I’ve written through the rain and snow,
Through memories, war and strife,
I’ve found a verse in almost every
Corner of my life.

But lately, friends, the poems stopped,
My pen refused to play—
I hurt my back while gardening
And frightened words away.

I never thought I’d reach the day
I’d offer this attack:
“I’m sorry I’ve not written much—
You see, I’ve got a bad back.”

It sounds the sort of feeble line
I’d once have laughed about,
But try composing poetry
When getting up in doubt.

I tried to write while lying down,
My iPad overhead,
A poet flat upon his back,
Half buried in the bed. —

I held it high above my face,
Determined I would cope,
But arms soon shook, my shoulders screamed,
And poetry lost hope.

One slip and down the iPad came—
A danger to my nose!
I thought, This isn’t how great verse
Is normally composed.

Now, five long days I gave it up,
No rhyming, not a line,
The muse was willing, certainly—
The spine said, “Not this time.”

But here I am, attempting verse,
Still creaking as I write,
The garden may have won a round,
But I’m returning to the fight.

And should my poems disappear
Again without a track,
I finally have the perfect line:

“Sorry, folks…
I’ve got a bad back!”

By Paul Baldry (LongJohn)

The Bad Back Excuse

After years of writing through memories, mischief, military life and everything in between, I never thought the day would come when I would have to apologise for not writing because of a bad back.

Then a little gardening proved me wrong.

Unable to sit comfortably, and discovering that balancing an iPad above my head was hardly the ideal way to compose poetry, I finally found the perfect excuse.

This light-hearted poem is my first step back to writing — creaking, aching, and laughing at myself along the way.

#TheBadBackExcuse, #PaulBaldry, #LongJohnPoetry, #HumorousPoetry, #PoetryOfLife, #StillWriting,