Sitting Out the BREXIT Dance!

The merry dance we lead is not our choice
Above the din, who hears a reasoned voice?
Politics, a dance filled with deceit
Has a syncopated rythmn for left feet!

Each frolics, it would seem, to his own tune
A twirl across the dance floor signals doom
Stepping out of line is tempting fate
Welcome "Little" Britain – goodbye "Great".

Common Sense is banished from the floor
Corruption seems the norm – observe the poor!
Democracy, which should our lives enhance,
In fact means happy feet don't stand a chance!

(c) Poet in the woods 2018

The Lure

A wall of rain, gyrating trees,
Flooded pavements, trampled leaves
A sky without a fleck of blue
August cools and we’re soaked through!

It’s not much fun for those who try
To explore the city in the dry
As it often rains on their parade
Crowds congregate in the arcade*.

The smell of chocolate lures them in
They purchase plenty on a whim
Forget the walk – why not indulge?
And to hell with one more tiny bulge!

(c) Poet in the woods 2018

*Galeries Saint Hubert

The Heart of the Matter

Growing old is not a realm for cissies
Health concerns - more hits than misses
You've sudden aches and pains and memory lack
Your patience starts to falter - why take flak?

Your «Get up and Go», where has it gone?
«I've heard it all before» - a daily song...
More long-term friends begin to disappear
So you start to ask yourself: «Why am I here?»

We've all a role to play and gifts to share
Still time to show our families we care
OK, we may be slower on our feet
But must we always go out and compete?

The French say «lâcher-prise*» is what we need
Just live in the moment, forget greed
As all we own will soon be left behind;
What inspires the most is to be kind...

(c) Poet in the woods 2018

* The art of letting go

Out of Time?

«Time savers»: Smartphones, internet
Snapchat and Instagram detect
Our love to keep in touch so tightly
A huge flaw in the human psyche ...

But do we always have to check
The latest news on Internet?
Huge waves of emails to be read?
Not all are vital - but we dread

To 'miss out' on some urgent theme
So we're constantly 'on screen'...
This can't be right – where's our free time?
As pressure mounts - we stay on line ...

Afraid to take a little pause
While summer passes by outdoors;
These 'priorities' just might be wrong
Be zen, switch off and hear birdsong!

(c) Poet in the woods 2018

Ripples?

Checking CNN and BBC
More turgid waters gurgle free
Around the White House waves crash by
Unholy hosts explode on Sky!

The lie across the Land is clear
The pressure-cooker steams with fear
Truth stands out boldly in the sun
The spider's web is now undone!

Lawyers, formerly with clout,
Find their path ahead in doubt
This wake-up call means none shall sleep
Trump cards face downwards in a heap...

Riddles – wordplay – metaphor
Rumours now take flight and soar
As a «snicker-snack»* from Russian wand
Engenders ripples on the Pond!

(c) Poet in the woods 2018

* From "'Jabberwocky"' by Edward Lear



Murky things going on in American politics

Feeling Grateful

Late August and the shadows fall
Dappling flowers on my wall
The heat's still there, no need of coat
But torrid days now seem remote.

Back to the grindstone for the masses
More traffic jams and morning crashes
«Terug naar School» is in full swing
So sales of cooling fans are thin!

The season's on the turn again
As forecasts promise us more rain
My diary, somewhat blank, now fills
My business cards work well – more thrills!

It's good sometimes to pause, take stock
And appreciate what makes us rock
So may I take this chance to say
Thanks to those who pass my way!

Though some land on my blog one time
Many, tickled by my rhyme
Which pokes fun or makes dreadful puns,
Come back, so I stick to my guns!

(c) Poet in the woods 2018

by May 2021 - over 265,000 hits on my blog - Wow!

Isabella Treats Herself!

Time flies so fast, it's really weird
It's now eight months since you appeared
Sitting pretty, bib in place
With bits of food stuck on your face!

Enthusiasm is the key
Big brother looks on, he can see
Your progress and it makes him laugh
He forgets he also took this path.

Isabella! Sweetest star discrete
Has learned to pick up fruit and eat
It's so delicious, so why wait
Until it's cut up on the plate?

Thomas, big boy, now at school
Uses knife and fork – he's cool!
While Isabella learns the ropes
All's not perfect – but she copes!

(c) Poet in the woods 2018

Poet, Silenced!

When you think you've got the balance right
And everything fits into place
There's always some weird oversight
That jerks your chain and you lose face...

A confirmation goes astray
A rendezvous you somehow missed
A scrap of paper thrown away
With details of a special tryst...

You blame your handbag – it's a mess
What you need is never there
No pen to write with - great distress
For this poet - deep despair!

We're always rushing, but what for?
What happened to the Great God Zen?
Time passes and though less is more
Life falls apart without my pen!

(c) Poet in the woods 2018

Genoa - a Bridge too Far?

Genoa, Chris Columbus' town
Has sadly now a new renown
Its busy A10 motorway
Hit the headlines yesterday.

Swathed in heavy rain and mist
Its bridge* falls into the abyss
Built in the Sixties, much repaired
Engineers were running scared...

Concrete structure, stanchions bold
Suddenly just could not hold
The traffic: lorries, cars and vans
Which daily cross its immense spans...

A tremor, shock and down it goes
What happened? So far, no one knows
Death comes to many at the scene
Crushed lives, lost to the might-have-been.

