Author: Michael

Husband, dad,(ex)programmer, comic collector and proud Yorkshireman. I have no idea why im here or why im writing but i rather enjoy it. no great fan of punctuation;

R

words…

This home, once loving walls, so tight embraced

Burned down by rage and jealousy

and all that once was is turned to ash

as trampled embers flicker, glow and die

Hearts crave phoenix flight without relief

tears hiss and rise as lost dreams climb

and drift to night and nevermore

Regret smiles sweet and mocks with twisted smiles

Q

To all the things that we once were

The brightness of the things that were

Like summer sun warm on the skin

Now shadows cast, and blind her gaze

And endless days to night give way

Until they set, horizons crimson

Set ablaze just one last time

No more remembers, dawn will come

Follows the embers, She remembers him no more

And light once more reveals her beauty

Safe in the warmth, new days embrace

…

…

P

The ravages of time…cant be arsed tonight…

Many times a night

And then cannot get back to sleep

Then water sets him off as well

Its age, its nothing deep …

O

Some peoole….honestly…

He taps into his darker self, malevolent thoughts he seeks

yet mostly struggles them to find and darkness then to speak

Then deep he digs perhaps to find the things he keeps well hid

and in a moment clear a rage he heeds the prompts dark bid

Gives voice to things he’d like to do and thoughts he entertains

of zombie infestations seeing creatures eat friends brains

he shoves a colleague down the stairs, into a river does kittens throw

and finger bangs a woman that he doesn’t want to know

He defecates outside a school, and then punches a horse

makes pranks calls to widower and mocks the dead of course

then dreaming of the things he like to do and those he hates

he peers in through your window, on your roses masturbates

kittens drowned and puppies kicked he revels in the spite

and chokes his wife with trembling hands as she sleeps through the night

All day he entertains and dreams and lets the darkness out

into a cinema he runs and then “Allah Akbar” shouts out

And then with poem on the page the darkness does recede

and bids you keep his secret and the darkness not to feed

with smiles and laughs the rage does pass and normal it return

he presses publish, smiles and winks and to the next page turns

N

word salad

Though eyes grow dim and final sunset calls

you ever still remain as bright as care free summers days.

And soft warm smile my heart delights one final evermore

and no regret, not one, no single moment would I trade.

.

Upon my door the darkness hurled

and screams to steal first kiss and each one since

though splintered wood lay all about my feet

protected, each defended to the last.

.

And when I lay upon the cold and unforgiving stone

hands crossed upon my fiersome pounding breast

you call me home and no more will I fight

and drift to sleep at last within your arms

…

…

M

Fancy another of these?

If lost, the things I hold most dear,

these minutes, hours, months and years

that helter skelter through my mind

With all I am, swim intertwined,

The loss of you the thing I truly fear

…

Still I would cling, with fingertips

that were your name ripped from my lips

that in that place of darkest sky

not knowing where or when or why

Back to my mind Your memory might slip

…

And once again this love would taste

and life renewed, new memories make

this destiny once more to live

In equal parts to take and give

And feel the lessening of heart’s cold ache

K

Another one of these…

These things from which were crudely hewn


And in this expanse shaped and formed


Give way to  heart and hate and fires


that burn and fiercely do refine
 
This love that cuts and scars run deep


warm laughter hollow peaks then fades


And darkness melts at growing light


Which swells and soars, illuminating.
 
So come what will, we bend unbroken
Buffeted by winds of change


and edges soften, time moves onwards


rearranged and stained and aged.
 
Now take this thing I have become


With artists eye see shape and form


And lines, deep colours, shades and tones


this creation ever changing.

