An Evocative Hat Trick

Not all hat tricks bring us joy
Not are they sports-linked; a news ploy
Is in some weird way to join dots;
But this unlikely trio stops

Us in our tracks; how can it be
Not one star falls and burns, but three
On a single dark, November day
Miller, James and Rhodes all pass away?

Gone - Jonathan Miller's sparkling wit
So British theatre takes a hit
Chef Gary Rhodes fades in Dubai
His menus henceforth pie-in-sky ...

Sharp Vivian Leopold, known as Clive
Whose repartee spread fast worldwide
Putting Aussie culture on the map,
Bows out at Eighty - with corked hat...

While sudden losses sadden hearts;
Raw talent such as here imparts
Fond tastebud mem'ries or wry smile
So guess what – they live on a while!

(c) Poet in the woods 2019



Clive James (Australian Broadcaster) Gary Rhodes (Celebrity Chef)



Jonathan Miller ( Playwriter and critic)

A Meditation on Black Friday

Can one celebrate at my age?
I think, as I put pen to page:
Been there, got the T-shirt too;
So, somewhat blasé, what's to do?

Life's breakneck pace speeds up some more!
I am breathless yet explore
Brand new pathways – but I dread
In some respects, what lies ahead...

This world's in turmoil, nothing's sure;
Social media likes to claw
From the depths of every mind
Fears and worries undefined.

Must great questions stay taboo?
And so I ask – as you must too
Why are we here if not to share
Life's burdens and show that we care?

The rest is dross; Black Friday sales:
A mad rush to rip clothes from rails
And snap up objects we don't need;
What's with this fad to sponsor Greed?

(c) Poet in the woods 2019

The Conversion - in Abeyance

It is quiet and peaceful, the wind blows
Skittering leaves are in the throes
Of a last mad fling before they die
Against a backcloth of grisaille...

The house, meanwhile, still looks forlorn
With the blue tarpaulin ripped and worn
While propped-up garage doors in grey
Keep nosy passers-by at bay!

Black netting hides the new facade
Though a window looks across the yard
November now is nearly done
But the finish date has overrun ...

Planks and sacks lie strewn outside
But who knows where the workmen hide?
Of their Polish truck no sign
So peace and quiet are once more mine ...

The drains are dug, the road relaid
Yet once again all is delayed
Perhaps this building site is hexed?
I wonder what will happen next ...


(c) Poet in the woods 2019

God Forbid!

God of Jealousy, God of Greed,
God of One-Upmanship? We need
Other Gods to shed their light ...
Though the God of Chaos does alright!

The God of Politics survives
Sending tremors through our lives...
But the God of Patience ain't enough
And the God of Kindness finds it tough.

How these False Gods love to row!
So Mount Olympus trembles now
As Fair Play, Truth and Common Sense
Fail to come to our defence.

Does the God of Media think us fools?
The Law's an Ass – we break the rules
The Old Gods, whom we much admired
Have, it seems to me, retired!

(c) Poet in the woods 2019

Poetic Eldorado!

I am amused; my blog now flies
Around the world! A great surprise!
My thoughts in poems touch your hearts
Like Cupid with his myriad darts!

It seems, though I was quite unknown,
My little poems liked to roam
To many places I've not been;
Thanks Internet! I've come on stream!

Is it word-of-mouth, or just plain chance?
These mystery readers so enhance
My days by looking at my odes;
I play with language, using codes

And puns, and can't resist critique;
Now many pop by every week!
And then, what joy! When least expected,
You leave comments – I've connected!

South America, where I've not been,
Often links up to my screen
And the Middle East has found my blog
So this poet is one happy bod!

(c) Poet in the woods 2019

Brits on a Knife Edge ...

Who can we now admire and trust?
Our current leaders' cut-and-thrust
Convinces very few of us
Which way to turn
It's now who tells the greatest lies
The NHS needs funds and tries
To voice complaint but - no surprise -
Reaction – none!

Well known shops can't meet their loans
More buildings, but no starter homes
BREXIT causes widespread moans
It's got to stop!
The Government hangs onto life;
Election fever causes strife
And TV propaganda's rife;
We're laughing stock!

We hurtle on a downward curve
While lacklustre MPs serve
Their own agenda – it's absurd
The Web pulls taut!
Youth voters are the ones who care
Decisions must be very clear
December 12th will soon be here
So time is short ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2019

Acqua Alta in Venice

Priceless treasures water-logged
San Marco Square mudstrewn and clogged
While gondolas bob on the waves
And tourists look on, stunned, amazed ...

Yet Acqua Alta comes and goes
Venice, no stranger to high flows
Keeps precious tomes on upper floors
While water swirls round tourist stores.

