A BRIEF MATTER
Life is
Short
But death
Takes
A heartbeat
Michael Ashby Poems
A COWBOY'S LAST RIDE
Put spurs on the foot of my coffin
Put my
comfiest boots on my feet
Put my hat on to face the future down
Then ride out for my final meet
We'll take a last ride together
We'll get dust and tears in our eyes
We'll sleep out in the moonlight
And count our blessings under the skies
We'll share a last swig of whisky
We'll share the last beans from the pot
We'll sing round dying embers
Until my last ride has to stop
Michael Ashby Poems
A CRICKETER'S LAST BOUNDARY
Weeping willows formed an honour guard
For the cricket ball writ with a noble name
A team of ten, which had once been eleven
Would never be the same side again
No bails united the forlorn stumps
Since this wicket had fallen some days ago
And as the bowler delivered to the lone batsman
The hushed crowd willed for a six to go
The magical sound... of leather on willow
The sweet smell... of freshly cut grass
A
cricketer... crossing the last boundary
To a third innings that would forever last
Michael Ashby Poems
A GODDESS AWAITS
Her waters cleanse souls
All hail Mother Ganga
Welcome home, welcome home
Michael Ashby Poems
A LEAP OF FAITH
I was coming home
I was coming home to die
I was coming home
to
die
In my own bed
Although buoyed by this hope
I could feel my strength ebbing
As I struggled against the tide of life
That had finally turned against me
Suddenly, the world erupted
Into turbulence and confusion
I had reached the last hurdle
I would now have to overcome
With all the power remaining
In my mortal being
I leapt free from earths' pull
And soared through the air
I am McSalmon
Of the Salmonidae
I was home
I was home to die
I was home to die
In my own bed
Michael Ashby Poems
Michael Ashby Poems
So I'll be popping off
For a long cup of tea
Do splash out
On two bags in the pot
And for my god's sake
Keep the water hot
Please pick the biggest mug
You can find
Because size really does matter
At this time
I'll pass on the Lapsang
With that Souchong
And that stuff with bergamot
And stick with my favourite friend
You know the English breakfast blend
Breakfast! thanks for reminding me
There's just time before I fail
To stand on ceremony
(Two rashers of best smoked back
Should keep me smelling sweet
Up the smoke stack)
So, mother, put the kettle on for me
It's time, mother, for my long cup of tea
Michael Ashby Poems
AUSCHWITZ
Humanity is forever shamed
By the horrors perpetrated here
For your sake remember Auschwitz's dead
Or the future will cost you dear
Michael Ashby Poems
A MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE
Death is guilty
Life is innocent
But death delivers
A life sentence
Michael Ashby Poems
My mum's playing Bingo in heaven
With a happy smile on her face
If she'd known there was a Bingo hall in heaven
She'd have looked more forward to the place
Past 78 and heaven's gate
It's 83 and time for tea
With 61 and a baker's bun
And no queue for the lavatory
After 41 and time for fun
She's won with 54 and wiped the floor
I really do thank my lucky stars
My mum landed in heaven instead of on mars
Michael Ashby Poems
CALMER
Death, pain, hopelessness
Zen
M e d i t a t e
B r e a t h e
K a r m a
E n l i g h t e n m e n t
P e a c e
Michael Ashby Poems
CHRIST THE REDEEMER
The grieving pilgrim
Prayed in the darkness. Jesus
Shone out with his love
Michael Ashby Poems
CONDOR
To reach heaven on
A wing and a prayer, gods
Created condor
Michael Ashby Poems
CRUISING THE SUPERNOVA
The sailor cast off the mortal coil
As the voyage of a lifetime was hatched
And the astral yacht blew off the Beaufort scale
At a speed no lifeboat could match
With star boards current in every direction
And solar winds blowing sternly on the face
The sailor waved and bowed to mother earth
Before joining a round the universe race
Michael Ashby Poems
DO NOT BE AFRAID
The Liffey drowned in Irish tears
Guinness heads rose sober and bowed
The Blarney stone kissed our noble poet farewell
As the soil of Bellaghy stood welcoming and proud
Michael Ashby Poems
In remembrance of Seamus Heaney, Poet
EIFFEL'S TEARS
Eyefuls of tears
Paris's candle is put out
Freedoms flame will burn tomorrow
Of that, there is no doubt
Michael Ashby Poems
FORTIFYING THE SPIRITS
When the bell rings for last orders
Please don't panic or get vexed
It's simply time to sup this world's last drink
Before ordering your first in the next
It's always opening time in heaven
And the alcohol doesn't go to your head
It floats around in one's ether
And fortifies your spirit instead
The dinosaur scratchings are slightly chewy
And the Martian wine's an unfriendly red
