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151 · Jan 2021
Time
John Bartholomew Jan 2021
Tick Tock Tick Tock 

The unstoppable noise from the wall and the clock
Battery malfunction is its only means of stop

From day one our clocks started setting
And an end date still has us betting

For it guides us in our everyday forms of life
From being late to work onto a barney with the trouble and strife

Even the dog knows what time he's to be fed
Until the day is done and upstairs to bed

As time is the invisible line we cannot hurry or cross
The world spins in motion to the suns gravity who is the real boss

It keeps us rectified onto a sole purpose and a meaning
Or is God just watching us on his box, his own Netflix he is just streaming.

Time

Tick Tock Tick Tock


JJB
Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time - Marthe Troly-Curtin

Time flies over us, but leaves its shadow behind - Nathaniel Hawthorne

The future has a way of arriving unannounced - George F. Will

Whether it’s the best of times or the worst of times, it’s the only time we’ve got - Art Buchwald
150 · May 2022
Dad Bod
John Bartholomew May 2022
Comparing muscles at school after a dip in the pool
Who'd hit puberty first with some hairs around their tool
And wishing it would hurry up as being the bald fool
But these things pass and are all soon forgotton
The leaders will rise while some sink to the bottom
Let them lead as I'll get by with my broken foreign
As age chases us down in a time not so prepared
Living life without a care
We goofed, we played, we dared
Now comes the time that we did scare
The paunch becomes the launch of a middle-age crisis
No more nights of depravity waking with a no-name in the local Ibis,
Time to lose weight and sign up to the Weight Watchers list
Gone are the days of tight tops, slim jeans and a part of the MOD's
From a week on site, mucking up and carrying the hod
Pack in the the Friday treat, the chips, the curry sauce and the cod
For I now have the middle aged familiar thats said
Give up in the carbs, the rice and the bread
As I now have that of what I did dread,
Hello,

The Dad ***

JJB
150 · Sep 2019
Audi v BMW Drivers
John Bartholomew Sep 2019
I could leave this blank as sometimes there are no words
As who has the biggest ego, could never finish second,
never mind third
Mines faster
no mines faster
Then watch this,
No, watch this,
I must be in front
But I have to be there first, I'm more important
Do you not know who I'm meeting, the CEO of some place new
No time to sit and chat, you can stick your pleasantries and brew
Think I'll whack it in the disabled space, this guy can never be late
I'll drive right up your behind, can't be stumped for this date
For I am the most important person on the road
As we don't abide by the rules or the Highway Code
For we are above you as we rule the roads of the land
The Astra, the Focus, the VW Golf, all so bland
We are a range of vehicle that relies on being slick
Usually driven by the same kind of person we all know
Yes, normally, a bit of a *****!


JJB
149 · Jan 2019
That Madly British Way
John Bartholomew Jan 2019
What is made can usually be traced back here
From the car to an independent hops bar,
Serving its very own mind blowing beer
We are seen as a disruption, a small disturbance out on our own at sea
Ruling the world and the oceans years ago, ships crafted and made from the Royal British oak tree
Let our language be spoken at every outpost no matter where we did sail
Not all stories of heroism and splendor as some were deceitful, leaving many worried and plenty frail
Places we did not conquer still stand strong without the British rule
To think we could conquer Ireland, oh such fools
But the British way has set paths for many to follow
Austin Powers, Yanks with English accents through to Sleepy Hollow
From the telephone, the toothbrush onto the television
All used throughout the world and perfected to precision
Hate us for winning two timely World Wars
We'd all be speaking German yah, Zwei plus zwei ist vier!
Music from the 60's set the kids all in a spin
It carried on throughout our time, daft lyrics still make me grin
So don't knock us for having a mind of our own
Whilst people sneer and mock our ways, we always had our very own tone
As it is what we are and I hope it will stay,

That Madly British Way

JJB
Anything said in upper-crust British automatically sounded intelligent - Nancy Kress

The British nation is unique in this respect: they are the only people who like to be told how bad things are, who like to be told the worst - Winston S. Churchill

British aren't really known for their physical loveliness but firemen, generally speaking, are gorgeous - Emma Thompson

British humour is very cruel. It's my favourite kind of humour; if it isn't cruel and funny it doesn't really cut the cake for me - Jason Sellards
148 · Jul 2022
One Last Sunset
John Bartholomew Jul 2022
We sat down and held hands
Looking at the sea stretched out past the land
Laughing at a day gone by
At a life where we didnt have to try
You see, some lives were just supposed to be
Me
You
That sense of we found each other and to just feel free
For this is a time that can never be replaced
No matter how hard you look or mistakenly wrongly chase
Some diesese to try and split this thing apart
As nothing could ever jade our beating hearts
The breeze that blows that most will never get
As I hold you in my arms
That,
One
Last
Sunset

JJB
145 · Apr 2022
Me (mk2)...and goodbye.
John Bartholomew Apr 2022
The tides of time change things in modern ways
Our speech
Our thoughts
Our views
My opinion of you
I joked that my brain has gone offline for a reboot like the Truman Show
That the veins need an upgrade and that for now the curtains are closed
New headlights and a clearer sight to see
Go faster stripes, a vision, revision, a brand new me...

