Snowstorms

by Derek Morrison

Snowflakes falling on Ivory Tower
Privileged pressure exerting power
Primed for insult and outrage too
Detecting heretics from any clue
Exorcise those now deemed incorrect
Such bygone stars deserve no respect
So only safe ideas can they exchange
All falling within the comfort range
Learning only where none feels hurt
With no requirement to explore the dirt
In building silos of righteous thought
Militant intolerance has been wrought
Divergent opinions now shut down
For new Puritans to claim the crown
Proclaiming safe speech they defend
But thought-crime is the actual trend
New Hate Weeks they now opine
Defining those that crossed the line
No platforms; don’t hear them speak
Drowning message with shout and shriek
And what Trojan is this free speech zone?
This meme nursery, where weeds are sown
Establish new orthodoxy; apply the codes
Whims and affectations travel scholar’s roads.

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Iron Man

by Derek Morrison

Exercise junky
Multi-marathon man
Endurance cyclist
Part of plan.

Training sorted
Muscles tuned
Supplements swallowed
Nutrients spooned.

Out all weathers
Wind and rain
Ignore discomfort
Feel no pain.

All prizes won
All plaudits received
All now gone
Past is grieved.

Endurance build
Played its part
Such big muscles
Included heart.

Train for marathons
Long distance rides
Some transient injury
Heart’s silence hides.

With recovery time
Of just a week
Return to normal
Heart back to peak.

But …

On frequent challenge
I once did thrive
To lead endurance
You need such drive.

After years of silence
Now pump complains
Can no longer repair
Such repetitive strains.

Heart fibrous tissue
Bad electrical fluxion
Risks irregular rhythms
From faulty conduction.

Artery walls stiff
Things looking black
Furring up risks
Stroke or heart attack.

We endurance veterans
Who train to extreme
Risk such silent injury
That ruins the dream.

So exercise junky
Multi-marathon man
Endurance cyclist
Best review the plan.

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Branded

by Derek Morrison

Frédéric_de_Civry182x300I struggle hard to understand
My obsession with the leading brand
A transient boost to needy pride
Makes this the only one to ride
Reassuringly expensive the price I paid
To project the image I wish conveyed
Pursuing quality is what I claim
Not tacit value in branded name
But lesser brands are just as viable
And many are much more reliable
But Mondeo class would never do
To align with my peers or crew
Dressed in my ersatz sponsored attire
Cueing lifestyle … or perhaps desire
Quality of life is what I sought
And be admired for what I’ve bought
For brand monsters lie within my head
It’s id and ego who must be fed.

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