Are you busy?
Please come in?
I have tea, I made a biscuit.
It’s been so long
You have come so far
If you’re not busy I’d like you to stop by.
I never thought you’d come round
You always tell me you are too busy
But its good you’ve dropped by.
They say it’s going to rain.
You are welcome to stop a while
But if you are busy I do understand.
The kids are sorry to miss you
They often ask after you,
I say you are a busy man now days.
So you have been overseas?
Must have been a busy time for you
Oh, you have a gift? How nice.
I have been well, no issues of late
The kids are well, they are all grown.
Like you, they are too busy for me.
I spend my days writing letters,
I’m sure you have received them
But maybe you have been too busy to read them?
I have wondered when you might stop?
You aren’t getting any younger
It can’t be healthy being busy 24/7.
So you are stopping, retiring?
Going to live by the beach,
I know you’ll find plenty to keep you busy.
Another cup? Biscuit? Time?
You have to run, I understand,
It’s a busy life you have.
I watched you leave, a limp did I detect?
You haven’t changed in all these years
Still far to busy for me.
Morpethroad 
Oh, this makes me so sad. We should never be too busy to spend time with loved ones.
Thanks Laurie I appreciate your comment and I agree, in fact just recently a blogger friend told me she had given up a job she had as she realised she was not able to spend enough time with her children. That was a good move for her.
quite a sad reality…we are far too busy these days for our own good, sacrificing what is truly more important…the relationships in our lives….
Thanks Brian, one of mans greatest sin is greed and indifference to others especially people we should love.
Oh dear! This has a strong bitter edge to it–very palpable. k .
Thank you so much, it is meant to, something’s we wish we’re different but people don’t change all that much.
Still have to think “biscuit” is “cookie” for us. A “biscuit” for us is bread…. a round thing cut from dough that bakes up golden brown. We do all sorts of things to it like butter, jelly or honey but we also but gravy on it! Mmmm. I have all sorts of biscuits and gravy stories! Maybe I should write about them? 🙂
Lovely poem as always Michael~
Thanks Courtney for a moment there I thought you were going to include a recipe. Yes I know that you Americans have it all ‘wrong’ with words but what can we plain speaking Aussies do?
Yes.. yes.. we got it all “wrong” with some of our words! But at least we don’t drive on the “wrong” side of the road!!! LOL! 🙂
That’s what you say….this one I have had wonderful arguments over, we say ‘ we have a maths problem’. You say ‘ we have a math problem’. We are of course correct….
Of course NOT…MATH is plural! Not Math(s)…what’s up with dat?! LOL! One thing I have noticed in many books and people talking is they way they just say Hospital…instead if THE hospital. ie….”She was released from hospital today” in America we would say, “She was released from THE hospital today” It’s pretty consistent……do you put the THE before words?
Good example we tend not to say ‘the’ in that context. We have a whole different way of saying a lot of things. I remember once many years ago a friend came to visit and when it came time to make a cup of tea and I asked how she had it she said with cream,I went into a panic as we didn’t have any cream until I remembered she meant milk.
….ya wanna recipe? I don’t think you would be able to make ’em the way my granny did! Besides, what would you call them??? ha ha ha ha!! 😀
That’s a good point no one can make anything the way any granny could.
I think we call your biscuits scones…I could be mistaken though….
A scone is close…but still different. The scones I have had are sweet. Biscuits are not really like a scone. You might call them rolls? It is just bread…not sweet at all.
Ah ok I think I’m with you. When I come over to the US I will have to discover these ‘biscuits’ you speak of.
I enjoyed the conversational tone of this write. Sometimes it seems that people are too busy to enjoy a simple visit and conversation. Sad that sometimes life appears to move so quickly, or perhaps people use busy-ness as an excuse. Powerful write.
Thank you Mary, that’s an excellent comment, you are right it’s the result of living a life that is self centred
Very simple yet complicated story you wrote with your words today Michael. Now me, I’m never too busy to sit down for a biscuit and tea, or muffin and coffee, or a glass of water and an apple. I’m easy that way. It’s sad that sometimes it’s the people we want to connect with the most that have no time for us. This I do understand.