But you cannot polish and re-scent a battered old stone
Or change his opinion on the things he likes to moan
You can delete some numbers of those on his mobile phone
But in the back of his mind is still that old, grizzled tone

Try to take my shopping and dress me how you like
But I will always be that chipped BMX disguised as a mountain bike
I'd love to see things from the leftie way, but I'm just not psyche
Always trouble, always different, always a little tyke

So that picture I posted that nobody liked (*******)
Was a sign that my time is drawing nearer to leave this realm of fake news and friendships on my trusted bike
It's been a blast
But my time has passed
For Facebook and this Social Net.

Thank you,

JJB
145 · Feb 2022
I Am England (Was, Am, Are)
John Bartholomew Feb 2022
A two for one bargain but is it really worth buying?
Let me have a think, yes, I am England
His new girlfriend seems nice but I prefered his exe's likes
Let me ponder this change, as, I am England
His greatest goal he ever scored but in a one all draw
This can't be the case, hmm, I am England
Our men once ruled the waves but now dwell in their mancaves
Again, sadly, I am England
We once told our jokes and the birds to grab their coats
Now not a whimper, we can't offend, I am England
Saturday on the terrace, baying for blood, to the opposing crowd
Now, keep it down, not so loud, I am England
With a backbone and more front than Brighton Beach
You can't say that, it's out of our reach, I am England
How times have changed, from the sensitive to the utterly deranged
The lefts have taken the rites, yes, I am England
Comedy was a laugh but now is an early bath
Citizan Khan to Mrs Brown, God, please mend this, I am England
We once soured like an eagle, now a drip like treacle
No losers just a runner up, this has to stop, I am sadly England
A photo taken of nearly every meal eaten out
I'm starting to think we all live in doubt, I am England
Yet you cannot say a thing incase of somehow offending
Again, hate this to say, I, my friend, I am long lost England.

JJB
143 · Apr 2021
Last Question
John Bartholomew Apr 2021
This is neither poem nor query
Just a thought on that last final theory

What does rhyme with that word we know as death?
As the world finally stops turning and man sighs his final last breath

Our brains won't let us dig that far as it scares us to our wits
Go on, give it a go, you'll just come back in bits

It's the finality that our God's will never let us try to think
For we never know of that final second that just leaves us on the brink

Life is so sacred it cannot be loaded like a Commodore 64 tape
Its to be lived once, fully loaded, not in bouts and in breaks

So what is your last question before you step through those holy gates?
After this life are there any more, as I'd like a few more goes at those awkward first dates!
143 · Sep 2019
Awash in one's own Time
John Bartholomew Sep 2019
You take it for granted when it's stood right there
Playing with your kids without a single care
These moments they ground you in a time that's now past
Thinking these memories will always everlast
But where does it go in a life that's fast and always unread
Almost ten years ago as you think it through now lying in your bed
A jigsaw of pieces that somehow all interact
Now putting them together to make a perfect fact
Cast them in the river as they are all attached to the same line
As fishings not my thing, I'm just awash in one's own time

For a friend

JJB
“Nothing makes the earth seem so spacious as to have friends at a distance; they make the latitudes and longitudes.”-Henry David Thoreau
141 · Jul 2019
Angry Skies Above
John Bartholomew Jul 2019
That darkness, that coldness in the air
Today has been a bad day for us all
Never prepared for such shock all at once
A man so loved now gone without despair
The suddeness, so quick before our plans
His ideas a bloom and so plentiful
Taken in seconds from such a blow
He wandered, he thought, he drew
No replacing his thoughts played out in Manga, sometimes Disney too
For he was a closed book with thoughts of his own
A testament to nobody but a world now never shown,

as are

Angry Skies Above

JJB
140 · May 2023
Last orders!
John Bartholomew May 2023
Costa and Starbucks are closing down our pubs
Now rubbing shoulders with those I hate, from the ones I used to love
No dartboard or billiards all playing our simple game
Now who has the latest Ipod or laptop, as they've just rushed from the train
A shout of Roger, Rihanna, down to this coffees going cold!
To paying over six pound a drink and not a care once sold
Company credit card all the way, no thought to the petty cash kitty
Looking up, the old pub tiles still grace the brick built wall, oh such a forgotten pity.

Last orders!

JJB
138 · Jun 2021
On Navy Pier
John Bartholomew Jun 2021
A trip to Chicago
Just somewhere
You got to go
A city of love and utmost flair
Don't deny the ego
From downtown
To the contraflow
The boats all docked under the shared
Jetty to outrig
From small to the ultra big
Ropes tied to hold them in place
Let's get something
Now to eat
Sit down
Get off our feet
Walking has got us the ****
From tourists to Bubba Gump
Let's have a beer
Take in the cheers
4th of July is best right here
Sat back
Relaxed
Just,
On Navy Pier.

