Harry Is A Poet

Dear everyone disheartened by this: please don't be.
Now, more than ever, we need to have courage.
Now, more than ever, we need to have strength.
For so long, we have simply resorted to fear to make our case.
Fear of the man next door, fear of the unknown.
And believe it or not, this makes people scared.
So now, as we face the unknown, we can not be frightened.
One decision is made. But other than that, everything is on the table.
The road ahead need not be that which we assume.
So, to those who voted for the first time, thank you.
Britain came out in such great force yesterday
So we need you to not be scared. To not be disillusioned. To vote again.
It is the job of those in politics to make this new message hopeful.
That we are not just a community of an island, but of a world.
To inspire the next generation into a country they want to fight for.
What has happened in the past is unchangeable.
What happens next is up to us.
So please, be strong. We need you. ***

Written 8 years ago, the morning after the results came in.

https://harryisapoet.blogspot.com/2016/07/on-brexit.html

This poem is lovingly dedicated to my Grandma
She has been around 90 years on this World so far
Brought happiness and joy to many a different face
She takes life and it's challenges with a loving embrace
Because in 1926, the same year as Winnie the Pooh
My Grandma was born all fresh and new
Young and full of promise, so fittingly
They named her simply Rosemary
And like rosemary, she works best with others
As a mentor, as a neighbour, as a partner and lover
She never sees a person as better or worse
Just a future friend with which to converse
I feel lucky, even though I arrived so late
I've spent 23 years with her on Earth to date
That after so much time since that birth year
Both she and I share this world right here
If I start to worry about what the future might bring
I remember, in 1926, we still had an empire and a king
We've been through much turmoil change, it needs not be named
Just that through it all my dear Grandma remained
Whatever challenges life decides to throw my way
Blood flowing in her veins flows in mine today
So I have the power and the passion to persevere
Thanks to those strengths passed on from my Grandma right here
I just want her to know, how grateful I always will be
For the patience growing up she never failed to show me
For the love, and the light, let me just say
Grandma, have a very happy birthday. ***

https://harryisapoet.blogspot.com/2016/06/90-years.html

Who am I? Who are you?
What are we? What shall we do?
We've woken up a thousand times, emerged from slumber
Sometimes we wake up smarter, sometimes dumber
But normally, well, how to put this politely?
Day by day we change ever so slightly
We are constantly changing, such is our nature
Sometime change is small, sometimes an adventure
But why? Why do we change, and why does it matter?
It's important because without it, life would be flatter
There would be fewer bumps, and far less noise
Eternally living as girls and boys
But there's another thing to find far more interesting
Which gives a conscience far more testing
Some people in life have pride and certainty
In their current state and personality
But honestly? We'll be different tomorrow
Different things will cause laughter and sorrow
In areas of life we'd never even considered
New experiences packed up and delivered
We'd tackle new problems in very different ways
If we were older or younger by just a few days
So what I'm wondering, with confusion but no rage
What does it mean to 'be yourself', in this day and age? ***

https://harryisapoet.blogspot.com/2016/06/identity.html

"I was a lot more comfortable beingvulnerable and open
When I was younger, and it wasn't clear if I was or wasn't joking..." - Sage Francis
It can be a struggle. To be open and honest.
So despite the evidence, I'll say that I'm for this.
When I say despite the evidence, I mean that sincerely,
Because I know for a fact that sincerity fears me.
I, like many others of my generation and age
Will stick to some conventions like tears to a rage
Although we're trying to shake them off, they just wont leave
Symptomatic of the very sickness from which we seek reprieve
Although we all have our little self-depreciation lines
Then shake them off jokingly, say that it's fine
Before we can notice, while enjoying the effect
It's turned into the knock-me-down stand-up set
But it's never serious, oh don't be silly
It's just a joke, and man these jokes kill me
Little by little, eating away at our pride
Until the jokes are as hollow as we feel inside
For me, these little jokes that I used to invent
Were the only times I'd ever get a compliment
So I'd repeat my own humiliation, as it carved the way
For the fact I still feel awkward getting complimented today
Please, if you are struggling, make me aware.
And tell me sincerely, so that I can show care
Be happy when you're happy, don't force a fake smile
Leaving people wondering what you're feeling all the while
No matter who you are, what gender, what age
Please pay attention to those words from a Sage ***

