The End of an Era

A sunny day – but tinged with grey
M&S closed its doors today*
Empty shelves, disgruntled staff
Last faltering steps on Brussels' path...

Not once but twice it flew the flag,
For Brits abroad good times were had
Twice we thought that it would stay
And twice they pulled the rug away!

Could «bête noire» BREXIT be the cause?
A Business Plan with fatal flaws?
But hundreds streamed through «golden» gates
Its premium food sold like hot cakes.

Outside in Toison d'Or a truck:
Paint tins and ladders loaded up ...
Workmen eye this prime location
New tenants need no invitation!

(c) Poet in the woods 2017

*Farewell to Marks & Spencers on 29th September, 2017
See also http://poetinthewoods.blogspot.be/2015/05/stampede.html when it opened in 2015!

Playboy Extraordinaire? (1926-2017)

Hugh Hefner – well known ladies' man
An Aries in Chicago born
Who oozed with charm, no 'also ran'
Creator of a softer dawn.

Who brought spice to dull Fifties lives
With Playboy magazine,
Sex fuelled its meteoric rise
A sybaritic dream!

Demand soon far outstripped supply
Its centrefolds - pure art
The Swinging Sixties' battlecry
A magazine – with heart!

At 91 - his bolt is shot
And Playboy is no more
But Hefner's was a happy lot
With a high ranking score!

(c) Poet in the woods 2017

Hanging by a Thread

Does every life hang by a thread?
The Sword of Damocles was said
By Cicero in ancient times
To hold in peril he who dines
In opulence upon a throne
Beset by fear or fears unknown...

The flatterer, for it was he
Who yearned in the King's place to be
Dazzled by riches beyond measure
Craving these ripe fruits of leisure
Soon lost interest in the scene
When a sword point faced him from a beam...

Greed and jealousy pursue
Those at the top. Beware the view!
Who can a reigning monarch trust?
He knows such luxury is dust
All outward trappings just a sham;
How double-edged is every man!

(c) Poet in the woods 2017

Damoclès = an obsequious courtier
The reigning monarch = King Dionysius II, a 4th century B.C. tyrant of Syracuse

Joining the Party!

German elections – brand new mix
Art of the possible – politics
Angela Merkel - 4th term win;
Let power-sharing now begin...

The Socialists in second place
But a brand new party shows its face
A right-wing, Eurosceptic group
For 50 years out of the loop!

Shades of a past most would forget
The AfD now stands to get
A chance to change the status quo
It's early days – where will it go?

(c) Poet in the woods 2017

Germany's General Election: 24th September, 2017
AfD = Alternative für Deutschland



Bundestag - Berlin

On Being Famous

"What's fame?", I ask. Why is it sought?
A fantastic dream that can't be caught
Elusive, pressing, clasped in vain
Huge sacrifices in its name...

Success, though heady, has its price
In the grip of stardom, why look twice?
Recognition's best when it comes slow
But impatient Youth won't have it so...

Hope and talent, drugs and booze
Keep shooting stars in tabloid news
Oh, to be seen, heard, loved, admired
And still stay grounded and inspired!

But the time for turning back is past
Caught in the spotlight, they burn fast
Think of Amy*, James Dean, Kurt Cobain
Idols once – now just a name ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2017

*Winehouse



Briefly in the spotlight ...

Mexico on the Edge

The Earth moves in mysterious ways
Rock solid – molten mass
Right now we're in an active phase*
With aftershocks and gas.

Big cities cannot stand the strain
Now Mexico succombs
It's rattle and roll time again
The population runs ...

Cracks and fissures, dust, debris
As pressure finds release
Busy streets now barren scree
Nature's War and Peace ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2017



* The 2017 Chiapas earthquake struck at 23:49 CDT on 7 September in the Gulf of Tehuantepec off the southern coast of Mexico, near state of Chiapas, approximately 87 kilometres southwest of Pijijiapan,

The Bubbling Cauldron

I love to stir the pot a bit
With one long spoon, the mixture swirls
Break up our certainties grown thick
And watch the heat rise up in whorls...

Role playing, it seems clear to me,
Gives the old status quo a tug
Allowing thoughts to filter free
Motives born of hate not love...

So much around is harsh and cruel
Greed, resentment, power, lust
Our natures garish headlines fuel
Violence shakes our planet's crust!

Calls for calm and peace unheeded
Hot spots on the globe ignite
Our way to Hell seems unimpeded ...
Halt, look up and see the light!

(c) Poet in the woods 2017

Autumnal Thoughts

September - the year's middle age
Rustling leaves, high water gauge
Blue skies still but heat has faded
Suntanned faces now look jaded...

Crowded buses, trams and train
Consoling soups and stews – weight gain
Should I put the heating on
Now hope of long warm spells is gone?

Schools in full swing, evening classes
Morning mists now fog my glasses
Long-sleeved sweaters fit the bill
Essential to ward off a chill!

Cobbled streets aren't safe when wet
But shopping needs must still be met
Glossy conkers in the mire
Thoughts turn again to crackling fire ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2017

At Parsons Green Station, London

Please, no more bad news or I'll scream!
Bomb attack in Parsons Green
A quiet suburb, Fulham way
Commuter lives in disarray ...

The Net, or Met, spreads very wide
A youth near Dover now inside
Raids upon a foster home
Conflicting news on mobile phone.