But not peeing in the night is pure delight
And leaves you longer to hang over your bed
Your angel's share is there to be asked for
Of the malt whisky escaped from oak casks
You can savour a peaty Macallan '46
For a drink that will forever last
"The Traveler's Rest" always welcomes departed drinkers
With a warm smile and a kindly nod
You'll never have to put your hand in your pocket again
Because this really is a free house, thank god
Michael Ashby Poems
FUNERALISSIMO
The musical notes stood in lines
Discordant in their grief
Before regaining their composure
As black tears in embossed relief
The instruments played this salutation
To a musician of note and much more
At the end, everyone stamped their feet
Encore, Encore, Encore
Michael Ashby Poems
GALAPAGOS
I'm back as a Galapagos tortoise
To dwell
Having fired my wrinkly
Human shell
I'm recycling my naturally
Adventurous spirit
With yet another Earthly
Planetary visit
Michael Ashby Poems
GAME, SET AND MATCH
I always dreamt of winning Wimbledon
And lifting the trophy on centre court
But the highest umpire has called me out
Sorry, but it's game, set and match, old sport
I'd love - 15 minutes more... to ace strawberries and cream
I'd love - 30 minutes more... to be served more champagne than I aught
I'd love - 40 minutes more... to rally with you all
Sorry, but it's game, set and match, old sport
Michael Ashby Poems
GHOSTS OF THE FALLEN
The ghosts of the fallen are all agreed
Something may be wrong with the warrior's creed
For a shot of death brings icy clarity
And deep, deep sadness to a new reality
Where there's no way forward and there's no way back
To life before the last bloody attack
Knowing families and friends lie waiting in their homes
To be shot through their heads with their telephones
At peace at last in the universe
About just one question the ghosts converse
To put to the ones whose orders were writ
Was the loss of our lives really worth it?
Michael Ashby Poems
GLASTONBURY
You're all on God's conveyor belt
You're heading for a fall
But heaven's got no gravity
So I'm dancing above you all
Work out what you want from life
And make your dreams come true
You could
Watch the sun rise on pyramids
Or set on Uluru
You could
Walk on China's greatest wall
Or trek to Timbuktu
You could
Aim high upon the Eiffel tower
Or higher at Machu Picchu
You're all on God's conveyor belt
You're heading for a fall
But heaven's got no gravity
So I'm dancing above you all
Your music's singing in my soul
As I sway on the Tor above
But beyond all that I've said before
I just hope that you find love
Michael Ashby Poems
GOLDEN MOMENTS
My life has been a mirage
Built on shifting sands
And now my time of liquid gold
Has flowed from my hands
The precious seconds, minutes and hours
The priceless weeks, months and years
End in my new oasis
With welcoming forbears
Michael Ashby Poems
GOOD GOD
Do I
Believe in God
Does God
Believe in me
Although I am
Unsure about God
I am sure
A good God
Would be sure
About me
Michael Ashby Poems
GRANDPA'S LOST HIS GR
My grandpa has lost his gr
And gone to 'andpa land
It's where all the tired 'andpas go
When they depart the family band
So now whenever I'm hurt
Or my troubles are too much for me
I remember sitting up on my grandpa's knee
Safe within his grandpa zone
All in a little world of our own
With wisdom, patience, humour and guile
There's nothing that couldn't be sorted by grandpa's smile
Boys will be boys
And men will be men
But only the best of them
End up as grandpas in the end
If you ever hear the roar of thunder
Late at night
Don't hide under your duvet
Out of sight
Someone's just left open
The 'andpa land door
And boy
Oh boy
A herd of 'andpas
Can't half snore
Michael Ashby Poems
HEAVEN ON EARTH
I was passing through Utopia
On my way to Nirvana
When I saw a sign
Pointing back to Heaven
Where I'd been, all along
Michael Ashby Poems
HOOK, LINE AND SINKER
As I sat upon a rock
With the waters breaking around me
I pondered matters of life and death
A-fishing by the sea
I was waiting for the tide to come in
Which would drown others in despair
So let me reassure you now
How much I've enjoyed being a being here
I know you know I'm still spinning lines
To help you on land at this time
Please swallow them hook, line and sinker
Because you're the real catch of me the fisher
Michael Ashby Poems
IN THE LINE OF DUTYIn the fight between good and evilSometimes a sacrifice is madeIn the line of dutySometimes a life is laidDownForeverIn the hearts of the thinner blue lineTo protect and serve the publicThe life, just given, was mine Michael Ashby Poems
I AM NOT GONE
I am not gone
While you cry with me
