A Sudden Chill

Wreathes of mist, puddles in street
Roadworks over – all is neat
But blanket greyness; where's the sun?
Angry raindrops on the run...

Winter jacket, thick warm socks
Scarf time since the change of clocks
November beckons, watch for ghouls
Attempts at Halloween in schools...

Grinning pumpkins filled with light
A broken broomstick – witching night
In life and politics – a chill
The thought of log fires now a thrill...

With the Ardennes forest sprinkled white
The tail end of the year's in sight
So we turn the heating up full blast
As frightened Autumn scampers past ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2018

Taking a Step Back ...

We ought to step back, leave the buzz
As bad news hurts each one of us
Pittsburgh synagogue attack
Brazil elections - fear creeps back...

Baggage handlers stop the planes*
BREXIT wobbles – who remains?
Success just feeds those in the know
As stocks and shares are in free flow.

Indonesia – crash in sea
More mayhem for the Powers-that-Be
Where is goodness and compassion?
Traditional values – out of fashion ...

Why this trend to spend and splurge?
What fuels this strong buying urge?
Each has only one short life
It's precious – so why all this strife?

(c) Poet in the woods 2018

* Zaventem Airport - Brussels

All Change - One More Time!

Hey Belgium, you're on Kaiser time!
Since World War I it's been this way
We were occupied, so fell in line
With German clocks - still so today!

Yet we're aligned, Meridien-wise
Upon the famous Greenwich line
In summer two hours late we rise
Now we switch back to winter time.

So many gadgets to adjust:
The cooker, clocks and car display
Flights and train times also must
Be re-set without delay.

So our politicians now seem keen
A moritorium to declare
On this antiquated 'hour-change' scene:
Let's fix a time and then stay there!

(c) Poet in the woods 2018

Eureka - Flowerage!

Metallic, digital, concrete
Where's the green touch in our street?
Parks and gardens have their place
But elsewhere, where is Nature's face?

Brick walls, fences, pallisades
Such barriers are so man-made
All seems barren, sanitized
Nowhere we can feast our eyes.

And yet, the landscape can intrude
And provide for jaded palettes food;
Through a meet-up window on this day
Where lawn and beech trees made display

On a balustrade in dark grey stone
A man stood talking in his phone;
With windows closed, no sound was heard
Though I watched the passing of a bird.

But my eye was caught by garden wall
Where no stone could be seen at all
Here plants and foliage grow a screen
Tasteful, delicate and green!

(c) Poet in the woods 2018




In the garden of 47, Boulevard St. Michel, 1040-Etterbeek (Brussels)
Photos courtesy of Andy Whittle - P2P

Chaos at Dawn!

Roadworks, scaffolding in our street:
Blue-yellow barricades defeat
The wayward driver who stops short
How to proceed? Annoyed, distraught...

The Vivaqua* van has pride of place
View from my window – a disgrace
An impasse in my narrow road
Frustrations now in overload!

I come downstairs, must not be late
But they're cutting off the water – great -
Forget that nice hot cup of tea
Yes, Brussels is the place to be!

International hub, big Institutions,
Downtown, historical allusions
Quaint streets, good food, weird iffy weather
And chaotic roadworks - all together!

(c) Poet in the woods 2018




* Vivaqua is the Belgian Water company.

To Rack and Ruin?

More Brussels summits rise and fall;
Sometimes I think that less is more ...
An acronym takes wing – absurd
BREXIT - now a full-blown word!

With «post Troubles» should May* fiddle?
Is the Irish border a mere quibble?
«Remainers» won't lie down and die
So is the whole thing «pie-in-sky»?

What of generations yet unborn -
Will they see this as media storm?
Customs clearance, queues at ports
Work permits, visas of all sorts...

If we take the long view – down the track
Will Brits still be on the rack?
The future wreathed in mists and smoke:
May* wants a BREXIT that's «bespoke»!

(c) Poet in the woods 2018

* Theresa May - British P.M. (2016-19)

More talks: 2023

The Stork!

Newsflash! Royals in the news
The rumour mill has scattered clues
But now we hear the confirmation
Springtime means a visitation ...

From that noble bird the stork;
The media maelstrom has them caught,
Like Di and Charles, Wills and Kate,
Meghan and Harry keenly wait

To build and furnish their own nest;
A brand new paparazzi fest
As the Press pick up the ball and run
Filming Royals is such fun.

Spotlight on the May bride's clothes:
Her fashion keeps girls on their toes
As the message flashes on our screen:
New great-grandchild* for the Queen!

(c) Poet in the woods 2018

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle married on 19th May, 2018.

* Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor born 6th May, 2019

Lilibet Diana born 4th June, 2021.

On Disappointment

Life is not, as the French mean*,
A peaceful, gently flowing stream;
There are times when hidden rocks can hit
You flounder in your little ship
While swirls and eddies strike with force
And sudden winds deflect your course.

