Thomas - at 'Kindy'!

At four - bright vistas hove in sight
Child care is over for this mite
For Thomas life is more than play!
It's «Big School» now with structured day.

At the gateway of a world that's new
A host of same age friendships to
Cultivate and share ideas
Tough challenges – we hope no tears!

It's full on - concentration needed
Coping we hope, unimpeded
A sense of self, the need to share
Time to learn life isn't fair...

Thomas enters pastures new;
Traditional values will accrue
Although we must not jump the gun
To read and write will be such fun!

(c) Poet in the woods 2018

A Word on Rewilding

My goodness – I just can't keep track
New words spring forward to attack
My ageing brain; I stop and think
At the font of knowledge I must drink!

Take the latest word I read today
«Rewilding» – what does that mean, pray?
A careful husbanding indeed
Our world's a planet in much need!

Palm oil plantations – crops for cash
And wildlife habitats will crash
Wolf cubs reared, re-introduced
In the frozen wastes of sturdy spruce.

Irrigation channels, mudslide threats
Fish too small in trawlers' nets ...
Man's quest for gain means loss for all
Nature lost in urban sprawl...

Logging and deforestation
Make the Amazon an arid basin;
Age-old cultures swept away
Man's paradise is in decay...

A lone voice in the wilderness
The planet is in great distress
We have to get the balance right
But do we have the will to fight?

(c) Poet in the woods 2018



Tiger in dwindling habitat ...

A Song Sung Blue

For life's long melody we search
But singing birds fall from their perch
Despite grand tours and world wide fame
Many, still a household name,

Are now departing from the scene
Their lives take flight in a new dream.
Think Elton John and Princess Di
The candle burning in the sky ...

At 70 his* last world tour
As two small boys mean so much more;
And the mellow, easy listening sound
Of Neil Diamond all around

Now quiet before the microphone;
Parkinson's claims him for its own ...
The Cranberries' Dolores** departs
A haunting loss in Irish hearts.

Recordings keep our memories fast
As present changes into past
But the thrill of seeing them on stage
Is henceforth of a bygone age...

(c) Poet in the woods 2018

* Sir Elton John - born Reginald Dwight in 1941

** : Dolores O'Riordan  (1971-2018) lead singer of The Cranberries
Title taken from a 1972 Neil Diamond song ...

Digital Nomads

Evolving language – who's to say
When common words start to decay?
Life moves today at such a pace
That neulogisms take their place.

In terms of work, no job's secure
Contracts may last just one year
Skill-sets soon become outdated
So jobs-for-life are overstated.

There's tele-working, co-work spaces
Computer screens not friendly faces
The human element neglected
Dodgy pension rights suspected ...

We're I.T. smart but live alone
Do most transactions now by 'phone
As rationalisation kills
No wonder workshops teach soft skills.

So back where we began today
A new term fits this shift away
From fixed jobs in the market place:
'Digital Nomads' join the race!

(c) Poet in the woods 2018

Soul Food

We all need soul food, Nature's balm
In this world with ragged charm
Too much rushing and fake news
Where no one listens to our views.

With minds in turmoil, wired to 'phone
Our brains cry out to be alone
To process all that goes before
It's not a race – there is no score ...

One image cancels out the next
Interruptions, email text
Our souls float upwards into space
Nothing tethers them in place.

No time to sit and meditate
As life piles crises on our plate
Our souls are starved – they need a rest
Time to ponder and digest ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2018

World Hugging Day

Computers make us more connected
But human contact is neglected
We struggle now to find our place
'Remotely' in this new rat race...

What happened to the human touch?
The warmth of friendship, missed so much
As loneliness is on the rise;
Coincidence? Today's surprise:

Jan 21 is «Hugging Day»
In Michigan dreamed up, they say
In '86; it seems to me
A touch of serendipity!

As in Jan it's often cold
Perhaps we really should be bold
And show our friends we really care
By hugging them like cuddly bear!

(c) Poet in the woods 2018



1789 Self portrait - Mme Elisabeth Vigée Lebrun with her daughter, Jeanne Lucie Louise.

Isabella - at One Month Old

Ray of sunshine bringing joy brand new
Though eat and sleep are all you do
So much to learn – but you have time
Just lying down, eyes closed, is fine.

You fall asleep on Daddy's tum
Between your bottled feeds with Mum
I'm told your appetite is good
Isabella gains weight – as she should!

Soon Granny Pam will come and stay
More hugs and cuddles on the way
Meanwhile you toss, turn, kick and roll
How well you strut your stuff, sweet soul!

(c) Poet in the woods 2018

Something to Sniff At!

Damn coughs and sneezes – bugs and germs!
These winter days we all take turns
At propagating come what may
A nasty 'flu that wrecks our day!

The chill and dampness make it worse
Blocked sinuses are such a curse
Chemists rub their hands with glee
As patients go on spending spree!

