When all is said and nearly done

then nothing really matters much.

When, without war or poverty

a life as comfortable as mine

begins to stutter to its end

there's little lost and still less won.

TWEETS 25

JAN 8  SUSSEX

I wondered why

so many cars on the road today;

then realised why -

all the ice and snow has melted away.

Changing gear is usually H

but more economical is W

ALLOTMENT

Another two hours in mud and cold:

there isn't any pleasure in it

but there is some satisfaction.

BED

used to be exciting - sex and cuddles

but now it's just a refuge from the daily troubles.

DISCO  OR  COCOA ?

One old woman in my bed

or lots of young ones in my head.

LIFE

like a fly's acquaintance with window glass

MORE BAD NEWS

The news seems always full of death and disaster,

a world out of control that we can't master,

tragedies of loss and grief far way beyond

my little limited life being in bond

to scrabbling for some trivial bum rhymes

and feeling guilty at being happy sometimes.

THURSDAY BAND NIGHT

The older ones are not attractive;

the younger ones need younger men.

At least the dancing keeps me active

partnering despair again.

I have a little poe tree

nothing will it bare

about my human frailty

but what I hereby share.

There's very little silver

and even less that's gold

and as for Spain's fair daughter

I wouln't be so bold

WINTER BREAK

Within this Spanish winter hotel

occasional sun warms the clientele

and stirs the dregs of teenage dreams

for so many old folks in jeans.

Can miracle births be expected when

these days there are so many pregnant men ?

We're not the wealthy but equally not the poor;

we have enough but naturally want more.

Among the sad detritus of old age

her flowing sunshine hair illuminates

the weary gloom and reaffirms

the beauty of the human race.

What I want in a woman is beauty

or at least some physical attractiveness;

lust was just an episode in the past

never intended to last.

Two sister children run their game

etching the adults' life in embers

with life in flame.

I got one hit from the Congo/Kinshasa

but no return and nothing from Lhasa.

SUMS

People like arithmetic;

they multiply.

I stand disoriented, lost in space,

devoid of bearings to locate the place

I left so recently but sadly now

cannot remember where it is or how

to find it in the quiet gloom

of vastness in this hotel dining room.