Out of Earshot?

On Pennsylvania campaign trail

A sudden gunshot – but a fail …

I hear you champing at the bit…

Should we mention who got hit?

 

The Secret Service, that dark clan

Jumped on Trump down to a man;

A bullet struck a glancing blow

Worldwide his bloodstained cheek on show!

 

Will this help get him elected?

Gunman shot soon as detected;

Security not watertight…

Thoughts of Van Gogh’s ear *excite …

(c) Poet in the woods 2024

 * Self portrait with bandaged ear - January 1889

Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890)

Going Down the Aisle!

When we think of war, we think Ukraine

But supermarkets feel the strain

As Amazon invades their space

And war-on-prices soon takes place.

 

Will promotions and smart offers

Manage to replenish coffers?

Small retailers feel squeezed out

As “big players”* wield more clout.

 

Engaging shoppers down the aisles:

A game-changer with wry smiles

As mass distribution - on-line sales

A change in tactics now entails.

 

Staff and running costs are high

Analysts check what we buy

Big Brother checks our shopping cart

Behaviour patterns – a new art!

 

As our cost-of-living rises

Food, a vital need, surprises

Many curtail what they buy

Demand now under-strips supply! 

(c) Poet in the woods 2023

* Delhaize, Carrefour, etc...

On Summer

Apollo is a trendy dude

His radiant splendour cheers our mood

Solar energy is life food!

Warm June is here!

Those brilliant sunsets are a treat

Long soirées: time to meet and greet;

Where artists painted fields of wheat*

In midnight clear.

 

This bright light makes our worries fade

Chase out those dark thoughts that invade;

Why stand forever in the shade?

Embrace bright gold!

Think picnics, BBQ delights;

The magic of long, starry nights*

When we put the world to rights;

Hope's stance is bold!

(c) Poet in the woods 2022

*  Inspiration: "Starry, Starry Night"" a tribute song to Vincent Van Gogh by Neil Diamond (1974)

Phoebus's chariot!

Omicron Goes to Work!

The grindstone beckons this wan morn!

Masks, of course, must still be worn

It’s back to work for some of you

Crowded travelling in view…

 

Torrential rain fell overnight

No frost yet, so that’s alright

But winter has not breathed its last

This lull may lead to chilly blast!

 

Today’s commute to work is slow

Many hesitant to go

Uneasiness hangs the air

Though bored with COVID – please take care!

 

Meanwhile, the Dutch in lock-down strict,

Find Antwerp shopping a big hit

Winners and losers play this game;

While UK residents complain…

 

As Omicron numbers start to swell

Predictions all seem shot to Hell;

Man has a tough rebellious streak

So, will he play it safe this week? 

(c) Poet in the woods 2022

Omicron is a variant of the virus

Chilly Thoughts

A view across Ten Reuken* lake

Sees bold swans tiny ripples make

While branches, clothed in frost, now quake

In icy blast;

The cloak of darkness starts to fray

As winter sun burns through the grey;

Here comes my 8 Tram straightaway

I step on fast!

Wrapped up and masked, some passers-by,

Intent on daily tasks, go by

While birds observe them perched up high:

A Brueghel scene …

After sleet, there’s talk of snow

But COVID keeps our spirits low;

Will more restrictions our lives slow?

Our hopes stay lean …

 

The Dutch impose a lock-down new

So, Antwerp sees its sales accrue

While nightclubs don’t know what to do

At this bleak time;

Those who travel have now left

While some, of families quite bereft,

Consider options they have left

And drink mulled wine!

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

* in Watermael-Boitsfort

Rebels with a Cause!

The populace has had enough!

Too much talk of COVID stuff;

Restrictions pile up, we lose track

It’s an enigma we can’t crack!

 

Water cannon, burning cars!

Lack of freedoms is what jars

Dutch riots spread to Brussels streets

Deutschland bans its market treats!

 

Austria – rarely in the news -

This time has trenchant COVID views

As Europe veers a turgid red

And travel plans are shelved instead.

 

Forlorn hope to turn back the clock;

The festive spirit takes a knock

As this pandemic has free 'reign'

And politics is not to blame!

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

Awash!

Disaster strikes - the shock is great

We’re served up panic – on a plate!

This July abnormal rains

Race to flood and block our drains!

 

The Hain and Meuse soon overflow;

Liège town centre is no-go.

With three months rainfall in three days:

Muddy waters scout camps raze …

 

Wallonia, famed for scenic views,

Quite overwhelmed as waters ooze

Into houses, bars and shops;

All valiant public transport stops.

 

This roguish rain respects no border;

German cities in disorder;

Cars bump and crash in the melee

Some houses crumble right away …

 

Debris and death as waves recede

Anguished souls stand in dire need

Of clothing, food and place to go

As all they owned is lost in flow…

 

From crippling heat and forest fire

To streets and homes awash in mire …

Extremes which make the message clear

Global warming’s real - and here!