JJB
138 · Jan 2019
Hedy Lamarr - Bombshell
John Bartholomew Jan 2019
You many not have heard the name as its not up there with Gardner or Ms.Hepburn
But this Jewish lady a lot we could certainly learn

Coming through a war which persecuted her kind
A career in acting her first go to but not her true bind

I mean, what could a woman do to change the tides of time
Make the first ****** movie and be barred from the shelves of prime

Titled "The Worlds Most Beautiful Woman" yet not acclaimed for her genius
Put on show as the lady who just wanted Clarke Gable's kiss

No, she had a lot more to for us to see and follow
As this woman's depths were hardly that of shallow

You think your phone is modern day wit and hard grind
This lady had the future in her head with all of this in mind

We marveled at how our gadgets all worked wirelessly on this thing called Bluetooth
She had this written down in a 40's laboratory, the Gods honest truth

Looking to where has a signal because you can't get your WiFi
Hedy had this equated and sussed before Vodaphone even tried

You'll be thinking next that GPS was invented by 2 guys Tom-Tom
How disappointed you would be and completely Wrong (Wrong)

Sometimes I feel genius is too weak a word for a person with such heroism and valour
Rising through what she had to do even if it was a version of Samson and Delilah

Look up this beauty of a time that is nearly forgotten
As there is a lot to learn from a lady so overlooked and almost downtrodden

Never let your genius be dismissed and shunned from afar
Because the world needs people like the once beautiful and quietly inspirational,

Hedy Lamarr

JJB
Any girl can be glamorous. All you have to do is stand still and look stupid - Hedy Lamarr

American men, as a group, seem to be interested in only two things, money and *******. It seems a very narrow outlook - Hedy Lamarr

I can excuse everything but boredom. Boring people don't have to stay that way - Hedy Lamarr

I must quit marrying men who feel inferior to me. Somewhere there must be a man who could be my husband and not feel inferior -  Hedy Lamarr
137 · Jan 2021
Addicted
John Bartholomew Jan 2021
Certain things stir the soul
Some are good and some take their toll
A penchant for coffee just to wake you up
One will do and then its onto endless cups
You only watch one episode as its all on Netflix
Then it rolls into the next just to get your fix
It becomes a drug, not doing what is best
Just drag yourself away as it becomes a test
The human heart just wants what is more
Until it gets its need,
It strikes
It shoots
It scores

Addicted

JJB
137 · Feb 2019
Valentine
John Bartholomew Feb 2019
Valentine
Be the love of mine
I'll get you laughing at my jokes topped up on cheap wine
Take you out to Wimpy or MackieDee's if you like
Pick you up at 6, always room on the back of my bike
Dressed to impress, tight jeans and my brand new Nike's
You could never mock my way with words
The texts I send you followed by the emoji of the smiling ****
I'd ask you to be my girlfriend but for now your just my bird
Not being the richest I always pay you kind
We go out during the week, have a coffee, chat and unwind
Your smile starting to pull at my heart, think its love I'm starting to find
Now that day is here do I tell her how I really feel
Love like an orange, at what point do I start to unpeel
Is it in a card or after a peck on the cheek, to say those words before that lifetime kneel
All a bit early after only a few weeks some might say
A sign from God if you believe in all those who pray
But no, the time has come, this is the day
To commit to someone who will be by your side for life
Having them there even if they are your trouble and strife
No receipt to take them back once that days not so bright
But hey, give it a go as were a long time dead
We all have different tastes from soda to flat or even French bread
Those two words are a commitment once lovingly said
So I'll say it now and maybe out of the blue
Will you be my Valentine as, well,
I really do love you...

X

JJB
137 · Dec 2021
Hey Kid
John Bartholomew Dec 2021
Two words that I'd longed to hear
A death of which had no cheer
That hero of many a long year
Where Mos Eisley pirates would begrudgingly raise a beer
For once a crazy man who had no fear

And as he spoke those words to his son Kylo Ren
He knew he had regained his trust
His one and only Ben......

Hey Kid

JJB
"NEVER TELL ME THE ODDS"
"YOU LIKE ME BECAUSE I'M A SCOUNDREL"
"YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES I AMAZE MYSELF"
“HOKEY RELIGIONS AND ANCIENT WEAPONS ARE NO MATCH FOR A GOOD BLASTER AT YOUR SIDE, KID” - Han Solo
135 · Dec 2022
My Kinda People.
John Bartholomew Dec 2022
If you want to be with me then you got to feel with me
Take a step sideways and view it from another place
Because this road ain't no yes man take
This is a ride called dare to dream
A different scheme
Some place where we just have to escape
Eat our lives on the go and not from the everyday plate
Think outside that box, that one woven by the grey man
Wear a different suit,  a flat cap and be the man that, that, that
Those arms don't have to be made of tweed
Just throw caution to those winds and dabble with some
We'd all like to tell the boss to scarper, that's it, I'm off
When in reality we all drink and feed from the same corporate trough
But my kind of people do still exist
Its making that step, that push, that that that
That one last final treacherous walk
To see if you do talk the talk
To pop champagne with a bursting cork
To **** that ex boss with a burning fork and say,
You're my kinda people