J

More words…

She hides herself, thoughts tucked away

Inside a box, paint peeling, worn and cracked

Beneath a bed where lies are told when night smothers day

And from the corners voices call of things she always lacked

Sepia faded could-have-beens hang crooked on the walls

that echo words she should have said

but lips fell silent, never answered late night desperate calls

and lovers tender touch that lived somewhere only in her head

For heart’s are tender, yet she craves what would have been

Picks flowers from him, the one that smiled, or so she thought

And how it lead to all the beauty still unseen

That might have been, but years pass, and still has come to nought

And so once more she lifts the lid and places hope inside

Dust filled, it sits, another day perhaps, maybe

And voices call, quicky it closes, time to hide

Tears in the dust, no one will ever see

I

WORTHLESS WORDS…

This starless nothing spins, consuming

And withers, just like time

Pale faced, backs bent, and fingers clicking

Silent lips mouth blissful groans, sublime

Emerging, shed cocoon sticky underfoot

They slither in foul brine, gasping

And to a damned eternity

He bleeds his lot to everlasting

Each promise kept betrays his heart

And dead eyes fed the crows

As shadows hide the things that lurk

In darkest corners, yet each day it grows

Until Quite spent he slips to sleep

And dreams alleviate

The claws and teeth, blood red that feast

Born out of contenpt,lies and hate

H

Another day, more of this…

This is no Haiku

I will not be restricted

Wont curtail my verse

Protest all you like

With your tight little structure

Impingeing my flow

Now away with you

And let me enjoy freedom

Words flow like water

In your face haiku

I cannot abide your grip

Eat my verbose words!

G

My descent into troll/goblin oral loving is complete

So I tried to write something poetic, then the word gobbling sprung into my head, then I could think of nothing but rhyming hobbling and gobbling (or goblin) and then there was this emerging limerick where someone with just one leg went around town hobbling in search of gobbling and then it was verging on something really dirty full of one legged people gobbling goblin cocks and I htought surely you can do better than that and then I couldn’t really rhyme gobbling with goblin and it just all fell apart…so instead i wrote a poem about a Goat called Gary

Oh Gary, your coat so wirey and hooves, steadfast

To mountain sides you cling, never hobbling

And on your back, majestic goblins lurch and writhe

in search of trolls for sweetest gobbling to enjoy

for girth does eyes make water and the length

of days is measured in the gagging over hill and glen and…

———————————————-

Oh for fuck sake…I’m going to bed… this is ridiculous…

F

Well that went downhill very f’ing fast…

I neither give one nor possess enough

to spare a flying kind

You’re entitled to not give one back

Or put one up your large behind…

F You, me, they, them, thems, hes and shes

F this and that, your dog and cat

horse you rode in on, and also that

for a game of marbles if you please…

So off you go, and F yourself

And while you’re there F someone else

Your mum, your dad, your neighbours kids

and do confess to what you did

For in the joy of F’s release

will you find sweet sweet f’ing peace

E

No thinking, just see what vomits forth!

He heads down to the water, deep swells and stormy skies

Spill and swirl across lifes pages

His dark Aphrodite, his goddess of the ages

Her passion and bliss the mirror to his lies

.

She beckons, sweetest of voice cuts through the storm

And how he yearns for the sea in that hour

To sink beneath the waves, to feel loves power

As cavalcades of white wave top riders herald brightest dawn

.

Zephyrus dries her, stars reflected in the ocean of her eyes

And all things fade away and into bliss theyre lifted

Tears dried, they surrender to the now and forever they’ve been gifted

And shine like brightest constellation of the skies

d

D is for stuff, right?

Give me the D, or is it he that surely D deserves

And surely something so profound needs more to calm the nerves

For D , you see, can be what he, or she or we desire

While we presume for our own good

this D would give what a bee should

in sweetness, sticky and sublime

I fight to keep this D of mine

And stake a claim and over time

will learn to be the he who sees the D

and thinks, perhaps it’s not for me

and O-M-G feel free to see that we can be

A he, him, she without the need forD and what might be

C

More words. Going to be a month of words. Wordy words…

These are the days that we remember

When thoughts like fog drift into night

Still clear, like endless summer skies

Amid confusion, doubts and lies

Without a doubt, still bold, they shine so very clear and bright

…

We are the memories they see, when at the very end

The final thoughts, the sweetest times

Unmarked by ticking time or tide

The hearts that beat where lovers hide

Kept safe in song and word and rhyme

….

