A Sprinkling of Snow!

My rooftop terrace glistens white
November snowfall overnight
The leaves I should have swept away
Lie frozen solid on display!

I should have brought some plants inside
They glare at me like angry bride
All growth is stilted, put on hold
Transfixed in December cold.

We enter the last month of the year
With slush and silence everywhere
The great tree just within my view
Is stark, the wind whips sharply through ...

Cocooned inside, with heat and light
I marvel at this «Christmas» sight
All sounds are muffled, far away;
I must wrap up warm today!

(c) Poet in the woods 2017

Joining the Firm

A challenge keeping her concealed
Sweet Meghan now has been revealed
Dark lustrous hair, svelte, graceful shape
Right royal icing on the cake!

Each to the other quite unknown
A blind date brings her near the Throne
An encounter planned behind the scenes
A tranquil start – the stuff of dreams.

Harry, proud but somewhat shy
A reflection of his mother Di
Now in the glare of the world's Press
With a budding TV star no less!

Three small years set them apart
But hey, young Harry's lost his heart
Ahead a journey buoyed with hopes
With Will and Kate to teach the ropes.

In the months that follow - much to do
From now on, they'll be in full view
But continuity's the thing
Hence Diana's presence in her ring ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2017

Mount Agung - Bali

Mount Agung growls in seismic shock
Thick billowing smoke around the clock
Bali trembles, airport closed;
Stranded in 'Paradise' are those

Who came to flee the world's unrest
Now caught in turmoil like the rest
An Exclusion Zone has been defined
People flee - Fate is unkind.

Last activity in Sixty-Three
For many a harsh memory
100,000 now displaced
Wrinkles form on Bali's face.

As the magma forms a bubbling tide
Volcanic ash coats mountainside
With the warning raised to Level Four
A big eruption lies in store!

(c) Poet in the woods 2017

A propos de Black Friday

I gleaned a new phrase on the Net;
This 'shopping-frenzy' leads to debt
Consumerism gone too far
We're over-burdened as we are!

This «Buy two, get one free!»* is mad
The clutter mounts up – it is sad
While many have to pinch and scrape
Others overfill their plate!

Excessive packaging and hype
Fruit, bright-coloured, overripe
Supermarket ends-of-aisles
Stacked with deluxe goods in piles.

This strategy is tailor-made
So off-guard shoppers are waylaid
And fill their trolleys to the brim
Judgement altered on a whim!

It's up to us to take a stand!
'Black Fridays' have got out of hand
Imagine fifty shades of grey
If Christmas shoppers stayed away!

(c) Poet in the woods 2017

Black Friday = spending-spree day (initiated in the U.S.A.)

*aka BOGOF.

In No Uncertain Terms!

Uncertainty rules all our lives
So really, it is no surprise
That challenges upset our day
Paths, rock-solid, fall away.

BREXIT talks are bad enough;
Now Merkel finds the going tough!
Mugabe clings on, won't resign;
For the «Good Old Days» we pine!

But if, like Auntie BBC
We take «The Long View», we can see
That upheavals are the stuff of life
In global terms, there's always strife.

Opposing factions can't agree;
Riots and strikes will always be
A constant in this media scrum
The reporter's job is never done!

«Give Peace a chance»*, John Lennon said
Before Mark Chapman shot him dead ...
We fight for freedom, human rights
How the Devil in discord, delights!

(c) Poet in the woods 2017

Robert Mugabe resigned 21.11.2017
Angela Merkel - German Chancellor since 2005
John Lennon shot on 8.12.1980 - New York
* First recorded in July 1969.

At the American Women's Club of Brussels

Misty morn – Drève de Lorraine
A drive down beech tree aisle again
Lofty, russet, shimmering gold
Rich panoplies of leaves unfold...

1, Rue des Erables – that's Maple Street
Where U.S. ladies meet and greet
And now hold their bright Christmas Fair
Three floors of treasures made with flair.

Rich fabrics, carvings, jewelry wares
Pearls, books and artwork up the stairs,
Fine paintings showing Waterloo
Zimbabwe and Japan gifts too!

Cake mixes in large Kilner jars
Cute posters, loose tea, Christmas cards
Refreshments while kids take a look
At «Père Noël» in inglenook!

Creativity in many guises
A fun collection of surprises
An Aladdin's cave in all but name
No doubt next year I'll come again!

(c) Poet in the woods 2017

What a Load of Rubbish!

Wind gusts bowl rubbish down our street
The bin men try to keep roads neat
But overnight the foxes come
And best intentions are undone.

Though firmly tied, the plastic's thin
Just one rip, tough paws dive in
An eating frenzy then ensues
Why tasty kitchen scraps refuse?

Midnight feasts occur each week
Devastation big time while we sleep
Bin bags gutted, ripped and torn
Bombsite scenario at dawn!

Whirling leaves add to the fun
Dogs pulled up short on morning run
Wade through and add unsightly mess
A double whammy of distress!

(c) Poet in the woods 2017

Success - of a Sort!

You get the chores done, go and shop
Post business letters, get on top
Of all those footling little tasks
Which seem to pile up very fast.

The trams glide slowly, no one runs
You're home before the rush hour hums
Today's as good as it can get
No hectic deadlines to be met!

