Life in degrees is a personal poetry and occasional short story blog .
Life is seen in many different ways or degrees and with the help of poetry, stories, music and art we may view it from many perspectives.
Poetry is medication for the soul

All contributions and comments will be welcomed Kez


All material on this site is copyright so please ask for permission for use.

Life In degrees ,Poetry and Stories for a different slant on Life

Below Are some Links Of other sites you may be interested in. ( more to be added )


Monday 31 October 2011

Doolally Doris

Doolally Doris 

We have a haunting 
Its not that daunting 
It's an old dame called Doris 
Who use to live wild in the forest 
She is the craziest  ghost, 
 But unlike most 
She loves to act daft! 
Have a laugh!
So every Halloween 
She has the same old routine, 
She floats in to town, 
Shadows all the children around 
She chuckles and jokes 
Like a very drunken bloke 
This is her treat, 
To all of us in the street, 
BUT 
She is so spookily of her nut 
She bids us farewell 
By Cheekily 
Flashing her butt !





Submitted to :dVerse Poets Open link night where poets share 
And              :Funny Friday at The Purple Tree House

Sunday 30 October 2011

CRACKS !!!

This poem was inspired by this brilliant Pavement art for the theme of  Halloween, submitted to Gooseberry Gardens Poetry Picnic

Cracks !!!


Halloween approaches as autumn encroaches 
The structures of all worlds fractured and torn 
No-one or nothing prepare for what is to be born, 
In the heavens above are gods who are misunderstood 
Us 'twixt between, angry at governments, not good! 
Then there is those way down below, 
Where no mortal man wants or dreams to go.
Awaiting this date to avenge their fate. 
Small cracks which have appeared 
Things needing mending but mere mortals sneer, 
Allowing their societies to riot, spread notoriety, 
The undead seize their chances to walk amongst men 
Hoping their gods may this time pardon them,
They are the undead condemned to fiery hell, 
A peaceful existence would not bode well 
The murders, rapists and all of life's scum 
Become the undead or zombies if they don't succumb
To an ordered pleasant reality 
A human race, loving and respecting community. 
But those cracks that have appeared in our earthly existence, 
Negate our guarantee of evil resistance! 
So if pavement cracks suddenly appear 
Scream loudly scream out in fear 
In hope that your fellow man 
Will help you fight evil if he can 
But the horror of this world 
Is that people's ability for empathy is unfurled 
Evil is not the zombies or the undead 
Fear only those that breathe instead !

Pippa The Posing Penguin ( chids lit )

Pippa The Posing Penguin 
Jinksy

Pippa the penguin dreamt every night
Of little sprites that weren't black or white
They usually danced and pranced
In and around her bed
Sprinkling  stardust occasionally upon her head
Then one very, very, snowy, snowy night
Pippas dream seem different real, somehow bright!
The little sprites who weren't black and white,
Sprinkled the stardust up and down and all around,
      They got all together and made Pippa laugh like a clown,
They tickled her toes,
her tail ,flippers
and then her nose
The stardust stuck and created a sensation
Pippa was a star in her snowy,snowy nation
 In her two tone world of black and white
Pippa was front page news overnight !


Submitted to : In Tandem  where art and poetry meet 

Natures Revenge

Natures Revenge  


Man asked nature 
"What have you done to me 
Mortified my body and turned me into a tree" 
Mother nature answered in her defense, 
Clogging my planet with acidic, Carboniferous, filthy, spew, 
As the planet's mother, what else could I do?
now you can feel the effects of your carelessness 
See all the suffering your greed has caused, all the duress!" 
But man asked Mother Nature "what shall I consume?" 
Mother Nature replied 
with a sigh 
"You my dear will soon become a broom!"  


Submitted to :dVerse Poets Poetics  call and response theme hosted by Claudia 


Wednesday 26 October 2011

Natures Dance

Natures Dance 
Sky Reading by A Chance of Sunshine

MY oh My don't get upset, don't cry, 
Put your bad thoughts in the breeze,
Let them go, let them fly, 
Dance daintily with the leaves,
For when your feeling blue,
Nature will always be there for you


My oh My don't spill your tears, don't cry,
Put all your hurt in the wind,
Sing out loud, don't sigh,
Let the hurt go, let it fly,
For when he's been unkind
Nature is there for you!

