John Bartholomew

John Bartholomew Jul 2018

I started out with nothing,
just a million bucks and flying **** attitude,
a family business already in the run, rents in Manhattan to the man on the street, dude

A degree in economics to taking over Ms World,
every real man’s fascination,
hey, let’s give it a name, something catchy, yeah,
The Trump Organization

For Trump is a name, a brand,
such fame and is never to be forgotten,
he’ll have it sewn into golfers clothes, courses around the world, even up in wee bonnie Scotland

Women from around the globe,
Ivana to Marla now married to the stunning Melania Knauss,
sure she knows his real views buts prefers the money when being this intransigent fools spouse

The telly roles came flooding in,
from Zoolander down to his own The Apprentice,
America’s branded self-made billionaire,
oh what a little lie that really is

Time to move on with a business
that was now becoming a bit of a bore,
only one step left to take,
US President now mostly hated to the core

His views on foreign aid and the Mexicans infuriating all
keep them out, they’re stealing our Yankee jobs,
so let’s build a big ******* wall

Who else is going to sweep the floors,
wash the cars and keep the lousy jobs afloat,
the American economy is built on these,
can’t see Chad or Hank jumping into this boat

He continues to rock the boat everywhere he goes,
wiping dandruff from Emmanuel Macron shoulder to upsetting those he doesn’t even know

Kim Jon-un and the whole of North Korea,
he took on the Rocket Man,
now they’re are best mates, he stopped World War 3,
hell they even shared a beer can!

So how long can this last before the mask slowly drops and his plans are scuppered by all,
the pensioners and the hillbilly’s all took they’re vote,
a Republican who wants a world wide brawl

For this is the land of the brave and the free,
a vision well received way back in the fifties,
but times they have changed and the world's a bigger place,
still in by 2020?

But the world loves a trier,
God knows this is true but one with a better plan,
for some of his policies have hit the spot but dare we leave this world in his hands

Yes he is funny, almost comedic in parts,
but trust him to pull this thing through?
his policies are stubborn, childish in truth, for he sees it as this,

I can so I do

JJB

‘I have tremendous respect for women’ - Donald Trump

“An ‘extremely credible source’ has called my office and told me that Barack Obama’s birth certificate is a fraud” - Donald Trump

“Ariana Huffington is unattractive, both inside and out. I fully understand why her former husband left her for a man – he made a good decision.” – Donald Trump

“I will build a great wall – and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me – and I’ll build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words.” - Donald Trump

This man effectively runs our world - John Bartholomew

John Bartholomew Jul 2018

Drunk

Whatever is that urge, that unthoughtful splurge, to annihilate every last thought of that day
to drink to kingdom come, conversations with anyone, and spend all that you have been paid

what ungodly flicker of thought, has you drinking that last drop that you bought
until the sun rises, awake on a bench, lessons that really cannot be taught

Rewind that human clock, until a time when all was once well
hindsight on a wrong word said, tripped in conversation, drink brings up its show and tell
that marriage that you could have had, now stalked each day on Facebook
sent them a drunk friend request, regrets in the morning, crazy thoughts that overtook

I love you man, a Tesco ban, for stealing ***** after the midnight hour of twelve
we laughed and sang, kebabs and dips, only here once so what the hell
the morning after, 12 cans and draught ale, anything that doesn’t touch the sides
your head is thumping, hair of the dog is calling, Round 2 of this stupid drunken ride

But at what point do we put the brakes on, man’s liver this wasn’t built for, the older the less wiser
you’ve tried the lagers, you’ve tried the ciders, lets knock it on the head, time for the Tizer
for the greyer the hair the less you can bare, as our bodies are not getting any younger
now I love to be merry, but it’s a weight I can’t carry, as drink is a thing I can’t do any longer

Drunk

JJB

“ALWAYS DO SOBER WHAT YOU SAID YOU’D DO DRUNK. THAT WILL TEACH YOU TO KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT.” ~ ERNEST HEMINGWAY

“I COOK WITH WINE, SOMETIMES I EVEN ADD IT TO THE FOOD.”~ W.C. FIELDS

“A DRUNK MAN’S WORDS ARE A SOBER MAN’S THOUGHTS.” ~ STEVE FERGOSI

John Bartholomew Jul 2018

The Box House

I am a man living in a house made of boxes
some are posh, others are bedraggled, anything to keep away those **** foxes
I started with a base build, long and robust, its where I have my open window above
only a square mind, it couldn’t be too big although it’s what I’d really love

No corridors or an upstairs en-suite
no no no, not in this hovel, now that really would have been a treat
The big names placed accordingly out there on the front entrance
Amazon to Harrods, Waitrose to Marks, leftover Poundland to build my fence

The roof a leftover roll of industrial cellophane wrap
my outdoor toilet just by the tree, a forest en-suite but no basin or tap
cooking can be a pain as a fire really could spread
a front room so small I eat my dinner from my bed

Now don’t let people tell you you're just some smelly old ***** as you are not
it's just a wrong decision I made in life, now this is how I survive and to camp
the boxes build a structure of life that is not always sturdy and stable
but if that’s how my life went, now I’m just bottom of some table

