Off the Script

Don't we realise life's script is too short?
Is everything pre-planned and taught?
Must we always answer right on cue?
Or can we write a plot that's new?

Is a wage-slave all we're meant to be -
Beknighted drones to some Queen Bee?
To Hell with routine – leave the hive!
Let's form our own new swarm outside!

The world is vast but we're fenced in
Let's be the tonic, not the gin,
And take a hard look at life's dross
The Grand Illusion's a dead loss!

Material wealth's an empty joy
Sure, we're envied by the Hoi Polloi
But are we happy and content?
Wealth has no use – it must be spent!

The world's a big place, let's explore
Adventures lie outside the door
Yet most just work hard and commute
A raison d'être one should dispute!

(c) Poet in the woods 2017

Spain - a Split in the Ranks?

Rich Gaudi region takes a stand
Have politics got out of hand?
Though many independence claim
Some say: «Never in my name!»

Spain rocks and risks to fall apart
Madrid reacts with steely heart
Evoking constitution clause
As Barcelona shows its claws.

Its autonomy at once revoked
Machinations clothed in wreaths of smoke
Smouldering embers have caught fire
Are we on the brink of something dire?

Spain, whose passions still run high,
Sees the threat of civil war flash by
Defiant, fervent, torrid, proud
Faced with discontent too loud ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2017

Referendum on independence of Catalonia - it failed!

On Serendipity

Serendipity is one long word
But a touch of magic has occurred!
An unexpected joy provides
An inner glow and more besides.

The bus that slows and lets you board
A bargain sale you can afford
A chance encounter – lucky break
Lottery win on single stake.

In a misty season, one fine day
Perfect to give the bride away...
Being at home when best friend calls
Or our birthday on a Sunday falls!

Against the odds, our dreams take flight
A stranger's words make black days white!
Though we love to grumble and complain
These 'miracles' our lives sustain!

(c) Poet in the woods 2017

A Visit from the Black Dog

If you feel really down, ill-starred
Seeking the bright side can be hard
Uncertainties fill every sphere:
Job loss or illness breeds despair.

That pesky trite phrase 'doom and gloom'
Sees the 'black dog' in your room
You toss and turn, see no way out
You're plagued with worry, fear and doubt.

Then comes that glimmering of hope
A chance to grab the lifeguard's rope
A kindly word, a helping hand
To bring you back to safe, dry land.

At times life throws us down a pit
It takes guts to get out of it
But when we clamber up, we're free
Bright new horizons we can see!

Thought for today: «fight the good fight»
Tyndale's* noble words still strike
Faltering hearts: new courage flows
And believing in oneself soon grows.

(c) Poet in the woods 2017

* Quote from William Tyndale (1494-1536) - first translator of the Bible into English



Note: Sir Winston Churchill referred to depression as the black dog.

Thomas - Plans to Move!

Far across the oceans, spring arrives
In the Antipodes, where I have ties
The chill of winter, bland 'tis true,
With the winds of change is blowing through...

Wee Thomas, hurtling fast to four
Will new prospects soon explore
His room, decked out with toys and clothes
In mirrored cupboard that he knows

And «coat of many colours» rug
Where he receives his goodnight hug
Will in a while be his no more
He'll move into a room next door.

Dad's study, where he earns his crust
Will be converted, as it must
To big boy Thomas's domain
So his future sister can't complain

She has no room to call her own
Just nine more weeks till she comes home;
Anticipation is the key
Soon to be four, but right now – three!

(c) Poet in the woods 2017

The Slow Train to Ostend

Line up for tickets (senior's rate)
Mid-week, where tourists keenly wait
On Platform 4 for trains to Bruges
Though out of season, there are queues!

Past rush-hour, youth in jeans are clad
The elderly, well wrapped-up, sad
No place to sit, wield cane, smart hat;
They lean on pillars, idly chat ...

Suitcases sometimes trundle past
Dragged down the steps, a daunting task
I observe, bemused, this travelling crowd
Disturbed by intercom – too loud!

In French and Dutch, announcements stun
But foreigners, nonplussed, are glum
Weak language skills put to the test;
Their tickets, dog-eared, look distressed ...

A couple get on the wrong train
No guard on standby to explain
The sun smiles on their luckless start
Delays upset their applecart!

The countryside is sleek and green
Dinky, whitewashed houses gleam
The Flemish flatlands meet my gaze;
Warmth has cleared the morning haze.

Train travel – scenes flash past my eyes
Steeples, factories, farms, high-rise
A quaint meander to North Sea
In an empty carriage – just for me!

(c) Poet in the woods 2017

With Rena

Ostend beach

Thomas Takes the Floor!

The lure to move when music plays
Is my wee nephew's latest craze.
Thomas takes the floor by storm
A foot tapping star is born!

His Dad and Mum met on dance floor
Across a crowded room they saw
Each other, and their dance began;
Fond memories the years now span!

Thomas's keen eye leaves no doubt
He's not content to step it out
He's carefully crafted the best moves
Inhibitions? He has none to lose!

This new sport keeps him on his toes
Great rhythm helps – it comes and goes
No flies on him - it's fun to share
See - his first girlfriend joins him there!

(c) Poet in the woods 2017

A Success Story - in Boitsfort!

Indian summer – dappled, shady leaves
A slight incline among the trees
A neighbour's family stakes their claim
To woodland dell – in all but name.