JJB
135 · Nov 2021
Simpler Times
John Bartholomew Nov 2021
Wasn't life simpler before the Internet
That Sunday phonecall to the parents
And a stroll to the bookies for a bet
Catch up on a Friday in the pub or local bar
Have a laugh and a chat with mates about,
The footy, the birds, their next best car
And always the one who will tell the odd little lie
About the women he's had and flings he's spun
But reality is sat in Fleet services eating a pork pie
Holidays on Teletext with the Algarve at 99 pound
Flicking through to the exchange rate quickly
Right, let's book, who's looking after the hound?
Kids had Short Circuit who could read a book in seconds and say Johnny 5 alive
Such a cumbersome machine on tank like tracks
But on this we all did thrive
When affairs were conducted in phone boxes and coffee shops
Where no one carried a camera to grass you up
And then the husband finds out to bang down the door,
Never mind, KNOCK KNOCK!
If they're simpler times now, then on your head be it
But give me that 20 minute load up cassette games, and the choke on my Punto FIAT
For I loved simpler times,
That's just the way that I see it.

JJB
134 · May 24
Living Provence
Drinking straight from the vine
No supermarket could source such fresh, delicious, wine
The sun has a haze that could never be indulgent
As life has no more mystery, my release just problem solvent
The trees now making shade,
In a garden just heaven made
Two classic convertibles sat waiting in the barn
A drive up the coast when the sun hits high, and tell tales of my jealous yarns
I sometimes think back to when I lived under Queen and country
But miss nothing of what it became,
God bless the King and dear old Blighty...

Cheers 🍷

JJB
132 · Jun 2023
Sandy...Goodbye
John Bartholomew Jun 2023
This isnt a poem about a girl I once knew
Cos let me tell you man, there has been a few
As I have met many names as Sandy, Amy and those I have forgotton
And surnames not asked like Smith, Jones and McConnon
Goodbyes can also be said to streets I have lived
To my neighbours I once loved and those I'd like to seive
I'm writing this bard a bit to soon as I have still nowhere to go
Just looking at lottery wins in my dreams, to-and-fro
Would I head north or over to the greens of Ireland
Or back to where I grew up, Dorset and its Jurassic Sands
Would moving house make it harder on Wilf the cat
I'm sure he'd find a new place to prowl, they all have the odd rat
And driving up the A1, past the fighting metal zebras
Whilst missing the *** shop everytime, some stories to tell you
Looking up and seeing those birds of prey
Can see why they're are based here, the good old RSPB
But the pubs are closing one by one and now the Queens Head
If this keeps on happening, soon the town will be dead
So time to pick that fantasy house now on Rightmove
And say goodbye to Sandy,
with those fantasy millions, its hard to even choose....

JJB
#Rightmove #Sandy
131 · Jan 2022
The Coffee Kids
John Bartholomew Jan 2022
Growing up we only had fizzy pop whilst chasing busy bee's
How times have changed from bike shed kissing and climbing trees
When Pac-Man was fun and kirby was free
And dads car seatbelt was just an obscurity
Panini stickers at school were all the rage
Even Spurs were good sung on by Chas and Dave
Mum collecting the Texaco vouchers with just ten more left to save
Your big sister all dolled up and heading for a rave
But times move on and in a cinch weve changed for worse or better
We tut at the simplist of things whilst choosing brie or feta
Labelled as the primest of souls with a tendancy of 'oh just let her'
Sat in the mall with 2 screaming kids and Bernie her Red Setter
Fourteen years old and already knowing a Latte from a Cappacino
I was sat in my room, not a penny to spend, happy with my Beano
How times move on, straight past our eyes, it's just how life goes
A kid on a swing, always pondering things, on how the wind blows
It'll circle again, this life with new friends
To some other wandering kid, always starting a new trend
And off it goes again.....

Life

JJB
The principle goal of education in the schools should be creating men and women who are capable of doing new things, not simply repeating what other generations have done. — Jean Piaget

It's not the future that you're afraid of. It's repeating the past that makes you anxious. — Unknown

Document the moments you feel most in love with yourself - what you're wearing, who you're around, what you're doing. Recreate and repeat. — Warsan Shire
128 · Jul 2019
Angry (over a word)
John Bartholomew Jul 2019
Why?
Just one word
Why say it?
It bothers me
It grinds me
It engulfs me
And they know
Since school
In the pool
Those ignorant fools
Its so fickle
But its my pickle
A word so small
Its bigger than little
A whisper
In my right ear
A word to enrage
It brings me to fear

Just one word

JJB
127 · Nov 2022
I Am Pluto
John Bartholomew Nov 2022
Reassigned
Renamed
Revolving still in the same way
Where night is still night and day is still day
I am now seen as a lower grade of pay
For once I stood big but now I am small
From the heights of a man
Oh, how the mighty do fall
Words cannot describe such change in life
You adapt
Quick wit
As sharp as a knife
I like to keep in and be that one-man show
Yes, I am still that guy, that guy you all know
Just watch me change, adapt, succumb
For I am that evolving planet,
I am Pluto.