So true Jackie, the words of ‘cats in the cradle’ echo in my mind. I’m with you, there’s always time like this morning I went over to see my neighbours and we ended up sitting on their veranda having a cool drink, as it’s hot today.
There you go! A nice pleasant way to pass some time. I can always send you some of my weather to cool things down. It’s -8C right now. How about I send you cool weather, you send me hot, then we’ll both be warm! LOL
(Cats in the cradle went through my mind too after I read your poem)
Sounds like a deal to me….hot coming……something a little warmer than -8 would be ok, but beggars can’t be choosers can they…….whoooooosh……hot sent
Well my -8 mixed with your hot = warm! Win win for both of us 🙂
So here’s a big snowball to help with your heat! Watch your head!! hahaha.
Beautiful landed perfectly….
I am now about to write an ode to crap, a blogger sort of dared me and it’s such a tempting idea…..wish me luck?
About crap? Now this I gotta see! Good Luck!
Will sent it to you…hang on…lol…..it’s coming…no pun intended..
LOL, funny man.
Sorry sometimes I get runs you know what I mean?
Oh now that just stinks. hahahah!
Email sent
Email sent back. haha!
You nailed the repetitive part. Good poem and sound a bit happier.
Ha, thank you Anja. Though I think this poem has a sadness to it.
Yes…but not the same sadness
No very true. I don’t want to revisit that sadness too often.
Sometimes busyness is thrust upon one. I was called into work today totally against my will or ability to say no. Our only day together as a family gone. I hate busy…..
Yes under those circumstances I well understand….don’t you have Sunday?
Booked with stuff to do….
Our lives are busy and hectic and manic, but this write, with the longing of someone to notice them, says more than our usual day to day. Think you have completed the prompt my friend and nicely done at that.
Thank you Jenny I think I have some repetition all right in more ways than one.
… 😉
A nice reminder that sometimes we need to slow down & have some tea & biscuits with our loved ones. 🙂
Exactly RoSy. Find the time.
it makes me wonder if the supposed friend visited, spent time with others, just didn’t want to with her…..personal I mean….repetition nicely done
Thanks Katy, I appreciate your comment, I would say the ‘friend’ visited but like in the past had no time for the person welcoming him, most likely a ex husband.
“Busy–” ness” of life will always be there, but we should always take out time for some tea:)
That’s what I think too. Thank you Vandana for reading please call again.
It’s sad, very sad when we don’t have time for family and friends. How can we be too busy for the ones we love? I’d love to sit down and have a cuppa and a biscuit with my kids. The only one I do this with is my best friend Jan, and my son-in-law. Everyone else works and is too busy with their own families. I understand this, so that makes it easier.
Thanks Lyn, yes we do need to take time for the ones we love. I know I should try harder myself.
Great tone in your poem, Michael! I tend to think we should never be to busy for the ones we truly care for.
I so agree but sadly some have no time for anyone. Thanks for reading Gabriella. Have a good day.
Brilliant to only show the dialogue as a monologue.. like hearing one side of a telephone conversation.. making the sadness even more palpable.. where it comes out as a rant of why the guest never comes by.. sorry but I recognize myself too much in that busy person… it hits hard..
Thanks Bjorn I think we all are guilty of being too busy at times. Thanks again for reading.
I often think it’s so sad that people are too busy and only realize they should have spent more time with a person only after that person is gone. I dislike seeing that happening, but it would probably do little good to say anything because people tend to justify their actions rather than face the truth.
Thank you Patricia, you are right about people being in denial of truth. Good comment and thank you so much.
So sad, so real…interesting how you used the monoloque here it made everything so much more poignant.
Thank you Georgia, I do appreciate your reading and commenting.
Your welcome Michael…wish I had more time to read and comment, love your posts!
easily understandable writing. and true words
Thanks again Padmini, this situation happens to far too many.