R.I.P. Penelope Keith (1940-2026)

For gold-standard light relief

Penelope Anne Constance Keith

Captured hearts and minds on stage

With laughter spilling on each page.

 

Think accent from Home Counties pool

That plummy voice – so convent school

Staccato tones – cut with a knife

What comic timing – art as life!

 

Who else but “To The Manor Born”

Could all others out-perform?

“The Good Life” – Gerry by her side …

In thrall she held us – nationwide.

 

This art of repartee is rare

How we loved her style, her flair …

Alas, she’s taken her last bow

So, we must soldier on somehow ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2026

She died on 29th June, 2026 aged 86 from cancer.

The Art of Intrigue

To be ‘on song’, to catch one’s drift

Are concepts poets use with thrift;

Ideas conveyed which ‘hit the spot’

Evoke reactions, ‘stir the pot’…

 

In up to twenty lines, the theme

Must be à propos and clean,

Pertinent and to the point

So, noses aren’t knocked out of joint!

 

Hence, method in my madness rules

I observe life, watch top news reels

And try to capture in my net

A nugget which makes you connect!

 

And shucks, I’m flattered and amazed

How many of you* find my page;

Do I raise a smile or two

Or make you think? I hope I do!

(c) Poet in the woods 2026

* well over a million to date!

All Aglow!

All systems firmly fixed at slow

My “get-up-and-go” lies low

As I consider this day’s chores:

Must I venture out of doors?

 

And how is it with you ‘out there’?

My well-watered flowers stare

Skywards in a state of bliss;

The sun, for humans, hit or miss…

 

Farm animals need constant care;

Heavy toil makes tempers flare;

At night - sans aircon - hard to sleep;

Engagements cancelled all this week ...

 

Is this the shape of things to come?

Has Dante’s feared inferno come

To punish us for wicked ways?

The shock is violent – we're amazed!

 

‘To keep one’s cool’, not just a phrase

 ‘Hot-headed’ fits the bill these days!

Though storms are forecast end-of-week

This heat dome makes us ‘glow’ a treat!

(c) Poet in the woods 2026

As the old adage has it:  Horses sweat, men perspire and ladies glow.

Why is Brussels missing from this map?

A Few Hot Thoughts!

Mad heat melts our best intentions

Cools our ardour, heightens tensions

Putting normal life on hold;

Death in forbidden pool is told!

 

On private land, abandoned quarry*:

Now tempting pool, lad makes a foray

Away from prying eyes to dive;

Failing sadly to survive…

 

Trains without aircon do not run,

TEC** buses stay home in hot sun,

Schools stop all lessons at midday

Top athletes told they cannot play…

 

This heat, so longed for, comes at last

But even lizards cannot bask

In temperatures beyond the norm;

This is the full extent of “warm”!

 

A wave of lethargy ensues;

Sporting fixtures on the news

Speak of cancellations rare;

We have to take stock and beware…

(c) Poet in the woods 2026

* at Mont-sur-Marchienne (Charleroi)

** Wallonia's bus service

BREXIT - Wrecks It?

10 years have flown by – a decade!

Since Britain by strong hype was swayed

To ignore great benefits accrued

Since joining E.U.’s happy brood!

 

Long queues and barricades at ports;

In came Red Tape: high-cost imports

Of European food and wines;

Now it seems that Britain pines

 

For golden time of free exchange …

Which politics fails to arrange!

So, “Splendid Isolation” rules

Though ardour for this status cools…

 

On the other side of this divide

We, who could not vote, decried:

“This referendum is misplaced”!

Time shows it had egg on its face!

 

Proud Island Nation, still at sea

As always, feels it has to be

At odds with Europe – so it’s plain

Trading Wars thrive here again!

(c) Poet in the woods 2026

Referendum held in June 2016

Maison Saint Cyr - Square Ambiorix

In Dutch we learned of Strauven’s* gem

For Leonard Saint Cyr, way back when

Art Nouveau reached its heady peak

Its green wrought ironwork – unique!

 

Four metres wide, five stories high

Its slender columns, fragile, fly

To shoulder a rose window vast;

Raspberry brickwork grips it fast.

 

Up ornate staircase painted bright

To top floor bathed in coloured light

Front salon: Chinese-style displays;

Its picture window draws our gaze!

 

Engravings, nesting tables, art

Restored wood panelling is dark

Fine marquetry on wooden floor

While glass tiles hint at cellar store.

 

From upstairs window briefly spied

Walled-garden, miniscule, outside

But Inside mirrors create space;

This bijou residence has taste!

(c) Poet in the woods 2026

* Gustave Strauven architect 1903

A Peace of Luck?

Hope at Versailles blooms again;

He signed for peace with thick felt pen;

Europa held her breath and sighed ...

A temporary truce is tried.

 

Meanwhile, a fresh new wave of drones

Brings destruction of more homes

Will ships, once blocked, now make their way

Through the troubled Strait today?

