300 Poems to Make You T.L.C: Think, Laugh and Cry

By Andrew Evzona

This is the follow-up book to the original published on 5th September 2017, and, again, I hope they really do make you “Think, Laugh and Cry”, and thank you for your kind donations to both Diabetes and Dementia charities who will receive a pound for every book sold.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Dec 2, 2021
• ISBN: 9781665594691

Book preview

© 2021 Andrew Evzona. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse  11/19/2021

ISBN: 978-1-6655-9470-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6655-9469-1 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Preface

THINK

The 1950’s

The 1960’s

The 1970s

The 1980s

Crown

Were We Here Before?

Who?

Why Stare At Me?

Did You Say Sorry?

It’s A Mystery

Here and There

Stress

Problem Solved!

Word Association

Smart

Interview

Capable

Good Luck

Bad Luck

Phobias

Ghost

Own The Problem

Pay It Forward

Be Yourself

Faith, Hope and Love

Retirement

Feedback

Light

Silence

Pregnant!

Lying In The Bath

Sweet Temptations

Children’s TV Memories From The 1960s

Colours

Fast Food

Never-ending Sales

Greenford

Sheffield

Estonia

VIP

State Banquet For President Trump

The Cleaner

Muhammad Ali

The Greatest Ever Steeplechase Race

The Grand National

Derby Day

Royal Ascot

World Cup Final 1966

George Best

The Day I Met Terry Curran

The Original London Owls

Vincent O’Brien

Arkle

Three 21st Century Tennis Maestros

The Day I Played Ronnie O’Sullivan

Backgammon

St Andrews Day

The Beatles

The Rolling Stones

Queen

Disco

POTUS or POPE

Dinosaurs

Man’s Best Friend

Robert Brown (Branston’s carer)

Majd

Josie

The Months Of The Year

Mothers Day

I Believe

Truth

Hymns

How Wonderful!

Head Boy

University

Durham

Marriage

The Wedding

Three Wishes

Erection

Different Sounds

New Inventions

21st Century Generations

Which Is Your Favourite?

Chinese New Year

Fourteen

One Hundred

Naïve

Cheating

Irony

How To Stay Safe

What’s In A Name?

Changing Names

All Change

Car Registration Numbers

Skeletons In Your Cupboard

Brexit 2

Etiquette

Multi-tasking

Faster,Safer and Cheaper

Waiting

WIND (Wait, Inquire, Negotiate, Decide)

Uncertainty

Urgent Care

Medication

Life

Dreams

Promises

Scammer

Fireworks

Sorry, I Won’t Be At Work Today!

Rebellious

Muse

Lazy

Fall Out

Stubborn

Community Spirit

The Sun

The Moon

Sitting Down

The River

Black and White

Colourist

The Mirror

The Wind

The Garden

Garden Shed

Sunrise and Sunset

The World Is Our Oyster

Infinity And Beyond

Friend or Foe

Childrens Pastimes Of A Bygone Age

Yesterday,Today,Tomorrow

The Clock

Welcome

Facebook

The I Phone

Codes

Poetry

Why Have Different Nations?

The Class System

Are You Sure?

Concentrate

The Ghost Party

Margaret Thatcher

Twenty One Eighty Four

LAUGH

The Day I Met HRH Prince Charles

Tommy Cooper

The Day I Met Rowan Atkinson

The Times I Met Frank Bruno

The Most Stupid Questions

The Weather Forecaster

April Fool’s Day

Ordering Pizza

Handyman

Mate

Six Monkeys

Driving Instructor

Where Did I Park?

Penalty Charge Notice

Mobile Telephone Instructor

Ventriloquist

Taxi!

Where Are You?

Jaywalking!

Wrong Train!

Dilemmas

Embarrassment

Nag Nag Nag

E Bidelios!.....At Last!

Bad Habits

Celebration

General Election

Join The Queue

Phew!

Confusing English Language

Daft Sayings

I’m Going To

Twaddle and Tosh

Speed-dating

Have You Got Any?

Can I Be Bothered ?

Locked Out!

Animal Sounds

Animal Characteristics

The World’s Tallest

I Can’t Catch You

Surprise

Hotel Ogre

Halloween

Fancy Dress

A Matter Of Disgust

You

Go Away

Cold Call

The Leaving Card

Devalued

Decimal Day

Mergers

Ryanair or Ryunfair?

A Trip To Canada

Wrong Number

A Policeman Calls

Graffiti

Confused.com

Branston 3

Hungry

I’m Not Coming In!

In The Doghouse

At School

Tension

Check-Up

The Magic Of Walt Disney

Dual Place Names

Seven

Superstitions

May

Question Everything, Answer Nothing!

A Visit To The Zoo

A Truly Crazy Journey

Poetic Performer

It Can’t Get Any Worse

Will You Listen?

Abbreviations

Cockney Rhyming Slang

Chat- Up Lines

CRY

Fifteen Minutes Of Fame

Your Country Needs You

Kristallnacht

Please God Don’t Let It Be Me

VJDay 1945

Remembrance Sunday

The Last Post

Live Aid Concert 13th July 1985

Imprisonment

Why Do You Carry A Knife?

