Subtraction

Take away guns
What remains?

Poem 2044
Friday 12th September 2025

HERE WE ARE AGAIN

Back in school
First day
Feels like I’ve never been away

Poems old
Jokes too
Haven’t forgotten what to do

Even now
After all this time
Still in love with this job of mine

Poem 2043
Thursday 11th September 2025

THAT’S MY EXCUSE ANYWAY

Early start
Long day
Short poem
Okay

Poem 2044
Wednesday 13th August 2025

Today

I was going to
Write a sonnet but I just
Couldn’t be bothered

Poem 2038
Thursday 7th August 2025

QUESTIONS ON NATIONAL OWL DAY

When they hoot
Is there a technique
To it
To who
Do they do it?

Poem 2035
Monday 4th August 2025

LONG LIVE THE SUMMER

Pleased with the current weather conditions
The need for socks is negligible
Which means life is easier
Especially the left one
That can take several minutes
Involve grunting, groaning
Angles, permutations, grimaces
& swearing at wool
Long live the Summer
Sod off osteoarthritis

DEFENCELESS

When hospitals and
Children are the enemy
Indefensible

Poem 1992
Saturday 12th July 2025

NOTHING TO SEE HERE

Cover ups
Covered up
Truth hides
Where lies reside

Poem 1989
Wednesday 9th July 2025

ALL TOGETHER NOW

Someone once said that
Some people think that football
Is a matter of life and death.
I can assure you
It’s much more serious than that
Well, he was wrong
And whatever the colour of our shirts
Whoever we pledge allegiance to
Wherever we watch our team
Right now
We are all united

I FEEL LIKE I’M GETTING OLD WHEN SOME THINGS DON’T SIT WELL

Freedom of speech
Has become the freedom to preach

The freedom to incite
Whether wrong or write

Soundbites, slogans, repeatable chants
Cliché, profanity, shock tactic stance

Maybe because I’m nearly 64
I just expect a little bit more

SUMMER IS NOT THE FRIEND OF THE POET

Too many distractions
Air conditioning, ice cream
Reclining, cold drink in hand
Half read magazines

Lethargy, dozing off
Half way through a verse …

Waking up a little later
Can’t even be bothered to make it rhyme

Poem 1982
Sunday 29th June 2025

LOST IN A WORLD OF BOOKS

I am lost within your pages
Page turning is a journey
That I want to end
But don’t want to end

Lost in a world of books
Knowing the way out
Is following the letters and words
The end is in sight

Poem 1981
Saturday 28th June 2025

Couldn’t Be More English

Listening to Test Match Special
Sat outside a pub
With a pint of proper beer
In the late afternoon sun

Couldn’t be more typically English
Except for the fact
We comfortably won

Poem 1978
Wednesday 25th June 2025

Daily poem, started yesterday ( inevitably from a Daily Star headline )

All The Right Ingredients

Two cards
One funny
One serious
Both heartfelt

Classic Rock subscription
A pack of nice beer
Chocolate bar
And a new strap for a ukulele

Pretty much
All the right ingredients
Thankyou from
A happy father

Poem 1969
Monday 16th June 2025

THE KING’S BIRTHDAY

Newspapers talking about
Celebrations for the King’s birthday
Fitting

Today is the birthday of the king
Who wore, not a crown
But a mirrored top hat

King Noddy the first
National treasure
Happy birthday sir

Poem 1968
Sunday 15th June 2025

HI VIZ

There are roadworks
Cars are stopped
There are men
In hi viz luminous jackets
So it is easier to see them
Not working

Poem 1957
Thursday 5th June 2025

CREAKING

Walking up the stairs
Carefully
With a cup of tea

And they creaked
Except we haven’t got
Creaky stairs

Walking back
Down the stairs
They still creaked

As did
The front room carpet
And tiled kitchen floor

When I stopped
Walking
So did the creaking

Poem 1956
Wednesday 4th June 2025

THE PAGE DOES NOT TRULY REFLECT THE SILENCES

The chair creaked
The pen twizzled
The tea was sipped

The tea was sipped
The chair creaked
The pen twizzled

The pen twizzled
The tea was sipped
The chair creaked

Until the tea was drunk
The keyboard clicked
And the words appeared

BIRD ON A WIRE

Small bird in the church
Perches on your black guitar
Stays awhile with us

Poem 1952
Saturday 31st May 2025

NO TIME FOR A POEM

Appointments to keep
Forms to complete
People to meet
Calls I must make
Before it’s too late
Writing can wait
Jobs to be done
Errands to run
None of them fun
Emails replied to
Positions applied to
I really have tried to ...
No time for a poem

Poem 1948

A BIT LIKE TOAST AND JAM

Opening the cupboard
And it was there

A doughnut isn’t necessarily
A breakfast food but

It is pretty much like
Bread and jam

So that’s okay then

Poem 1947
Monday 26th May 2025

PRESSURE

The poet was tired
Flat
Let down
Often full of air
An inflated opinion of himself
But right now
Deflated
Sorry, did I say tired?
I meant
Tyred
Or maybe it’s time
To just stop
Not work any more
Then the poet would be
Retired
After that line
Maybe he should
Just jack it in

TEAM ANDY

I am not a Spurs fan
But last night I was
Well, more a case of
Team Andy

He’d have loved it
And, had he been here
He would have been here
We’d have watched together

As we always did
So Andy
I cheered on your behalf
You would have loved it

Poem 1943
Thursday 22nd May 2025

NO APPLICATION

He saw the position advertised
On site poet but didn’t apply

Just too shy to commence
Always a writer in reticence

Poem 1942
Wednesday 21st May 2025

LAST MEN STANDING

Once ramrod straight, now
Age has wearied them, still they
Stand to attention

Lionhearted, proud
They can never forget, so
We remember too

Poem 1930
Thursday 8th May 2025

AS LONG AS I DON’T MOVE, THEY’RE OKAY

Still got the tee shirts
Can’t throw them away

Remember the gigs
Like yesterday

They seem to have shrunk
All by themselves

Just by staying
On those shelves

If I don’t breathe at all
They just about fit

Forty years on
I haven’t changed a bit …