Entertainment

Poem 463 – ‘Hannibal’ Moments

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Remember those sliding puddles?
I had one as a child. Too many
hours spent moving numbers back
and forth to get them all in order.
The temptation to prize them out
with a screwdriver was always present…

Often life can seem like that;
sliding a piece into the right
place causes others to drop out.
Occasionally, however, there are wonderful
A-Team moments when everything falls
into place and the plan comes together!

I’ve been fighting with the mix for the livestream of our services. Getting everything balanced and at the right volume has been a constant challenge. Today, however, it all dropped into place.
(23.03.25)

© Ben Quant 2025
Image Micha L. Rieser, used with permission

Poem 445 – Motormouth

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The Young Ones are
not quite so young.
Alternative?
Not quite as much.

Blackadder has
gone over the top,
the Thin Blue Line
gone out for lunch.

We Will Rock You
has left the building,
and growing older
means losing touch.

But when all is said
the show is over,
motormouth Elton
still packs a punch.

A busy day has been perfectly capped with an evening out watching Ben Elton. Nostalgic, certainly. Generational, sure. But something to say? Definitely.
(05.03.25)

© Ben Quant 2025
Photo licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Germany license https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:BenElton.jpg

Poem 407 – A World in a Word

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Sometimes a simple name can conjure a sound,
produce a tone or mood, or evoke a colour.
Try John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock,
Cannonball Adderley, Wayne Shorter, Charlie Parker.
Say them out loud to enter a world now gone,
where bands chase the elusive rhythm of
adrenaline beating, coloured black and white,
and tinted blue.

Spent this afternoon working to a soundtrack of Blue Note Jazz.
(26.01.25)

© Ben Quant 2025
Photo William P. Gottlieb, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Poem 405 – Rhyme Around The Clock

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Better late than never,
My daily attempt at rhyme,
This stab at wordsmith rhythm only
Squeezes in on time.

A jazzy slate of syllables,
Alliteration rock,
It finally makes its debut on
The last seconds of the clock.

The metronome helps meter
Iambic beats combine
And with a crash of consonants
We make the end bar line.

Home alone, I got distracted playing my guitar, and almost forgot my daily poem…
(24.01.25)

© Ben Quant 2025
Photo by Kobby Mendez on Unsplash

Poem 397 – Alliterative Allies, Tricky Traitors

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Leon, like, I literally love,
But loopy Linda what a laugh!

Lisa left her liturgy, whilst
Shameful Charlotte shifts her tongue.

Manipulating Minah makes her move
But fearful Freddie finds the answer.

Francesca chooses to chew things over
But artfully, Alex avoids attention.

As Alexander articulates
Leanne angrily argues back.

Jubilantly Jake announces, ‘I knew it!’
but Anna never knows it’s coming…

Will feuding faithfuls find the faithless
or treacherous traitors survive in triumph?

The opening admiration of Leon was uttered by one of the contestants on The Traitors last night (15.01.25). It’s alliteration immediately caught my attention, I knew it had to become a poem…
(16.01.25)

© Ben Quant 2025
Photo David Kratz, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Poem 392 – Boardroom Betrayal

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Today, all day,
I sat in a meeting
And found myself
Wondering

Wouldn’t it
be more fun
If someone was
A traitor…

From time to time
We’d break into
Subcommittees
And scheme

And then we’d draw
Our pens and cast
A suspect out
Before

The constitution
Affords the traitor
A chance to veto
Someone’s voice.

After a six hour meeting, it was good to come home and catch up with Traitors, a complete contrast!
(11.01.25)

© Ben Quant 2025
Photo by Tim Gouw on Unsplash

Poem 390 – Traitors

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Tricky decisions have to be made as
Round the round table divisions are played.
Against one another in plotting and scheming
In devious manoevers, of success they are dreaming.
Tripping each other with unfolding feelings
Of who they suspect of foul play in their dealings.
Respect has no place as they race to the gold,
So gather your wits or be left in the cold…

New Year, new series of Traitors, and once again we’re hooked.
(09.01.25)

© Ben Quant 2025
Photo by Tyler Quiring on Unsplash