October All Over?

 

 

October all over

The month I mean,

Now we are into November

It’s no new scene.

 

It once meant storms

But this is no more

Since we’ve had inclemency

With flooding galore.

 

The stormy season

Now ends in November

Hence, it would do us well

To remember.

 

September, remember

And we still do

But November follows suit;

This is true.

 

October all over

Doesn’t mean storms

Therefore, my cynical friend,

Be warned!

 

 

It’s climate change

I have heard some say

For all this unstable weather

We get nowadays.

 

Global warning,

They will also add

Is another reason why weather

Sometimes turns bad.

 

Don’t drop your guard

At least, not yet,

For across some communities

It has been very wet.

 

 

Roads were flooded

And almost impassable

Giving us notice that storms

Are still possible.

 

Have a great November,

It is not over yet,

Keep monitoring the weather;

It still poses a threat.

 

A word to the wise…

You know how this goes

For the future whether near or far,

None of us knows.

 

October all over

Means November is here:

Hurricane season is not ended

So, still be prepared.

 

Stewart Russell © November 1, 2024

 

My Favourite Times

 

 

In any given year

I have my favourite times,

Those times I eagerly anticipate

Are always on my mind.

 

My birthday is not one

Maybe because I am old,

Thank God I don’t look too bad

As far as what I am told.

 

Photos don’t convince me

And neither does the mirror,

I am beginning to show my age

But this is not a horror.

 

 

Good Friday and Easter

Are definitely on the list,

Jesus’ death and resurrection

Surely, I could not miss.

 

Mother’s Day and Father’s Day

For me hold little hype,

I’d much rather Family Days;

I’m the family type.

 

Valentine, the lover’s day,

Is full of eroticism,

Rather, it should depict Agape Love:

Love that is from heaven.

 

 

 

Well it seems, at least to me,

I am missing out two,

I have left these for the last

And now I will share with you.

 

I’ll start with the lesser first

Though you may disagree,

However, it is my favourite times

And according to what I see.

 

The runner up on my list

Is Independence Day,

I am taken back to my childhood

And the old fashion way.

 

 

I get a thrill looking back

And how we used to do things,

Add to this, if you will,

The songs we used to sing.

 

Look how far we have come!

It didn’t start yesterday

But back over hundreds of years;

Let’s call it yesteryear.

 

The highlight of community

And the little with content,

Each one helping out the other one

Is what neighbourly meant.

 

 

The joys enjoyed together

And the pains mutually shared,

A vision not overly cosmetic

But for the future geared.

 

Much of which is being dropped

For the shadow of the bone

And many blanking community

Preferring to go it alone.

 

How I love Independence

And anticipate it every year!

Like a child filled with excitement

When his gift finally appears.

And this leads to number one

Which is Christmas time,

A season that is far too short for me

And is always on my mind.

 

 

Christmas is my favourite

For a number of obvious reasons,

After all, it is that time of the year

We have the goodwill season.

 

The celebration of Jesus’ birth

The one known as Emanuel

That came from heaven to earth

And with man did dwell.

 

 

The lights and the carols

The bounty and the sharing,

The decorations and pleasantries

And people caring.

 

Unto us a child was born

Unto us a Son was given,

Christmas is my favourite time

Reminding me of heaven.

 

 

One in the month of November,

The other in December

And the fact that they are so close

Should bring us all together.

 

Stewart Russell © November 14, 2023

 

No True Gauge

 

 

 

Four quarters in a year

And three are pretty much gone,

The past has been fairly daunting

And many are afraid to go on.

 

Gauging the future by the past

Is something most of us do

Especially if trended towards the bad

We expect the future to be too.

 

Hence, September remember:

Remember that 1955 storm!

And so, whenever September comes,

The sign goes up, “Be Warned!”

 

Thus October, it’s all over!

Gauging the future by the Past

But the past reminded us again

Such projections do not last.

 

So now our hurricane season

Lasts from June to November,

It’s not all over in October

And this we must remember.

 

And now wisely reflecting

On the months that have flown

We still can’t know the future

For the future is unknown.

