Pageantry and Proclamation

What a week!  A change of reign

With young P.M .* to take the strain;

Balmoral caught in spotlight rare

Aberdeenshire - world Press sphere!

 

Brief encounter -  Boris leaves

While Liz Truss from the Queen receives

The longed-for, coveted top role

On Tuesday; now those sad bells toll…

 

Fragile, but with will steadfast

Our Queen on Thursday breathed her last

All Royal plans in disarray

The Prince states he much feared this day …

 

Emotions flow at all time high

Charles, now King, will have to try

To mask his grief, accept his task;

At his age this is a Big Ask!

 

Cortège of cars, police escort

Outriders clear the traffic; brought

Back to London – rendezvous

With new P.M. - a wealth to do…

 

The reign of Charles III is proclaimed

With awesome pageantry arranged;

St. James’s Tudor Palace starred

Surrounded by the Coldstream Guard.

 

Trumpets, tabards, timeless poise

While cannon salvos are deployed;

William, now new Prince of Wales,

Considers what this role entails…

 

Charles makes his first impassioned speech

As protocol permits no breach

Between one monarch and the next;

Just time to wish him all the best!

(c) Poet in the woods 2022

* Her mandate lasted only 45 days

A Tribute to Queen Elizabeth II

London Bridge has fallen down!

Vast outpouring, sad, profound

The Elizabethan Age is through:

We grasp at straws; the shock brand-new …

 

Our rock, dependable and true

For many Nations – me and you;

Immutable, with twinkling eyes

Stewardship in human guise.

 

Noble, longest reigning Royal

70 years of honest toil

Admired – but also loved, revered

Her passing leaves us feeling scared …

 

Although her death was no surprise

Her absence affects many lives

Belovèd around the Commonwealth

She gave indeed much of herself.

 

Well-travelled, well-briefed, worldly-wise

Respected till the day she dies …

Her role as monarch proudly done;

She is perhaps the only one

 

Whose loss incurs such global grief;

Deep feelings circulate beneath

As her long reign draws to a close ...

Now, what the future holds, who knows?

 

Ex-Prince of Wales, now Charles the Third,

Means a ‘C’ change has occurred;

Balmoral - strewn with wreaths of flowers

Already battered by strong showers

 

As if the Heavens mourn her too …

Now Paradise hoves into view

Where Philip, who has gone before,

Will hold her hand tight evermore.

(c) Poet in the woods 2022

Out of Step!

We take for granted we can walk

Live free and easy lives each day

Jog, do gym, run, somersault

Just carry on - our own sweet way.

 

But age creeps up; with one false move

Tendonitis shocks, accrues !

We’re jolted out of cosy groove

Pain-killers calm the throb – no booze!

 

Of course, some rub-in gels provide

Pain relief but respite’s short;

Methinks I’m in for a rough ride

My social plans reduced to nought…

 

Climbing stairs – my Everest

A trip to town? The stuff of dreams;

I put my leg up – forced to rest

I learn the hard way what that means!

(c) Poet in the Woods 2022

A Kiss in the Castle!

The faintest kiss - the deed is done

The reign of new Liz* has begun;

No sceptre, crown or Robes of State

Though the position carries weight…

 

Comparisons with Theresa May

Do not, perhaps, seem apt today

Though pundits toy with Mrs. T.**

The word is: “Let’s stand back and see”.

 

Boris makes his farewell speech;

What will his pithy mandate teach?

His witty repartee remains:

A helpful asset in fast lanes!

 

From Aberdeenshire, castle-bound

This chassé-croisé is profound;

The Queen at Ninety-Six, aloof

Observes the pudding, waits for proof!

(c) Poet in the Woods 2022

*Liz Truss - new P.M. on 6th September, 2022

(resigned on 24th October, 2022)

** Margaret Thatcher - P.M. from 1979-1990.

The Queen's last engagement and photo - taken at Balmoral, Scotland.

Life at the Top!

Elections are my theme today

There’s Italy* - in disarray;

And, after two months of debate,

Who will the seat of Boris take?

 

Our Emerald Isle is up for grabs

But times are hard and Likely Lads

Have not all stepped up to the plate

Balmoral - and the Nation - wait!

 

This poem’s lifespan will be short

As politics - a lively sport

Keeps us fairly on our toes;

In this uncertain world, who knows**?

 

Global warming, flood and fire

Whichever way you look, it’s dire;

Plus, the escalating costs of fuel…

Life at the top can be surreal!

(c) Poet in the Woods 2022

* Italian elections: 22.9.2022

** Liz Truss is now the new British P.M.

Outside Downing Street

 

Attempting the Impossible!

How do creative juices flow?

I’m often asked – but do not know

Like an artist with a sketchbook plain

Inspiration strikes again!

 

The prompting may come from within

Where hidden thoughts are wont to swim

Or from some drama in the News:

A famous death? … no time to lose.

 

Perhaps indeed some human theme

Analysis of vivid dream

Memories of those held dear

Or contemplation of deep fear…

 

Our human lives are sadly short

Emotions make us overwrought

We try to make sense of it all

A task which prompts this frequent scrawl!

(c) Poet in the woods  2022

A Russian Cocktail

September: Wow, the sun still shines!

I trawl the news these troubled times

For some choice nugget to relate :

The Olympics - Munich*  a dark date …

 

Israeli athletes lost their lives

To scary Black September guys…

Spotlight on Russia (not the war):

Mikhail Gorbachev - no more.

 

World leader who changed Kremlin’s face;

Think Thatcher, Reagan, the Arms Race

A wind of change; chess moves - detente

In Russia though, mixed memories haunt…

 

Back to the mundane – fuel costs rise

Why is that no real surprise?

But as I said, the sun still shines,

Rays of hope for better times?

(c) Poet in the woods 2022

*11 athletes died (September 5th, 1972)

Mikhail Gorbachev  2.3.1931 - 29.8.2022