A Tribute to Peter Mansbridge

A Tribute to the Voice of The National

By David Smith July 2, 2017

 

Peter Mansbridge, an anchor without the rhyme

He spoke with authority and conviction every time

A calm voice in a troubled storm

Consoling the viewers in compassionate form

He included the audience every night in the news

He personally affected me, where I felt the blues

 

News had meaning to all concerned

Other networks took notice to mentor and learn

Great celebrities spoke of his voice

Calm and soothing was Peter’s choice

A well grounded anchor as The National took hold

Through the decades, events precisely told

 

He drew me in every night

Informed of events I knew was right

The Nation’s strength, the current events we could see

Upright and honest, Peter hit home for me

He made it personal, “Politics does Matter”

And in the barber shops a lot of chatter

Peter was compassionate when disasters came to light

What inspiration for events to document and write

Inspired me to digest news in rhyme

Documenting current events in beat and in time

Peter in my study-space all these years

That voice of Canada minimizing my fears

A glimmer of hope and knowledge to grab hold

Peter’s presentations, great stories unfold.

Living history through current events

The National for me was always intense.

 

Peter Mansbridge will be missed.

Old and Young

Old and Young

By David Smith June 13, 2017

 

The very young and the very old

Come together, enthusiasm to unfold

What a treat where old meets new

Mind stimulation, with bonds that grew

To make sense out of this and that

People with dementia deal where it’s at

 

Childhood memories come to mind

Old and ridged becomes soft and kind

A day care mixes with a retirement home

Food for thought as ideas roam

Motor skills of children and what elderly go through

What a joy to mix old and new

 

Visualize how old and young respond

The interconnection how they fit and bond

Remarkable how the mix is great

Young and old meet their fate

The very young and the very old

Create the passion, a story to be told

A Black Leather Bag

A Well Worn Black Leather Bag

By David Smith May 11, 2017

 

 

A black leather bag worn with age;

Think of the files, when it is engaged;

The court doors swing open,

Where hearings are met;

That Black Leather Bag,

Where emotions are kept.

 

 

The files say it all, as they slide in and out;

The well worn zippers,

As compartments squeak and shout,

Think of the clients, all through the years;

Facing the judge with arguments and fears;

 

 

The container of facts,

As scenarios start to spin;

All from the bag,

As truth written within;

The judge sees the bag,

And what it contains;

Duty Council steps forward,

And echoes the refrain.

Why I Hated School

Why I hated School

By David Smith May 10, 2017

 

Why I hated school and that unbearable pain

To go there every day and face abrasiveness again

Why so much anxiety, and why I hate it so

Feeling so intimated in a classroom row

 

Afraid to even speak, confirmed how stupid that I am

Yet smart enough to realize eventually, I can

Putting things in order and phonics was a chore

Being so discouraged and stare upon the floor

Reading not a pleasure, and printing cramped my style

Making tiny circles, writing became worthwhile

 

Teachers had to teach and I had to learn

Just like Push and Pull, conflict my concern

Afraid of teachers from the start,

And nightmares that I had

Piercing voices that went through me

The emotion made me mad

 

Having a short attention span

and  fidgety in class

A very short-term memory

Frustration would always last

And simple things in order,

In left field I would find

Connections unrelated, as I pass the time

 

Learning was a chore,

Now a challenge, I see

Facing trials and difficulties

Makes a healthier me

To step out of my comfort zone

And have that added stress

To develop, and grow for complete happiness

 

No need to be beaten up

With failures and disappointments too

Developing coping skills,

Trials that I worked through

Why I hated school, hits the nail on the head

To use that burning passion, so others can be led

Steam and Technology Museum

Steam and Technology Museum

Hamilton’s First Pumphouse

by David Smith February 22, 20 17

 

The turbulent power of boiling water and steam

To harness that energy where technology is keen

What a visit on a Tuesday afternoon

Where pressure is an asset as a steam engine is well tuned

 

O to see a piston as it’s pushed against the force

Valves and vents are open as pumping takes its course

A camshaft like a circle that is a bit off round

It opens and closes valves as pressure is lost and found

 

As the valves open and close, the piston is push and pull

The maximum efficiency, as chambers get their full

The little toy steam engine where the principle is always the same

Compressed air was used to make simplicity to our gain

 

O it was remarkable, those steam engines of old

A huge gigantic engine, Living history that is told

Pumping water from Lake Ontario to Hamilton to drink

Pipes berried underground, being practical was how to think

It is remarkable, developing technology from scratch

Now it’s integrated circuits and how much RAM they can match

 

Basic Skills with pen and paper, and mechanical precision too

Understanding basic Math where technology is true

Physics and geometry have a special place

Learning from life’s history

Overcoming challenges we can face

The Steam and Technology Museum, A slice of life to learn

To enrich our future, Now it is our turn.

 

An Underwood Speed Test

An Underwood Speed Test

By David Smith February 20, 2017

 

A Nineteen-eleven Underwood Five

Sounds like a rain storm as it comes alive

The pounding of the keys,

and slugs splatting on the page

Sounds like the rain as the typist comes of age

A five minute speed test; Hear that slap of each key

As the sounds flow together in complete harmony

 

It’s emotional to hear those keys strike the paper

All that enthusiasm, the skill we can savour

It is a speed test, those slugs strike hard

From the text, to the eye, to the key board there is a charge

There’s always the rhythm, the cadence, and step

An Underwood Five that loud pounding we get

 

The noise is unique, power in the typing word

Each letter is snapped and can be well heard

It sounds like a rainstorm, that pitter-patter of thought

To monitor a speed test

The satisfaction that it brought

A Nineteen-eleven Underwood Five

History back to life, being mechanical can thrive

Inspired by Metropolitan Fountain Pen

Inspired by Metropolitan Fountain Pen

By David Smith January 1, 2016

 

