International Tea Day!

Seen on a Facebook post today:

A much-loved brew on proud display;

I speak in riddles once again

But do read on, and I’ll explain…

 

The International Day of Tea!

A May date* that will surely be

Commemorated round the clock;

Put on the kettle – make a pot!

 

Whether Indian or Chinese

Marco Polo** tried both these

The Silk Road traders brought it west

The “cup that cheers” remains the best!

 

Tea-clippers conveyed vast supplies

Soon fashionable, it still survives!

But British customs were ignored

So, Boston threw it overboard!***

 

In looseleaf form or square sachet

Aficionados love their thé

In mugs or dainty Chinese bowls

How it invigorates our souls!

(c) Poet in the woods 2025

* 21st May

** Venetian Marco Polo (1254-1324) - Grand voyager: 1271-1295

***The so-called Boston Tea party took place on December 16th, 1773

Weather Patterns!

September: Brussels - skies bright blue!

Brazil, alas, has flood scenes new;

Weird weather has us by the throat

Our Powers-That-Be just cannot cope…

 

For fashionistas – what to wear?

A Mac and brolly? Leave arms bare?

Disaster scenes on evening telly…

G20 pow-wow in New Delhi.

 

I ask myself, and you must too

Quo Vadis -  as I have no clue;

Obsessions with I.T. are fine

But not all progress is on line.

 

Which world leaders still inspire?

Here, media politics is dire!

When elections give way to bun fight

Uncle Sam just can’t sit tight…

(c) Poet in the woods 2023

March 2nd - Reflections

Train crash in Greece* – were signals missed?

G20 in New Delhi tryst

A longer wait for pension date?

This incessant buzz is hard to take!

 

“No news is good news”, as they say

So, what shall we be told today?

That housing rents will be increased

Tough Dutch exams to get a lease?

 

Dramatic scenes on the world stage

Our thoughts and feelings now engage;

Hyper-connection is the rule

With computers used in school!

 

Sometimes we need to step outside

 Draw breath and enjoy the ride!

Observe the burgeoning spring green

And allow ourselves to dream!

(c) Poet in the woods 2023

* 57 deaths and many injured.

Musing in August

It’s August – time to muse a while;

Life’s frantic pace is such a trial

We tackle tasks at breakneck speed

To buy more objects than we need …

 

So, I ask myself, as you must too,

Where is it that we’re rushing to?

Cool magic passes by our noses

Why not stop and smell life’s roses?

 

Computers, SMART phones, Instagram

Seem our daily lives to cram;

Yet each one’s clock ticks deftly by

No time, alas, to wonder why…

 

While Eastern mystics understand

True wealth lies not in owning land

Their age-old adage “Less is more”

Brings peace of mind so spirits soar!

 

But modern lives are fuelled by stress;

This impetus means lack of rest

Mad drive for profits quite unchecked,

Result: more health and love lives wrecked!

(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

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 ...

Check, Mate!

Nothing's static, so we run

To find ourselves where we've begun

Like Lewis Carroll's bold Red Queen*;

These clever chess moves can't be seen.

We often move across life's board

With rooks and castles on the sward

Or risk a sudden sideways slant

Hellbent to meet our goal, but can't ...

As pawns we must beware attack

Proceed with caution, watch our back;

With crafty players on the board

A dodgy move we can't afford.

Is life a game, or is all planned?

Will we roam unscathed or damned?

Our inner Queen won't hesitate

To protect her hapless mate.

But rashness often pays the price

Our shining Knight makes us think twice!

We diligently play the board

But only God knows how we've scored!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

 * In Lewis Carroll's fantasy novel "Alice through the Looking Glass" (1871).

Note for the curious: The history of chess goes back almost 1500 years. The game originated in northern India in the 6th century AD and spread to Persia. When the Arabs conquered Persia, chess was taken up by the Muslim world and subsequently, through the Moorish conquest of Spain, spread to Southern Europe.