JJB
126 · Jan 2021
Animal dreams
John Bartholomew Jan 2021
Run!
Run!
Just keep running!
That's it!
Oh wait, what's that?
Stop
Sniff something I'm convinced might be interesting
Its not
I hear you
I hear my name (..........)
Again (..........)
Still not sure,
Got to keep running
Run!
Run!
Run!

JJB
125 · May 21
So, I'm a Complete ####!
Make of those four letters, what you will
It's just about swallowing the bitterest pill
People don't like another opinion to theirs 
It's about moving the easiest of chairs
I have been told I need to have a word with myself 
Because I don't like the simple option straight off the shelf
Life is about being different and standing strong in what you believe 
Not nodding yes, that'll do, and just taking what you receive 
For I don't ever mean to rock the boat, baby
It's just a case of staying put, don't give in,
And not go along with the ifs, buts, and maybes

JJB
124 · Dec 2018
Division
John Bartholomew Dec 2018
I voted out
You voted in
Who would have thought what a mess this ended up in

No rules just lies
Some even on the street having a public cry
All we can do now is just try

I love this great land for all that its worth
From its music and history to football and its birth
Now we just fight over a decision asked by DC and his smirk

All we hear on the news is a choice of which way to turn
Article 50 may as well have been burned
We now need a leader to guide this ship with a hand that is stern

Decisions, settlement, judgement
Still up in the air that needs some stable guidance
Who's to be next to blame and sail to safer climates

As for now we just don't know
Who holds the dice and who's next to throw
For this land needs to come together and head for a new vision

As the last thing we need is this now,

Division

JJB
123 · Dec 2018
Drunken Party Dancing
John Bartholomew Dec 2018
If you want to show them what your like then do
(Think about it now)
Let you be you
(Don't)
Get up and dance, ignoring the few
(Please don't)
You've been here 2 weeks, it's good to be true
(Seriously, listen to that voice in future)
The MD's wife looks alright, put out your hand
(What have I just done)
Get up my love, never mind him, let's dance
(Oh God)
Put your hands out to this beat, be it 60's or trance
(Seemed like fun)
Now I'm thinking back to what the hell have I done
(I told you)
A few drinks on the company bill, was only a bit of fun
(how can I avoid work on Monday?)
The start of the new week and what have I to come
(Are they smirking still at my boldness)
Sit down, computer on, Inbox half full
(OK, not so bad)
Usual junk and the odd serious email but there it is, lingering
(Let's hope he's in a good mood)
See me at 10, we need to have a chat
(**** it)

JJB
An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools. ...- Ernest Hemingway

It's okay saying sorry, but when you are drunk you say what you really feel -  Vidal Sassoon

An American monkey, after getting drunk on brandy, would never touch it again, and thus is much wiser than most men - Charles Darwin
122 · Jan 2021
One Sock Tom
John Bartholomew Jan 2021
And why do you wear just one sock Tom?
Hey, that's for me to know, and for you to find out.

The other sock?

That was worn by his brother, Ronald.
And his nickname?
Go figure

JJB
122 · Jun 2021
Last Tree Standing
John Bartholomew Jun 2021
Game face that's been all for show
Twisted arms when the wind still blows
Lost leaves on this dying breeze
No noise
No snivels
Not even a sneeze
Lonely stood in a desert field
Waters gone nothing left to yield
God's will to breed a human race
A silent tear rolls down his face
So what's next in his tricks and branding
To outdo,
his,
Last tree standing.

JJB
Spike Milligan's epitaph includes the phrase Dúirt mé leat go raibh mé breoite, Irish for "I told you I was ill"
121 · Apr 2023
Lambretta Pants
John Bartholomew Apr 2023
Dad always said you're either a MOD or a Rocker
Well after a few years of choosing I decided on the clobber
Pin stripe suit and a nice comfy parka
Not some grease monkey, slicked back hair, who looked like he'd not seen a bath yet
I preferred the music, the beat, the soul
They liked grit, the grind and the ***** rock and roll
And then came the final choice in which world you did bounce
Vespa, Lambretta or a Triumph in a way to announce
So did I look the hard nut sat on my BSA?
I'd rather look like Mr Cool, thinking I'm Ace Face today
Trip's down to Brighton for a fight on the beach
Before having our breakfast at an all you can eat
Those were the days where you could really have a laugh
Then a trip back home, best have my tea and an early bath
Stick on an album by The Faces or The Who
And up early for work, into town via Clapham then Waterloo
When nothing too much mattered and the world seemed easy
RAF target on my back, nice shiny shoes, that's how you'll see me.

