Saturday, July 24, 2010

The Bus Departs....... where's your ticket?

The weekly poetry bus already has four passengers aboard, and if you include the dog - who is driving this week's challenge and myself, that'll make 17 or so. So, let's get on the road, I'll just keep updating this page until the end of Monday and into Tuesday or whenever, if that's ok with everyone...

The challenge was to write anything with confusion of any kind as a jumping off point.... simple, no?

Here is the driver with a safety video which is specially designed to assure optimum confusion levels before we begin.




First up Jeanne is spinning in confusion here

and Chiccoreal is on the confusing bus here

Argent is on with the truth of Eden here

Also joining us, is Shilpa detailing the storm of confusion here


Gwei Mui is lost in a rain of confusion here

while Peter Goulding is caught in the certain in between over here

Dave King has posted up his elephant trunk related tale over here

Helen's joining us now with a haikutastic bus ticket here

Rachel Fox is on board, back from holidays with her special clickety ticket here

David Mohan is joining us now for his first poetry bus trip, a warm welcome for him on the confusion of wakening here.

The original driver and reason why we're all here Mr Fabulous Total Feckin Eejit is on the case, and insighting on the confusement of life here

And just onboard and examining words of wisdom it's Doctor FTSE - over here

Watercats have arrived just in time to unravel the mysteries of the universe here

A big hello and welcome to Jinksy, splashing out on, not one but two tickets for the bus this week, check em out - here and here

And now the Bug has landed with a fascinating gem washed up from the 80's here

Make way now for the Enchanted Oak, spreading a branch across the cycles of generations here

Titus has joined us now bearing hunger in her confusion here

Domestic Oubliette is hopping on now, map in hand, ready to navigate for the driver here

Here now with some sleepy visions is Erratic Thoughts - over here

P Nolan has joined us now with his confusing contour - check it here

Poetikat's exploration of dementia can be embarked on from here

Martin H, another new-comer to the bus has joined us with a memory of visiting time here, let's squish in and make him very welcome.

And now - Hilary, Blackbirds, Kites, Locusts and Foxes - it could only be Gerry Snape - another newcomer to the bus... and very welcome she is... over here

Finally Bill has arrived with a highly prophetable poem, just through here.



And my effort is as follows:



Taxed

I have a number, for social security

Should I call when I feel insecure -

to get advice from a social guardian angel?


My worth is estimated and hours of work endured

are skimmed off the top, hours worked for greater good

like it or not


There's ways to get these later hours back,

a hundred ways to split the cracks and let

your jingling pocket sing with change


you can rearrange yourself and trick the System into thinking that

you're single, that you've given all to precious kids, but honey,

don't for god's sake tell them!


Make claims, take heart, declare yourself unable

while brown envelopes are fingered under tables and you squirm

with moistened cute hoor glee

and me? My eyes glaze over when I try to

think of taxes, the summer days seem

too important to shorten

with all the gleaming ways

of being smart with money

34 comments:

Peter Goulding said...

Sorry Niamh, my life revolves around trying to get money back from the taxman. Summer days just drift away....
Made the bus though - http://stammeringpoet.blogspot.com/2010/07/getting-on-bus-gus.html

Unknown said...

I'm on there too just
http://returninghomeinsilkenrobes.blogspot.com/2010/07/poetry-bus-driven-by-niamh.html

Dave King said...

Enjoyable read, just the thing for a bus journey. Well done, indeed.

Booked my journey to begin at noon tomorrow.
http://picsandpoems.blogspot.com

Niamh B said...

Thanks Peter - such a waste of the summer days though!!
Thanks Gwei - yours is up now
Thanks Dave, have the link up anyway, and the folks can follow it from 12.00 tomorrow. :-)

Helen said...

I have written a little haiku to celebrate the bus ride and your driving skill! (not to mention your considerable writing skill!)

Niamh B said...

great to hear it Helen and welcome aboard, you're all linked up now

Rachel Fox said...

Here we go, here we go, here we go...
Here.
x

Argent said...

Right on! What a waste of summer days indeed! Some really nice phrases in here, Niamh.

Niamh B said...

Yay Rachel, thanks for joining, your link is up there now!!

Ah thanks Argent you're very kind
:-)

Anonymous said...