I am not gone
While you smile with me
I am not gone
While you remember with me
I will come
When you call my name
I will come
When I feel your pain
I will come
On your final day
It could never be
That we
Would never be
We shall always
Be together
Forever
I am not gone
Michael Ashby Poems
I WANT TO BE BURIED WITH MY MOBILE PHONE
I want to be buried with my mobile phone
So I can ring in the changes at my new home
With central heating and a marble en-suite
And lots of thermal socks for my poor cold feet
I'll be able to give in to a takeaway
And watch favourite movies on a rainy day
And if I'm feeling a bit under the weather
I'll talk to you until I begin to feel better
I've got party hats, fairy cakes and songs to sing
In case somebody should chance to drop in
Which is much more likely than you'd think
As my coffin roof is on the blink
I'll be leaving you now as I've got a waiting call
It's from my new friend over by the
cemetery wall
I watched the service yesterday through my periscope
They buried him with his mobile, their little joke
But he'll have the last laugh, when his bill drops through their door
Fourteen hundred and forty minutes a day, for eternity and evermore
Michael Ashby Poems
JUST IN CASE
I wonder if
My atheist friend
Risked a quick prayer
Right at the end
Just in case
He was wrong
After all
About what would happen
After his last
Curtain call
Finally realizing
That I might
Just be right
And that he
Wasn't alone
On his longest night
Michael Ashby Poems
LIFE AND DEATH AND LIFE
Dying leaf kisses
Bark of crying tree, farewell
Sweet blossom for now
Michael Ashby Poems
LIFE GOES ON
I want fireworks at my funeral
To brighten up your eyes
I want clowns at my funeral
To return all your smiles
I want dancing at my funeral
To help you move along
I want a party at my funeral
Filled with your happy throng
So, party, party, party
And cheer my spirit with song
As my last wish is you celebrate
That LIFE GOES ON
Michael Ashby Poems
LIFE SCULPTURE
When god poured me
From his perfect mould
He forgot to tell me
That I would grow old
My skin would wrinkle
My hair would turn grey
And that even my sweet tooth
Would decay
Dear god please
Take pity on me
And recast me in
Your foundry
A magnificent bronze
As smooth as can be
No lines. no grey
Just perfect immortality
Michael Ashby Poems
MADIBA (Nelson Mandela) AND THE LION
The lion sprang up the staircase on fire
As the African night began to die
A neon hospital sign flickered a warning
Before failing against a bloody dawn sky
The champion warrior shed his gown
And held firm the proffered mane in his hands
With a roar that would shake the entire world
They leapt as one for heavenly lands
Michael Ashby Poems
MAYA ANGELOU
True poets never die
Their body of work
Breathes through
Their touching words
Forever
Michael Ashby Poems
MILKING THE MOMENTS
We only have today
In fact, we only have now
It's such a chilling thought
I'm so glad I'm not a cow
My insides would churn
And turn into ice cream
I would be the biggest milkshake
That the world had ever seen
We only have today
In fact, we only have now
I'm so glad I milked my moments
But I'm even gladder I wasn't a cow
Michael Ashby Poems
MY ECO DEATH
I was lying naked.... in a woodland glade
(The hedgehog ball heard its last foxtrot)
Covered by branches.... of modest shade
(The nightingale blew out her candle)
On a bed of.... the softest moss
(The owl closed a squeaking dormouse)
Beneath a leafy blanket.... sharing my loss
(The queen bee was stung, by the sweet kiss of death)
Time to reflect.... after time to dwell
Surrounded by nature's.... dingly dell
My monitor's alarm.... the air did shell
And nurses rushed in.... to cancel the bell
An angelic smile.... a machine's last pips
A sigh of contentment.... escaping my lips
Peace.... Oh blessed peace
Peace.... at last
Michael Ashby Poems
MY LAST ASSEMBLY
If this life has taught me anything
It's that I've been a student all my days
Learning from each interaction
Along the scholastic way
Now a place in the open universe awaits, and
The answer to the last question of the exam hall
Are my views on Religious Education
Still worth anything at all
So farewell to you and my verbosity
I now end with one of Charles Eliot's jots
'A good teacher is like eternity
He/She never knows where his/her influence stops'
Michael Ashby Poems
MY LIGHT WILL SHINE FOREVER
Synapses, lightening forks
Neural nets cast aglow
My being is no longer earthed
As across space I flow
Eternally charged with immortal life
I feel the pull of people past
My light will shine forever
And for you will everlast
Michael Ashby Poems
MY MUM
Where did it go?