https://harryisapoet.blogspot.com/2016/06/sage-advice.html

Immortality in a Can
Immortality in a Can
Grab it while you can
Immortality in a Can
You know what they say:
Once you pop you
Just
Can't
Stop...
Man, I just took this deal, and I feel great
Just popped now fate awaits my infinity sell by date
To satiate my thirst
I never have to deal with the worst
I get live forever as the eternal man
And I owe it all to Immortality in a Can
Once you pop you
Just
Can't
Stop...
Ten years on and I'm still feeling strongSince then I've taken life head onI'm still feeling great, my body is spryI have a love of life my friends can't denyI could do this forever, or that's the planAnd I owe it all to Immortality in a CanOnce you pop you
Just
Can't
Stop...Twenty years past and I'm still goingEven though my friends' age is showingI've no wrinkles, either in skin or lifeI've settled down with a trophy wifeShe's got a bump, on the way a little manAnd I owe it all to Immortality in a CanOnce you pop you
Just
Can't
Stop...Fifty years on, and I admit it's been strangeI've experienced a lot of life's odd rangeThere's been ups and downs, now my kid is grownMy wife's gone on too, so I'm left aloneI'm still fine though, and I'm still a fanAnd all I owe to Immortality in a CanOnce you pop you
Just
Can't
Stop...One hundred years on, I just buried my sonI've attended a thousand funerals if I've attended oneI'm stuck on this world, the Earth has movedI'm a relic now, I'm out of my grooveI'm viewed as an ignorant, out-of-touch manAll thanks, once again, to Immortality in a CanOnce you pop you
Just
Can't
Stop...One thousand years on, yes I'm still hereI've tried to find purpose, I've tried to disappearIt's tough now though, to go off the gridI'm known worldwide for what I once didA morality lesson you learn as soon as you canFor that indulgence of Immortality in a CanOnce you pop you
Just
Can't
Stop...Ten thousand years on and the world is goneIt's barren, we did well to last so longMillion year gone and it's still the sameMany million years gone and it's still the sameI lost count long ago, just as I lost any planYet still I go on, Immortality in a CanOnce you pop you
Just
Can't
Stop...
I'm not saying I didn't experience things of worth
I experienced much death, but also birth
But those golden moments, they weren't worth the trade
Nothing good happened to those death betrayed
And I know death is scary, but to be the eternal man?
Forever is a long long time. So would you take Immortality in a Can? ***

https://harryisapoet.blogspot.com/2016/06/immortality-in-can.html

Pay attention. Listen up.
I'm going to try to explain something difficult.
Democracy.
No, wait! Don't go. I swear, I'll try to make it quick.
See, Democracy, to me, is still radical.
And I don't mean radical like skateboards,
I don't mean radical like Guitar Hero.
I mean radical like revolutions are radical.
Because the idea that every single person has a valid opinion
And the following conclusion, that we have to listen to those opinions
That the collective will of every Jack, Tom and Harry, of every Jill, Beth, and Hannah
That all of us deserve a say in how our country is run.
That, to me, is radical.
Do you ever stop to think how unpopular that idea was to the ruling classes?
Nowadays, we have made democracy dull.
We have sanitised it beyond belief, made it boring.
It is carried out with pencils and paper in churches and schools.
Usually on a Thursday.
Please, don't be fooled.
Instead, please join me.
Because, I subscribe to this radical notion of democracy.
The idea that everyone's opinions matter is one I hold dear,
And yes, that includes you. That certainly and always includes you.
Just as you wouldn't let someone else take away your voice,
Please don't let apathy, or perceived insignificance steal it either.
For you are significant. For your voice matters.
But only if you let it.
What your voice says? That's up to you.