My oh my, share your true love,
 Put your heart in his soul,
Dance and soar like a dove,
Let your feelings go, let two become whole,
  For when you've found the one,
Natures tricks have been done !


Thank you to :A Chance of Sunshine  for the lovely picture prompt 






Tuesday 25 October 2011

It's All Relative

It's All Relative 
Street art by Vango Situated In Kilarney Ireland





If Einstein had lived today ,
Could if affect how we live, work and play? 

Would Albert  Einstein felt empowered ,
Or would he have spent hours and hours
Just  surfing and Googling on the internet !
Would he have wasted his capabilities ?
So never discovering the theory of relativity.
Instead maybe he'd have a blog,
Tweeting for hours with caffeine to slog ! 


What would have happened to poor old Einstein
If Cern had existed in his time ?
Those clever bespectacled boffins
Really would have caused him chagrin,
 Finding particles seemingly faster than the speed of light,
Which those boffins keep testing, to check its right
The little blighters that they found
Has stunned the world confused and confounded
 The pesky particles they call neutrinos,
Would surely have driven poor Einstein to vino !

If Albert had been alive today
Not made his scientific in roads, in his way,
Would cyberspace still have been a possibility,
Or is it all just a question of relativity ?


 Submitted to :dVerse Poets for their Open Link Night where poets share 

Thursday 20 October 2011

Dreamy Dragons ( Childs Lit )

Dreamy Dragons 
Natasha Head 

                                       The last two baby dragons 
That roamed the earth, 
Only blew fire of lava for mirth, 
Without big grown up dragons there to help 
They feasted upon only fruits, candy and kelp, 
Every day they frolicked around and jousted, 
Their wickedness diluted, slowly ousted, 
 The red,hot raging, fire that they breathed, 
Diminished daily as they teethed
Their skin that was very, very, dry and glum 
Turned bright, beautiful, rainbow colours that were fun 
So the fire breathing beasties of the past, 
Those bad ones were never ever going to last. 
Now all the dragons in our minds, 
Are now beautiful,colourful and kind!  
Breathing only stardust and moon beams
Popping up only in our fairy tales and favourite dreams! 


 Submitted to : In Tandem  where art inspires !..this weeks picture created by Natasha Head 

Tuesday 18 October 2011

Reach For The Sky


Reach For The Sky 
If we could put our head in the clouds, 
When our world become too loud, 
Could we use this as an escape, 
So our ills could evaporate? 

If we could stand way back, 
Could we cleanse societies plaque,
Clear up the unwanted debris, 
Allow our children to play free?  

If we could reach for the sky, 
Would it dismiss our earthly woes goodbye, 
Release us from financial cuffs, 
  So global markets let us pay just enough? 

So play in the clouds 
Where dreams are allowed, 
For if we lose all hope, 
This world won't cope 
 So Reach for the sky 
 Go on just try !

Submitted to : Dverse Poets  for their Open Link Night check it out a site where writers share 

Monday 17 October 2011

Spiders Beware !


Spiders Beware !
MK Citizen
Halloween approaches, 
 A time of witches and cockroaches, 
But there's a different invasion  
Creepy crawlies of another persuasion 
They've scuttled into Milton Keynes 
Spiders so wicked and so very mean
Occasionally they'd like to munch 
On humans flesh for their Lunch
They hide everywhere 
So on Halloween beware!
Of the black, shiny, creepy, critters, 
That if they bite will surely give you jitters,
Leave the spiders alone to play! 
Quietly leave and sneak away, 
 Tell a grown up what you've seen
Then trick or treat for Halloween ! 


