A Turbulence of Tulips!

Though ‘Keukenhof’* this year is banned

‘Floralia’ blooms are close at hand

In April through to early May:

 What a sight for sore eyes on display!

 

In Groot Bijgaarden castle ground

 With tower and bridges ivy-bound,

Is a vast complex with benches strewn,

And sandwiches on sale – at noon!

 

If you like tulips, you’re in luck

There are multitudes to see, not pluck

They stretch, like Wordworth’s daffodils,

O’er new-mown lawns, by joyful rills.

 

The paths strike out through leafy glades

 There’s magic in the tended swathes

Bold rainbow colours, row on row,

Each vista forms a splendid show!

 

The day we went was chill, but sun

Made the trip a pleasant one;

So, do tulips come from Amsterdam?

Wrong song – their home base is Iran!

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

* Dutch tulip festival held annually in the spring, but banned in 2021 due to COVID.

FLORALIA

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.

A Persian Version

Ancient Persia, now Iran
In trepidation - nuclear ban
Trump creates a yawning gap
Obama's policy old hat...

The White House yields one more surprise
But to keep a promise, is it wise?
What happens to the nuclear threat
Are all forces held in check?

The Middle East - a powder keg
Weird carpet of deep lustrous thread
So many skeins are on the go
But which way will the pattern flow?

Dark hatching not bright themes are seen
But what do all these treaties mean?
Life's volatile, we're on the run
But our planet is the only one!

(c) Poet in the woods 2018