For seventy or more years TV
And radio ruled the world,
Along with telephones.
But then computers made their mark,
Soon followed by mobiles, Smartphones,
Ipads, Bluetooth, Wifi and who knows what?
In no particular order.

So herds of sheep migrated
Into Cyberspace
Even Myspace!
Then on to Planet Facebook
And Terratwitter.

We talk with people we’ve never met,
And meet folk with whom we’ve never talked.
It keeps us occupied I guess,
And gives relief from stress.

These images that yet fresh images beget,
I’m sure Yeats would agree.
I tolerate these adverts flashing in my face
And soak up knowledge to my solid mental grace.

A world of wonders beckons in
The depths of Cyberspace,
And as a Nerd before they were invented,
I have to say I’ve truly found my place.

Paul Butters

Look up above your head and you will see
A swirl of stars, all shimmering across the sky.
Countless specks of sand on a seemingly endless beach.

Beyond your sight the universe expands
At a frightening rate.
Faster and Faster
Quicker than light.
Thousands of galaxy clusters
Teeming with stars.

So many planets await us.
Many billions they say.
But it would take many thousands of years
To reach the nearest star
By rocket.

Unpack those telescopes I declare.
If we can’t get there
We can stand and stare.

Who knows what’s out there in our Milky Way?
We must keep searching
Come what may.

the elongated shadows of eve
                        across timbered paddocks were cast
                                              a last remnant of sunlight
                                                                ­       pierced through unto the grass

sparkling star light ensued
                          at the seventh hour of night
                                               the bushland heavens adorned
                                                            in a display of mesmeric delight

dawn's breaking sun came to the fore
                               it shone on the homestead's verandah
                                                  with dazzling beams by the score
                                                           ­         enchanting twas its extravaganza

  tis a wonder of nature
                      observing the changing moods
                                 of day to night  
                                            doth bring to the eye
                                                         such breathtaking sights

If Mankind perished:
Exterminated cataclysmically
Like the dragon dinosaurs,
How long would our cities stand?
How long before our cars rusted
And buildings toppled,
To leave the odd dam or pyramid
Poking through the tangled jungle mass?
A few hundred years they say.
Then nothing.
All gone.

Yet have such holocausts
Blighted Man before
Back through those swirling mists of time,
Thousands of years ago?
Great civilisations built by clever men and women,
Only to be dashed to the ground
By who knows what.
Atlantis and much more.
Advancement cruelly culled.

For Man,
Like the world,
Is much older than we thought
Or think.
Some say that aliens helped us build
Those ancient wonders.
Yet maybe we should cast away this
Self – effacing view:
Acknowledge that
We did it all
Ourselves.

Paul Butters

What’s poetic about a foundry worker’s son,
Born and bred in Leeds, now idling my time away
In a rinky **** seaside town? What’s poetic
About sitting on my laptop reading Facebook
And pressing Like now and then? It’s got me typing
Like a modern poet, no rhyme or metre to be seen.
I’m going to (roughly) count the syllables then chop this
Into verses. Then post it on my favourite
Poetry sites, plus my blog.

Perhaps there’s poetry in me being a Working Class Boy made good.
In me being a Pro Careers Worker after failing
My Eleven Plus. Even got to Grammar School
For a couple of years. Taught English for six.

The Internet is my Salvation.
Television too.
Is that prosaic enough for you?
**** that rhymed! Knowledge and images,
That yet beget… and much more too.
No need to be there in person.
Just enjoy.