Epilogue and Close Down

 

 

On the first day of this month

I posted “A Play on May”

And now for its epilogue

Here is what I have to say.

 

After this day in time

May 2022 will be no more

And of the impossibility of its recurrence

You can be absolutely sure.

 

No may or maybes about this

You can put your neck to the block,

For such could only be a possibility

If time should suddenly stop.

 

And it would have to stop today

So that May 31^st never end

And you and I both know

This can never happen, my friend.

 

So, what you planned for May

If by now you have not achieved,

Unless you move with unbridled speed

You definitely will not succeed.

 

 

We are into the epilogue of May

For May will pass away soon

And no may or maybes, my friend,

When this happens, it will be June.

 

Epilogue and Close Down

Used to be a “Rediffusion” theme,

Back then it used to be at 11:00 p.m.

But now there’s no such scene.

 

Some of you reading this

Are too young to be able to recall

When the only radio in Barbados

Was the one hanging on the wall.

 

Epilogue and Closed Down!

We have come to the end of May,

It has passed like a fleeting wind

And today is its final day.

 

Enjoy it to the max, I adjure you,

While you prepare to welcome June,

June begins the hurricane season

Hence, why we say, “too soon”.

 

Stewart Russell © May 31, 2022

 

Which Nut?

 

 

 

There are many nuts in a car

That always come into play

And this is when that car is driven

Each and every day.

 

There are nuts to hold the wheel

Securely into place

And there’re nuts in minute places

Sometimes difficult to trace.

 

There are nuts to hold the seats

So they don’t shift from where they are

And there are nuts in lots of places;

That’s the makeup of a car.

 

 

Central to the steering wheel

There is a critically important nut

For without it I tell you, my friend,

We’d be in a serious rut.

 

But the most important nut

Is the nut behind the wheel,

Not the nut that holds it securely

But the nut that controls speed.

 

Few collisions are caused,

They tell me, by mechanical failure,

Instead, most are due, my friend,

To the driver’s behaviour.

 

 

This is the nut I mean

Just in case you had not picked up,

The nut behind the wheel

Is the most crucial nut.

 

In conclusion I say,

As to one and all I appeal,

It’s not the nut in the steering column

But the nut behind the wheel.

 

Stewart Russell (c) March 24, 2022

 

Roger

 

Roger was a centipede

That got stuck in a dome,

There until his dying day

He made it his home.

 

I checked on him today

And he was dead as a nail,

No movement at all

Any escape had failed.

 

He was given that name

By one Leah Philips,

He was a special centipede

That just would not quit.

 

For more than two weeks

He stayed alive,

He had nothing to eat

But yet he still thrived.

 

He really liked life

You can be certain of that,

For more than two weeks

He established this fact.

 

He had tried to get out

We don’t have to assume

But eventually the light dome

Became his tomb.

 

The side was too smooth

And impossible to climb,

From the time he entered

He was in a bind.

 

Like everything else

He has come to his end

And not a tear will be shed

You can be sure, my friend.

 

For me the best centipede

Is a dead centipede

“Kill them when you see them”

This is my creed.

 

“That is not Christian,”

Some persons may advance

But neither is a centipede

And that is my stance.

 

News Flash!

 

 

Just moments ago

The wife turned on the light

And all who thought Roger was dead

Were definitely not right.

 

“He is moving slowly”

That’s what she said

So, from all indications

Roger is not dead.

 

Stewart Russell © May 29, 2022

 

It’s You Not Me

 

 

You are the problem

I trust that you see,

I get the chance to say it first

Now you say it back to me.

 

One finger pointing out

Four pointing back at me,

Now the tables are turned

That you should also see.

 

It needs reemphasizing

That you are to blame

And hopefully you’d understand

This is not a game.

 

The stakes are too high

To regard this matter lightly,

I stand to lose my dignity

And my unquestionable integrity.

 

I cannot take the blame

So, it is obvious that you must,

It’s your fault, I’m sure you see;

No need for all the fuss.

 

It’s time to move on

From where you are at,

What’s done can’t be undone

And that is a fact.

 

Don’t get in the blame game,

Acknowledge your mistake

And thank me for showing you;

Don’t be an ingrate.

 

 

At the risk of laying it on

I will say it again,

It is not me that is at fault

But you are to blame.

 

Examine my humility

And apply it to yourself,

The stress will fall away from you

And improve your mental health.

 

Be thankful I am your friend

To show you your mistake,

I do so most sincerely

After all, I am not a fake.