Beneath its surface, fishes swim
Tenacious weeds grow round its rim
A rusty bike might form a brake
Amid cut glass and water snake...
Perils and dangers daily lurk
All may not be calm at work...

Two cancellations untoward
From different sectors; I was moored
My plans awry, my way ahead
Unclear; I thought instead
As I was caught once more in slime
How life can turn upon a dime ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2018

* "La vie est un long fleuve tranquille"

Isabella - all in Pink!

The year grows old – it's Autumn now
My little niece is growing fast
Where she lives, Spring greens on the bough
The time for all-day rest is past!

A modern Miss in every way
Isabella loves her brand new clothes
«Hey look, I'm all in pink today!»
In Europe chic from top to toes!

At ten months old, a fashion plate
'Wow' factor clearly fixed in place
What a cute model she would make
With sunny smile upon her face!

Proud Auntie just could not resist
These purchases in Belgian store
Pink loveliness I want to kiss
Methinks there soon will be lots more!

(c) Poet in the woods 2018

A Word on Time

Time slips through our fingers
Or filters through the air
Sometimes there seems lots of it
Sometimes the store seems bare.

Money cannot make more time
It's equal shares for all
The rich and famous fight for it
They say they are 'time poor'.

There's always some in our account
But we've no time to waste
We try to make each minute count
But we can't stop the pace.

In a world when so much is unfair,
And disparity is great
Each day we're gifted that pearl rare
12 hours upon our plate!

(c) Poet in the woods 2018

At the Sunday Brocante

Light breeze and 26 degrees
Morning stroll through swirls of leaves
Blue skies project through despoiled trees
Artist's palette, nature's frieze...

Boulevard Souverain: bric à brac
Bowls, plates, cups, trays in awkward stack
Clocks, keys, gadgets, paperback
Funky clothes on outdoor rack...

If you search for bargains, do beware
Of the honeyed words of brocanteur
Who tends to claim the item's rare ...
As there's rough and ready everywhere!

(c) Poet in the woods 2018

Presenting Boitsfort!

Indian summer - what a treat!
October warms our local street
Leaves and smiles in bright profusion
This year the weather's in collusion!

Morale is high but taxes too
Local elections hove in view
Democracy means many views:
Too many parties, whom to choose?

The rural atmosphere survives
On Brussels outskirts, no high rise
Schools and markets, leafy lanes
An enclave free of stress and strains!

Take Boitsfort on the forest rim
With Greens in power – will they win?
A quarter of our Commune's space
Is beech wood – life at slower pace...

(c) Poet in the woods 2018

The Wild and Unexpected

It's not that inspiration's lacking
But work commitments now get cracking
This autumn season has begun
With an Indian summer, bathed in sun!

Instead of winds, downpours and gales
Blue skies reflect the wispy trails
Of Magritte clouds that come and go
Shorts-clad commuters on metro!

Yet in Florida, beach fronts are cursed
As Hurricane Michael does its worst
Against God's wrath no warning bells
Stylish homes now empty shells...

Disaster strikes - torrential rain
Ten souls are lost: Majorca, Spain;
Natural phenomena headlines steal
The Grim Reaper stalks – for real!

(c) Poet in the woods 2018

The Poet's Funeral

Today the fond farewell took place
Of France's favourite son, a face
Well known to all, whose haunting song
Brought solace to the grieving throng.

Aznavour caught the Nation's mood
His poignant words were never crude
He captured in a unique way
The human soul in raw display.

France gave his parents a new home
He made the Gallic tongue his own
Macron, French President, was wise;
He said «A Poet never dies!»

(c) Poet in the woods 2018



Charles Aznavour (1924-2018) Died: 1.10.18. Funeral: 5.10.2018

A Slice of News

Disasters everywhere you look
Whether TV, radio or Facebook
More tsunamis, thousands die
Sulawesi* open to the sky
Cut off by crumbled roads and flood
No fresh water, streams of mud ...

Stocks and shares in disarray
House bills rising every day
Nuclear reactors on the blink
Pure air levels slowly sink
Too much traffic on the roads
The fate of diesel now implodes.

Summer drought needs compensation
Farmers fume in irritation
Ever fewer car park spaces
The RER put through its paces ...
STIB strike – age for pensions rise
But this is Belgium – no surprise!

(c) Poet in the woods 2018

*Along the Palu-Koro fault on 28/9/2018 - 5 aftershocks ...

R.I.P. Charles Aznavour (1924-2018)

Icon of three generations
Constantly on radio stations
With a voice that touched one's soul
It is for thee the bells now toll
Departing life aged ninety-four
The one and only Aznavour...

Son of Armenian refugees
Songwriter, poet – both of these
Charles captured France's sweet tristesse
Love's poignant moments he sang best:
'La Mamma', 'La Bohème' and 'She'
Much loved, much missed - by you and me ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2018



Died 1st October, 2018