World No Tobacco Day

Tobacco, hateful, noxious weed*

Brought to the Old World from the New

For which King James I* had no need;

As Walt Raleigh bought potatoes too!

 

Big plantations, smart new rave

With sugar cane, brand-new cash crop

Unwitting adjunct to slave trade

Which over time makes pink lungs rot …

 

1960s - link with Cancer made

All trendy advertising banned:

Shades of ‘Marlboro Man’ now fade

World No Tobacco Day’s at hand!

 

Please, can we have a smoke-free day

And make this health threat take a hit?

Why socialise in wreaths of grey?

The Finger on the Wall has writ!

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

* quotation - also James VI of Scotland!

 World No Tobacco Day on 31st May (since 1987)

 

Rue Neuve - in the Sun!

The sun peeps out, we are astounded!

As “rain stops play” had seemed unbounded

Now street-side cafés fill up fast

 And Rue Neuve comes alive – at last!

 

Success has been a long time coming

Now waiters smile with business humming!

What fun to be in town these days

Where back-to-work seems a new craze!

 

Down Rue des Halles new buildings rise;

Tall cranes and scaffolding surprise

While road drills stir up dust and noise

The buzz is back, but it annoys!

 

With tempting offers on display

Three-for-the-price-of-two?  Hooray!

This longed-for warmth gives life a spurt

Some bargain-hunting wouldn’t hurt!

 

Time to chink a glass or two

Catch up with old friends, or make new

Indulge in meet-ups face-to-face;

In sun the world’s a brighter place!

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

A Rumbling of Discontent!

While Spring-in-wellies starts to run

Dodging raindrops isn’t fun

These dripping skies turn bright moods glum;

What hope for June?

Data Protection rules pulled tight

My FB posts cast out-of-sight;

My friends react: “it isn’t right!”

Darkness at noon!*

 

Big Brother, Orwell’s crafty friend,

No myth alas, but brand-new trend;

Should I regret the time I spend

On penning rhymes?

I try to keep my topics light

With puns and innuendos slight

But Nature is my chief delight

These troubled times.

 

Too much criss-crossing on the Net?

Is linking blogs now deemed a threat?

So sadly, and with deep regret

My voice is stilled;

My blog continues – never fear!

With themes and thoughts intent to cheer

All Readers who have found me here

Enjoy! Stay chilled!

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

* Appropriate title from Arthur Koestler's celebrated 1940 novel ...

New Trends!

A worrying comment heard today:

How tomorrow’s workforce must display

Its talents in new pies and grooves;

Careers may now comprise six moves!

 

Long-term contracts tend to vanish

As yet-unborn jobs will soon banish

Traditional placements; life will be

A bonanza for those with I.T.!

 

What gives with higher education?

New skills are honed at each work station!

As automation, sales on-line

Will obviate old jobs big time.

 

But as we’ve seen, health care is key

With medics now at top of tree

And the Service Sector will provide

More jobs when we can eat – inside!

 

The COVID death toll shrinks at last

But will this lock-down be the last?

Meanwhile, our social lives unravel …

Roll on the COVID Pass – and travel!

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

Enter the Global Nomad!

Life fails to stay in cosy groove,

It jolts us, ever on the move!

New concepts spawn words neatly coined:

Creative, foreign or purloined.

 

Now ‘global nomad’ does the rounds

As laptop workers know no bounds!

The WIFI world is frontier-free

Your office – under shady tree?

 

From Anchorage to Timbuktu

Or Bangalore to Waterloo

As long as work tasks can be done

Take your desktop to the sun!

 

“Networking” is the way to go;

Why commute in traffic slow

Or travel in a crowded train

To gloomy cities – in the rain?

 

COVID forced us to take stock

We stayed at home; we could not shop;

With time to ponder lifestyle choice

Some listen to their inner voice …

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

In Contemplative Mood ...

We soldier on – the challenge hard

Each day, life throws down a new card

The months drag on, we go off track

Too many jokers in the pack?

 

Travel – geared round traffic light?

The goalposts move and won’t sit tight!

More sites for vaccinations grow

Yet herd immunity is slow…

 

Fear stalks our steps; we dare not greet

Friendly neighbours in the street;

Al fresco dining de rigueur

Cold, iffy weather makes this rare.

 

To wield a brolly is a strain

As not all awnings keep off rain!

But Brussels longs to strut its stuff

Though outside venues find it tough.

 

Once mecca for the tourist trade,

Foreigners fraught and afraid

To visit Bruges, Namur or Ghent

As COVID stymies their intent!