We lose our sense of taste and smell
Cold shivers make life living hell
Aches and pains jab every limb
Let's face it – we feel quite done in!

Self-help means aspirins and tea
Bed rest – how boring that can be!
While germ-war battles take their course
Our killer T-cells out in force ...

It seems to me we should admire
Our smart defences which don't tire
Of fighting each tough mutant strain
As soon we're on our feet again ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2018

The New Voters

Mid January – how time flies
And still those misty, chilly skies
With cutting winds that freeze the blood
And puddles, ice-capped pools of mud.

Like mushrooms, roadworks escalate;
Long contraflows and cones dictate
Unending chaos on the roads
As mobility implodes!

More legislation, more constraints
Inevitably – more complaints
Lower pensions, higher tax ...
Dear Brussels cannot hide the cracks!

But hope hides in the bosom still
As elections in October will
Bring «Brit-Belgians» into play
As malgré tout, they choose to stay!

(c) Poet in the woods 2018

Communal Elections: 14th October, 2018.
Voting is obligatory in Belgium

The Brussels Bookswappers Club

In the distant reaches of Boitsfort
In a café venue on first floor
Enthusiastic readers thumb
Through book exchange that's next to none!

Chaussée de la Hulpe at 1 – 9 - 0
Near ponds where whisp'ring rushes grow
«Le Chapelier Fou» is home
To shelves of books that like to roam!

Inspired by Karen* long ago
And presented on a Flemish show
This monthly meet-up draws a crowd
Where readers voice their thoughts out loud.

As it happens that new writers come
Presenting oeuvres straight from print-run
The joy of reading never dies
So do pop by and feast your eyes!

(c) Poet in the woods 2018

* Karen Boreham-Garside 1957-2017



Note: The Bookswappers Club is currently in abeyance.

Cause and Effect?

Intriguing how our brains are wired
A chance remark and I'm inspired
An event, news item, printed word
Or oddity I have observed

And there I am, my thoughts combine
And give birth to a brand new rhyme
But how this happens – who can tell?
Metaphysics? Magic spell?

A blank page beckons – I sit still
Amazed to find that something will
Awake my Muse so I must write
Before a fleeting thought takes flight...

Royal wedding plans in the UK
The guest list means Trump stays away
While Obama has carte blanche to come
Yes, politics is so much fun!

Death of France Gall, blonde yé yé queen
Well known on the French pop scene;
The world moves on – new trends appear
What lies ahead in this new year?

(c) Poet in the woods 2018



France Gall died on 7th January, 2018 aged 70.

A New Year Toast!

Pendulum swings – good through to bad
Some Christmas times are tinged with sad:
Losses, illness, accident
Loneliness and discontent...

In-law travelling, heavy meals,
Get-togethers - old minefields
All this to brighten Winter's night
The pagan Festival of Light!

High Street sales this year are down
Fewer now can 'paint the town'
Budget cuts and BREXIT doubt
Mean little luxuries left out...

But simple pleasures mean the most
So let me raise a New Year toast
To all of you who come my way -
Swing pendulum ... the other way!

(c) Poet in the woods 2018

Thomas - at 4 Years Old!

Time passes Thomas ... you are four!
Indeed, this birthday means much more
With a little sister by your side
You'll have a new role – as a guide!

«Big Brother» now – how does that sound?
Increased status - at a bound!
School beckons soon, at any rate
Tough challenges upon your plate!

You're on the cusp of pastures new
To read and write is hard to do
But as you grasp these vital skills
You'll give your Mum and Dad new thrills!

See Isabella in her cot!
You were like her once, a tiny tot
But think how much you have achieved;
What else lies hidden up your sleeve?

(c) Poet in the woods 2018

Thomas - in a Leading Role

Hello there, Folks! Just look at me
Wee Isabella's on my knee!
I'm brother to this tiny mite;
Dad, she wriggles - is this right?

She's warm and gentle, very small
Luckily she cannot crawl
As we face Mum's camera, Dad's on hand
This photo shoot cannot be planned.

Thomas, nearly four*, is proud
To show his sister to the crowd
With beaming smile, but grip unsure
He stops her falling on the floor!

At two weeks old, cute and petite
Confused, but cosy and replete
Isabella a zen message sends:
Brief moment captured by the lens...

(c) Poet in the woods 2018

* Thomas turned 4 on 8th January, 2018

Thoughts at New Year

The new year dawns in mist and fog
What will inspire and fuel my blog?
New calendar upon the wall;
Did everybody have a ball?

Many journeyed, kids in tow
Or took a chalet in the snow
Or stayed with friends, were wined and dined
While in the background midnight chimed...

But amid this flurry of delights
Of Christmas trees and twinkly lights
Are some dear friends who feel bereft
As someone close to them has left ...

So mixed feelings as the year begins;
Our lives are subject to wild swings
The hectic social whirl is fine
But peace and quiet is divine!

(c) Poet in the woods 2018