 

It matters how you bait your hook;

The stakes are high, the game’s afoot*;

All try to keep their powder dry

But sadly, vagrant sparks may fly …

 

(c) Poet in the woods 2026

* from Shakespeare's Henry V.

Beleaguered Brussels?

What gives in this world we know:

In Hormuz Strait – will traffic flow

Allowing petrol costs to slow?

Less tax by stealth?

Warm weather brings the punters out

Brussels: place-to-be – no doubt

But football comes with lager lout…

Bars – rake in wealth!

 

Scaffolding now scars the streets:

Fibre-optic cables sneak

On roads, dug up and then made neat

From dawn to dark;

The gasmen excavate long trench;

Put up a barricade (in French!)

Frustrated drivers their fists clench:

Gone - place to park!

 

Far be it from me to complain

When traffic cones pop up again

As in Brussels, city under strain

Roadworks are go!

Tram tracks need to be replaced;

Bins overflow; and it’s a race

To keep the city a clean place

And staunch the flow.

 

Great tourist Mecca in the sun!

A walk on cobbled streets is fun

No wonder foreign tourists come

To taste our wares!

But what of He who pees all day?*

If he could speak, what would he say

As chaos reigns, and anyway

 Who really cares?

(c) Poet in the woods 2026

* Manneken-Pis in the Rue de l'Etuve, Brussels

 

R.I.P. David Hockney (1937-2026)

I caught the tail end of the news …

An endearing Brit icon we lose;

This leader of the Pop Art scene

Genius painter who has been

 

Multi-skilled in stage design

With photos and prints drawn on line

Dabbling in realms of collage,

Has left a legacy writ large!

 

Think of that sun-blessed swimming pool

His colour palette? Lord of cool!

Or trees in blossom – northern France;

He sure gave portraiture a chance!

 

Widely travelled, art school don

A range of different hats put on;

By nature in all forms inspired,

His exhibitions* much admired!

 

My tribute to this Bradford lad

David Hockney, whose art had

A universal, warm appeal:

Stark, emblematic and surreal!

(c) Poet in the woods 2026

* also in Brussels

Note: offered a knighthood but declined.

He died in London on June 11th, 2026, aged 88

Portrait of Ozzie Clark

Truth on Trial?

What news is real? What news is fake?

Take pinch of salt? Take dice and shake?

Those uninformed can spin a yarn,

And social media can spread harm!

 

Do journalists check out their sources?

Integrity their best course is

Let’s hope they know whom they can trust

As time is short - but check they must!

 

News flows unchecked from all war zones

Then Facebook shares it on our ‘phones

But has it all been filtered first?

Press freedom challenged – could be worse …

 

“But what is Truth?”, Pilate once said;

Barabbas freed and Jesus dead…

The rowdy rebels were appeased

But misinformed – the wrong man seized …

 

We flounder in news overload

We check on-line, use QR code

And try to make sense of events

Drowning in world news intense …

(c) Poet in the woods 2026

Pre-World Cup 2026

It’s June - the countdown has begun;

Several weeks of football fun;

This year three countries share key dates

As politics has upped the stakes!

 

Transatlantic flights take place;

Our “Red Devils” * set the pace

They face a choice – but where to go?

To Trump’s U.S. or Mexico?

 

Canada will also rate

In this new triumvirate

Where 48, not 32

Teams will fight it out anew!

 

The World Cup sanctions key Prime Time

Ticket sales explode on line

“The game’s afoot!”**; most cannot wait:

Their country’s honour is at stake!

“The Beautiful Game”***, by Pelé dubbed,

Excites the spirit, warms the blood,

Inciting Nations out to play:

Pitch perfect in a world gone grey?

(c) Poet in the woods 2026

Between June 11th and 19th July, 2026

* The Belgian National team

** Quote from Shakespeare's 'Henry V' - Act III Scene I

*** The beautiful game is a nickname for association football. It was popularised by Brazilian footballer Pelé, who played from 1957 to 1977 who died aged 82 in 2022. It is also the title of an eponymous Netflix film (2024)

Stormy Thoughts on the Bus!

Torrential rains upset June plans

What to do when water fans

In rushing waves right past the door

Unwelcome - flooding cellar floor?

 

Though weather patterns are extreme

All reverts to vibrant green

In spells of sun, post strong cloudburst

When gasping Nature slakes her thirst.

More storms and squalls take place elsewhere

As rebel teachers, once quite rare

And neglected far too long, now shout,

Trainee vocations running out!

 

Curricula won’t stand the strain

Exams are looming large again;

They baulk at adding two more hours

But this united front empowers!

 

Pupils* seen as bus drives by

Holding angry placards high:

Their academic goals in doubt …

The Government must sort this out!

 

The rain holds off; more board our bus:**

Packed sardines in rush-hour crush;

Most sporting earphones, unaware

This is a crisis they all share!

(c) Poet in the woods 2026

* Institut de l'Assomption 

** Route of STIB bus N° 17