The blame game hasn't started yet
Fire Services work in the wet
Some badly injured are dug out
All ears attuned to desperate shout...

But colossal sections breed despair
Metal girders spike the air
Time to pause and mourn the dead
And remember, life hangs by a thread...

(c) Poet in the woods 2018

* The cable-stayed Morandi bridge was inaugurated on 4th September, 1967.

It collapsed on 14th August, 2018, causing the death of  43 people. 

It was re-opened on 2nd August, 2020.

Scary Weather Scenario

Today, outside does not look good
There's a fierce wind whisp'ring in the wood
Behind my house; the sky looks bleak:
Rain and maybe storms this week!

Forecasting is no synecure
Too many factors 'in the air'
Thermal currents bring great heat
Sea temperatures just can't compete.

Drought and flood and forest fire,
Now more frequent, all conspire
To make the weathermen despair
As trends, once clear, now disappear!

With nature banished from our towns
Everything now burns or drowns
Extremes, once rare, are commonplace
New measures must be put in place.

The rumour is that Man's at fault
As weather patterns cause a jolt
In the consciousness of many
But solutions are not 'two a penny'!

So much everywhere's not right;
Scientists admit our plight
Is dire - so we must pull together
But how can we control the weather?

(c) Poet in the woods 2018

Brave New World?

Sometimes I feel it would be nice
To abandon this dark world of vice
With all its rampant «Buy! Buy! Buy!»
And give another life a try...

«Buy One and get a second free!»
Brash advertising – can't you see
We're mortgaging our children's lives;
Global warming, seas that rise,

Swamped in plastic – one-use-only
Polluting cars? Use Shank's pony!
Drought* means forage costs are high
Forest fires** pollute the sky.

In South of France floods sweep away
Luckless folk on holiday
Fruit and veg need irrigation
Politics – trade wars – inflation!

Is this the world that we deserve?
Corruption is a nasty word
But it's everywhere, along with Greed
Is Armageddon what we need?

(c) Poet in the woods 2018

* Australia
** Greece, Spain, California

Taking a Rain Check?

More rain is threatened, droplets fall
Just now and then – or not at all
It's muggy - don't we call it «close»?
In terms of heat we've had our dose!

I venture out - sky tinged with grey
More neighbours are about today
A brief exchange – we're all too hot
Not much is done, we've lost the plot!

It's wearisome to take a stroll
Though vital shopping is my goal
A gentle wind blows in my face
So I take a brolly - just in case...

But this time I have timed it well
Though waiting for the rain is hell
The tension mounts and birds swoop low
But plants gaze upwards, for they know

That soon their thirst will be relieved;
Their tendrils in the air perceive
A change in pressure and air flow
Soon rain will magnify their show!

(c) Poet in the woods 2018

The Sound of Relief

A torrid summer came our way;
To begin with, all was such a blast
But the heat soon sapped our strength away
So Nature takes revenge at last...

We were warned, but paid no heed
Though flies and bees went mad outside
Clouds gathered at uptempo speed
The breeze gave leaves a violent ride.

Restful on my terrace chair
Though temperatures had not abated
Anticipation in the air
But talk of storms? Quite overrated ...

Yet in the sultry, midnight dark
Weighty rainclouds lay abed
When lightning strikes, fast, bold and stark
Caused telltale rumbles overhead...

More flashes – room like stage set lit!
Familar sounds on windowpane
Nature's drama is a hit
Behold, the welcome sight of rain!

(c) Poet in the woods 2018

Defeated by the Heat

Too hot to vacuum, change my sheets;
Even sitting at my desk defeats
My resolution to proceed;
Sweat breaks out when I just read!

My plants peep gaily through the glass
«Give us water, please!», they gasp
I take a shower, it feels cool
Which is sufficient as a rule ...

But now, though barely dried and dressed
I need to sit down, drink and rest
It's far too hot to run upstairs
Where the laundry waits – who cares?

Most of my friends are far away;
But Brussels feels like Greece today
So I 'chill out' in upstairs bower
Where my jaded thoughts can flower.

Besides, the world's in such a mess
The Lombok earthquake causes stress;
Wher'er I look, the news is grim
But do we have to take it in?

Silliness, fake news and co.
Is this the way we have to go?
I think not, so I take my ease;
Who can share some good news, please?

(c) Poet in the woods 2018

Switching Off!

In early morning, clear blue skies
More than a month – so no surprise
But the grass is golden, just like hay
Leaves crinkle, like crisps, on my way.

It's early August, a few traces
As Autumn, summer clothes replaces
Cafés encroach on the street
Eating outdoors is a treat...

A festive air, no lawns to mow
As in this drought grass growth is slow.
We can let off steam, relax
Though swarms of mozzies plan attacks!

It's time to pause, enjoy a book
In leafy park or shady nook
Wolf an ice cream with delight
Or contemplate the starry night...

(c) Poet in the woods 2018

A Step too Far?

Today! Some news with weighty clout:
Our sustainability is in doubt
The year, red hot, has months to run
But sadly we have jumped the gun

And consumed much more than we create
Think Mother Earth - with empty plate!
With populations on the rise
And freak weather – no surprise...

Our Planet's ruffled feathers fly!
To save ourselves we have to try
To be more moderate and take care
But Greed still rules, alas – Beware!

Fossil fuels and water sources
Are finite, dwindling resources
Social media makes complaint
But when will Man show some restraint?

(c) Poet in the woods 2018