Hi Niamh,

I really liked this one - it's a really good subject for a poem too. These lines really shine 'all the gleaming ways/ of being mart with money.'

The Bug said...

I'm not quite up - I had a traffic jam (two posts already today!) so I'm scheduled for tomorrow. I'll come back to share the link.

Oh I HATE thinking about money & how to save it. As a result I really think that I will be eating cat food in my old age.

Kat Mortensen said...

Nothing yet, but I'm letting the challenge become a sangria of nonsense in my head overnight, so should, with luck have something for you soon.

Kat

Niamh B said...

Thanks Dave - you're very kind, and welcome aboard!
Bug, I sometimes wish we could all eat cat or dog food, it's just so much easier to prepare and seems to have everything they need.
Kat, sounds interesting.
Lookin forward to both of you joining the bus!

Batteson.Ind said...

it's a pisser isn't it!.. money money money!... wonder how much living is lost because of it?.. Loved "squirm with cute hoor glee".. has a really nice tongue thing going on.. oohheerr!...
anyways!.. I'm on board, ding ding :-D
cheers!

Niamh B said...

Thanks Watercats,too much anyway!
Dave and Dr Ftse you're all linked up now!

The Bug said...

OK, as promised, here I am: http://danabugseyeview.blogspot.com/2010/07/poetry-bus-land-of-confusion.html. I'm not sure why I feel the need to have all the words BEFORE the poem.

Enchanted Oak said...

Oooo. I liked your "Taxes" take. Good work! I'm hereby grabbing a seat, Niamh:
Bus Ticket

Titus said...

I have stumbled on board, probably at the wrong stop.
Here: http://titusthedog.blogspot.com/2010/07/poetry-bus-wheres-bus-stop-is-it-monday.html

Titus said...

Ooh, liked yours; interesting choice and that final verse really sings!

Niamh B said...

Thanks Titus you're up and running now

Domestic Oub said...

I'm on!

I think.

http://domesticoubliette.blogspot.com/2010/07/hop-on-bus-gus.html

Niamh B said...

Welcome aboard Oubliette!

Erratic Thoughts said...

Hey, here is my ticket for the bus:

http://myintuitivemind.blogspot.com/2010/07/some-comical-moments-for-ticket-to.html

Hope m not too late :)

Niamh B said...

Not at Erratic Thoughts, plenty of space there

Padhraig Nolan said...

Anseo :
http://pjnolan.blogspot.com/2010/07/poetry-bus-confusion-she-says.html

Niamh B said...

Maith thú PJ, tá fáilte romhat!

Kat Mortensen said...

Oh, ain't that the truth. There was a great joke in our household: my father was a tax auditor Chartered Accountant with Revenue Canada, and his favourite reformed character in the bible was Matthew. We used to laugh whenever the nasty tax collectors were mentioned in the readings.

Money boggles my mind, most times; I let my husband do the tax-stuff.

I'm up here: http://hyggedigter.blogspot.com/2010/07/sleeping-at-back-of-bus-in-dementia.html

Niamh B said...

Thanks Poetikat, maybe us poets need to forget money to leave room for "the art".... Welcome onboard anyhoo, I have you all linked up there now.

Martin said...

I'm new to the poetry bus, so I hope this is okay. I wrote 'Visiting Time' back in November after my stepfather suffered a stroke. I tried to reflect my mother's confusion at the time.

http://square-sunshine.blogspot.com/2009/11/visiting-time.html

Niamh B said...

New passengers always welcome Martin!! Have a seat.

Titus said...

Great driving Niamh - really enjoyed this week's journey and the things I read on it.

Niamh B said...

Thanks Titus :-)

We got some good ones out of it alright... sure it's not the worst aul bus, can't wait to hand over the keys tomorrow though, Tis a tough job minding the bus (if you're really lazy and allergic to any kind of responsibility like some I could name, ie me)
Latecomers are still, as always, welcome though

Dr. Jeanne Iris said...

Ah yes, the Tax man cometh, and the Tax man taketh away! ; )

Actually, I worked my way through college in the File Room of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, where creativity and taxes thrive.

Love this poem, Niamh. Thanks for the great prompt this week. Some terrific poems on this Bus trip!

Niamh B said...

Thanks Jeanne, I was pretty impressed with what people came up with alright! Fair play to you too for leading the charge!