A Metropolitan Fountain pen I hold in my hand

Learning how to write, with a creative stand

To form the words with the alphabet, we see

Pass it on to children, with great, possibility

Back to basic writing to let the ink flow

From the glass bottle to the lined paper, the mechanics to get to know

Study each letter and how it is shaped

Yet, know the thought patterns, as it flows so great

A true art to write as words flow on the page

Developing a story, as phrases form on each stage

Words, to sentences, to paragraphs, no doubt

The art of writing, a skill throughout

To pass on to grandchildren, that is my dream

Developing skills, to teach it, I mean

Get back to basics with “A” “B” and “C”

Write it with flair, the possibility
What a joy! Thoughts as they flow

Loading a pen, basic mechanics to know

The ink, from the bottle, and out though the pen

Document your life, what a message to send

A fountain pen flowing with ink and thought

Imagination, to capture a lot

Observations at a Construction Site

Observation at a Construction Site

Weekend of Dec 4, 2016

By David Smith December 5, 2016

They’re building walls and structures like a jail

To control the dust, the noise and the gale

Framework and curtains to tear down the walls

A dirty job; the tradesmen have balls

Cutting through chip rock and the mess to come

Preparing demolition, construction has begun

Preventive medicine, the tradesmen work away

The heartbeat of the office to function on the work day

Nights and weekends behind the public scene

That is the think-tank, what the tradesmen mean

Calloused hands and feet, as hammers and ladders play

Fear of heights does not get in the way

Aged and persevere as they plod along

The youth of today have a different song

They are building walls and structure on a temporary course

For a strong city hall to withstand the force

A light beam!

Not just a beam, but a beam of light

That cuts through the darkness and bounces so bright

Reflects off the walls, and ceiling and floor

Acts as straight edge with precision to adore

Masking tape follows the beam

The foundation for structure as framework is seen

As tradesmen come in and hone their skills

A joy to sit back, my greatest thrill

Technology comes alive to keep everything plumb

Teamwork and togetherness greater than its sum

Swinging up the drywall to attached to the frame

Measuring and cutting for the tight fit to gain

Tradesmen are nimble, time on their knees

Cutting and measuring as life is a breeze

Swinging up the dry wall and pivoting in place

Like a ballet with finesse and accuracy and grace

That sheet of dry wall moved in and out of place

Finally accepted, as a tailor would face

The drills and the noise where everything is square

And talk of a shoe- horn for a quick slip to compare

The bang of a hammer, the drill with a beat

Moving the ladders challenges to meet

Tradesmen work hard in elements of weather

Even in buildings close quarters come together

Admiring architecture and structures around

Precision accuracy, tradesmen are found

What is this?

A little scrap of steel like a gas pedal that I see

It has got a little groove and it puzzles me

Fits over top the boot, and the groove has a place

Holding up the chip rock to slide into space

All done with leverage, and what it’s telling me

Placing heavy objects with maximum efficiency

All these little gadgets have a special place

All the skilled tradesmen, technology they face

Way up high

The strain of the ladder against the weight

As chip rock is supported and it fits great

The screw nails drill in with an irritating hum

Onto the next section as production starts to come

As each section is completed the atmosphere does change

The room closing in, the walls are to gain

What a different view from the morning that we saw

Framework filling in as tape covers up the flaw

That’s my report from the weekend we see

What hard work and preparation is telling me

Tribute to Jay Cochrane: Prince of the Air

Tribute to Jay Cochrane

by David Smith September 5, 2016

Jay Cochrane, the Prince of the Air

No other showman can compare

On high wires and sky wires around the sphere

He inspired millions to overcoming fear

His dream of inspiring millions that way

The need within, turned his night, into day

a desire to perform the greatest feats

Hope, in the lives of children, a desire to meet

His mother took him to the circus and started it all

Humble beginnings, he answered that passionate call

Away to the circus, for his dreams to take hold

He knew his purpose, opportunity was bold

Perfecting everything, on the high sky, gave him might

Soon his name became written so bright

Forty stories high in Toronto by the way

Between two skyscrapers on a tightrope that day

The opening of the Hudson Bay Company store

The crowd let out a victorious roar

The rest is history as he inspired and entertained

Gave children hope, and how they gained

On a tight rope around the sphere

International fame he held so dear

He inspired young and old

Now in history, his name, is told

Jay Cochrane the Prince of the Air

Inspiring others, how can w compare?

Laying a Floor

Laying a Floor

August 4, 2016

 

Laying a floor excitement to see

Ceramic Tile, precision accuracy

the cutting of steel, for doorway transmission

from carpet to ceramic, the border in transition

Mixing the mortar, laying tiles on the floor

The energy involved, workmanship to adore

 

All the prep work to keep tiles in tune

Simple tools to construct, where dedication blooms

the floor, the foundation, workmanship in place

The talent, the tradesmen, new challenges to face

 

The mix of the mortar, from different bags that they pour

The receipt of a baker, that mind is in store

It’s all in the mix, as skills come together

And water applied for the viewing pleasure

 

An electric mixer  as the batter is churned

As a blender on high, to mix, that they learned

it’s all in the taste, the quality of the mix

Put on the concrete where tiles are fixed.

 

The dusting of the floor where water is applied,

So mortar will stick before it is dried.

Mortar swirls on the floor from a trowel in hand

In a decorative manner as finger painting takes a stand

 

The tools of the trade as an artist in motion

A tradesman with passion and pure devotion

Laying a floor the excitement to see

A tradesman’s touch, precision accuracy