This Story was reported in The Milton Keynes Citizen On October 17th 2011


Saturday 15 October 2011

Fatties


This weekend, I would like for you to choose a taboo topic and pen out your thoughts. Be as open and honest as you possibly can. If what you are writing begins to make you uncomfortable…good. The point of this exercise is to free your mind, expand your voice and challenge yourself to explore new ideas within description. This is an opportunity to learn how to overcome the uncomfortable and teach yourself how to use your words to define those things in a new way so that next time you are faced with one of those “taboo” prompts, you can go forth and be…

FATTIES 

I'm fed up with fashion magazines 
Who fill their pages with trendy diets, 
Purely designed for fat queens 
I know I should whisper this, be quiet, 
But I'm gonna shout it loud! 
Say it proud, 
I'm on a cream cake regime 
Yeah fatties ... go on scream ! 
I'm Not skinny ,just lean, 
Not bitter but wanna be mean 
I've had enough, 
Of scouring shops for clothes, 
That cling in the right places 
So fat people think it's fine 
To carry on stuffing their faces. 
I'm a middle age woman who needs some grace,
I don't want to wear kids t-shirts,
With the latest pop stars face, 
Manufacturer keep making  things
Bigger and bigger!
Fatties continue to binge and binge 
How is that suppose to help the obese figure? 
Those money making supermarket, 
Should make their doors real tight, 
That would surely help the fatties fight their fight, 
Clothes should be fashioned with less fabric,
Perhaps something in the fatties brain would then click 
My life shouldn't be made harder 
Because some people can't stay out of their larder 
I'm On a cream cake regime  
So go on fatties  SCREAM ! 




 Submitted to : dVerse Poetics  for the above prompt

Life's Like That !


Life's Like That  

Photo by Susan Grant 

Life's like that 
Up and down 
Same routines 
Round and round 
Frighten to change 
Scared to drown ! 

Life's like that 
For young and old, 
A cyclical roundabout, 
A need for control 
Marching of times 
Until
 Our final bell chimes! 

Life's like that 
Up and down 
Same old, same old, 
Round and round, 
Until 
We change Our mould !

Life's like that 
Until, 
We make that lunge, 
Take the plunge, 
Jump into waters uncharted,
Pump ompfh into our lives 
Get our dreams started 
Life's like that !

More Pictures by : Susan Grant

Wednesday 12 October 2011

Mojo Interrupted


MOJO  INTERRUPTED 

Jinksy 

Cool, pale, washed out, 
Speak quietly, don't shout!
Chilling, trying to capture back my vibrancy, 
My  Mojo seems to have lost its intensity  
My world appears to me ghostly pale  
My movements have slowed like a snail 
So speak softly ,don't shout, 
I need time, peace and quiet,
To coax 
My Mojo back out !

 Written for IN TANDEM  where Art and Words meet 

Tuesday 11 October 2011

Behind Closed Doors

Behind Closed Doors 
Jef Aérosol à Paris 


Shush quiet Can you hear ?
Your closest neighbours 
Screaming in fear
Vibrating through the earthly still
A blood curling, piercing, spine chilling,shrill,
Behind close doors where few may peek
May live a hideous inhuman freak,
Only here in human form
Waiting patiently for a new moon to dawn,
Then its fangs will appear organically
His thirst for blood will grip him manically
So your neighbour who you greet
Say hello too each time you meet,
May not be all he seems,
So shush quiet
Can you hear
Your neighbour

Scream 
  



Thank you to The Poetry Palace for this Award 
I would Like to Nominate 

Monday 10 October 2011

Friend


Friend 
We've been on each others team 
God how long has it been?
Years and decades 
Through bad times 
And wicked escapades
Literally through youth 
The births, our baby's first tooth,
I've seen the men you've dated 
The ones that you always overrated. 
 I'd love for you to find your match, 
But none of them ever seem up to scratch,
You know I'm always here, 
If you ever ever need an ear! 
We may not always agree 
But friendship is a potpourri 
Feelings are shared, intense
Lives become entwined, condensed 
Forever gelling cementing 
 OUR FRIENDSHIP 

Submitted to  Goosberry Garden Poetry Picnic on the theme of friendship and relationships 

Friday 7 October 2011

Anyone For A Kickabout

Anyone For A Kickabout 

We were off to visit my great, great Auntie Jean 
She was old, wrinkly, spindly and mean, 
Because of her big cabaggy ears 
She had a horn made of bone so she could hear 
She'd shout real loud she said to make her self-clear
In her rickety rickety old house made of wood 
We played quietly like mice that was understood 
She kept strange things high up on shelves 
An eyeball in a jar and dolls that looked like elves 
From the shelves hung whips of dried up lavender
As far as I know, she was never a gardener 

