Still More Elderly Melodies

On Truth

It’s an ephemeral thing, truth
Elusive
Yet somehow an incitement when you find it
A way of seeing things
That gives you unexpected power
The confidence to think wisely
To influence people in a worthy way
And expose false prophets
You can be sure somewhere, some time
You will need it desperately
So often in life we are beset with chasms of deceit
Entrapped in webs woven by charlatans
Beguiled by cunning experts in dark duplicity
Seeking to lead you up often profitable garden paths
Take the adman for instance
Or an honourable member in the parliament of lies
Yes, that is the way of political things
In our world where advertised untruths reap popularity
And rumours start wars
Look at them selling things you don’t need
Look at them giving autocrats electoral control
Look at them vending destructive warmers of climate
Look at them conferring authority on cronies
Look at them selling with fake testimonials
Look at them cutting welfare to buy weapons
Ah me! It is so sad
To see so much abuse of reality
Ah me! It is so sad
To notice fantasy flourishing in so many places

Come on, all you trumpeters of falsehood
All you political prevaricators
It’s time for change
The hour of triumph for integrity has arrived
A new world beckons with capacity for veracity
So let Hades turn joyfully into nirvana
Now!

Hearing Aids

The silence is so stark when you lose your hearing
You suddenly realise how important sound is
Conversation becomes so difficult
So much information can’t reach your mind
It’s such a burden that soundlessness
You are so isolated
The world turns its back on you
Captions on your TV are a sole source of meaning
People are amazed when you fail to heed their advice
Ignore their wit
Or answer their questions
You begin to watch people’s lips
Lean towards them hopefully
And accidentally interrupt them mid-sentence
The music you love no longer exists
Sport becomes a voiceless media charade
A visit to a cinema is a waste of money
Giant planes fly overhead silently
Storms have no thunder
And the wind rattles your venetian blinds silently
Life suddenly is a challenge
As you struggle to understand a mysterious world
My hearing aids changed all of that
It was magic, that sudden revival of my ears
I heard birds again, such wondrous music
The love songs of crickets near my window
Accompanied my night
I shared wisdom and laughter with my friends
Found allies with common goals
Joined the teams I needfully respected
Shared my dreams
At times with laughter
Found again the company I desire
And my humanity returned

Dear Mr Trump

Dear Mr Trump
I am a little boy of ten
My Daddy says you are at it again
I believe you’re a smart man filled with glee
Who loves all people and longs to be free
Daddy says it’s definite proof we see
That you tell the truth just like me
You love to play games he also says
But you don’t like people who wear a fez
It’s a funny thing that as my teacher claims
We should love all people whatever their names
Daddy says too you have lots of money
Though the way you use it is quite funny
Sometimes you tell banks you’ve many a penny
But often they find you haven’t any
You’re such a clever man Daddy thinks
You can hoodwink a foe before he blinks
There are many fans who wave to you
And whenever you speak there’s a hullabaloo
I see on the news you have many supporters
Daddy says you’ve a wondrous way with reporters
He says you are powerful and reach for the skies
I’m so glad like me you never tell lies
I see you as tall, almost up to the ceiling
But Daddy said people accuse you of stealing
And he said we should drum some loud percussion
To boldly honour your bond with a Russian
Another thing he wants me to mention
You can cause a riot to get attention
And there are battles that you have fought
That land you so often into court
But all the world must see you as fair
So you pay smart lawyers to get you there
Now dear Mr Trump you are my hero
Daddy says if in Rome you’d be a Nero
I want you to know that I respect you
And Daddy says the dupes will soon elect you

Recollections

My world

I was there
When Hitler came to rule
I was there
When Roosevelt saved the nation
I was there
When Dillinger played the fool
I was there
When steam trains found my station
I was there
When Edward abdicated
I was there
When Stalin did his purges
I was there
When the Anschluss* was debated
I was there
When Freud defined our urges
I was there
When the Hindenburg caught fire
I was there
When kristallnacht was done**
I was there
When Churchill spread his ire
I was there
When Bradman scored each run
I was there
When Hiroshima was destroyed
I was there
When Armstrong walked the moon
I was there
When Margaret Thatcher was annoyed
I was there
When my existence was a merry tune
Yes I have seen so much in peace and war
And that was what my life was fashioned for

*Annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany: March, 1938.

** German, literally ‘night of crystal’, referring to the broken glass produced by the smashing of shop windows as the Nazis attacked Jews: November, 1938.

Hail Dictator

Ha!
So that’s your plan!
To get back into power by telling lies
So you claim to be an epitome
An unmatched thinker and orator
Everything you do gives you a place in the Hall of Fame
The best ever; never before seen
You hate foreigners
Say they poison our blood
When you are punished for a crime
You declare yourself a victim of political intrigue
You make friends with tyrants
And claim to have them eating from the palm of your hand
You deride savagely all your opponents
Creating fictitious flaws that are derogatory fairy stories
You claim an inalienable right to do as you please
Even to kill
You steal government pamphlets and call them your own
You bribe corrupt contacts to protect your image
You post damaging evidence on social media
You falsify business records to hide hush-money
You surround yourself with splendour to seem supreme
You fling free objects into the crowd to fake generosity
You style your hair for sham elegance
You proclaim nonsense in the guise of wisdom
You cast aside allies when their usefulness fades
You bend the judiciary to suit your schemes
You talk about blood baths and advocate violence
And you bellow before rabble like Stentor of old*
Thus you rise in popularity
Your status grows according to your plans
All seems so well in your camp
But the emperor has no clothes
Yet you look headed for tragic success
Sieg Heil!

*Stentor was a herald of the Greek army during the Trojan War.

royciebaby