Here in this place we will be seen

And felt where longing is fulfilled

By force of will if all else fails

For love abides and hopoe prevails

For hearts at closing of the day find peace in love, strong willed

And there we see who we could surely be

B

To be, or not

And in that lot not once to wonder what

And why and just wherefore. So stop

To breathe and in the presence of the past

Then look upon the days we thought would last

But voices once so loud not start to drop

And thoughts they turn to who, not why, nor when

We are, we were, we could have been, and then

We climb and conquer, proudly stand atop

And there we see who we could surely be

A

Been a while since I waffled…

I held A moment in my hands and held it to the light

And rolled it through my fingers, mix of shades of dark and light

Then, scrutinised and sanitised

And pulled and picked apart

Drained it of emotion, felt its fading, beating heart

.

I found A moment in the dark and hid it from the sun

Swore to keep it safe and secret and to show it to no one

But it slipped through clutching fingers

And I lost it, gone from sight

The promise of enlightenment, neglected in the night

.

I took A moment for myself and promised to take stock

To count the toll of carelessness, and return to my rock

of things I love and those I know

Which shelter from the storms

And heart and hearth burn brightly, and the fires that keep me warm

AI is here. Get used to it.

So, can AI write your blog content?

There is a lot of talk right now of AI, CHAT GPT, and other Large Language AI’s…and oh lordy is it going to be an interesting ride. I, for one, am looking forward to serving our Robot Overlords, though some are more concerned over just what may transpire.

If you haven’t read much about it, then I urge you to get out there and explore it.

Anyway, I thought I would see just how good CHAT GPT would be at generating blog content. So, first, I told it to do me a limerick involving a llama, in pyjamas, and an amorous farmer. Something I had posted about the previous day.

The AI wrote:

There once was a farmer named Fred,

Who loved his llama more than his bed,

He dressed it in pyjamas,

And sang it sweet ballads,

And that’s how he spent his days instead.

I think my limericks are safe for now. Then I asked it to write a poem about love.

Here’s a poem about love:

Love is a feeling that’s hard to describe, It’s like a warm hug that you can’t hide, It’s the way your heart beats when you’re near, And the way your eyes light up with cheer.

Love is the sun on a cloudy day, It’s the rainbow after the rain goes away, It’s the laughter that fills up the room, And the way your heart feels when it starts to bloom.

Love is the feeling that makes life worth living, It’s the joy that comes from giving and giving, It’s the way your soul sings when you’re in love, And the way your heart soars like a dove.

I hope you enjoyed it! 😊

Then I asked it for a 200-word story about a man who finds a vampire living in his barn:

John had always known that there was something strange about the old barn on his property. But he never could have guessed what he would find inside.

One day, while doing some repairs, John stumbled upon a hidden room in the barn. Inside, he found a coffin and a man sleeping inside it. At first, John thought the man was dead, but then he saw his chest rise and fall.

The man woke up and introduced himself as Vlad. He explained that he was a vampire who had been living in the barn for centuries. John was shocked but also fascinated by Vlad’s story.

Over time, John and Vlad became friends. Vlad taught John about the history of vampires and how to protect himself from them. In return, John helped Vlad adjust to modern life.

Eventually, Vlad decided it was time to move on. He thanked John for his friendship and disappeared into the night.

John never forgot about Vlad and often wondered where he had gone. But he was grateful for the experience and knew that he would never forget the time he spent with the vampire in his barn.

Okay, so not amazing but interesting, right? Not wholly awful. And then I got it to do something I think it did brilliantly.

I asked it to do a review of a pizza I had the night before, and then focus on the sourdough base ith a positive slant, and then describe a fictitious new york restaraunbt. It dod all of this in about 5 seconds…

The combination of anchovies, olives, and blue cheese may not be for everyone, but for those who enjoy these toppings, this pizza is a real treat.

The salty flavor of the anchovies pairs perfectly with the tangy blue cheese and the briny olives. The crust is crispy and chewy, providing the perfect base for the toppings.

Overall, this pizza is a great choice for those who are looking for something a little different. It’s not your typical pepperoni pizza, but it’s definitely worth trying if you’re feeling adventurous.