JJB
121 · Sep 28
Songbird
Guilty sleeping
Spent nights weeping
Thoughts constantly fleeting
Our last meeting
My heart still beating
Now broken and will need treating
As the songbird flies by
Your name, it will always be singing,

I miss you

JJB
121 · Jul 2020
Tatooine Queen
John Bartholomew Jul 2020
As hot as the desert wind
Emerging between the two suns
Her face covered from the blinding light
But when revealed she is always worth the wait
My Uncle and Aunt say that I chose wisely
From the schools of Mos Espa and over to Mos Eisley
She is the most beautiful figure that I ever have seen
She is mine
My only
Tatooine Queen
121 · May 2022
Socially Addicted...
John Bartholomew May 2022
We like to share but some times too much,
On where we went,
What we spent,
Or a flat to live with slightly cheaper rent,
But sharing is caring you say so lets just carry on...

We love your guile, your championing and thrills,
But sometimes its just overspill,
I believe the actual word is overkill,
So please just finish up and pay the ******* bill.

Yes its funny that you dressed as a dinosaur to complete some race,
And the next you dressed as a man with a tache on your face,
Is there nothing you won't do or lovingly embrace?
Except tell the whole wide world and give it a daily break.

But you don't hear a tune that is a never ending song,
So please just stop as it goes on too long,
We love what you do as of which there is nothing wrong...

Some think that it is pleasure and slightly sadistic,
And tomorrows post will be similar as we all predicted,
Because you are what you are,
a new phase of need gulping that new food of feed,
You are whats now known as,

Socially Addicted.

JJB
118 · Aug 2021
Better Than This
John Bartholomew Aug 2021
Restraints, complaints, lifes been on the taint
Thrown us into a world we'd all never known
Lockdowns and get downs but not to no jazzy funk
A life we've all unwantingly been thrown
Whats right
Whats wrong
We didnt think it would last this long
Still covering our face from the deadliest of bugs
The nay sayers
The everyday prayers
The fools on life support who just didnt care
Anxiety attacks
The toughest of men who normally have your back
Just break down when their world immedietely turns black
There is a light though in from this 2020 tunnel
As we grab it to the ground and hit back with a pummel
Suffocate it in a headlock and **** it as it stumbles
For we are better than some poxy Chinese manmade curse
We'll watch it die and lend it no nurse
As we are stronger than this and not here just as a rehearse.

Better Than This.

JJB
118 · Jul 2019
Unfinished Everything's
John Bartholomew Jul 2019
There once was a time when the time was now
Make this your plan, your goal, your forever be
But it lapsed
It'll come round again you say
Thinking of that smile and joy
Laughing because they actually liked you
But know its on relapse and that time is gone forever
Seize the minute, the hour, the non forgotten past
Embrace what it was and never let it go
You may meet again in a time when now is no good
Or hear a song reminding you of how they did sing
For there will always be,

Unfinished Everything's

JJB
John Bartholomew Dec 2019
Stubbed your toe just getting out of bed
It's gonna be, one of those days

Its cold and it's wet and its not getting better
Well that's what the weatherman just said

Slap that smile on and say hello to the world you just dread
This modern world of Tristan's and Justin's, I just don't fit as a Fred

Listening to country blues on the bus as the kids turn up their Kiss
Sometimes I'd like to answer with a smile and 5 finger clenched fist

At times I'd just like to be left alone in a world of my own dreams
Where Jesus could just hold me as his sunbeam

Do the others ever ask for 10 B&H and a packet of Rizla
Heck, I've been doing so since I was a kid, yeah

For this world of my own is a place of sanctuary where I'm safe
These thoughts are my own, my dreams, my own place

Shakespeare I think had the same ideas of worlds away
Where he often thought the same, always having just like me

One of the days

JJB
115 · Apr 2023
Caring
John Bartholomew Apr 2023
Caring for the caring is a trait we should all be sharing
Be it a hug
A kiss
Or just a friendly pint for the craic
Their are some who have none and prey to have those back
This pandemic has hit the world hard
Dealt a costly hand to the weak and those in fear
But some have been angels who share a story with a friendly tear
So think of the few,
The help,
That lifeline belt
Who spoke those words that made you smile
For those are the ones who helped you fight on
And just take that extra mile

JJB

#Covid-19
#pandemic
113 · Aug 2023
High Street, Bye Street...
John Bartholomew Aug 2023
Watching the high street bustling by
I'm not sure if I'm disgusted, ill digested or just want to cry
The buildings, the streets, the people, all want to make me weep
The Turkish barbers, the tattoo parlour,
All just a front they must keep
Friends with carers, soon with pallbearer, a life they cannot lead alone
Sat on street corners, dealers with quarters, all nattering on their mobile phones
Most smoking a vape, different flavours to take
So many races I could not name
Nowhere to park
The place an old mask
Of a generation now mostly all gone
Just jump online
Amazons just fine
For those shoes to be dropped at my door
We just sit in our seats
No longer a heartbeat
Our old friend
The British High Street....