Small table, chairs and coffee pot
Round which their children climb and trot
In a quiet lane, well tucked away
Where only walkers tend to stray...

Boitsfort's like that – calm, discreet
Artisan houses, small and neat
Define the Green Belt we all love
From builders who would push and shove

With hotel plans and parking lot;
But «people power» put a stop
To this encroachment on our fief
Much to the «Bezemhoek»'s relief!

(c) Poet in the Woods 2017

Coin de Balai/Bezemhoek is a picturesque area in S.E. Brussels



Successful protest - spring 2016 round the artwork by Mauro Staccioli (1937-2018), known locally as "The Window on the Wood".

18 Degrees!

Mid-October – Wow, 18 degrees!
Golden sun through copper leaves
Short-sleeved shoppers in the streets
Strolling tourists eating frites.

Topsy-turvy weather hereabout
It's an Indian summer – I've no doubt.
So warm, my jacket stays undone
Not a breath of wind just warming sun!

It's weird and wonderful today
No wafting of rain clouds my way
It cannot last but while it does
It gives dear Belgium such a buzz!

(c) Poet in the woods 2017

California Burning!

California – holocaust of flame!
Winds fan these verdant hills again
In Napa valley's Northern reaches
Far away from surfing beaches

Crackles soundtrack smoke-filled sky;
Outlying district firemen try
To beat the flames which still persist
To burn late vineyards to a crisp.

Many grapes are garnered in
For those who waited – deep chagrin
Fire leaps up vine-filled slopes
Devastating vintners' hopes.

Well-drained and neatly planted rows
No match for a wind that blows
Bringing havoc in its wake
Death stalks abroad – and no mistake...

'It's an ill-wind' goes the phrase;
Nature has such violent ways
Is this global warming, or a blip?
To ponder on, when next we sip!

(c) Poet in the woods 2017



And now again in October 2019

The Pace of Life

Think positive! That's what «they» say
(A facile comment when life's grey)
Some friends have issues that are fraught
While others, stressed, are overwrought.

Jobs for life? Don't make me laugh
Recession cuts our hopes in half
Damp air leads to aches and pains
And Depression when it rains...

Poor diet choice – we pile on weight
Traffic chaos, we come late
Impossible to make up time
So much work to do – online!

What makes it worse is non-stop news
Who can a Smart phone buzz refuse?
We bite off more than we can chew
At day's end we are quite worn through.

Where's «peace» and «calm» and «letting go»?
24/7 we're on show
Like coiled-up springs we do our best
But sometimes it is good – to rest!

(c) Poet in the woods 2017

At Dawn

It's imperceptible at first
But Night's dark cloak is rent and cursed
While street lights boldly shed their glow;
Dawn, waiting in the wings, will show ...

Her face against a brand new sky
Where misty cloud shapes waft on by
Perhaps a slight wind sweeps the board
As she steps out and walks abroad...

Silhouettes of trees appear
Still wreathed in leaves this time of year
October's velvet sky turns pale
Behold the glistening of a snail!

The warming rays call birds awake
Sweet daily chorus at daybreak;
Then street lights switch off one by one;
A brand new story has begun!

(c) Poet in the woods 2017

A Clear View on a Rainy Day!

There's satisfaction to be found
In taming chaos, clearing decks
A filing system smart and sound
Removes huge millstones from our necks!

What use a bygone birthday card
Used tickets, programmes from old shows?
Be ruthless! It is not that hard
And while you're at it - too-tight clothes!

Chipped crockery, unmatching socks
Old kitchen items past their best
Plastic gadgets, broken clocks ...
Give no dust collectors rest!

Chuck books you will not read again
Ditto tools quite blunt with rust
A whirlwind sweep makes you feel zen
And fills this rainy day, I trust!

(c) Poet in the woods 2017

A Backward Glance

Time capsule – memories inside
I grasp the key, hold back the tide
But images come flooding back
My, what a convoluted track!

I saw the signs but went my way
Backed hunches more than I can say
Let my heart guide youthful steps
In the open sea hit several wrecks.

It's been a choppy ride all told
But amid the gravel, there was gold
Friends the treasures I've acquired
Each special - in their way inspired.

Oft when alone my mind's eye sees
Long-lost faces, fallen leaves
From the golden tree now gnarled and worn
That grows with me since I was born ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2017

Spain - at a Crossroads?

I must be careful what I say
As politics get in the way
Of events that follow thick and fast
Referendum - Catalonian cast...

More transparency, media-led
A wild horse allowed its head
Runs helter-skelter through the crowd
Defiant to the last, unbowed.

Huge challenge at the ballot box
How opportunity now knocks
On hearts and minds in disarray
This thorn in the flesh will stay.

On the sidelines, Europe waits;
Already many multi-States...
The wild horse kicks up clouds of dust
Tensions run high, make or bust?

(c) Poet in the woods 2017

Referendum for Catalonia independence held on Sunday 1st October, 2017

Schoolboy Thomas?

You can't stop progress, golden rule
Time to think of primary school!
Decisions loom for Mum and Dad;
Thomas, nearly four, has had

A happy, peaceful interlude
But soon his sister will intrude
Upon the scene post Christmas time
(An occasion for another rhyme?)

Meanwhile, upheavals in the home
Thomas soon won't be alone
Dad's office plans to sport a cot
Thomas's world will change – a lot!

Wide horizons hove in sight
The choice of school must be just right
But oh, what fun to make new friends
As school begins and child-care ends!

(c) Poet in the woods 2017