My mother once asked
As the clock tick-tocked
And her life flew past
In the race against time
She led for most of the way
But the track was endless
Unlike her last day
(Take care of your father
Promise you will
As she passed on the baton
She would never spill)
So polish the stars
And fire up the sun
And put out some slippers
To welcome my mum
Find a new galaxy
And light up her name
Because life on planet Earth
Just won't be the same
Michael Ashby Poems
OLD AGE ISN'T FOR WIMPS
It's a lonely fight
In the middle of the night
With the temperature falling
And old pains calling
Pains in the body
Pains in the soul
Old age sometimes
Can be a living hell
Michael Ashby Poems
ONE LAST FLUTTER
I've always gone with the roll of the dice
But now my numbers up
And since I'm the one down below
There must be six up top
I always knew the odds were against me
So it's time for one last flutter and sin
I'm going to bet on heaven not hell
God knows if I'll end with a win
Michael Ashby Poems
PUT OUT TO SEED AGAIN
It's my turn now to be planted
Put out to seed again
While the fruits of my earthly labours
Flourish in the sun and rain
It's a wonderful day to be planted
In rich, deep loamy soil
A natural bed, for a tired gardener's head
With green fingered hands of toil
Please plant a tree or bush for me
To celebrate a gardener's life ways
I strove to enrich the world with beauty
Over many, many gardening days
Michael Ashby Poems
RAINBOWS ON THE MOON
There are rainbows on the moon
There are clouds in outer space
The night has started mourning
Since I passed away too soon
There are rainbows on the moon
There are colours crying in tiers
The solar wind is wailing
Since I passed away too soon
I shine with the Northern Lights
I shine with the waning moon
I shine with the shooting stars
Since I passed away too soon
Now one zillion candles
Are shining all around me
One zillion and one candles
For my life on earth to see
Michael Ashby Poems
SLEEPING 'AU NATUREL'
When there are more days behind you
Than those that lie ahead
Now really isn't the time
To be a-lying long in one's bed
So, kick off the covers
Go on, you I dare
Throw open the windows
And drink in deep of the fresh air
But if you sleep 'au naturel'
Please do take a care
Lest your neighbour has a weak heart
And a proclivity to stare
Michael Ashby Poems
SOUSSE BEACH
It could have been meIt could have been you
That perished in Sousse
From shots out of the blue
The randomness of this tragedy
Near takes one's breath away
And unites us all in grieving
On this memorial day
We salute selfless samaritans
Who saved and comforted in the fray
And will always remember the fallen
Who on Sousse beach together lay
Michael Ashby Poems
SUICIDE CLIFF
Mad words, bad words
Fled, sped through brain
Brewing up a mental storm
Sowing, growing again
Poking, stoking a last lightening bolt
Exploding a chamber, in an unsound colt
Raining, draining
Words, energy all around
As the skeleton smiled sweetly
At the closing ground
Faster, faster
The dancing man swirled
Twirling balletically
For the ghoulish world
Shouting, pouting
At the spinning mop top
Bloody hell! he's jumped
It's a hell of a drop
Floating above gloating
He soared as they roared
Losing a mind's pain
From an Earthling's brain
Flying with yellow beaked angels
Hang gliding into new birth
Gravity racing, sand embracing
To kiss the advances of the surf
Sun bleached bones, caressing cockles
Massaging mussels, in salty, sparkling wine
Distant dreams of becoming a fossil
An exhibit from a happier time
And the rain fell to dwell
On the bloody pulp of hell
Down, down, down on the ground
Once so perfect, once so round
Now so flat, now so still
The crowd gasped its last
As the night swallowed its beach-kill
But, there would be no fluttering police tape today
To keep the rubber necked back from the affray
No black holed, black glazed, spooky van
No undertaker's magic on an invisible man
No sunken faced lifeboat crew
No coastguard van bedecked in blue
No unemployed ambulance man
No helicopter scything sea air, with its fan
For a lady up on the cliff path
Had saved the dying day
A lone lady up on the cliff path
Fleetingly smiled his way
Bringing warmth through stubble
To anchor human rubble
In safe harbour for now
No, no, no cliff top prow
Back crossing the seafront road a picture stared
Knees buckled, as his old soul was bared
Missing person - have you seen this man?
