Simon R Gladdish

AFFIRMATION

In self there's perfect history,
even of things forgotten,
time misspent:
the crescent of a lover's knee -
an Aleph
of the firmament!

My thoughts cascade
in languages I do not know,
and when I speak
my words mean less
than twisting fingers
whirling years ago.

(KEN GLADDISH 1971)

Another poem from Simon's father who was head of department and Professor of Politics at the University of Reading for forty years.

I painted this portrait of him in his younger years from a photo.

A poem from his book 'The Time Machine'

A poem about Springtime by Simon's late father who was a brilliant poet in his own right.

OPENING TIME

Each year, finally,
it comes about that
trees stop being skeletons,
birds switch to Lieder,
and the grass
starts grinning, intimately.

Days forget
to look at their watches,
an ancient pulse
hammers in the undergrowth,
as pages curl
under the sun's contempt,
disordered
by the south wind's mockery.

(Ken Gladdish 1970) from his book 'The Time Machine'

February brings the rain
and makes the Snowdrops grow again
And Spring comes blowing
On the Breeze
And whispers love
Among the trees
Sending me a secret sign
That you will be my Valentine.

Rusty Gladdish Copyright 2024

https://www.malvernrockarchive.org.uk/history/6-cherry-red-promotions-1971-1981?fbclid=IwAR3P9vRm-kv_QgXsY1Kg-A2yiC4nLjdRuQzp79wruYp8id1JTjCdsYCcrH8

When I lived in West Malvern, Worcestershire many moons ago three young guys set up a business called Cherry Red Promotions promoting rock bands and brought many iconic bands to Malvern Winter Gardens in the 70s and 80s.
Hawkwind was the first group to play there in 1971. I often used to go the gigs with friends and remember seeing Genesis, The Pretenders, UB40, The Stranglers and Paul Weller and the Jam to name but a few. Those of us who crowded out the sweaty, beer-stained hall are in our 60s and 70s now but Cherry Red Promotions will always have played a special part in our biographies.

Click on the link and check out the ticket prices!
https://www.malvernrockarchive.org.uk/history/6-cherry-red-promotions-1971-1981?fbclid=IwAR3P9vRm-kv_QgXsY1Kg-A2yiC4nLjdRuQzp79wruYp8id1JTjCdsYCcrH8

Cherry Red Promotions, 1971-1981 Ten successful years of promoting by Cherry Red

Two years ago I had an accident.......

SCARS

I have scars -
They're on my face;
Some would argue
Not the best place
To have them. I disagree.
What's the point
In having scars
That others cannot see?'

Amzon New Release

LOST LIMERICKS LOST LIMERICKS

NONSENSICAL LIMERICKS NONSENSICAL LIMERICKS eBook : GLADDISH, SIMON R.: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

New Release from Simon R Gladdish

NONSENSICAL LIMERICKS NONSENSICAL LIMERICKS eBook : GLADDISH, SIMON R.: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

Amazon.co.uk Hot New Releases: The bestselling new and future releases in Limericks Amazon.co.uk Hot New Releases: The bestselling new and future releases in Limericks

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The Sloth's latest Kindle download is number one in the Hot New Releases list!!! Yay!! Click on the link to check it out.

Amazon.co.uk Hot New Releases: The bestselling new and future releases in Limericks Amazon.co.uk Hot New Releases: The bestselling new and future releases in Limericks

Simon in his twenties with his beautiful baby sister Sarah. The way they were!!

Home sweet home!

Home at last!!

VLAD THE IMPERIALIST

There was a dictator called Putin
For whom murder was casually routine;
In the worst of all taste,
He would strip to the waist
Whilst out huntin' or fishin' or shootin'.

(Copyright Simon R Gladdish 202

Illustration by Roman Genn

THE GRAND OLD DUKE OF YORK

Oh, the grand old Duke of York,
He had ten thousand hens;
He marched them up to the top of the stairs
And he marched them down again.

When he was up he was up,
When he was down he was down;
And when he was only halfway up
He sent for his friend Ghislaine.

The grand old Duke of York,
He begged his ma for a loan;
She called him all the names under the sun
And then let out a groan.

The grand old Duke of York,
He finally got his cash;
He paid Virginia a lot of pork
And watched his reputation crash.

(Copyright Simon R Gladdish 2022)

Photo by OK Magazine

Respond to this post by replying above this line
New post on Omar Khayyam Rubaiyat

‘Three Great Versions of the Rubaiyat’
by SandraBill OKR

The author and poet Simon Gladdish has brought together several versions of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam under the title 'Three Great Versions of the Rubaiyat'. In his Preface to the new book he writes as follows.

Here, as promised, are three great versions of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. The first is by the Victorian poet Edward FitzGerald. The second is by Robert Graves and the third is by John Heath-Stubbs. I have significantly improved the second and third versions by rhyming them both throughout. I think that it will be instructive and entertaining for the reader to compare all three versions and decide which one he or she likes best.

Simon Gladdish's rhyming versions of the Graves and Heath-Stubbs editions were published separately in 2017 and 2019 respectively. Descriptions of them and the source material can be seen using the following link https://omarkhayyamrubaiyat.wordpress.com/2019/02/01/simon-gladdish-publishes-another-rhyming-version-of-the-rubaiyat/ . Simon says 'I have always wanted all three versions in the same volume'.

The new book is available on Amazon, both as a paperback and on Kindle. To buy, the paperback is £4.00, and the Kindle version is £1.99.

