BREXIT - Wrecks It?

10 years have flown by – a decade!

Since Britain by strong hype was swayed

To ignore great benefits accrued

Since joining E.U.’s happy brood!

 

Long queues and barricades at ports;

In came Red Tape: high-cost imports

Of European food and wines;

Now it seems that Britain pines

 

For golden time of free exchange …

Which politics fails to arrange!

So, “Splendid Isolation” rules

Though ardour for this status cools…

 

On the other side of this divide

We, who could not vote, decried:

“This referendum is misplaced”!

Time shows it had egg on its face!

 

Proud Island Nation, still at sea

As always, feels it has to be

At odds with Europe – so it’s plain

Trading Wars thrive here again!

(c) Poet in the woods 2026

Referendum held in June 2016

Maison Saint Cyr - Square Ambiorix

In Dutch we learned of Strauven’s* gem

For Leonard Saint Cyr, way back when

Art Nouveau reached its heady peak

Its green wrought ironwork – unique!

 

Four metres wide, five stories high

Its slender columns, fragile, fly

To shoulder a rose window vast;

Raspberry brickwork grips it fast.

 

Up ornate staircase painted bright

To top floor bathed in coloured light

Front salon: Chinese-style displays;

Its picture window draws our gaze!

 

Engravings, nesting tables, art

Restored wood panelling is dark

Fine marquetry on wooden floor

While glass tiles hint at cellar store.

 

From upstairs window briefly spied

Walled-garden, miniscule, outside

But Inside mirrors create space;

This bijou residence has taste!

(c) Poet in the woods 2026

* Gustave Strauven architect 1903

A Peace of Luck?

Hope at Versailles blooms again;

He signed for peace with thick felt pen;

Europa held her breath and sighed ...

A temporary truce is tried.

 

Meanwhile, a fresh new wave of drones

Brings destruction of more homes

Will ships, once blocked, now make their way

Through the troubled Strait today?

 

It matters how you bait your hook;

The stakes are high, the game’s afoot*;

All try to keep their powder dry

But sadly, vagrant sparks may fly …

 

(c) Poet in the woods 2026

* from Shakespeare's Henry V.

Beleaguered Brussels?

What gives in this world we know:

In Hormuz Strait – will traffic flow

Allowing petrol costs to slow?

Less tax by stealth?

Warm weather brings the punters out

Brussels: place-to-be – no doubt

But football comes with lager lout…

Bars – rake in wealth!

 

Scaffolding now scars the streets:

Fibre-optic cables sneak

On roads, dug up and then made neat

From dawn to dark;

The gasmen excavate long trench;

Put up a barricade (in French!)

Frustrated drivers their fists clench:

Gone - place to park!

 

Far be it from me to complain

When traffic cones pop up again

As in Brussels, city under strain

Roadworks are go!

Tram tracks need to be replaced;

Bins overflow; and it’s a race

To keep the city a clean place

And staunch the flow.

 

Great tourist Mecca in the sun!

A walk on cobbled streets is fun

No wonder foreign tourists come

To taste our wares!

But what of He who pees all day?*

If he could speak, what would he say

As chaos reigns, and anyway

 Who really cares?

(c) Poet in the woods 2026

* Manneken-Pis in the Rue de l'Etuve, Brussels

 

R.I.P. David Hockney (1937-2026)

I caught the tail end of the news …

An endearing Brit icon we lose;

This leader of the Pop Art scene

Genius painter who has been

 

Multi-skilled in stage design

With photos and prints drawn on line

Dabbling in realms of collage,

Has left a legacy writ large!

 

Think of that sun-blessed swimming pool

His colour palette? Lord of cool!

Or trees in blossom – northern France;

He sure gave portraiture a chance!

 

Widely travelled, art school don

A range of different hats put on;

By nature in all forms inspired,

His exhibitions* much admired!

 

My tribute to this Bradford lad

David Hockney, whose art had

A universal, warm appeal:

Stark, emblematic and surreal!

(c) Poet in the woods 2026

* also in Brussels

Note: offered a knighthood but declined.

He died in London on June 11th, 2026, aged 88

Portrait of Ozzie Clark

Truth on Trial?

What news is real? What news is fake?

Take pinch of salt? Take dice and shake?

Those uninformed can spin a yarn,

And social media can spread harm!

 

Do journalists check out their sources?

Integrity their best course is

Let’s hope they know whom they can trust

As time is short - but check they must!

 

News flows unchecked from all war zones

Then Facebook shares it on our ‘phones

But has it all been filtered first?

Press freedom challenged – could be worse …

 

“But what is Truth?”, Pilate once said;

Barabbas freed and Jesus dead…

The rowdy rebels were appeased

But misinformed – the wrong man seized …

 

We flounder in news overload

We check on-line, use QR code

And try to make sense of events

Drowning in world news intense …

(c) Poet in the woods 2026

Pre-World Cup 2026

It’s June - the countdown has begun;

Several weeks of football fun;

This year three countries share key dates

As politics has upped the stakes!

 

Transatlantic flights take place;

Our “Red Devils” * set the pace

They face a choice – but where to go?

To Trump’s U.S. or Mexico?

 

Canada will also rate

In this new triumvirate

Where 48, not 32

Teams will fight it out anew!

 

The World Cup sanctions key Prime Time

Ticket sales explode on line

“The game’s afoot!”**; most cannot wait:

Their country’s honour is at stake!

“The Beautiful Game”***, by Pelé dubbed,

Excites the spirit, warms the blood,

Inciting Nations out to play:

Pitch perfect in a world gone grey?

(c) Poet in the woods 2026

Between June 11th and 19th July, 2026

* The Belgian National team

** Quote from Shakespeare's 'Henry V' - Act III Scene I

*** The beautiful game is a nickname for association football. It was popularised by Brazilian footballer Pelé, who played from 1957 to 1977 who died aged 82 in 2022. It is also the title of an eponymous Netflix film (2024)