Drone Missile Syndrome

Extinction Rebellion

Revolution

Bounty Hunter

Lost Property

Closing Down

Vertigo

Toothache

Pollution

Standstill

2019

Coronavirus

The Wars Of The Future

No Life

2020

I Wish I Was Living On Another Planet

Face Masks

Happy(?) New Year 2021

Could This Be A Wonderful Year?

We Are Lucky

Prisoner

National Health Service

V Day

F Day

Keep Britain Tidy

Catastrophe

Danger

Relegated

Bullying

Better Far Apart Than Close Together

Arrival and Departure

Did You Ever?

Stay In Control

Guinea Pig

Pay For This And Pay For That

Guilty or Not Guilty

Life is Difficult, Death is Easy

Unemployed

Who SaId That?

Downs Syndrome

Lonely

Living Miserably

Loud or Quiet

Dawdler,Ditherer or Decisive

Memory

Leaving A Will

So Where Does It All Go To From Here?

Sirens

Propaganda

Strained Relations

How Long?

Baby

Lisa

Afflicted

Cry

TC

Addiction

Returning

Terminated

The End

The Mourners

It’s Over

Goodbye

Finale

Closing

Preface

Au%20Photo.jpg

I was born in Greenford, Middlesex, England, on Grand National Day 26th March 1955 of Greek Cypriot parents.

I went to Drayton Manor Grammar School, and, worked over 40 years in the Travel Industry, starting with British Airways for almost 13 years, and working for American Express and Hogg Robinson in Business Travel for the past 27 years, and they have now combined forces as American Express Global Business Travel.

I was furloughed following the COVID pandemic, and, then, in November 2020, I changed direction altogether to become a Cover Supervisor Supply Teacher for Reed Recruitment Agency covering schools in the West London area.

This is the follow up book to the original published on 5th September 2017, and, again, I hope they really do make you Think, Laugh and Cry, and, thank you for your kind donations to both Diabetes and Dementia charities who will receive a pound for every book sold.

THINK

The 1950’s

Written 12th May 2018

The 1950’s were the aftermath of a brutal Second World War

Where so many lives had been lost, and it could have been many more

Countries left in ruins, with buildings burnt and torn

Though matters had at least improved by the time that I was born

Yet there were still problems in Korea, The Suez and Vietnam

As more countries fought for independence, and, I was in my pram

It was the decade which saw the very beginnings of the space race

Between America and Russia, and, neither were prepared to lose face

It was a time of Churchill, Stalin, De Gaulle, Eisenhower and Chairman Mao

Would peace return to the World, as Pope Pius showed us how

New role models emerged, Elvis, Dean, Sinatra, Taylor and Monroe

A youth culture was formed with no particular place to go

1952 was probably seen as the most famous year then

As Elizabeth became Queen, having already married Lieutenant Mountbatten

The ceremony was televised, and, shown all over the World

And those lucky enough to be there saw the flag unfurled

Transportation and roads improved with more cars to be seen

Buses, trams, trains and aeroplanes were no longer a dream

The movies became spectacular with various epics galore

Rock n’ Roll music was born, and, everyone hit the dance floor

Sports stars included Fangio, Marciano, Puskas and Pele from Brazil

Devon Loch threw away the Grand National, as the Munich plane crash so many did kill

Who can forget Roger Bannister breaking the four-minute mile

While Emil Zatopek was the greatest long distance runner for a long while

Indeed, the 1950’s were certainly a relief compared to life before

Though you had to wait until you were 21 to be given the key to the door

I was attending infants school as the decade came to a close

Would the 1960’s be any better, the answer was... who knows?

The 1960’s

Written 12th May 2018

The Swinging Sixties, as they were known, started with a Cold War

As both America and Russia had their eyes on seizing more

This led to the creation of the Berlin Wall in 1961

And, for a while, it seemed this decade would have little fun

The Royal Family, at least, was finally made complete

As Andrew and Edward joined Charles and Anne with celebrations in the street

Everyone remembers where they were on 22nd November 1963

The tragic day of the assassination of John F Kennedy

This was the decade when Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space

It would just be a matter of time before a man on the moon was in place

Millions spent on rockets launched, though it wasn’t very long

One small step for Man, one giant leap for Mankind stated Neil Armstrong

The music scene came alive with the sight of Mods and Rockers

On their scooters and motor-bikes, though some of us were just Mockers

The Beatles and The Rolling Stones ruled the world with their songs

As parents tried to keep order, teaching children the rights and wrongs

Famous musicals like West Side Story, The Sound Of Music and My Fair Lady too

Epics like The Big Country, Zulu, The Good The Bad and The Ugly to thrill me and you