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

Liège on the Meuse River

 

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

Concedo Nulli!

History’s parallels are intriguing

In terms of politics – revealing;

Let’s cast our minds back long ago

When Renaissance printing caused a flow

Of grammar books and classic law

Helping educate the poor

But when unleashed, the printed word

The minds of those in power disturbed.

 

Religious tracts, revised translations

Caused schisms and divided Nations!

Their consequences put in play

Dilemmas which exist today.

 

Erasmus, Prince of Humanists,

Dutch priest and thinker in the midst

Of this turmoil and confusion

Friend of kings, but sans illusion

 

Advised and warned, did not take sides

"Whose name", said Colet, "never dies"*;

Known for his motto, much admired;

 “I yield to no one” has inspired

 

Perhaps the Oval Office man*

Whose tweets proclaim that he still can

Stave off the overwhelming tide

And hold on tight for a new ride!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Concedo Nulli  -"I yield to no one"

Erasmus of Rotterdam  c 1467-1536

John Colet  Churchman 1467-1519

*D.T.

* Nomen Erasmi numquam peribit.

Off the Charts!

The things one hears on daily news!
Life's arcane foibles oft amuse
Let's take a sample from this week
I pull the curtain back and peep:

Our noble Queen now bans all fur
No soft and silky touch on her!
Claiming environmental need,
Dutch motorways reduce their speed.

While Democrats across the Pond
Force Trump towards 'Slough of Despond';
Impeachment looms; what role Ukraine ...
Will Hillary now run again?

Weird, wonderful and plain bizarre:
Belgians - the happiest by far -
So a European poll proclaims ...
Is the Almighty playing games?

Bushfires crisp the Queenland coast
High winds fan flames and Aussies roast ...
While Brits now find themselves flood-prone
Washed up by BREXIT – and alone!

Should we laugh, fight, protest, scream or cry?
Armageddon in the wings, stands by.
The future seems a tad too dark;
We search in vain for Noah's Ark!

(c) Poet in the woods 2019

Anne Frank - Two More Pages

Anne Frank, a German Jew in hiding
In her diary all confiding
Words from the heart, a wealth of dreams
A girl with spirit, in her teens.

Cooped up, she found a way to cope
And daily scribbled thoughts of hope
In the form of letters she might send
To Kitty, (was she a real friend?)

In a wartime raid in Forty-Four
The diary dropped on Annex floor...
Trucked to Belsen where she died
But luckily her Pa survived.

Her words were published in due course
Highlighting Nazi Holocaust
Thwarted Anne could not have known
Most have a copy in their home!

And now - Eureka! - a surprise
Two pages* in brown paper guise
Show glimpses of a girl distraught
Her basic feelings overwrought ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2018

* 15.5.2018 AMSTERDAM — Anne Frank tried to cover up two pages of writing in her diary that contained dirty jokes and a description of what she referred to as “sexual matters,” pasting brown paper over the pages in her red-and-white plaid notebook.

Annalies Marie Frank: 12th June, 1929 - Feb-March, 1945

A Snapshot of Groeningen

Windmills, lush grass, proud cows, bikes,
Groeningen: picture postcard sites
Vibrant market, happy people
Church Romanesque with brick-built steeple.

Cycle paths that criss-cross streets
A cloud formation that completes
Farms and crops on every side
Well organised, the Nation's pride.

Land reclamation at the coast
Wind farms give fossil fuels a boost
Villages scattered on the plain
Kept pristine in the frequent rain.

Fruit and flowers in profusion
This is no artist's fond illusion
Sailboats catch the rippling breeze
Stupendous sunsets through the trees...

(c) Poet in the woods 2017

The Dutch Vote

Dutch Barn, Dutch Auction, Double-Dutch
All these expressions have a twist
What of the fine Dutch wife to touch?
A bolster you perhaps have missed!

With interest I contemplate
This stalwart country's cultural lore
Some words are used in pristine state:
«Apartheid» stays in fashion, hoor!

The «Dutch Treat» is no treat at all
«Dutch Courage» brings booze into play;
But «Going Dutch» in voting hall
Sends those Extremists on their way!

(c) Poet in the woods 2017

Santa Claus - Explained!

Have you ever stopped to wonder why
We celebrate this white beard guy?
And what about his name, I pray?
There's a foreign meaning tucked away...

It means Saint Nicholas in Dutch;
Sint Niklaas was loved so much
By countries under Catholic sway
That he's still honoured on this day!

December 6th is filled with joy
With gifts for each good girl and boy
For weeks before, he's on parade
So the toy shops do a roaring trade!