A sense of satisfaction reigns
You take your time, no one complains,
All items ticked off on the list;
A long, hot cup of tea – what bliss!

(c) Poet in the woods 2017

Mindfulness

Dream catchers sway as we glide past
Fragile thoughts and hopes caught fast
In the deep recesses of our brain
To hide until brought out again ...

Sparkling reveries of peace
Float to the surface and increase ...
Our subconscious takes the lead
So otherworldliness can breathe ...

Deep questions surface in our mind
With idle chatter left behind
When imagination has full reign
We gain perspective once again.

We live our lives at such a rate
That we forget to meditate
But the Ancients knew a thing or two
Our souls are on life's journey too...

(c) Poet in the woods 2017

Thoughts on 11th November

The clicking of cash tills is still
Some foreigners don't know the drill
Today's a public holiday
Hence many people are away.

Although some brave shops break the ban
Many sleep late - as they can!
A day less stressful is a boon
Time to dance to slower tune...

We rush, work late, live frenzied lives
Yet our spirit, crushed, somehow survives
It needs this time off to take stock
Why queue on Saturdays to shop?

A change of pace, a switched off 'phone
We marshall best our thoughts alone
To consider those who paid the price
Our freedom bought by sacrifice...

(c) Poet in the woods 2017

Annual Holiday on Armistice Day the 11.11.11 ...

Thomas - A Change of Image

The diary fills: brand new event
Today's a milestone – Thomas went
With Dad in tow just as one should
Now toddlerdom is gone for good.

Huge mirrors in the barber's shop
One last look at tousled mop
The time has come, on with the cape!
How long will this conversion take?

In a macho world 'tis quickly done
Will Mum recognise her son?
Tough guy Thomas sports white vest
Butch Cassidy? Whatever next?

(c) Poet in the woods 2017

The Hurtling Handcart ...

Sometimes I sit and contemplate
Mulling questions for debate
There's so much silliness around
Daft pettifogging gets me down.

The Planet suffers at our hands;
Much is wrong - the fault is Man's
Nature's balance is upset
Fires and storms are the worst yet.

Flights criss-cross our troubled skies
Think off-shore tax evasion size
It's wear-and-chuck, not wear-and-mend
Why save when you can Spend! Spend! Spend!

More homeless haunt our dirty streets
Mass mobile phones mean no one meets
Another's eyes and starts a chat
Making friends? Forget all that!

Most leaders lack real gravitas
Pursuing interests more crass
Who can we look up to, admire?
Such stats predict a future dire...

(c) Poet in the woods 2017

Chaos in Carrefour!

Smart toys, bright lights and tinsel trails
November's here and never fails
To lure us with consumer gush
It's the Buy! Buy! Buy! pre-Christmas rush.

Whole sections of my large Carrefour
Are choc-à-bloc from roof to floor:
Big boxed kits, presentation stands
Crates emptied fast by student hands...

Chinese imports, brash displays
Kids with parents keenly gaze
On toys of all sorts stacked up high
St. Nicholas will soon pass by!

More baubles, gift wrap, ribbons, tape?
An avalanche of take ... and break!
With rising costs across the board
Small wonder not all can afford...

(c) Poet in the woods 2017

A Week of Folly

Where has Real Life disappeared
With its best friend, Common Sense?
Public lives are quickly seared
Immunity a mere pretence.

An account shut down by just one man
The Twittersphere is up in arms
So much I.T. prone to a scam
A silent Trump the world alarms!

A wandering hand upon a knee
Conduct unbecoming, stark
The Press all rub their hands with glee
As bite is added to their bark!

Those Catalans sent off to jail
Elected group now in disgrace
Madrid says they're beyond the pale
Storm in a teacup? Loss of face?

Just snippets from the news this week;
The screws are loose in Mankind's head
They will not make me lose much sleep
What other follies lie ahead?

(c) Poet in the woods 2017

A Chilling Thought

Chill in the air though wan sun shines
We tiptoe into wintry times
November with its burnished leaves
Is whipped by gusts of wind and grieves.

Though ghosts and ghouls are packed away
Those pumpkins, finely carved, still stay
On neighbours' windowsills and greet
Dog walkers passing in our street.

There are loads of toys in every store
An Aladdin's cave ripe to explore
Tinsel, baubles, Christmas lights
A wealth of colour that delights.

We reach the 'back end' of the year
A time the homeless greatly fear
Needing shelter, peace and quiet
Not consumer goods run riot!

The «Haves» and «Have Nots» can't compete;
The City tries their needs to meet
While many stress: what gifts to buy -
Our values all have gone awry...

(c) Poet in the woods 2017

A very British Conundrum

Did I hear right? They'll scrap the Law
That banned the Brits-abroad before
From voting in UK elections
When they had opted for connections

In mainland Europe – or elsewhere?
Post 15 years away, they care
And still have links they want to keep
Although on foreign soil they sleep...

«Better late than never», say we all
The referendum - a close call ...
If «foreign» Brits had had the vote
Would the BREXITers still gloat?

With E.U. summits to and fro
Trade oscillates and doesn't know
If banks and businesses will dive
Or soldier on alone - and thrive!

An Island Nation on the brink;
Pundits don't know what to think
Some see joy and others gloom
Time marches on - and deadlines loom ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2017

FAKE NEWS, folks!