National Backward Day 31.1.19

National Backward Day 31.1.19

All manner of trouble is to be found 

When Backwards Day turns things around. 

A shaggy DOG is now a GOD,

Your trusted DOC is just a COD,

LIVE show hosts host EVIL guests,

You order DESSERTS but just get STRESSED.

LAGER louts become REGAL sorts 

Drinking noisily through their WARTS.

PUPILS SLIP UP in A level stats

And the sky at night is full of RATS.

Poor old SEMORDNILLAPS* -

Backwards Day creates mishaps. 

But all is not lost on Backwards Day 

As PALLINDROMES** read either way...

So ABBA survives,

Both SEXES alive,

SOLOS are sung,

And SAGAS begun.

A KAYAK remains a lowly boat,

A RACECAR speeds but doesn’t float. 

Pallindrome thoughts that are rather odd:

DAMMIT I’M MAD and DO GEESE SEE GOD?

Rachel McCoubrie 31.1.19

*SEMORDNILLAPS = words that become a different word when spelled backwards

**PALLINDROMES = words that read the same forwards and backwards

National Earth Day 22.4.18

National Earth Day 🌎🌍🌏

If EARTH fell to pieces

We’d be out on our EAR,

Unable to HEAR,

Left with nothing to EAT

Except maybe a RAT 

While shedding a TEAR. 

If the WORLD was in bits

With a falling DOW,

There’d be a big ROW. 

We would grow OLD 

With a ROD for our backs

We’d all feel so LOW. 

If our PLANET was ruined,

Not a PLANT left to see

Not an APE nor a PET;

No salmon to LEAP 

Into our NET. 

Where would we be?

Let’s make a PLAN

Over an ALE or a TEA,

It’s not too LATE

To keep it NEAT...

LET’SKEEPITALLTOGETHER.

Rachel McCoubrie 22.4.18

Life without Ella... 💔

Without maple, we still have syrup.

With no pea, nut butter remains.

Without raspberries, the jam goes on.

Without lemons, we’ve curds (and whey).

But without Ella, all that’s left is a Nut. 

A Play....on words 🖋 #wordplay

Today was World Poetry Day. I cobbled this together on the lead up to midnight. 🖋


A play... on words.

My word, I like to play with words

I play a round each day;
Alliterate and spoonerise,
With similes like glorious smiles.
Metaphors are handy for
When my chin is on the floor.

Cross words are often written,
Many cryptic, or black and white.
Literature is literal fun,
And everybody loves a pun;
But mortgages do not get paid 
By playing round with words this way. 

2018

That's cricket!

My husband loves cricket. I have watched the occasional game but have never quite mastered the lingo or understood the rules. I'm sure it doesn't need to be this complicated....?!

That's cricket!

Those who are to blame

For giving complex names

To this great British game

Ought to be ashamed.

They gave it a dimension

Defying comprehension,

Leaving me confused

And a little bemused.

Let’s start with an easy bit -

The keeper keeps the wicket,

The batsman bats before it,

But if his leg’s before it,

Then he’s out.

(Or so the bowler shouts!)

If you’re already muddled,

You’re going to be in trouble.

Your leg may well be fine,

But it must be a bind

To know you are the leg

Of the long or short kind,

Or find your leg slip

Or bigger nightmare –

How can you run

When your leg is square?

And next, there is this -

There are one to seven slips

(As well as the leg,

Like I’ve already said).

To complicate it all,

The slips don’t tend to fall

But, to my surprise,

They do have a fly.

The mid may be off

Or he may be on.

The gully isn’t in one,

Nor cover under covers.

Point doesn’t have to point,

Nor the sweeper sweep,

Confused yet? I know,

It’s enough to make you weep!

Just when you think

It can’t get any worse,

I’ll start on the silly ones –

Don’t start to curse!

There’s a silly mid-on,

And a silly mid-off,

A silly point (it isn’t really),

And a silly square leg!

Equally absurd

Are the words

That are heard

In the bowler’s world.

Spin may be spun

From different body bits,

From the leg, or the finger

Or even the wrist.

Beamer and bouncer,

Googlie and Yorker -

Ridiculous names

For this gentleman’s game.

They sound like names of dwarves,

Forgive me being cheeky,

But next you’ll be bowling

A “Grumpy” or “Sneezy.”

Bowling a Chinaman

Can be quite fine -

To get a good spin,

Just give him a shine.

On that bizarre note,

I’ll end this rhyme...

Maybe I’ll understand
It more next time.

Rachel McCoubrie 2005
Painting by (Uncle) John Charlesworth