R.I.P. The Forces Sweetheart

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

Animal Messengers

Weird and wonderful, our world delights
In giving us surprising sights
Social media spins the dice
Nature makes us all think twice!

Awareness dawns when we're at home
How Nature comes into its own
With no vast ships or streams of cars
To scare them off, our wildlife stars!

Take the week that's just begun:
A host of animals have fun
Through Adelaide jumps a kangeroo
In Brussels - foxes roam anew!

And as no cruise ships mar the scene
Venice once more is serene
Instead of waves, a gentle swish
The lagoon now sports a jellyfish!

The fog and smog, polluted pall
Caused by India's city sprawl
Has vanished like an ugly dream
Himalyas in the sunshine gleam!

In Thailand with the tourists banned
Baby turtles roam the strand
For twenty years they kept away
What joy to see them back today!

Birdsong replaces honking cars
At night we now can see the stars
Nature tells us «what is what»
But can we halt the ticking clock?

(c) Poet in the woods 2020



Venice



Beach in Thailand

Giving the Green Light?

The happy plant grows under glass
A commercial crop whose shadows cast
A darkness many step outside
But who can stem the growing tide?

The Green Party on the ABC*
Proclaims how they want things to be:
To harness hemp for Medicare
And recreation – if they dare!

Though many countries far away
Legislate – its use is grey
As those with epilepsy find
Its use is soporific, kind.

Known by a multitude of names
It calms the spirit in fast lanes
Inducing quiet meditation
In many cultures, West and Asian.

So should this pipe of peace be banned?
The jury’s out and flames are fanned
Which way should Australia vote?
The answer lost in clouds of smoke!

(c) Poet in the woods 2018

* ABC = Australian Broadcasting Corporation
1st country to legalise cannabis - Uruguay
Legal in Canada 17.10.2018

Cannabis sativa: Marijuana = Pot = Weed

Isabella meets Granny Pam!

Lucky Isabella blessed with two
Loving Grannies, proud and true;
Pam recovers from long flight
Overjoyed to hold her tight!

Long trek from India – here at last
Pam sets about her pleasant task
The little family grows apace;
Thomas's coverted first place

Has been snatched (in the nicest way)
As Isabella now holds sway.
Too young to appreciate
Her role as princess, which is great!

The sofa seems an ideal place
For all parties to touch base.
In no time they create a bond
Invisible but warm and fond!

(c) Poet in the woods 2018

Six months pregnant ...

The months go by, news comes and goes
And Angela needs bigger clothes
The tiny spark becomes a brain,
The mini heart beats a refrain.

Eight fingers, two thumbs and ten toes
The scan reveals a cheeky nose
Cells split and form new molecules
Those tiny hands are perfect tools.

At six months junior packs a punch
And kicks out - ruining Mama’s lunch!
Protected in a warm cocoon,
It revels in its heated room.

All food provided at no charge
No wonder it is getting large.
Beyond its realm, the real world waits
And wonders which strange family traits

Have with the Indian pool combined
To form this gem of human kind.
Nature takes its time of course
Three months have still to run their course

Before this miracle arrives
Its gender so far – a surprise!

(c) Poet in the woods 2014

Written in October 2013. Thomas was born
on 8th January 2014 so I am now an Auntie!

A Meaningless Date

Some dates have meaning, others not
What a pity we can’t stop the clock
Today the 3rd of May is one;
Today my granddad had a son.

Away from the burning Indian plains
In an English hill station, blessed with rains.
The First World War was at its height
Still to come - Armistice Night.

When the tiny babe, my future Dad
Became my Granny’s precious lad.
Much loved, he was an only child
Loving nature, running wild.

A long life and a happy one
Who survived the Second War, then some!
And attained the age of ninety-five
But sadly is no more alive.

Last Christmas his bright light grew dim
Old age his spirit took from him
So now as May the 3rd comes round
This birthday has a hollow sound...

(c) Poet in the Woods 2014

3.5.1918 - 13.12.2013



View of Mussourie, India - in the foothills of the Himalyas ...