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Barnaby Atkins Dec 2022
There are buckets made of plastic
There are buckets made of wood
The former are fantastic
The latter not so good.

There are buckets made of metal
And canvas buckets too
But metal for durability
I'd choose if I were you.

There's a bucket on a digger
And buckets made of leather
The former are the bigger
And the latter not so clever.

There are buckets made of tin
And with a little ***** in hand
Kids can build sand castles
When playing on the sand.

There are buckets made of rubber
Or with a wringer for a mop
And some in white enamel
With a blue ring round the top.

There are so many buckets
And some I may have missed
But if anyone should ask me
That's my bucket list.
A poem by Ray Pattenden
Barnaby Atkins Jul 2022
An intelligence quotient is a
total score derived from
a set of standardized tests
or subtests designed to
assess human
intelligence.
  May 2021 Barnaby Atkins
Max Ehrmann
Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.
Barnaby Atkins Feb 2021
Dragonfly’s, Butterflies, Beetles and Bees.
Barnaby Atkins Feb 2021
Autumn short lived
Winter setting in
Spring awaits arrival
Only for summer to begin
A poem written in the lead up towards Christmas, around November 2020.
Barnaby Atkins Feb 2021
Ignorance is this:

What a luxury it is
To write poems like this

Head rested
Against pillow
Whilst **** in the world persists

Kids shot on their streets
Men and women bleed
Defeated, unshielded
Beaten and beat

Is this a way for humans
to be
Treated or treat?

Though I make no claim
Or just complain
The idea to change
Lies with in our brains

Not in our hearts
Where compassion starts

Our minds are the true philosophy
To conquer our stupidity

Do untoward others
Or don’t do at all

And what a luxury it is
To right poems like this...
Barnaby Atkins Feb 2021
…………………………………
This is mine
And no one else’s

Waking up in this world.

…………………………………

This is yours
And some body elses

Will lead your way, in this world.
…………………………………
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