JJB
#buynow #byenow
111 · Dec 2019
Odd Socks
John Bartholomew Dec 2019
Whether black or blue, white or brown
We all find each other in these quirky little towns
Love is a thing of a thousand discussions
If your English, Irish, French or Russian
Language is but a barrier as long as you trust them
Supporting rival teams but still laugh at the same stuff on the telly
She cleans his boots, takes a sniff, although he's properly smelly
Then makes his favourite desert, mmm, ice cream and jelly
For we all have our differences, let just make it fit
No room on the sofa, let's laugh, chat, here's somewhere to sit
As we don't have enough time to hold such grudges,
tick-tock
tick-tock
Because, lets face it, we are all really, just odd socks.

JJB
111 · Jun 2021
Boring, Man
John Bartholomew Jun 2021
When did we lose it
That pow
That zip
That zap
That day mid-thirties you look in the mirror
And you've become a little bit fat
That get up-and-go
Now you've become slow
Watching life mould and your toenails grow
Your friends become distant
As you wonder of their existance
Followed on Facebook for their stories of fiction
It really is sad
Was our friendship just a fad
As we drift into the old and once had
Does life become a trot
Knowing the cold from the hot
And where in life is our best spot
Or is it a a case of embrassing lifes span
You done your best and all that you can
It's not me man
You just became all boring, man

JJB
111 · Feb 2019
It's Everybody Else
John Bartholomew Feb 2019
I sit and think, is it just me?
I say a sentence which makes perfect sense to be hammered down again
I try to stay positive but my thoughts are never on trend
Sometimes I stray as this life's not all it's cracked up to be
I wander into my unknown, a place where I start to see
My thoughts and my vision see a different kind of light
It's just not one that others like, a mentality they try and fight
As I like another kind of state, where people are kind and free
Not the hang ups and the moanings all barking from the same tree
To hear a song and get its rhyme and rhythm
Let your mind settle, drift away in the clouds while I sit back and listen
Don't start with your patronizing along with those why's, what the hells and woes
Let go of those worries as well as the past, remember when I swept you off of your toes
Then you think back and there were good times that we once had
So why all the complaining now, times move on from the good to ever approaching bad
Maybe it's not you as this is how it's now spelt
It's the everybody disagreeing with you and what's right now, hence,

It's Everybody Else

JJB
111 · Sep 2019
Next Step
John Bartholomew Sep 2019
Ideas
So many ideas
Stemmed from the root of my brain
Many can be pretty boring but some are **** insane
A spiders web without any pattern
Some as small as Mercury but could be as big as Saturn
Life has no pattern on whom you may meet
From walking one day to being sat in this seat
But where do I start with a thought oh so new
There is no God I can trust to speak words that are true
It's just a stroke of luck as to what direction
No rota can guide you with a choice or right rotation
It's always down to the person who has the next best thought
For this life and its guidance is something that can never be taught

JJB
111 · Nov 2018
Service Station
John Bartholomew Nov 2018
A light that shines when all others are out
That midnight treat, an escape, a desperation technique
Conversations with an immigrant whose stories are bone chillingly scary
Now keeping tabs on a fridge full of Solero's just wondering if his daughter escaped the screams, the gunfire and if she's now unknowingly buried
The drunk arrives, ***** now gone, gawping at the top shelf
Tried it on, alone tonight, 2 minutes with page 7 just might help
Dome roundabout, A41, a place to stop, from Harrow to Tring
Filling up on a Wednesday, hoping the same man isn't now serving
Air in the sky now 50p to fill the tyres that let us travel
If it wasn't for these rubber soles our lives would be stuck in gravel
But you're hungry and are willing to pay the price for a Ginsters roll
No change for the bridge named after our Queen, how dare they give it a toll
It stands out bright that expensive castle on the hill
Ten pence a litre more to fill the car but hey, you just want to get home and your willing to foot the bill

JJB
I go to church every Sunday, which is like going to the gas station once a week and really, really filling up - Anne Lamott

It's a pipe dream, but for me, I've always wanted a Tesla. I would never have to go to a gas station -- Maren Morris

I just like people. I'll hold a conversation at a gas station. It's not about the fame and the fortune, I just like people - Lionel Richie
110 · Mar 11
The Android or the Apple
First, we had Blackberry, whilst wearing Fruit of the Loom
Then that died out, time to change that mobile tune
Branches of technology picked the Apple from this technical tree
Do I stick to what I know, like choosing Chedder over Brie
The rivals now raise their heads, which one do I avoid
Apple, MacBook, there is no choice, I'm starting to like Android 
Macbook has the better look
But all that difference has no hook
And Apple is, you get what you see
But I'm afraid, its really just not me
Fine if you like the same and work for the corporate buck
But I'm different man, and I really don't give a...!
Due to personal opinion I like to swerve the trend
I'll turn right while you go left and brave those who offend
For my robot speaks the truth and not sways to the nearest breeze
As I'll bark a different hark away from your everyday tree
But if you really want to speak and have that personal touch
Then go on over, ring that bell, as hey, it doesnt take that much
Friendship is a thing that isnt that hard to grapple
As we all laughed and got on well, way before,
The Android or the Apple

