Behind the Painted Mask!

This Halloween sees new confusion ...
«Nos chères têtes blondes» in bright profusion!
Amid dark cloaks and pointy hats
Ghouls, skeletons and witches' cats,

That kids delight in this October,
A new disguise, a bold make-over:
The «Boris»* mask now tops the polls
As British parents seek new goals

With exasperation at its height
A touch of ridicule just might
Break the evil BREXIT spell ...
Any witch way – who can tell?

In this bubbling cauldron of despair
The British people now «play fair»;
Once heads were put upon a spike
But now they will parade at night!

(c) Poet in the woods 2019

* Boris Johnson - British P.M. 2016-2022 and ?

Taking a Back Seat

Does the autumn chill bring on the blues?
This lack of sunshine is bad news
The change of hour, one night's more sleep
Then timing chaos through the week!

Huge adjustments must be done
The price to pay for fading sun
As Commune trucks clear mounds of leaves
And Halloween rolls up its sleeves...

Witches, ghosts and goblin sprite
Flicker in the candlelight
It's 'trick or treat' time once again
A ritual small kids explain.

The year grows tired and old and slow
The morning nip makes faces glow;
We rummage for our gloves and scarves
And mulled wine tempts us into bars...

Mid-season brings no rush for sales
Conspicuous consumption pales
Spoiled and jaded, we «make do»
As darkness mutes our «derring do» ...

It's a time to pause, take stock and muse
And brace ourselves for more bad news
Which features daily on the Net
So time to switch off – and forget!

(c) Poet in the woods 2019

Asphyxiated!

A travelling fridge with men inside
And women too, all of whom died
A van with foreign number plates
A youthful driver, scared, who states

That help is now to no avail;
What prompted these poor souls to sail
In cramped conditions, in the dark
Where survival chances were so stark?

These perilous crossings now increase:
Vans, ferries, customs checks, police
Huge costs in lives, high danger risks
Is modern life reduced to this?

War zones, cruel tyrants, loss of hope
Desperation clings to last-chance rope
Such an exodus in peace time shocks;
More abject horror at our docks ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2019




SKY NEWS Headline: "39 Essex Lorry Deaths" 25.10.2019 The victims were Vietnamese.

The Unsigned Letter ...

Smoke screens, wool pulled over eyes,
Each day in Britain a surprise
Three years have flown but who can tell
If this saga will end well?

Letters, one unsigned*, are sent ...
Can the E.U. gauge intent?
Has Wunderkind now shot his bolt?
Should we leave - or call a halt?

Let's cast a look at the world stage
Hot spots cause death, fierce wars are waged;
Injustice, poverty and debt
Old balances of trade upset.

Yet Britain plays at «Wait and See»
So our Parliament has ceased to be
A place where one can air clear views;
Why can't they let the people choose?

(c) Poet in the woods 2019

* By Boris Johnson, British P.M. (on BREXIT)

A Snapshot of Liège

When you think of Liège, you see the Meuse
Or Van Buren's steep ascent occurs
Prince-Bishops' palace, Market Square
And a Cathedral – that's not there!

Abbeys, Convents, Catering School
The Perron and its history cruel
Sculptured fountains by Delcour
Hors-Château mansions to explore.

Poor Liège, so often pulled apart
See the Archeoforum at its heart
Archbishop Lambert lives again
A shopping arcade bears his name!

Le Carré, once an almost isle
Now thrives with nightlife, student style
Fine Opera house with colonnades
No memory now of Viking raids...

Industrial heartland, coal mine slump
The Coronmeuse now bears the brunt
Much shabby housing, seen from boat
Its Renaissance grandeur seems remote.

Yet Grand Curtius is the place to go
Vast range of artefacts on show;
The baptismal font - surviving gem
And masterpiece from way-back-when ...

The ancient Butchers' Hall delights
With leaflets on historic sites
Congresses, Fairs and La Batte fray
Home to waffles, beer and Jules Maigret!

(c) Poet in the woods 2019



"Montagne-de-Buren"



Guiding round the 12th c. baptismal font - St. Bartholomew's Church

Last Ditch Deal?

Like a battlefield, the lines are drawn
The game's afoot in early dawn
E.U. meetings, last ditch jumped
Brussels and Boris – who has trumped?

The House of Commons must decide
To cast off or perhaps abide
By the twists and turns of this new deal;
We ask ourselves, 'Is all this real?'

What will happen? Who can say?
This might be a momentous day;
Fishermen and farmers pause
So much depends on Commons' scores ...

This island nation in North Sea
Relies on free trade - it is key!
Are we 'in' Europe, or without?
Forgive me, but there's room for doubt!

(c) Poet in the woods 2019

A Bleak Week?