There are songs - and wish lists carefully written
In Belgium yes – but not in Britain
Won over to the Reformation
All Saints were banished from the Nation!

Yet in altered form he still survives
As Santa Claus he brightens lives
On Christmas Eve with reindeer sleigh
Bringing gifts to give away!

Of the Christian bishop – not a trace
Mammon not God takes his place
For Brits: no “Black Pete” just small elves
Who make the toys and stack the shelves!

(c) Poet in the woods 2016

A Snapshot of Gouda

Quaint city of a famous cheese
With elegant, pinnacled town hall
Cobbled streets with shady trees
Canals and remnants of town wall.

A host of shops, all brightly lit
With enticing items on display
Watch out for bikes! You might be hit
As they zigzag past and block your way.

Amid the streets that twist and turn
A memorial to Jewish dead
On a quiet corner I discern
The mosque of Gouda straight ahead.

An ancient toll house, now café
Overlooks time-honoured ships
Heavy barges once held sway
Now used these days for tourist trips.

St. Jan's Kerk is the city's pride
The stained glass windows filter light
Across the flagstones deep inside
A dazzling, 500 year old sight.

Repairs are underway within
Workmen toil to renovate
This jewel of Gothic art; the din
Disturbs the silence at its heart.

The springtime sun on old facades
Focuses on vistas new
Behind old gateways neat courtyards
A living postcard to walk through!

(c) Poet in the woods 2015

A Day along the Dykes

A sunny day – we cross the border
Holland’s like Norfolk only broader
Flat landscape, fertile polders, cows
Criss-crossed by roads, where space allows.

Vlissingen with its herring fleet;
Oud Dorp and Westkapelle greet
Occasional tourists such as us
With friendly smiles; good food – a plus!

Amazing engineering feats
Keep out the sea from village streets.
Huge dykes protect one sixth of land
From flooding, thanks to work of man!

Windmills by pumps are now replaced
As the threat of water must be faced
Around the clock, throughout the year
Global warming a real fear.

But the day was sunny as I said
Picture postcard scenes with bikes that thread
Through towns or down quaint canal track -
Sea-going Nation – I’ll be back!

(c) Poet in the woods 2014

A Snapshot of Maastricht

An ancient crossing of the Meuse
Which a reading of its name infers
Dutch tongue of land – coach drive away
Where Saint Servais still holds sway.

Coveted by France and Spain
A city many sought to claim
Where D’Artagnan, Dumas’ musketeer
Lies buried; he died fighting here.

Old Vrijhof; bustling market square
There’s a touch of Belgium here
With its onion-towered, proud town hall
Surrounded by many a farmer’s stall.

Where Dominicans once used to pray
Books are sold in smart display.
Huge gateways, sturdy, metres thick
Once protected old Maastricht.

In modern times the perfect place
To sign a Treaty; change the face
Of Europe, making us all one
Its latest chapter has begun!

(c) Poet in the woods 2014

A Snapshot of Delft

Down shady streets caressed by limes
And cobbles like in olden times
To a busy market in the square
With imposing town hall proudly there.

The pace is slow – we walk on by
In early evening – still blue sky
The shops are quaint, well stocked and neat
In contrast to the busy street.

Small bridges the canals still span
It has a feel of Amsterdam
Without the bustle of that city
Delft is picture-postcard pretty!

Abstraction made of bike and car
This trading town remains a star
Whichever way I look, it’s clear
I see the easel of Vermeer.

(c) Poet in the woods 2014

View of Delft  (c. 1759-1761)



The Glass of Wine - by Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675)

Cycling round Kinderdijk

A moment captured – lost in time
A row of windmills in a line
Small ripples caught in playful sun
Bulrushes whisper, cyclists come.

Clouds like cotton wool hang low
An Old Dutch masterpiece on show
While gusting wind sweeps straggly grass
And buffs the cheeks of those who pass.

Comfrey clusters on the bank
Cow parsley too; they love the damp
Narrow bridges catch the eye
And freedom-loving birds swoop by.

Near to, the windmills look sedate
Each proudly sports its founding date
Since 1740 on this site
Keeping the water levels right.

Stalwart sails toiled around the clock
Draining polders with livestock
Oh Defenders of a valiant Nation
Superceded by a pumping station!

Much of Holland lies below the sea
So polders and dikes will always be
A feature of this windswept scene
Where Delft skies merge with paintbox green.

(c) Poet in the woods 2014

A Snapshot of The Hague

They come from all sides, ringing bells
The pavements set the pace
And the unsuspecting tourist tells -
His neighbour, "It's a race!"

But no, this flat land, brightly clad
Despite the leaden skies
Is a wealth of wheels spinning like mad
Where movement never dies.

The Hague, no longer under wraps
Has history to explore
We walk until fit to collapse
Now "going Dutch" means more!

(c) Poet in the woods 2013