Going to the cinema was more popular than ever before

I loved my school holidays with extra pocket money to go and see more

Discoveries were happening all the time in Science and Medicine

Everyone was becoming more competitive, and, determined to win

Double Decker buses were introduced, and, motorways expanded

And, by 1969, the first Concorde had taken off and landed

Sports heroes included Ali, Best, Sobers, Laver and Arkle

As England were the 1966 World Champions in Football

I was at junior school as my team had a 2-0 lead in the FA Cup Final

Sadly, Sheffield Wednesday lost 3-2 to Everton, and, I turned to the Bible

True, the 1960’s were generally happy times as we’d dance and sing

With mini-skirts, smart suits, and, the hippies doing their own thing

Three TV channels to enjoy with so much variety

Would the 1970’s be even better, we’d have to wait and see

The 1970s

Written 24th May 2018

The 1970s were strange, and, mysterious times indeed

As the era of glitter, and, rebellion would be shocking to read

The likes of David Bowie, Marc Bolan and Alice Cooper too

While The Beatles broke up leaving their fans blue

President Nixon was impeached for his Watergate strife

As the Vietnam War ended with such a sad waste of life

However, the violence continued in the Middle East to no avail

A Peace Treaty finally signed, that was always doomed to fail

It was a time of desperate strikes for better conditions and pay

There was an oil crisis, though the creation of The European Space Agency

While, Gene Cernan was the very last man on the moon

Space Stations opened as space travel would be coming soon

Our currency was decimalised as we joined The Common Market

Our population increasing far more than the expected target

Racism was everywhere, as society changed bit by bit

Trouble flared on the streets, as the litmus paper was lit

Advances in Medicine were at a remarkable pace

Louise Brown, the first child born via IVF in place

Computers appeared, videos, and, original cell phones too

High speed trains, and, it was a time when more people flew

Stunning movies with sequels made to satisfy me and you

The Godfather, Superman, Star Wars and Rocky too

My iconic moment was The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust

While the Punk Revolution provided anarchy and lust

Sports heroes Nijinsky and Secretariat both won The Triple Crown

Cruyff, Muller, Stewart and Spitz, the fastest swimmer in town

Borg, McEnroe, Red Rum and the greatest fight of all

As Ali beat Foreman in the Rumble in the Jungle brawl

By the decade’s close, we had our first female Prime Minister

Controversial for sure, her name was Margaret Thatcher

She would begin to take on trade unions, fearless to the end

Though relationships would become strained, and, difficult to mend

The 1980s

Written by 18th November 2018

The 1980s was a decade for computers and care

Technology was quickly advancing everywhere

And it was easier to communicate all over planet Earth

As our academics began to show their true worth

The first space shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981

The same year that cancer sufferer, Bob Champion, won

The Grand National on former stricken horse, Aldaniti

While the immortal Shergar won the Derby easily

Thatcherism prevailed in the UK, we were encouraged to buy not rent

Though times were not straightforward, as, most earnings were spent

It was a decade for the New Romantics, dress and looks too

Electronic music was popular, and, dance music all night through

Ronald Reagan, the former actor, was President of the USA

While his wife introduced the "Just Say No’’ campaign, to keep drugs away

As poverty and famine was rife in several countries worldwide

Bob Geldof created the amazing Live Aid Concert, in 1985, with pride

Conflicts continued, sadly, and over a million died in the Iran-Iraq war

As humans had clearly not learnt the lessons from before

1986 saw the frightening Chernobyl nuclear disaster

As much radioactive debris spread, everywhere, thereafter

The same year saw Maradona score with the Hand of God

As Argentina beat England in the World Cup, the little sod

Mike Tyson was the world boxing champion aged just twenty

And there were various sporting superstars a plenty

Coe, Ovett, Christie and Daley Thompson in Olympic Games

Torvill and Dean, Whitbread and Navratilova great dames

Botham, Dalglish, McEnroe, Becker and Steve Davis too

Just some of the great stars to entertain me and you

The Shining, Blade Runner, The Terminator amongst the movie greats

It was a time for impressing, and, showing off to mates

The world was changing fast, and, prejudices were starting to disappear

Though was it for the best, and, would we live in more fear

Crown

Written 24th September 2020

Crown is a word for Royalty

But how ever did it all begin?

Who really decided on a monarchy

And who would actually be King?

Mankind has a history of 90,000 years

According to all the research known

So how did they decide on the rulers?

Was it by sheer strength that was shown?

There are many questions to answer

We have seen many rulers come and go

Whether King, Queen, Sultan or Emperor

Some ruled for many years we know

I can create five words from Crown

Each having a part in human society

Peoples lives turned upside down

Through wars, diseases and poverty

C is for class, elitism exists even now

R is for religion, why so many to endure

O is for origins, many different somehow

W is for wealth, some rich but most poor

N is for nationality, why not just human?

If only we could all live in harmony

With care and love between man and woman

Respect for all, and everybody free

Were We Here Before?

Written 13th September 2018

Were we here before?

If so, what as?

A human, animal, insect or bird

Or were we just matter or mass?

Did we live long?

Or was our time short?

Did we work and rest?

And did we play sport?

Were we fat or slim?

Coloured, black or white

Or something in between

And did we do things right?

Where might we have lived?

In a house, on a farm, or a boat

Were we warm or cold?

Dressed modestly, or, in a coat

Did we laugh and have fun?

Or were we scared or sad?

Did we love and show passion?

Or did we hate and become mad?

Did we fight to survive?

Were