For this is my home
my refuge
my rest
my result

Remember, we all live a different life, just be grateful for what you have

The Box House

JJB

The home is the chief school of human virtues - William Ellery Channing

There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort - Jane Austen

My home is in Heaven. I'm just travelling through this world - Billy Graham

John Bartholomew Jun 2018

Social/Unsocial

Ripping down the walls of time and the everyday meet and greet
met my partner on Facebook not at a bar on my own two feet
we got chatting about the falseness of friendships all created by one Yank nerd
A billionaire now due to all our online socializing, his name, Mark Zuckerberg

Just how do we talk now with the obsessiveness of our phones
a chats a chat, whether it be text or twitter, although I still prefer the human tone
some meet on a dating app, you’ll see sat in a bar, looking, almost prairie dog
long term relationship or a snog in the dark, others even go the whole hog

So what has happened too, can I buy you a drink and maybe a little dance
maybe it’s us oldies who still take the old fashioned stance
to use these modern apps I would rather blush than use Tinder or Bumble
remembering the days of maybe a number, a crap film in the dark just looking for a fumble

But times move on and it’s what is known as the modern day version of romance
people take offence with a quick compliment now, I don’t think I’d take my chance
as we are all now sociable addicts with a point to prove each day
I’m engaged, were married, some see it as a place to even come out as gay (hey, it rhymes!)

As this is how we progress in life and it’s how it’s always been
we mix with people we like and dislike as it’s all part of the social scene
others tend to hide their love away as it’s not really for them
but the likes of all the kids today, to them its total Zen

Social/Unsocial

JJB

It takes discipline not to let social media steal your time - Alexis Ohanian

Facebook was not originally created to be a company. It was built to accomplish a social mission - to make the world more open and connected -
Mark Zuckerberg

Social media is an amazing tool, but it's really the face-to-face interaction that makes a long-term impact - Felicia Day

John Bartholomew Jun 2018

Bass Player Me

Let me tell you now, I’ve never picked up a bass guitar in my life
the guy stood stage side, cool as hell, his looks as sharp as a knife
surveying the crowd, picking the best, which girl is coming back to his room
town to town, gig to gig, thanks for the ride, I won’t be back anytime soon

An aura of disdain, a secret never to be told under that cowboy hat of his
reeling through the catalogue, hit after hit, hiding has no place in showbiz
A breed to contend, so lets never offend that man who has a different point of view
we could all have been a plumber or a copper, but the line-up for this role is a very short queue

Comparisons are strange and never the same, from deep sea diver to football goalkeeper
hey, a job’s a job no matter what you do, even home brewer to a honey making beekeeper
So what if you’re an oddball, the world needs its variety
from 6 strings to 4, its hardly a chore, he gave up on the piano and its keys
because that’s the way it is and the life I now live
simple, sometimes exuberant but always content,

That’s it,

Bass player me

JJB

None of us wanted to be the bass player. In our minds he was the fat guy who always played at the back - Paul McCartney

I wasn't originally a bass player. I just found out I was needed, because everyone wants to play guitar - Tina Weymouth

The lousy guitar player in any band is the bass player - Jimmy Iovine

I recruited my dad to be my bass player and fired him on several occasions. He stayed on as a bus driver - Chely Wright

John Bartholomew Jun 2018

A Change

We can't just go on feeling like this
A kick, a comment, refused a goodbye kiss
That verbal black eye that might have well have been a fist

People around you not really giving a ****
You'll be OK, just think of the others, they're stuck in a rut
Not me, oh no, I need a change of luck

So where do I start and what direction to take
A new job, a new start, a spruce of my CV with grades that are fake
That boss that can have a laugh, taking me on out of good grace

A change would do you good once sang Sheryl Crow
Start a new path and leave the rest in tow
Waking up with a perk instead of feeling so ****** low

Coursing that path is an easy thing to write
Jumping in-front of that speeding traffic, yes its a big fright
But you have to move your story and take that daring bite

For this cannot carry on forever as somethings has to be arranged
Sail for new seas on a ship and to be blown in a different way
As this is what I need, new shores, new goals, something so simple

Yes,

A change.

JJB

A decision made at night may be changed in the morning - Samoan

All good things must come to an end - H.H. Riley (1857)

As the sun's shadow shifts, so there is no permanence on earth - Afghan

John Bartholomew Jun 2018

Norman Collins

First day on the job, an apprentice with no clue
Put with some old boy, Norman Collins his name
been plumbing everywhere, from Watford to Timbuktu

Picked me up in his Vauxhall Belmont, a fading sun caught red
telling me tales of his dinner, roadkill on the hob
His wife cooked him these meals, I think he must be mad

Driving out in the sticks, a job for a pal, over near the village of Sarrett
A blob in the road, dead pigeon or badger, well he's not eating that
would have been different if it were something else he said, as he actually fancied a bit of rabbit

I didn't realise what a good bloke he was until a few days with this old codger
My main boss was a grumpy sod, never paid me till he had some
Looking back now, I miss that man, who told me tales of old times and tomfoolery

I used to be a wrestler young John, back in the days of the local funfair
Took on any Herbert who thought he was keen, and showed them the tent exit
From **** McManus to Jackie Pallo, bring them on son, I didn't really care

He locked me in a toilet one day, inside somebody’s house
Let me out I cried, for a good 4 hours, he ignored my every shout
For he couldn’t care less and that’s what I miss, a soul who just larked about

For they seem dead in this day and age where everything is done by the book
Don’t upset the man over there, do you know who he is, he’s the King and you’re just a Rook
As they don’t seem to exist anymore, these men who walk on Gods seven sins
Have a laugh, have joke, as life’s too short
I miss old Norman Collins

JJB