I seek bold subjects that inspire
But the 'muddles' in our world are dire:
Border quarrels, Middle East,
Oppressed people, what price peace?

A long-lost colony* now fights,
Against the odds, for human rights
And those demonstrations round the globe
As many fear life will implode ...

Are DNA tests really sound?
No cure for cancer has been found
I.T. rules - more jobs will go
Work morale? At all-time low.

Drones can spy on us big time
We face an avalanche of crime
MSF now forced to leave
Where they're needed most; I grieve.

Today's youth caught at pristine age
Would rather with their phones engage!
Life as we knew it - on the blink?
It seems we totter on the brink ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2019

* Hong Kong

Modern Loneliness

Dictators, wars, I.T. confusion
Fear makes joy a wild illusion
Incompetence now seems the key
As Common Sense has ceased to be...

Weird money: 'libra' and 'bit coin'
Seem so far-fetched, should I join?
So much that once was real, is fake
Does 'Instagram' new friendships make?

Re politics: don't make me laugh
So much reported now is daft
And the BREXIT saga limps along
A big mistake – or am I wrong?

I-phone, Smart phone, Internet
How far from 'real' life can we get?
Computer screens promote new trends;
Lost in the turmoil - off-line friends...

These lonely souls are everywhere:
Like the old and ill, they crave real care
Ignored, forgotten, not «on line»
Let not the human psyche pine ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2019

Spam! Spam! Spam!

Once 'spam' was meat from unknown source
Due to wartime shortages of course
But now it's cloaked in meaning new
For messages of doubtful hue.

Computer programmes now decide
Which mails to show and which to hide
Spam Folders often overflow
With info we don't want to know.

All well and good, I hear you say,
No secretaries exist today
I only want to read real mail;
But what if all these systems fail?

You wait for news – it does not come
A vital date, a tidy sum
Or new address from a dear friend ...
Have you done something to offend?

This fast pace of life is flawed
So check just where your 'spam' is stored
Was that email misdirected?
A quick look and you're reconnected!

(c) Poet in the woods 2019

OK, the title does owe something to "Monty Python's Flying Circus" :-)

Isabella has Words!

Isabella, on a roll, now speaks!
Quite clearly - not just sighs and squeaks
She's testing out her vocal chords;
It's early days but she has scored!

Why cry when you can say the word?
Victorian tots were seen not heard
But my sweet niece now nods her head
And fires off 'Yes!' and 'No!' instead.

It's fun - she brings her parents joy
She's found her voice; Exciting toy!
What a vibrant learning curve to sail
As she hits each new word on the nail!

I think - how complex is the brain
It works it all out without strain
She listens; imitates with ease
And links up sounds to things she sees.

So far, it's «Mummy», «yes» and «no»
And 'milk', but soon more words will flow
The main thing is she's got the knack
It won't be long till she talks back!

(c) Poet in the woods 2019

On "APP-iness"

In terms of meet-ups, making friends
And finding partners, Brussels spends
An honorable time on line
Its social networks all entwine.

The City rides high in twelfth place
In terms of «finding love», hearts race
Much virtual linking up is done
Before the «real McCoy» is won!

So Brussels is the place to be
For lonely hearts keen on a spree!
Newcomers quickly find their feet
As Smart phones offer «'meet' and 'greet'

Through many websites, but beware
Scams may lurk, so have a care
When first encounters are on line
How do we know who's there, each time?

Here 'screening' works well as a pun
As we look for App-iness and fun
So much is fake, best to be wise
Before we lay claim to new guys!!

(c) Poet in the woods 2019

Contentment - in October

Trying to find a theme that's new
Is challenging; my thoughts accrue
As I look back on a full week
Blighted by more BREXIT bleat!

Blustery winds begin to blow
Guided tours now slickly flow
Proofreading textbooks makes me wise
My fingers dip in many pies!

Don't know what being idle means
Baking muffins, sewing jeans
A catch-up with a friend or two
Fun coffee bliss – the way to go!

Burn-out? Work stress? No, not for me
Age tells, and I would rather be
Warm, at home, in cosy nook
Curled up with hot drink and a book!

(c) Poet in the woods 2019

A Disconnect ...

Life's constant challenges are tough,
It seems we never have enough
Time - to step back and replay
Our experiences each day.

This hyper-life takes many forms:
Deadlines, non-stop office storms,
Promises that must be kept
Mails that flood in from the Net...

We run fast, yet stay on the spot
Hurdles, unexpected, trot
Into our vision; we must leap
The pressure's on; Damn, more lost sleep!

Time was when we could watch the clouds
Sit on a bench, away from crowds
And give our troubled souls some rest;
All gone, we're riddled through with stress!

Our eyes transfixed upon our phone
What irony, we're all alone
Social media now is boss
And vital human contact lost ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2019