One night when the moon shone and I couldn't rest 
I crept down those creaky stairs quiet as I could, I tried my best 
I  sat on the bottom step and saw with my very own eyes 
The dolls come to life, turned in to their Elfy guise,
They shimmed down the lavender ropes 
                                        
Somehow with the jar aloft they kind of coped
They dance upon the jar top 
And clapped with glee when it went pop 
That staring eye was suddenly kicked out 
The elves went mad and began to shout 
The next I knew they were playing eyeball!
The eye was kicked as they played 
The eyeball rolled and gunge was splayed 
it looked like there had been a slug invasion 
Slime was all over the house on that occasion 
No one team seem to win a game 
But one of the elves became very lame 
All his kin seem suddenly scared 
And shimmed back up the lavender 
It seemed they didn't care! 

Next morning I found, I had fallen asleep at the bottom of the stairs 
What I saw next, tickle me all over, even hair!
My  great,great auntie Jean pick up the now still dead elf 
Looked up and counted the others were still on the shelf 
With one flick of her hand, the elf melted into her hearing horn
The bit she held it by, the bit that was well worn! 
She search the floor, scoured all about, 
"where's that eyeball gone" she began to shout 
She followed some slime trails around the room 
Then finally she spied it, it had rolled beside her broom

Never was I to return to my great great Auntie Jeans 
But I was never to forget what I swear I had seen 
So beware of old ladies with bits on very high shelves 
For they may need a new team of eyeball playing elves   


A Scream In The Night

                   Scream In The Night 

scared catAs I lay with the light shining eerily off the moon,
I slept soundly, morning always came way too soon !
When suddenly, a wild piercing blood curdling scream
Startled me to a jolt from my world of dreams,
I sat bolt upright,chilled to the bone,
Something not human. possessed my home, 
Banging and thumping I could hear from afar, 
The moon light skipped in through my door ajar,
Gingerly, half asleep, I stumbled out of my bed, 
To face the confusion that was causing me dread ! 
The screaming bounced around, resonating off every wall,
I tiptoed as quiet as I could, heart beating into the hall,
The banging and screaming multiplied and amplified,
My beating heart and thumping fear became louder, fortified,
scared catThe source of the hullabaloo became clearer and clearer,
I edged up closer and closer getting nearer and nearer 
To the terrific noise, the source which was now hardcore !
As I felt along the wall with fingertips to the mouth of the door,
Entering I came face to face with a pink coloured tangle,
                            
                            
Goo Oozing out of a face that seemed mangled,

A monster possessed just wanting to fight, 
I'd completely forgot that tonight was that night
I promised, I'd take to it like a duck to water, 
A night I could look after my god-daughter 
A cuddle and coo to this little angel ensued
For if her mummy and daddy knew this story,
I would be totally screwed !!!!



 Submitted to the: The Purple Treehouse

Thursday 6 October 2011

Just Another Day

Just Another Day 
Jinksy 


Mauve, muted ,mountains in early morning heat, 
Constructed by men and robots with steel and concrete,
Some eerie echoing within,
Containing the tools for the working day to begin, 
Others a hive of activity,
 A cacophony of society. 

Mauve, muted ,mountains slowly turn to grey, 
As the heat intensifies on another summers day, 
Buzzing workers replace the eerie echo
Babies and families make their own social ghetto,
Creating this hive of society, 
 A cacophony of activity!  



Submitted to IN TANDEM  where art become the prompt for more creativity                                                                                        

Wednesday 5 October 2011

The Versatile Blogger Award

The Versatile Blogger Award 


1. Thank the person who nominated you for the Award 
2. Next nominate 15 Bloggers for the award and notify them 
3.Finally tell readers seven things about yourself 

I would like to thank Sarah Johnstone for this award and also her daughter Ann and that they included me along with so many writers and bloggers I admire.
Thank you Sarah and Ann 
Sarah and Anns Blog 

My 15 Nominated Blogs 

Seven things about me 
1. I'm married for 27 years and have 2 grown children
2. I coached boys football (soccer ) for 7 years 
3. I have appeared on daytime TV because of a poem 
4. I am almost 2 years post kidney transplant ( halloween )
5. I have had several poems and a short story published 
6. I love writing Kids rhymes or picture book rhymes 
7. My secret indulgence is food ...cooking, eating, creating and reading about it ! (I feel another blog looming )