Oh, dear God, how he missed that man
Hooting, tooting, people shouting in vain
Ambulance man's arm, cranking up the merry-go-round, again
Michael Ashby Poems
SUN ARISE
God woke his sun
For me this morning
Just for me
Just for me
And set about
The sea awarming
Just to see
Just to see
How he, me
His sun and the sea
Could just be
Could just be
How he, me
His sun and the sea
Could just be
Michael Ashby Poems
SWAN SONG
The swan silently
Crossed the river
No reflection, no ripple
In her wake
Lit by a moving sunbeam
She crossed the water
Just, for my sake
I sat down aboard her back
As her head turned to me
And she looked deeply into my eyes, asking
Are you really, really, ready
I nodded, as tears rained, from my face
To join countless others in their river
The swan started swimming,
And slowly singing
The most beautiful music
I had ever heard in my life
And then the swan
Suddenly changed, from black,
Into a dazzling white
And I stopped crying, and started smiling
As together, we crossed over
Into the most brilliant of light
Michael Ashby Poems
TEARS IN MY HEART
All the tears in my heart
Will only dry when I die
When new tears of happiness
Are reborn in all our eyes
Michael Ashby Poems
THE CLUTHA VAULTS
It could have been me
It could have been you
That perished in Glasgow
Under a bolt from the blue
The randomness of this tragedy
Near takes one's breath away
And unites us all in grieving
On this memorial day
We salute selfless fighters
Who battled to save from the fray
And will always remember the fallen
Who in The Clutha Vaults together lay
Michael Ashby Poems
THE GOLF COURSE IN THE SKY
As eighteen flags flew at half mast, and
Glasses were soberly raised high
The latest member was having a ball
At the golf course in the sky
Freed from the gravity of the situation
The first tee shot soared through space
Bringing a wondrous, beaming smile
To a kind, down to earth face
Surrounded by old club friends
Once thought never to be seen again
The infinity course beckoned ahead
Eighteen holes were for mere mortal men
Michael Ashby Poems
THE PASSING OF A FOOTBALLER
Football's a match made in heaven
Which is fan-tastic news for me
And heaven's a level playing field
Where anyone can kick off for free
The referee needs no introduction
Or whistle for a foul blow
When God raises his eyebrows
None argue with the penalty or throw
The transfer window never closes
As new players arrive all the time
There's always a top team to play on
As for the kit, I just wish I'd brought mine
We kick off side by side in a minute
Cheered by old family, teammates and friends
Football's really a blast in heaven
After your first whistle the matches never end
Michael Ashby Poems
THE RUGBY PLAYER'S LAST TRY
The rugby ball inside the coffin
Rather gave the the game away
As a diehard rugby warrier
Determined to play on in future days
Believing there was more than one H in heaven
At the ends of astral turf grounds
And that the rugby universe cup
Was still in its early rounds
After a lifetime that had seemed eighty minutes
With a body clock now in the red
The gladiator scored his last mortal try
Touching his head down on mother earth's bed
Michael Ashby Poems
TRUE LOVE NEVER DIES
True love lay within
Beating Taj Mahal hearts; stilled
Their love warms the world
Michael Ashby Poems
WE ARE NOT GONE
We are not gone
While you cry with us
We are not gone
While you smile with us
We are not gone
While you remember with us
We will come
When you call our names
We will come
When we feel your pain
We will come
On your final day
It could never be
That we
Would never be
We shall always
Be together
Forever
We are not gone
Michael Ashby Poems
YOUR GREATEST TEST
Until the question..... is asked of you
Your answer..... is unknown
And for your longest..... days and nights
You will feel..... so, so alone
But with your..... indomitable lifeforce
And your subconscious..... will to survive
You will
You will pass..... your greatest test
And feel yourself slowly come alive
Michael Ashby Poems
888,246
Carefully the elephant crossed the room
Carpetted with 888,246 poppies
Not one poppy was hurt
A poppy is never forgotten
Michael Ashby Poems
(Link: Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red at The Tower Of London.)