 

By now you are highly annoyed,

In your place I would be too

But see this as my observation

I am now writing it to you.

 

Each one of you that read,

By now I hope you see

That I am now out numbered

And the “you” is really “me”.

 

Before you get too comfortable

And before you get too smug,

Remember the “me” is also “you”

And that is not so good.

 

I will end like I began

Though not quite

But as you finish reading

You’ll see a different light.

 

I am the problem

And I trust that you see,

I get the chance to say it first

Now you can say it back to me.

 

It’s Me Not You

 

Stewart Russell © July 2020

 

This Prayer Is for You

 

 

Something has gone awry

And you are feeling extremely blue,

My brother my sister:

This prayer is for you.

 

You operated in the light

Of what you thought you knew,

Do you not despair

This prayer is for you.

 

No kind of apology is working

They say you are through,

Turn to God, my friend…

This prayer is for you.

You anticipated something

It was clearly in your view,

Suddenly it disappeared…

This prayer is for you.

 

You lost a loved one

There was nothing you could do,

Now you are distraught…

This prayer is for you.

 

Destabilized by COVID-19

Yet to receive your dues,

Do not be dismayed…

This prayer is for you.

Hard-ears disobedient children

Really getting to you,

Parent and teacher:

This prayer is for you.

 

The ship of state in a bad state

And concerned about revenue,

Prime Minister or President:

This prayer is for you.

 

COVID forcing adjustments

And you wish it were through,

Pastor and church leaders:

This prayer is for you.

 

Problems continually mounting

And solutions appear few,

Whoever you are,

This prayer is for you.

You are from a good home

But in with the wrong crew,

Dear misguided one

This prayer is for you.

 

You have done your best

Yet there is so much more to do,

Do not stop trying,

This prayer is for you.

 

For all the not mentioned

But have some challenge in life too,

Do not feel left out

This prayer is for you.

 

Our Gracious Heavenly Father

This day I call out to you on behalf of the above,

Teach them to know your voice

And to sense your love.

 

To understand that you care

And reach out to all be it far or near,

Grant them relief from all that they fear

And convince them, Father, that you are right there.

 

Wherever they are

At home or abroad,

Assure them, Heavenly Father

That on you they can call.

 

Bless them and keep them

In and during their trial

And extricate them from the guilt

Of any previous denial.

 

Any denial of your sufficiency

Right now, or in the past,

Or any feeling they harboured

That you were not quite up to the task.

 

I was urged to pray in this manner

And now that I am through.

I assure you once again

This prayer is for you.

 

Stewart Russell © September 18, 2020

 

Our Behaviour

 

 

Our behaviour is an extension

Of who we are inside,

Sometimes it’s a pretension

That’s motivated by our pride.

 

We live to impress people

More often than we think

And depending on their demand,

We can rise or even sink.

 

If they are of good character

We would most likely rise

But if they are contrary,

It may result in moral demise.

 

Our behaviour is projected

Since we often want to impress,

And in our minds, we believe

This helps us to progress.

 

Since getting on with our lives

Is our selfish ambition

We are consumed from early

With personal aspirations.

 

We determine everyday

What we want our viewers to know

And pretty often what they see

Is our little Hollywood show.

 

And, this is not unnatural,

In fact, it’s pretty much the opposite,

It is the fallen nature of man

That drives this daily habit.

 

Notice I’ve been saying “our”,

Meaning, I am also included,

I am not merely pointing fingers;

I am not that deluded.

 

I have seen myself in you

And this is mainly by observation,

It’s what you wanted me to see;

It’s your behavioural projection.

 

So that when I criticize you

I am criticizing me

And when I am annoyed with you

It is also me I see.

 

We all project behavior:

The type we want the world to see,

To propel us in our ambition

To be who we want to be.

 

 Even born-again believers

Yes! Therein is our struggle:

To impress our important others

As we live within our bubble.

 

A bubble it is; that is self!

And thus, it’s so easily inflatable,

Albeit, deceptive and illusory

And misleadingly unreliable.

 

Self-centred and self-seeking

Self-absorbed and self-assured,

Self-fulfilment our goal

Self-expression the ultimate lure.

 

Our behavior is self-driven

It is what we want to achieve,

It is influenced by our leaders:

Especially who we believe.

 

It may not be who we are

But whom we want to please,

Hence, a delusion of ourselves

That makes for greater ease.

 

So, when you see me in action

It might not be really me

But just the type of behaviour

That I presently want you to see.

 

Stewart Russell © July 2020