Now this really is something to put on the mantelpiece.
quote by Mary Leakey
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Related quotes
I don't look like someone who leans on a mantelpiece with a cocktail in my hand, you know.
quote by Charles Bronson
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The simple tableau is so rich with meaning that whether represented on the mantelpiece or in the mind, it seems suspended, complete unto itself, somewhere in eternity.
quote by Lucinda Franks
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Most of these pictures, taken while travelling, were developed on the mantelpiece of a hotel room, which proves that the method is easy enough to carry out.
quote by Gabriel Lippmann
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Picture Poem #277 (From, This Is My Wasteland)
Catching wonder
from past on lives
flashing yesterday
dandelion
slowly in memory's
mantelpiece
delicious vision
reverently little sunshine gift
poem by Peter S. Quinn
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I like things to be symmetrical. If I put two things on the mantelpiece, they have to be exactly evenly spaced. But I'm nowhere near as fanatical as Poirot. I don't need the same sized eggs for breakfast!
quote by David Suchet
Submitted by Veronica Serbanoiu
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The Room of Clocks
On the mantelpiece is placed a clock,
Forcing a smell too plain, with an aftershock.
The clock demands a light so bright,
Time flows designing a living of delight.
This room has ornaments too beautiful,
A clock grows largely from the Most Merciful.
The time of change has arrived from Him,
The death of a room is lingering, like a pseudonym.
poem by Naveed Akram
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The Martinet
Some time ago, in simple verse
I sang the story true
Of CAPTAIN REECE, the MANTELPIECE,
And all her happy crew.
I showed how any captain may
Attach his men to him,
If he but heeds their smallest needs,
And studies every whim.
Now mark how, by Draconic rule
And HAUTEUR ill-advised,
The noblest crew upon the Blue
May be demoralized.
When his ungrateful country placed
Kind REECE upon half-pay,
Without much claim SIR BERKELY came,
And took command one day.
SIR BERKELY was a martinet -
A stern unyielding soul -
Who ruled his ship by dint of whip
And horrible black-hole.
A sailor who was overcome
From having freely dined,
And chanced to reel when at the wheel,
He instantly confined!
And tars who, when an action raged,
Appeared alarmed or scared,
And those below who wished to go,
He very seldom spared.
E'en he who smote his officer
For punishment was booked,
And mutinies upon the seas
He rarely overlooked.
In short, the happy MANTELPIECE,
Where all had gone so well,
Beneath that fool SIR BERKELY'S rule
Became a floating hell.
When first SIR BERKELY came aboard
He read a speech to all,
And told them how he'd made a vow
To act on duty's call.
Then WILLIAM LEE, he up and said
(The Captain's coxswain he),
"We've heard the speech your honour's made,
And werry pleased we be.
"We won't pretend, my lad, as how
We're glad to lose our REECE;
Urbane, polite, he suited quite
The saucy MANTELPIECE.
"But if your honour gives your mind
To study all our ways,
With dance and song we'll jog along
As in those happy days.
"I like your honour's looks, and feel
You're worthy of your sword.
Your hand, my lad - I'm doosid glad
To welcome you aboard!"
SIR BERKELY looked amazed, as though
He didn't understand.
"Don't shake your head," good WILLIAM said,
"It is an honest hand.
"It's grasped a better hand than yourn -
Come, gov'nor, I insist!"
The Captain stared - the coxswain glared -
The hand became a fist!
"Down, upstart!" said the hardy salt;
But BERKELY dodged his aim,
And made him go in chains below:
The seamen murmured "Shame!"
He stopped all songs at 12 p.m.,
Stopped hornpipes when at sea,
And swore his cot (or bunk) should not
Be used by aught than he.
He never joined their daily mess,
Nor asked them to his own,
But chaffed in gay and social way
The officers alone.
His First Lieutenant, PETER, was
As useless as could be,
A helpless stick, and always sick
When there was any sea.
This First Lieutenant proved to be
His foster-sister MAY,
Who went to sea for love of he
In masculine array.
And when he learnt the curious fact,
Did he emotion show,
Or dry her tears or end her fears
By marrying her? No!
Or did he even try to soothe
This maiden in her teens?
Oh, no! - instead he made her wed
The Sergeant of Marines!
Of course such Spartan discipline
Would make an angel fret;
They drew a lot, and WILLIAM shot
This fearful martinet.
The Admiralty saw how ill
They'd treated CAPTAIN REECE;
He was restored once more aboard
The saucy MANTELPIECE.
poem by William Schwenck Gilbert
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The Blackbird’s startled wing…
“Words come down, outer space
Mop my brow, dust these books
Upon the mantelpiece
Ignite the candle, long since
Flickered perpetual light
Before it’s time to say goodnight!
And, find my peace”.
“Words be bright, and be merry
As a church on Christmas Eve
Words sing, and sing!
Before all these shadows
Scurry off and flap away my soul
Unheard and underneath…
The Blackbird’s startled wing”.
poem by Mark Heathcote
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If I Were King
I often wish I were a King,
And then I could do anything.
If only I were King of Spain,
I'd take my hat off in the rain.
