Self awareness

One devastating drawback of intelligence 

is self awareness of our own inadequacies.

Unless we make world champion in this or that

or grab some fame for something praiseworthy,

we'll sometimes be confronted by the queasy feeling

of not being quite as great as we would like to be.

Physical appearance often gives concern

and different people deal with it in different ways.

Women can use make-up, beauty treatment, clothes

but my heart bleeds for those doomed ugly all their days.

Men can use their skill at sport to boost their ego

or manufacture macho sporting their tatoos.

Wealth and power don't fear inferiority

though insecurity may haunt what they might lose.

As for the young of either sex there's time enough

for optimistic hope to rectify their woes

and always possible partners helping overcome

or overlook their problems as time goes.

But it's the old where self-awareness strikes the hardest,

when failing powers can't help but tell that all's not well.

Then weaknesses must be acknowledged gracefully

but after all that time  -  so what the hell  !

What would I give for you atop my lap ?

Though dead for many years you're not forgotten.

I use your birthdate as numeric password

so every time that I set up my laptop

I think of you and miss you something rotten

Hammurabi

'Turn the other cheek' is bad advice

to those who value safety in society,

a view of human nature too naive

in thinking mercy, lack of punishment,

will cause offenders to improve behaviour.

It seems to me more likely to encourage

more occasions of the same offence

when punishment's less likely than before -

criminality with impunity.

Hammurabi ruled millenia ago

and gave more sensible advice and laws.

Although too keen on killing for minor crimes,

his rule for murder was just 'a life for a life'.

It's a pity the Jewish madman's influence

has softened Hammurabi's justice.

Tweets 16

People unhappy with themselves

are often angry with others.

I despair that so many people enjoy

TV programmes of murder and war.

The many problems mankind creates

will never be solved since selfishness,

personal greed and desire for status

outweigh its empathy, love and kindness.

Women can wear whatever they like

in the way of patterns and colour.

But men self restrict to single shades

and the better the darker and duller.

Gardening is a bit like gambling;

it might come good or it might not.

But the joy of gardening is stronger

since expectation and hope last longer.

There are too many minutes in the day

and the hours take so long to slide away

that morning, afternoon and evening keep

delaying me from getting back to sleep.

It's no use. You're just too old.

There isn't any sexual hunger.

Alright, I know. But how about

I promise to get younger ?

Brighton

Approaching the seaside town from the landside,

looking down from surrounding hills,

the sea beyond the city rose

above it like a clash of wills.

Threatening like cold grey steel,

a seemingly vertical water wall

made the puny houses cower

waiting for the flood to fall.

Older than the land, implacable,

asserting superiority

the ocean held itself in check

waiting opportunity.

But as I descended to the streets,

the people swam around like fishes,

the sea subsided and everywhere

the town resounded with good wishes.

The Paste Land

April's not the cruellist month

but perhaps the most hopeful of the year.

A layer of snow is not a warm blanket

for tubers that die when winter's severe.

It seems the banker is not a gardener

or even a proper poet at first,

more of an urban sermoniser

whose bleak dystopian images burst

upon a literary audience

romanticised for generations

by flowery verbiage so dense

it did indeed need pruning stations.

He led us all up the garden path

dispensing with the use of rhyme

in favour of the ice cold bath

of incongruous images all the time. 

Women

I have a high regard for women

as usually morally better than men,

more civilised and sympathetic,

more sinned against than sinning.

I always try to be polite

and wouldn't harm them for my life

but now no longer with a wife

why do abusive images excite ?