Sometime when the world deals a blow and has dazed us
It's good to think back to the parents who raised us
Your mothers gave birth, as mothers have to do
She went through great pain just to give birth to you
Then growing up, they dealt with all your palaver
Not just sibling fights, or having the floor be lava
Those times when you were small, so tender and weak
When you were born you were so fragile and meek
Though they must have been scared, they still stayed and tried
Every parent has that scare when they think their child has died
Just a little too cold when the child wakes up in the morning
Or when everything suddenly goes quiet with no warning
They've cared for you as they cared for their spouse
Once they left you on your own for the first time in the house
And, still remembering the first time you went to A&E
Still allowed you to become little by little more free
So just remember, given what your parents went through
That the only reason they did any of that, was for you
From before you were breathing, right up to now
So if your a parent, take a well deserved bow ***

https://harryisapoet.blogspot.com/2016/05/parents.html

If you're having a bad day, this a message for you
Written on a letter, sealed with love and glue
For you to open, whenever it's a struggle to get through
This bad day is one we're both gonna beat black and blue
...
...
Dear friend in the wilderness. Dear voice in the mist
Sometimes it seems like our fate has been kissed
Days when we're not tired and sick, days when all will go well
This is dedicated to those days when you go through hell
Here's a fact. You've been through plenty of struggles in your life thus far
These struggles don't make us stronger or weaker. They make us who we are
I can say for sure, when this day is finally through
You're going to emerge as a different you
Let me say something else, no matter what challenge you face
We all have reasons to be setback in the human race
The reason can be clear, something we can see touch and feel
Other times it's not. Rest assured that this battle's still real
When all is done and the dust can finally settle
Please appreciate the toughness and strength of your mettle
It's the challenges of life that make it great
It's often struggles that make us remember the date
You're someone who has woken up, and somehow always found a way
To have a 100% hit-rate of surviving each day
Then just consider this related fact to be so true
That no bad day of yet has ever survived you ***

https://harryisapoet.blogspot.com/2016/05/a-bad-day.html

She had that beauty which came from getting up an hour earlier than the sun
And staring endlessly into the mirror willing herself through the next day
Even with a sense of anxious pride about who she was and what she'd done
There was only one small part of her that had never wished this life away
No, it was not those startling clear blue eyes, clouded windows to a troubled soul
Nor was it those carefully shaved legs which had walked through a thousand dreams
It was the voice inside that let her knowthis was her life, this was her goal
She'd deserved the adoration, and every one of her fans' desperate screams
Finally, the world was proclaiming her The Star she'd always wished in her heart
She'd been raised up high for the world to see and adore entirely
She'd never have to worry about loneliness, or the price of her shopping cart
She could shape this reality to however she wished it to be
Takingadeepbreath, she made the voice inside slowly silence, then subside
Knowing that overconfidence was a strong bug by which to be bitten
She'd taken a step, when the first embers of her fame had been realised
She got out the well-worn, tear-stained letter she'd written
"Dear Star, for that's who I know you'll be and what you are
Please remember, when life is going far too much your way
That's not just who you are. You're more than a superstar
No matter how fantastic, no matter how glamourous the day
You are me, the girl sat here full of dreams and wishes
You were the daughter of parents who gave you their all
Though you may one day be served as one of high society's great dishes
Please remember that both gravity and pride can make stars fall
It is not wrong to be liked. It is not wrong for effort to meet reward
Just remember that whatever else, you are still you. Signed lovingly, you!"
She'd taken these words with as much care as she could afford
After all, she was The Star, and it was all she could ever do.

***

https://harryisapoet.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-famous-girl.html

Sometimes I like to say
Let's go wild and adventure
So lets go to our baser nature
And be animalistic in how we play
YetI don't wanna be a jellyfish
'cause without needing to wish
you can already see right through me
I don't wanna be a zebra neither
'cause I don't need ya
to spend that much time crossing me
I don't wanna be a lion
I'm not lyin'
I don't wanna have that much pride
I don't wanna be an armadillo
Couldn't be your pillow
I just wanna be right there by your side
I don't wanna be a bat
Or a rat or a cat
Or anything else in fact than what you see
I don't wanna be a tortoise
Or a porpoise
Or anything other than you and me
I don't wanna defend
The fact I wanna to spend
Every second at your beck and call
In the end,
Let's not pretend
We're anything but animals after all ***

https://harryisapoet.blogspot.com/2016/05/were-animals.html