If only I were King of France,
I wouldn't brush my hair for aunts.
I think, if I were King of Greece,
I'd push things off the mantelpiece.
If I were King of Norroway,
I'd ask an elephant to stay.
If I were King of Babylon,
I'd leave my button gloves undone.
If I were King of Timbuctoo,
I'd think of lovely things to do.
If I were King of anything,
I'd tell the soldiers, "I'm the King!"
poem by Alan Alexander Milne
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The Music of your Voice
A vase upon the mantelpiece,
A ship upon the sea,
A goat upon a mountain-top
Are much the same to me;
But when you mention melon jam,
Or picnics by the creek,
Or apple pies, or pantomimes,
I love to hear you speak.
The date of Magna Charta or
The doings of the Dutch,
Or capes, or towns, or verbs, or nouns
Do not excite me much;
But when you mention motor rides -
Down by the sea for choice
Or chasing games, or chocolates,
I love to hear your voice.
poem by Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis
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Captain Reece
Of all the ships upon the blue,
No ship contained a better crew
Than that of worthy CAPTAIN REECE,
Commanding of THE MANTELPIECE.
He was adored by all his men,
For worthy CAPTAIN REECE, R.N.,
Did all that lay within him to
Promote the comfort of his crew.
If ever they were dull or sad,
Their captain danced to them like mad,
Or told, to make the time pass by,
Droll legends of his infancy.
A feather bed had every man,
Warm slippers and hot-water can,
Brown windsor from the captain's store,
A valet, too, to every four.
Did they with thirst in summer burn,
Lo, seltzogenes at every turn,
And on all very sultry days
Cream ices handed round on trays.
Then currant wine and ginger pops
Stood handily on all the "tops;"
And also, with amusement rife,
A "Zoetrope, or Wheel of Life."
New volumes came across the sea
From MISTER MUDIE'S libraree;
THE TIMES and SATURDAY REVIEW
Beguiled the leisure of the crew.
Kind-hearted CAPTAIN REECE, R.N.,
Was quite devoted to his men;
In point of fact, good CAPTAIN REECE
Beatified THE MANTELPIECE.
One summer eve, at half-past ten,
He said (addressing all his men):
"Come, tell me, please, what I can do
To please and gratify my crew.
"By any reasonable plan
I'll make you happy if I can;
My own convenience count as NIL:
It is my duty, and I will."
Then up and answered WILLIAM LEE
(The kindly captain's coxswain he,
A nervous, shy, low-spoken man),
He cleared his throat and thus began:
"You have a daughter, CAPTAIN REECE,
Ten female cousins and a niece,
A Ma, if what I'm told is true,
Six sisters, and an aunt or two.
"Now, somehow, sir, it seems to me,
More friendly-like we all should be,
If you united of 'em to
Unmarried members of the crew.
"If you'd ameliorate our life,
Let each select from them a wife;
And as for nervous me, old pal,
Give me your own enchanting gal!"
Good CAPTAIN REECE, that worthy man,
Debated on his coxswain's plan:
"I quite agree," he said, "O BILL;
It is my duty, and I will.
"My daughter, that enchanting gurl,
Has just been promised to an Earl,
And all my other familee
To peers of various degree.
"But what are dukes and viscounts to
The happiness of all my crew?
The word I gave you I'll fulfil;
It is my duty, and I will.
"As you desire it shall befall,
I'll settle thousands on you all,
And I shall be, despite my hoard,
The only bachelor on board."
The boatswain of THE MANTELPIECE,
He blushed and spoke to CAPTAIN REECE:
"I beg your honour's leave," he said;
"If you would wish to go and wed,
"I have a widowed mother who
Would be the very thing for you -
She long has loved you from afar:
She washes for you, CAPTAIN R."
The Captain saw the dame that day -
Addressed her in his playful way -
"And did it want a wedding ring?
It was a tempting ickle sing!
"Well, well, the chaplain I will seek,
We'll all be married this day week
At yonder church upon the hill;
It is my duty, and I will!"
The sisters, cousins, aunts, and niece,
And widowed Ma of CAPTAIN REECE,
Attended there as they were bid;
It was their duty, and they did.
poem by William Schwenck Gilbert
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Goodbat Nightman
God bless all policemen
and fighters of crime,
May thieves go to jail
for a very long time.
They've had a hard day
helping clean up the town,
Now they hang from the mantelpiece
both upside down.
A glass of warm blood
and then straight up the stairs,
Batman and Robin
are saying their prayers.
* * *
They've locked all the doors
and they've put out the bat,
Put on their batjamas
(They like doing that)
They've filled their batwater-bottles
made their batbeds,
With two springy battresses
for sleepy batheads.