What? Why? and Where? are headline news
The fifth attack - a myriad clues
More police must be deployed
The stiff upper lip destroyed.

The bomb, home-made, was badly wrought
All its components counter-bought
Times are uncertain, that's my point:
The Parson's nose is out of joint!

(c) Poet in the woods 2017

Note: 29 people hurt ...

Thomas the Captain!

Does it have a name, this yellow boat
Stuck in dry dock; and can it float?
Thomas – Captain on the deck
Peaked cap but lacking epaulette -

Grips the wheel with all his might
Determined to keep land in sight!
What thoughts assail his boyish mind?
The real sea can be unkind.

But here ashore, he pits his wits
Against a small skiff, not tall ships
Which brought the settlers long ago
To the Australia we know ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2017

Sallying Forth!

More rain – the Autumn mood is clear
Leaves underfoot, gusts wreck my hair
I nearly lost my hat today
My walking shoes splashed with dirt spray.

A most unsubtle change ignites
My troubled Muse these chilly nights
Puddles, roadworks, crowded buses
A fellow passenger who fusses...

Busy crossroads, long delays
Rain-sodden hoardings meet my gaze
I fish out scarves and sturdy shoes
Hear traffic hold-ups on the news...

Somewhere my brolly I must find
A pal not to be left behind
Its clammy closeness I detect
As it weighs a ton when it is wet!

September festivals outdoors
Heritage days - fun guided tours.
Car-free Sunday looms once more
Skateboards and cycles to the fore!

(c) Poet in the woods 2017

A Deafening Silence!

The phones ring – no one picks them up
Today, it seems, I'm out of luck
It's hard to row one's boat alone
Between jobs, life is demi-tone...

It's always «next week,» «later on»
My friends' work ethics tough and strong
Retirement has its quieter side
As I anticipate the tide...

The urge to «be involved» burns bright
Life's stream is stong, I hold on tight
Grip on both oars and watch the spray
Till new adventures come my way!

(c) Poet in the woods 2017

Clearing the Air

At times the Truth just must be told
Diplomacy may be oversold
One must dot the «I's» and cross the «T's»
PC* of course is none of these.

The role of friends takes many forms
There are weeds in the most perfect lawns!
You must speak your mind and clear the air
Your thoughts and feelings must be clear.

By inadvertence or neglect
A cherished friendship can be wrecked
So, best to put one's point of view
Maybe the other has no clue ...

That some past action hit a nerve;
In every straight road there's a curve!
Small cracks great fissures can become
Resentment makes life's ink all run...

Do I speak in riddles? Get my drift?
Misunderstandings cause a rift
Perhaps we don't know we've offended?
Pride must be swallowed; fences mended!

(c) Poet in the woods 2017

 * Political Correctness

Not Irma-la-Douce

It depends, of course, what you believe
Dame Nature has tricks up her sleeve
Tsunamis, high winds, heavy rains...
In the Caribbean - havoc reigns.

Paradise islands in the sun
With golden beaches every one ..
Then Irma, one bad hurricane
And life hangs by a thread – again...

From deepest blue to skies of grey
Torrential rain - not gentle spray
Lives are dashed and dreams destroyed
Insurance policies are void!

Dependent on the tourist trade
The glossy brochures quickly fade
When lashed with wrath from Nepture's fork
Bright blossoms ripped down to their stalk...

We think, poor souls, we've got it sussed
But Nature's last laugh is on us;
Hi-tech is fine in its own way
But Mother Nature still holds sway...

(c) Poet in the woods 2017

*Cheeky Title taken from 1963 film starring Jack Lemmon and Shirley Maclaine

My Gift to You!

When young, there seemed so much to learn
New challenges at every turn
Skills and knowledge to acquire
Each year the bar placed that bit higher...

At first I pushed through every door
Great possibilities to explore ...
But then I found what grabbed me most
One special talent I could boast ...

We're all unique in our own way
The question is - what is our trait?
It's liberating when we find
Exactly how God wired our mind.

It happened many years ago
I cottoned onto words that flow;
At under ten, I toyed with rhyme
And scribbled poems at bedtime.

On Shakespeare's sonnets I would feast
So my treasury of words increased
Books my imagination fired
Images in words inspired.

The sounds of verbs give gentle clues
Patterns form - so I enthuse
It's like falling off a log
Hence the creation of my blog!*

You're such great Readers and so loyal
That my flattered Muse stays on the boil
As each day dawns – will lightning strike?
Who knows - not me - what I shall write!

(c) Poet in the woods 2017

* In September, 2013

Throwing down the Gauntlet!

The day-to-day and the mundane
Honed reflex actions, blunt routine
Have somehow dulled our once-sharp brain
Our cells go grey that once were green.

Our «What if?» game of make-believe
That focused thoughts in every mind
And drew scenarios from our sleeve
Has ceased to function - we are blind.

Now media-numbed and spoonfed fake
Enticed by click-bait to acquire
Miracle cures, or facelift take;
This modern, vapid world is dire...

Our minds are hijacked, we don't think
While doubtful leaders play their tune
Far niente is the drug we drink;
Across the globe – darkness at noon!*

Complacent, over-pampered West
Imbibing Lethe's fatal draught
Slow to react to nuclear test...
Whose politics have the last laugh?

(c) Poet in the woods 2017

* Book by Arthur Koestler (1940)