Trying to Make Sense

I can’t help wondering WHO you are

Or where you hail from – near or far?

But gee, it’s great you come on line

And pause awhile to read my rhyme!

 

You’ve no doubt noticed I speak plain,

And from a vested stance abstain

But still, I try - and don’t we all? -

To make sense of life’s rolling ball!

 

Observing climate change is rough;

Understanding politics is tough;

Reporters’ noses to the ground;

Let’s face it, is news media sound?

 

So, status quo? There’s no such thing

A change in mood means hefty swing

With old alliances forgot

Enemies now tie the knot …

 

Moves on this chequerboard advance

Pawns tend to lead a merry dance

The game, alas, in parlous state;

Outsiders on the qui vive quake…

(c) Poet in the woods 2023

The Cup Runneth Over

We’re all shook up in many ways

And no, I don’t mean a dance craze

Another earthquake* – many die:

Indonesian lives awry …

 

Our planet boldly shows its might

We never know when it will strike

Though humans think they know the score

Dame Nature holds us all in thrall…

 

This year’s COP** - in tatters

No firm decisions on what matters;

Extensive floods in Pakistan

This crisis is no  “also ran”.

 

Meanwhile in Doha, cool of day

The World Cup teams begin to play:

Surprising win by Ecuador***

Qatar retires with a nil score.

 

Vast stadium and flood-lit pitch

In sandy desert for the rich

Where politics has other goals

Troubling many sanguine souls …

(c) Poet in the woods 2022

** COP = global climate chance conference in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt

*** 2 - 0 

* West Java

World Kindness Day

Facebook brought me up to speed:

World Kindness Day! Just what we need

With so many in despair

As this is one helluva Year.

 

The “Special Operation” cloaks

Horrors for so many folks

While COVID lingers in the wings …

Eternal roundabouts and swings.

 

Late sunshine may serve as a warning

A new and scary world is dawning

But Mid-Term outcomes offer hope

That Common Sense is still afloat!

 

COP 27: Sharm El-Sheikh

What direction shall we take

As climate change is no mirage

The question is – how to take charge?

 

Uncertainty – our human lot

Are we responsible, or not?

World leaders have a role to play

As kindness goes a long, long way …

(c) Poet in the woods 2022

Of course, every day should be kindness day!

Hold-Up on the Suez Canal!

In turgid waters, the ship lies

Beleaguered, focus of all eyes

Vast enterprise: tugs do their best

To dislodge this manifest.

 

A week goes by, rumours abound

Since this titan ran aground

The “Evergreen’s” expansive girth

Halts shipping transport round the Earth!

 

400 blocked ships hesitating

Forced delays, costs escalating;

Angry owners will not wait

Some take the long route round the Cape...

 

Suez - the Wunderkind - lies still

No Canal let-up until

This monster cargo ship’s afloat

Oh, for the time of the small boat!

 

Once thought the marvel of the age

Since 1869 the page

Of lengthy sea lanes seemed long past

With non-stop travel slick and fast.

 

Alas, container transports grow

Their extra weight means ships sink low

Hence this week’s disaster scene;

Pity they weren’t lean and mean!

                      ***

Eureka moment, one week later*

The ship is freed! It’s pure the-a-ter …

The poet’s task, I think you know,

Is to keep up with the flow!

*23rd-29th March, 2021

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

R.I.P. The Forces Sweetheart - Vera Lynn

Born while the First World War was raging
Her songs in World War Two engaging
Hearts and minds in Darkest Hours
Vera's voice had magic powers.

Performing at an early age
Just seven when first on the stage
E.N.S.A. wartime entertainer
Egypt, India, Burma* claim her.

Iconic song to troops fought over
Hoping for 'White Cliffs of Dover';
Who wasn't moved by that refrain
So bittersweet «We'll meet again»?

The Forces Sweetheart; O.B.E.
Active at Queen's Jubilee!
A last link with our time of trial
Yet living through her voice and smile.

At 103 the curtain falls
A sudden silence in the stalls ...
The Press makes much of Vera Lynn
The girl who really loved to sing ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Dame Vera Lynn, née Welch: 20.3.1917- 18.6.2020
* Burma - now called Myanmar

On the Good Ship Google!

Couch potato travel can be fun
But atlas days are sadly done
We boot up keyboards, a few taps
And bingo! We're on Google maps!

Around the world in just one spin
From neighbours' houses – neat and trim
To distant relatives aboard
Near rock-strewn beach or temperate sward!