They're closing red eyes
and they're counting black sheep,
Batman and Robin
are falling asleep.
poem by Roger McGough
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The Intentions of a Child
Children live in a state of constant discovery
Their youth - a testament to genuine wonder
They hold no grudges
They bear no scornful eyes
No beards to stroke while planning world wars
No cigar smoke obstructing their view of impoverished nations
No clenched fist that rises - leading soldiers to death
No silver tongue forging desperate lies
No sinister hope of an immortal legacy
But innocence
A tiny finger that points to the stars
A crooked smile that radiates from the mantelpiece
And joy that can ease the heaviest of hearts
poem by C.S. Smith
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Spaceship One
Spaceship 1
Wonderful night stars so close took a step ladder up to
the roof terrace and picked one it shone so bright, put
It on the mantelpiece where it slowly faded into a blob
like a balloon thrown out of a passing car and run over
hundred times. Tried to put it back but the heaven was
too far away, but I saw the hole in the velvety carpet.
Threw the damp blob into the rubbish bin in the yard,
next day the bin was gone so I drove into town, bought
a new one. The following night was wonderful too but
stars kept well away from my grasping hands, my star
was now back in its place; in the morning I had two bins
one looked slightly frizzled at the edges.
poem by Oskar Hansen
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The Lonely Room
Tiptoe around the room.
What is it that is found?
Silence, except for the clock that's ticking
nothing else is around.
An empty room with nothing in it,
only the clock that ticks the minute
in this lonely room.
Why was the clock left behind
with not a soul to tell the time?
It was on the mantelpiece
with nobody to hear it chime.
Was it left as a reminder?
I think it would have been kinder
to remove it from the room.
Left alone, it had no purpose.
Who could hear it now?
Ghosts from the past that once lived here
that have taken a vow
to listen to the clock's every minute
in the room with nothing in it
but the ghosts and the time.
poem by Edwina Reizer
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The Last Dream...
'What has become of my life, ' he said
To the clock on the kitchen wall,
But the hands stood still at 20 to 4,
The clock didn't know at all!
He turned to the mirror that mocked him there
Each time that he walked on past,
And searched for a sign in the pits and lines
Of the stranger who peered from the glass.
'Where are the days of the youth I had
When I laughed and cried out loud?
Are they hidden away on a dark pathway
Where I walk with my shoulders bowed? '
'And where, oh where was the love I knew
As she tripped from the wishing well,
And the coins that we threw in the fountain there...'
- There are several kinds of hell!
The sand still spills from the hour glass
As he tries to find some meaning,
'Til he falls asleep by the mantelpiece
For the last dream, dreaming.
20 January 2010
poem by David Lewis Paget
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The People In The Trees
You can hear them cackling
In the woods; and in the trees
with mouths full of dirt and weed
and hearts full of lust and greed
They crawl onto your mantelpiece
and leave things for you to see
Just small little trinkets
telling you not to leave
remember if you ever try to deceive
The people in the trees
that the chimney's always open
and it's only your life that they need
so please don't leave the windows closed
For it's hard for them to breathe
with mouths full of dirt and weed
and hearts full of lust and greed
poem by Justin Moffitt
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For My Sister
This poem was inspired by the character, Eve, in the TV show 'Casualty', when she told Tina that she'd lost a sister years ago:
Maybe I took you for granted
And we didn't always get on,
But deep down I still love you,
And I miss you now you're gone.
We had some good times, as sisters do:
Going to parties and the local discos.
Sharing each others make-up
And lending each other clothes.
I've suffered in silence
Since you passed away.
I wish I could turn back time
And change that fateful day.
Your photo on the mantelpiece
Smiles back at me.
Your youthfulness frozen in time
For everyone to see.
Sisters are important -
Back then, I didn't realise,
But now, when I think of you,
The tears well up in my eyes.
If only I could talk to you now.
Life's ups and downs we'd share,
But I carry on in life alone,
Knowing you're not there.
poem by Angela Wybrow
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Gaiety
The gayest songs of the morning
As the mist hangs over the hills,
For they dance, and they dance, in the Eastern world
While humanity pays its bills.
For the song of the Moonlight Sonata,
And the frost on the snow-white fields,
Oh! they dance, and they dance in the Eastern world,
While the yellow harvest yields.
The gayest songs of the morning
Forever the world goes round,
While the clock ticks by on the mantelpiece.
And the birds in the trees make a sound,
For ever and ever all nature sings,
While the lark up above doth soar on its wings,
And they dance, and they dance in the Eastern world
The gayest songs of they morning.
poem by Peter Buss
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Gazing At Sunflowers
Your first wife’s friend
came in with her
for a coffee and chat
and you were sitting
on the sofa
with the sleeping cat
and she looked
at the Van Gogh print
of sunflowers
over the mantelpiece
above the open fire
did you paint that?
the friend asked
staring at it
through John Lennon
type glasses
no you said
it’s a Van Gogh print
oh she said
peering closer
I do like flowers don’t you?
Yeah you replied
sunflowers have a way
when Van Gogh
pushes them through
and she stood in silence
taking in the print
and flowers
and colours
and you noticed
she had a run
in her stockings
from the back
of her knee
to where
her thigh disappeared
beneath her drab dress
and your first wife
came in and said
oh you’re not looking
at that painting are you?
He knows all about
those arty types
with their odd ways
and weird eyes
and her friend said
turning round
scratching her ass
I know nothing
of art and such
it’s way out
of my class.
poem by Terry Collett
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