 

Come what may, the die is cast

Life, as we knew it once, is past

The shuffled deck holds new surprises

We can but hope for bright sunrises!

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

 

 

Post-Ascension Weekend

Spring-green clothes branches in full sway

Relentless rain - though it is May!

Brother Sun sulks every day

Deep sense of gloom …

Walls and windows splashed with rain

Thwarted on my walk again

The message: “Stay at home!” is plain

World’s out of tune …

 

The tree house hides behind green boughs

The ladder, propped up close, allows

Access to this woven house

But no one comes;

For those with work, it’s off we go

A crowded bus, a quick "hello!";

In heavy traffic, progress slow;

More Monday glums!

 

With rules relaxed, let’s eat indoors!

But social distancing gives pause

A tacit rule no one ignores

For good of all;

Frustrations, nerve-ends still red-raw

Life isn’t like it was before

Though tentatively we can explore

This wake-up call …

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

Napoleon Lives!

Ajaccio’s Prince – two centuries dead!

Yet Corsica is proud to claim

This upstart, who great armies led

And to an era gave his name.

 

This rebel in Letizia’s brood

To Brienne soon was sent away;

Under artists’ brush a handsome dude

Who'd hold all Europe in his sway!

 

First Consul then imperial crown;

Admired and feared in equal measure

While braggadocio let him down,

His memory many Frenchmen treasure.

 

Man-of-the-century no doubt

Though Russian campaign met defeat

Say what you will, the man had clout

Despite harsh loss of France’s fleet!

 

Paris saw him abdicate

Then Elba cooled his heels a while

But none the worse, he challenged Fate

And put the Iron Duke on trial!

 

His army crushed at Waterloo;

Did Grouchy’s troops arrive too late?

Dreams of America accrue

But ‘Perfide Albion’* sealed his fate.

 

Exile on St. Helena’s rock

A living legend - but remote

He forged proud memoirs and took stock;

Historians ponder what he wrote!

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

* England

Napoleon Bonaparte 15.8.1769 - 5.5.1821

Poetic Green Fingers!

Weekend of unrelenting grey

Alas, no snail mail - it’s passé!

Brain overload from Internet

Time to switch off - and reflect…

 

Replacements bought for stocks depleted

My weekly shopping list completed

Now shiny fruit and veg await

A medley on my dinner plate!

 

No fan of ready-made, fast food

Why should such processing intrude?

I grow my herbs from packet seed:

Mint, chives and thyme home grown I need!

 

Lavatera and petunias glow

Snapdragons, multi-coloured, grow

Lupins and lavender appear

Bright busy lizzies here and there …

 

Two pots of parsley strut their stuff;

Of cress and basil – not enough

As Nature takes its own sweet time;

I bless this daily joy - all mine! 

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

Petunias

Lavatera

A Sense of Unease

More rumbles in the Middle East

As tremors threaten fragile peace

Revenge, distrust, flare-ups, disorder

Israeli troops amass on border.

 

Fabled Jerusalem, twin-souled

For Jew and Arab faiths - pure gold;

Those land disputes have rankled long

To whom do territories belong?

 

Deadly rockets wend their way …

Alas, this is no Guy Fawkes day

Unlucky children lose their lives

Such news is dire – but no surprise …

 

A test for Biden*; laisser-faire

Is quite the wrong approach – beware

Each day sees deaths and escalation

As cracks appear in this key nation.

 

The Premier has his work cut out

Who in this drama has most clout?

As the embers of this latent fire

Are lit by sparks along the wire …

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

* Joe Biden US President

Israeli-Gaza Conflict  since 10th May, 2021

Map showing Gaza Strip

 

Picture Perfect - Updated Version!

Sun-kissed, fresh fruit-filled, quite mask-free

This cheeky pair pose just for me;

While Thomas grins with all his might

She, divine in pink, hugs tight.

 

Theirs is an outdoor life played fast

At schools with playgrounds that are vast;

Sport eats up chunks of every day,

Although computers have their say!

 

Our cute miss likes to ‘do her thing’

Under the protective wing

Of Big Brother who’s on hand

Should she fail to understand.

 

At this age, learning escalates:

Thomas to Maths gravitates

While Isabella’s mind is quick,

Responses show her rapier wit!

 

Their interactions - warm and fond!

It is as if a magic wand

Has cast a spell, hence I am proud

To see them stand out in a crowd!

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

Shop-Until-You-Drop - or?

Alluring clickbait blights our lives

But they say it pays to advertise;

The Internet, like Barnum’s* show,

Lures us in, we want to know …

 

What special offers are in store;

What?  Just a few days?  Let’s buy more!