Zoom to Kratatoa - Sunda straits
Just two clicks is all it takes;
Vancouver Island, seen by Drake
Or Black Sea coast where Russians wait ...

The Dark Continent is vast
Wow! Deserts are encroaching fast
Built-up L.A., or the Dead Sea
Australia's heart – too hot for me ...

Constantia – exiled Ovid's home
Where his statue is well known
Or Egypt's delta – lush and green;
An instant world view on my screen...

All these treasures near to hand
From Arctic North to barren sand ...
Sometimes I think that everywhere
Can best be seen from my armchair!

(c) Poet in the woods 2018

COP - Climate Change Conference

Huge conference on global warming
Heads of State on Paris* swarming
More safety measures put in place
Time is on the wing – we chase

Chimeras – can the world agree
And speak as one? It seems to me
The stakes are high, the damage done
Floods and droughts are Number One.

Our planet suffers – who's to blame?
Man's the destroyer – that is plain
Will Paris pull trumps from its sleeve?
The world awaits – we dare not breathe!

******************

Spain takes the reins – COP 25
Another talking shop goes live
There's no doubt something must be done
But who will wield that smoking gun?

We're profligate with fossil fuels
Greed is king and profit rules
No one dares to turn the tide
We're broken eggs – soon to be fried!

(c) Poet in the woods 2019

COP = Conference of the Parties

* COP21 Paris 7-8 December 2015
COP22 Marrakech 7-11 November 2016
COP23 Bonn 6-17 November 2017
COP24 Katowicz 3-14 December 2018
COP25 Madrid 2-13 December 2019

2020 - postponed due to COVID

COP26 Glasgow 31st October -12 November 2021 

COP 27 Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt - 8-20 November 2022

COP 28 Dubai 30 November - December 12, 2023

COP 29 Baku, Azerbaijan 11-22nd November, 2024

Bomb on Board?

These planes that drop out of the sky
Are a puzzle; why, oh why
When thorough checks have been performed
Are nasty rumours quickly spawned?

Pilot error soon discounted
Investigation quickly mounted
The hunt for the Black Box reveals
A nervous tension the Press feels.

This time at the Red Sea Resort
Stranded tourists are distraught
Over Egypt flight near Sharm El-Sheikh
Shattered with all hands on deck...

This silver bird - new Trojan horse
Bore a package from a doubtful source
Holidaymakers are betrayed;
The fierce explosion is man-made.

I name no names but my thoughts go
To frequent travellers – they must know
Safety checks will get much longer
And apprehension that much stronger!

(c) Poet in the woods 2015

Russian aircraft crashed on 31st October, 2015

An Eclipse through History's Lens

Imagine back in Ancient Times
Our ancestors had simpler minds
Observing planets passing by
In the immense Egyptian sky.

The Sun God Ra on chariot raced
From dawn to dusk on Heaven's face
Infallible, vibrant and revered
So an eclipse was greatly feared.

Darkness at noon, all birdsong dies
An eerie cloak blots out the skies
Beast and human uncomprehending
Thought perhaps the world was ending.

Then gradually the light returned
The sun's rays hit the sand and burned
The relief was palpable and real...
But today we know it's no big deal!

(c) Poet in the woods 2015



March 20th, 2015



Eclipse 2017 - over the Atlantic Ocean

Partial Eclipse June 10, 2021 - Over Washington, D.C.

Total Eclipse over Eastern USA: 8th April, 2024

The Desert Exile

Where he comes from, no one knows
But here he rests awhile
Drinking at the water's edge
Of the calm and peaceful Nile.

Overcome with quenchless thirst
He shows his hooded fangs
As over the carob's shady boughs
His soft green body hangs.

His tongue laps water greedily
Too lazy to exert
The muscles of his body
He lies almost inert.

Then slithers warily, bit by bit
As slowly down he toils
And onto the great sandy grit
He lands in endless coils.

The sun reflects his shining scales
Convulsed as in great pain
As he wriggles under rush and grass
Hiding his slimy frame.

A mass of writhing slackness curls
Upon the sandy shore
His tongue flicks out just like a dart
A spectacle of awe.

Hissing like a demon devil
His mottled skin in haste to go
Always writhing, wriggling, sliding
His hateful eyes aglow.

Sometimes he creeps with stealthy glide
Through desert grasses high
But now, just basking in the sun
This desert reptile lies.

For such a puny little creature
With eyes like reddened flame
I never saw a thing so loathsome
And trust I shan't again!

(written after reading D.H. Laurence's "The Snake")

(c) Poet in the woods 2013