JJB
110 · Jan 2022
74%
John Bartholomew Jan 2022
74%
Waking up and checking the battery on your unplugged phone
(why did I check Facebook at 3am and not plug it back in?)
74%
The start of any relationship at blistering pace then the brakes apply
(It happens to us all and we don't know why)
74%
That dream holiday, the arrival, the meet the people, the leaving to head home as youve just had enough now
(With the bragging that just ends up in a row)
74%
Discovering new shortcuts on that upgraded mobile phone, I'll never get bored of this!
(A month now gone and someting better already on the list)
74%
Augusts new car off the line and youre proud to say its yours
(January hits and its now become a bore)
74%
Netflix has a new hit and its grabbed the worlds attention
(It's now series six and its falling to bits and needs a formal suspension)
74%

We all seem to plod on at this number on a daily basis, and it does us all well.
You don't need to be one hundred percent all the time, or we'd all just mope and dwell.
So raise a smile when needed, and speak to those who sometimes need it.
For life is too short to for hang ups and woes, it's just led how you see fit.

JJB
109 · Nov 2023
Life Goes On
John Bartholomew Nov 2023
Mr Bartholomew - it's unlikely you will ever walk again 

Hard-hitting
Forever sitting
A life too young for me to be fitting
Twenty-seven and I just swerved heaven
Who knows if it's a place I'd get in
We've all done naughty things
But not too much to dance nor sing  
From six foot five to me now hardly seeing
Now to contemplate me forever being
Self-evacuation, front and rear
Uncontrollable accidents, my biggest fear
The loss of real friends and those who can trend
An easy decision to make to those who wouldn't watch me mend
But life goes, Jeez does life roll on
My amazing wife and daughter who I adore
Who gave me fresh life and opened closing doors
But I won't go all soppy and repeat as a bore
For life is an adventure not a governed guided tour.

Life Goes On

JJB
109 · Nov 2018
Pictures
John Bartholomew Nov 2018
They tell a thousand words whatever's in the frame
If its Warhol down to a flower on a wall
That picture says one thing to some
And sometimes nothing at all

Get into the mind of the artist who framed it
Sitting by the canal just painting boats and eating biscuits
There was no great mystery behind that picture of yours
Any excuse from doing the household chores

Did Mona Lisa smile or was she thinking of something else
She may have been bored and just called from the street
Imagining what 2 nearby birds had just tweet
Soon on Da Vinci's bed, or on her knees and off her feet

The imagination is to anybody's discretion
Take it as far as you like, its up to your impression
Just know there is a line that we try to avoid
Of indecency and discretion as that is sometimes too rude

Pictures

JJB
The soul never thinks without a picture - Aristotle

A picture is a poem without words - Horace

I'm always in my pajamas, unless I know for a fact that people are taking my picture -  Bethenny Frankel
108 · Jan 2022
Up and Atom!
John Bartholomew Jan 2022
Split!
Now I aint talking bananas
I'm relating to the time that the Yanks just ended it
Not of Gods nature to mess around like this
Scientists should look for all cures
Not dabble in the extreme whilst taking the p*
It's not an episode we want to ever see again
The spread of its explosion
Of which still leaves some in pain
No megalomaniac could start again with Eve followed by Adam
Unless they went utterly delirious,
Yes,
Up and Atom!

JJB
Mankind invented the atomic bomb,
but no mouse would ever construct
a mousetrap. - Albert Einstein
107 · Jun 2022
Punching Water
John Bartholomew Jun 2022
No reaction, just a ripple of shudder
Nearly 30 years, could of done less for ******
Maybe paper, a pen and then just write to her
As a guy once said, its now dead in the water

Remember those days when I finally caught her
Hearing old songs as Waterloo Sunset and Paperback Writer
Now worlds apart with no connection to light here
As I dwell with thoughts just sipping my can of cold beer

Time is an unseen evil in disguise
Falling in love then can't wait for goodbyes
I honestly thought she was the one and I'd finally caught her
But, in the end, she trickles away
Just like punching water.

JJB
107 · Jan 2022
Garage Food.
John Bartholomew Jan 2022
Those automatic doors slide aside
A nod from the cashier sat reading a TV Guide
You don't want food but it's always worth a look
Ten glass doors of refrigerated crap
Might have a bite and forget that diet book
From a Ginsters cheese and onion slice
To a Scotch egg with Coke, I wouldn't think twice
Still forty five miles from wife and my home
This'll plug that gap, from some microwave dinner and her everyday moan
A quick glance at the mags including Readers Wives and the over Sixty Fours
Hell, why look up there, that's what the mobile phones are for
So sat in my Volvo XC90 in the car park just stuffing my face
We've all done it knowing its a selfish disgrace
That secret pre eating of food which we all really and truly embrace
And of the self rightous it would really really annoy
But you only live once,
you naughty naughty boy.

Garage Food

JJB
"It requires a certain kind of mind to see beauty in a hamburger bun" - Pintrest

"I was approached to be the face of Ginsters pies, which is hugely flattering of course, but I had to turn it down because the sheer number of freebies would have been a death sentence." - Garth Marenghi:
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