This free site is ad-supported. Learn more

THREE GREAT VERSIONS OF THE RUBAIYAT THREE GREAT VERSIONS OF THE RUBAIYAT

The Soth's tenth book of Aphorisms!

FRAGMENTED THOUGHTS FRAGMENTED THOUGHTS eBook : GLADDISH, SIMON R.: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

When the Football Association complained that some of the players have refused to have the Covid vaccination the Sloth said the FA should have a new motto. 'No injection, No Selection!' A popular newspaper has taken his slogan up and published it.

Premier League in talks over rules for unvaccinated players amid 90 new Covid cases

YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU

The rich dread dying
Because they’ve got so much to lose;
Their mansions and their palaces,
Their glossy Gucci shoes.
Their houses and their horses,
Their butlers and their wives;
The solid-silver coffee spoons
They’ve used to measure out their lives.
Their paintings and fine furnishings
Imported from afar,
Their Pollocks and Picassos
And expensive objets d’art.
Their power and their influence,
Their restaurants and their clubs,
Their so-obliging prostitutes
And charming country pubs.
Their hunting, shooting, fishing,
The retriever at their feet
And their neighbour’s nubile daughter
Whom they’ve just arranged to meet.
Their Rollers and their Daimlers,
Their Bentleys and their Jags
And their fatuous silly features
In the sycophantic mags.
(And visits up to London
When ‘funds are rather low’
For some brisk insider dealing
With ‘a friend who’s in the know.’)
They’ve got to leave the lot behind
(No hand-luggage allowed)
When they trade their frayed Armani suits
For a new Versace shroud.

Copyright Simon R Gladdish

DIGITAL ENCOUNTERS DIGITAL ENCOUNTERS eBook : GLADDISH, SIMON R.: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

NUMBERS

8 is shaped like a woman
And number 1 like a man;
3 is shaped like a pair of breasts
And number 2 like a swan.

5 is shaped like a hook
And number 4 like a sail;
9 is shaped like a balloon
And 0 is like a whale.

7 is shaped like a cliff
And 6 is the same as 9;
Number 10 is a bat and ball
And 11 is a railway line.

(Copyright Simon R Gladdish 2021)

BOOZE

Since being diagnosed with diabetes
I drink half of what I used to
But I still enjoy a pint of beer
And Prosecco with Prosciutto.

There's no doubt it relaxes you
And makes music sound much better
And temporarily (it's true!)
Removes every mental fetter.

And didn't Jesus Christ Himself
Turn water into wine?
The puritans claim it was grape juice
But that interpretation isn't mine.

I am not an alcoholic
Though I still enjoy a drink
And have written many a poem
Whilst rinsing glasses in the sink.

(Copyright Simon R Gladdish 2021)

ENGLAND

England stand a real chance
Of winning the Euros at last;
On Sunday they play Italy
And we'll be tuning in to the BBC.

They're either going to win or lose
And it doesn't really matter
So long as they give a thousand percent
And don't collapse in tatters.

We've not been in this position
Since 1966
And the Italians won't be easy meat
To skewer between the sticks.

I hope that England manage it
(Just like the team doctor ordered)
But there'll be an awful lot of vomit
To be cleared up north of the border.

(Copyright Simon R Gladdish 2021)

EDITOR

A well-known poetry editor
Said we shouldn't use the word 'as'.
I had to read her several times
Before I believed my eyes.

'As above, so below.'
'On earth as it is in Heaven.'
I've provided two examples
But I could have given eleven.

You cannot simply ban words
Like a small tinpot dictator
And then treat those who employ them
As though they were a traitor.

All words have their uses
(For example, chalk and cheese)
So I'm going to carry on using 'as'
And ignore the poetry police.

All words have their uses
(For instance, thing and thong)
And the person who demanded this
Is one thousand per cent wrong.

(Copyright Simon R Gladdish 2021)

Something to download for the weekend. The latest book by Simon R Gladdish. Why not download it onto your Kindle today. It's only £1.99. Cheap thrills!

PEPPERMINT AND PINE PEPPERMINT AND PINE eBook: GLADDISH, SIMON R.: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

MORRISONS

At Morrisons in Malvern
A woman screamed at me;
It wouldn't have mattered
Except for the fact
That she was an employee.

Whatever happened to courtesy,
Politeness and etiquette?
'I'm not deaf, you know'
(I whispered)
In order not to seem wet.

She needs some more customer training
Or the sack, the unmannerly w***h;
If our supermarket workers
Become any worse,
They'll be almost as bad as the French!

I left the supermarket
On the warmest day in Spring;
I thought: 'My heart beat
A little faster today
Which is probably a good thing.'

(Copyright Simon R Gladdish 2021)

, ou

POPPY

It was a grim industrial estate
With nothing much to see
Until I turned a corner
And saw a beautiful bed of poppies.

Their pretty heads were bending
Towards the setting sun;
I picked one and quickly felt guilty
About what I had done.

It's almost unbelievable
How poppies thrive on stony ground;
I presented it to my wife
And her pleasure was profound.

(Copyright Simon R Gladdish 2021)

Painting Summer on the Malvern Hills by Rusty Gladdish

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BAD BANANA

For lunch I scoffed an old banana
That was rather overripe;
I didn't feel to clever
As it slithered down my pipe.

I've now got serious stomach ache
And am almost bent in half;
The only good thing going on
Is my wife's delighted laugh.

I'm incapable of movement
But might suddenly have to race
So I'm staying near the bathroom
Which I think is the safest place.

The Buddha died of food poisoning
Millennia ago
So if you see a bad banana -
It's a boomerang to throw!

(Copyright Simon R Gladdish 2021)