We click on line – it’s quick, remote

New-fangled, this “pig-in-a-poke”?**

 

Mind you, with shops all shuttered down

And no one keen to wander round

The browsing option made no sense

So, 'screen-seen' shopping was intense.

 

It’s May, and things are now more lax

We can go shopping (wearing macs!)

Although it’s late spring, there’s a chill

But the lure to buy remains a thrill!

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

* P.T. Barnum's circus billed as "The Greatest Show on Earth"- founded 1919.

* To not know what you are buying as it is in a bag (poke)!

 

  

A Breakfast Epiphany

No fun these 'sit-alone' libations

Lock-down led to deep frustrations!

Home drinking up - for those with means

 Now bottle banks burst at the seams!

 

With hated curfew thrown aside

Cafés wait to open wide

New pavement buzz on city street

Four friends at last allowed to meet!

 

More people jabbed (though some refuse)

Less COVID-itis – welcome news!

Fingers crossed the sun will shine

May 8^th means - celebration time!

 

Coffee, orange juice or tea:

A croissant freshly baked, or three?

Let’s breakfast in the open air

This simple pleasure we can share!

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

Place Eugène Keym, Boitsfort

Brussels Bottle banks

Outdoor cafés permitted to re-open from 8th May, 2021.

 

Political Porridge?

Was BREXIT a good deal, or not?

New status - unloved by the Scot

Who voted, en masse, to remain

Steadfast on the E.U. train.

 

South of the border - other views

The close results made headline News!

Since dear Queen Anne they’ve formed a bloc;

Now independence fires the Scot!

 

This Thursday* marks the day to vote

Beware the SNP** - take note!

A plea for self-determination

Marks Scotland as a feisty nation!

 

Will the United Kingdom stand?

One referendum the flames fanned …

Determined, Scotland’s found its voice

Watch these elections - they have choice!

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

* UK National council elections

** Scottish National Party - one vote short of an overall majority

 

Wet and Windswept

No blessèd rain for quite a while;

We’re getting used to cold, dry days

Now overnight with stealth and guile

The heavens open; hopeful phase!

 

This morning, plants zing, pert from shower!

 Wind-scattered pots in disarray;

Mixed feelings when I see my bower:

All debris must be swept away.

 

Always Belgium keeps us guessing

Poised, as ‘tis, on weather front;

So outdoor planning is distressing

Family picnics bear the brunt!

 

Let’s tramp through woods with glistening leaves

A trusty brolly at the ready

Where puddles mirror windswept trees

Brief sunshine, then another eddy!

 

Cars on nearby streets washed clean

Watering-cans stand by – unused;

This rain prompts long-awaited green …

I’m cold and damp but still enthused!

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

 

 

While in India ...

Curtailing freedoms breeds deep stress

The thin blue line put to the test;

“Boum 2” happened in the Park*

Disturbances till after dark …

Such revels water-cannons blight;

A vast clean-up in morning light;

1-3-2 arrests were made

As party tempers were soon frayed.

 

The jabs continue; Belgians queue

It seems the safest thing to do;

While India bears the greatest brunt

Sad families for health beds hunt…

 

Bergamo, Rio and now Delhi

Mass overcrowding shock - on telly!

Faced now with a mammoth task

India’s vaccines roll out fast.

 

Though top producer on huge scale

They're overwhelmed; supplies soon fail;

Man struggles but has lost the plot,

Though doctors give it their best shot!

 

Two years ago, who would have thought

In this pandemic we’d be caught?

Rich and poor, retired or young

More succumb, their song unsung …

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

* Vast impromptu party in Bois de la Cambre, Brussels: Saturday, May 2nd, 2021.

In a Delhi hospital ...

On Home Gardening

May First - without the “darling buds”*

That should, in normal times, abound

This year a host of cowardly duds

As chill winds keep them underground.

 

The sun fights hard, it does its best

To warm the hedgerow and the field

Apart from weeds, no colour fest:

Flowers-in-waiting, unrevealed…

 

No purple plumes on terrace wall,

How wisteria loathes the cold!

I pruned it harshly in the Fall

And yes, it’s twisted, being old…

 

But one dry branch sports mauve and green

I dared to hope it would survive

For months no sign of life was seen

Now I’m rewarded – it’s alive!

 

Soft fruit and salad greens on sale

All carefully-nurtured – under glass;

While outdoors it’s a sorry tale

Home gardening this year is a farce!

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

* Written in 1958