The sourdough pizza base was absolutely delicious. It had the perfect balance of chewiness and crispiness, with a tangy flavor that complemented the toppings perfectly.

The crust was thin and crispy, with just the right amount of char around the edges. The sourdough flavor was subtle but definitely noticeable, adding an extra layer of complexity to the pizza.

Overall, I would highly recommend this pizza to anyone who loves sourdough bread or is looking for something a little different from their usual pizza. It’s definitely worth trying!

This pizzeria is an absolute gem! The small tables with chequered tablecloths give it a cozy and welcoming atmosphere that is perfect for a night out with friends or family.

The staff are incredibly friendly and attentive, making sure that you have everything you need to enjoy your meal. They are always happy to make recommendations and answer any questions you may have.

The pizza itself is absolutely delicious. The crust is crispy and chewy, with just the right amount of char around the edges. The sauce is tangy and flavorful, and the toppings are always fresh and delicious.

Overall, I would highly recommend this pizzeria to anyone who loves great food and great service. It’s definitely worth checking out if you’re in the area!

AND THEN I ASKED IT FOR A HAIKU ABOUT LEAVES

Leaves fall gently down,
Dancing in the summer breeze,
Nature’s poetry.

I have no idea where this all ends, but it is happening, and it is happening very fast. Get used to it. Understand it. It is going to change everything…

Oh and I havent even got into its ability to generate images – but it does that too. The image for this prompt was generated to a description I gave Dal-E. Lord alone knows what this means for art and artists…

On the matter of eating endangered species

ONE FROM THE ARCHIVES

I would not eat a panda

it does not appeal to me

Despite it being grass fed

and not tough and quite juicy

It’s flesh I would not sauté

bake or broil or steam or fry

I would not make some pastry

and then bake it in a pie

Please do not serve me blue whale

it would surely be obscene

To brown it in a skillet

with chopped garlic and some cream

I could not sample blow hole

or a steak of flesh most pink

Do not prepare me sperm whale

or an orca or a mink

Bald Eagle’s off the menu

it could never pass my lips

I’d never shallow fry it

And then serve it with some chips

Please do not bring it to me

if you do I will reject

The smorgasbord of tasty

claws and wings and beaks and necks

Be gone you furry entrée

do not ask me to abide

A puppy stuffed with kitten

and Koala on the side

It leaves me feeling queasy

and on me it does repeat

I gag on eucalyptus

flavoured mar-su-pi-al meat

I’d never eat a chilli

made of simians for sure

Orang-utan with lentils

that I surely would deplore

I’d not enjoy chim-pan-zee

milk poached with fresh vanilla

I’d rather eat a salad

than bar-be-cued gorilla

But pig and cow I’ll gorge on

and chickens fill the belly

Once eels I even sampled

But the hot ones not in jelly

So why’s each species different

some not headed for the pot

whilst others we eat freely

quite delicious cold or hot

——————————————————–

Fancy something else?
https://afterwards.blog/2017/07/03/first-blog-post/
https://afterwards.blog/2017/07/14/we-unlikely-few/

Oh those yummy dirty bits

mmmmmmmeaty goodness

There are those who will dine

on fine foods and great wine

and who want just the finest of treats

But not me, no, no way

I’m quite proud when I say

Im a fan of the less refined meats

 

Give me Pies filled with heart

though it does make me fart

give me puddings of tripe, brains and balls

though it makes me quite gassy

I can still keep it classy

and with gravy for sure eat it all

 

Give me chicken arse flan

I’m not bothered with ham

give me dishes pile high with pig scrotum

I’ve this recipe for stew

with the balls of gnu

and some others, so good,  ‘cos I wrote ’em

 

Oh I cannot resist

the dark meats on my list

how i crave juicy brains, spine and liver

feed me pies filled with wings

of all high flying things

lick my lips in delight how I shiver

 

Dont cast doubt or dispute

nature’s leftover fruit

say ‘perhaps’ if your offered intestines

you might just take delight

at each savoury bite

as you wash it down with rich red house wines