 

Our experts can project

Based on calculated probability

But never mind how astute the math,

The past is never destiny.

 

 

“There will be” is no guarantee:

Of the future none is sure,

There is definitely no tomorrow

And the past is no more.

 

No true gauge of the future

The past can ever be,

The most that we can be sure of

Is the present we now see.

 

And even this is limited

For our sight is severely flawed,

All the more reason, my friend,

Why we need to trust in God.

 

Stewart Russell © September 30, 2022

 

Trust no future, howe’er pleasant!

Let the dead Past bury its dead!

Act, act in the living Present!

Heart within, and God o’erhead!

 

From A Psalm of Life by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 

The Poor and Working Class

 

 

Into the month of November

It is Independence time,

This year we celebrate fifty-three

God has been gracious and kind.

We look back over the year

Since we were fifty-two,

It has been tough going forward

And there’s still much to do.

We promised to stay the course

As we chart an upward way,

It is rocky and uphill

But we sense a brighter day.

Sacrifice is the order

Though some don’t see it that way,

There’s is the "instant gratification"

And a "huge hike in their pay".

But there is the common good

And such should benefit all,

United we stand together

But divided we shall fall.

 

Now’s not a time for self-aggrandizement

But looking beyond self,

And pushing to restore Barbados

That is experiencing ill health.

Every country goes through it

Especially in times of recession

And while the rich absorb it,

The poor suffer oppression.

Let’s spare a thought for the poor

These are very rough times,

And reach out with a hand of help

But not of the welfare kind.

  

Let’s do it in such a way

That helps them keep their dignity,

And greater will our nation grow

In strength and unity.
 

For our nation is only as strong

As the poor and the working class,

They afford the lifestyles of the rich...

I am so glad you asked.

Upon them Government depends

To row the ship of state,

Their commitment to hard work

Determines its growth rate.

 

See them in the engine room

Experiencing the heat in their rags

While on the deck of the ship of state

The leaders celebrate and brag.

They take claim for the success

But for failure, they pass on the blame

Right down to them in the engine room

Whose energy they have drained.

Overworked and underpaid

They must make bricks without straw,

Yet they receive the most criticism

From the ones who are without flaws.

The leaders are steering perfectly

But the ship of state is standing still,

I propose, jettison some helmsmen

And employ more working-class skills.

Stewart Russell © November 2019

Independence

Independence, Independence

The word that’s in the air,

Barbadians at home and abroad

Celebrating our fifty-second year.

Lighting up from November 1^st

The indication we have begun

One whole month of celebration

For every single bajan.

We are proud of this country

And thankful to Almighty God,

And for the progress we have made

We sound out a loud applause.

There’s much to shout about

Though some things make us sigh

But we have weathered many storms

And that we cannot deny.

 

 

With God’s help we have come afar

With His strength we will go on,

With faith in Him consistently

We will see the brighter dawn.

Independence, Independence

Let us lift our hearts to heaven

To the one who sent His Son

So that we might be forgiven.

He’s the centre of our puzzle

Without whom it can’t be fixed,

Failure will stare us in the face

If he is omitted from the mix.

It matters not how big we think

Or how great we think we are,

It is still the Almighty God

Who has brought us safe this far.

In times of progress and success

There is a tendency to forget

And later as we reflect

We do so with much regret.

  

We take this time today

And for everyday of this month

To reflect on the passage of time:

In failure and in triumph.

Learning the lessons of the former

And giving praise for the latter,

Doing our best on the climbs

And making up time on the flatter.

Independence, Independence

A charter to be pursued,

Interdependence when necessary

With those of a common view.

Never forgetting those values

That gave impetus to our cause…

Those long established morals

Which are enshrined in our laws.

So with heart and hand and voice

To the plough, to the plough, to the plough

Working assiduously for the “FUTURE”

While taking care of the “NOW”.

In unity and accord

And a firm conviction of purpose,

Agitating for the common good

Void of self-indulging fuss.

Independence, Independence

In this lovely month of November

Let us celebrate our country Barbados

And make this a time to remember.

Stewart Russell © November 2018