The lion of St. Mark observes
The Square - now fit for ducks, not birds!
This delta, once rich Island State
Was a trading nation in full spate.

Where the Doge, like Croesus, garnered gold
And merchants silks and spices sold
Till Magellan's sea route to the East
Made wealth to Portugal increase...

An UNESCO city now beset
By hoards of tourists, hopes unmet
Unable to stroll down main street
Without the challenge of wet feet!

(c) Poet in the woods 2019

Silliness Overload!

I look around, I can't believe
This silliness – it makes me grieve
Hologrammes of long-dead stars?
Virtual Reality now mars

Our lives; perceptions count for truth:
Brit elector-queues at polling booth!
Wars continue, greed destroys
For many people, simple joys ..

Hardworking farmers are ill-paid
Sex scandals – royals on parade
Carbon footprints still run deep
Politicians quibble – I could weep...

But Cynicism is not new
In Ancient Greece they knew it too
Man seeks gain for his own ends
And humans, sheep-like, don't buck trends!

(c) Poet in the woods 2019

Diogenes of Sinope - 4th century BC

A Sweet Moment!

On holiday – away from home
Indulgences are not unknown;
The family, keen to explore,
Stands spellbound in a candy store.

A dream come true - with chocolate bars
And wrapped-up toffees in glass jars
Trays on shelves with bright delights
Think sugar-rush - no sleep at nights!

An Aladdin's cave for tiny tots
For Thomas – this shop fairly rocks!
Those crinkly packages entice
Will their insides be as nice?

But what to choose? What will Dad buy,
Thinks Isabella, perched up high...
With temptation too hard to ignore,
Mum captures this scene by the door...

(c) Poet in the woods 2019

Bollards to All That!

It's rarely quiet in my street;
First the new house (not complete)
With bricks, wheelbarrows and cement
And lorryload of men, intent

On plastering the inside walls
Installing switches, lights and doors ...
Meanwhile, at daybreak, a new team
Armed with pickaxes, now seem

Engaged upon a brand new task;
Their noisy thumping makes me ask
What have they now come here to do?
A row of bollards spring in view!

Discourteous parking has caused angst;
Our cul-de-sac's too narrow, thanks!
So now, when this truck drives away
Drivers can't nip by and stay...

This is a move which I applaud
The Commune listened – we have scored!
Our kerbstones will be free of wheels
It's people power – how good that feels!

(c) Poet in the woods 2019

Off the Charts!

The things one hears on daily news!
Life's arcane foibles oft amuse
Let's take a sample from this week
I pull the curtain back and peep:

Our noble Queen now bans all fur
No soft and silky touch on her!
Claiming environmental need,
Dutch motorways reduce their speed.

While Democrats across the Pond
Force Trump towards 'Slough of Despond';
Impeachment looms; what role Ukraine ...
Will Hillary now run again?

Weird, wonderful and plain bizarre:
Belgians - the happiest by far -
So a European poll proclaims ...
Is the Almighty playing games?

Bushfires crisp the Queenland coast
High winds fan flames and Aussies roast ...
While Brits now find themselves flood-prone
Washed up by BREXIT – and alone!

Should we laugh, fight, protest, scream or cry?
Armageddon in the wings, stands by.
The future seems a tad too dark;
We search in vain for Noah's Ark!

(c) Poet in the woods 2019

Yellow Jackets in Boitsfort!

The spiral staircase leads the way
I mount it almost every day
This morning on the tiled floor
A hectacomb – dead wasps galore!

My house is old, with wooden eaves
And built quite close to woodland trees.
But in this cold with windows closed
How they got in, no one knows...

In nooks and crannies they lie crushed
I sweep them out with pan and brush
And flush them down the upstairs loo
It's sad, but what else can I do?

Post breakfast – one flies overhead;
Wielding a slipper at its head
I try to swipe with hardened heart
But this yellow jacket is too smart...

This 'fait accompli' infestation
Means Nature needs no invitation
To set up home within my walls;
The term 'my little nest' appalls!

(c) Poet in the woods 2019

a.k.a. Yellow Vests

On Loss ...

On this of all days, I reflect
On those whose hugs I cannot get
Because, and this is humans' fate,
They've gone ahead to Pearly Gate ...

Or maybe, they are far away
Life intervenes - they cannot stay;
Whatever - both are just as bad
For millions this day is sad...

There's talk of poppies, soldiers dead
Insane world conflicts media-led
A myriad lost souls in despair:
War widows mourning men not there ...

Or kids who'll never share with Dad
The happiness they should have had
Because the war machine destroys
All hope of peaceful family joys.

Two World Wars, yet still we fight
For flags and glory – is this right?
Why can't we get our act together?
Must peace be on the «never-never»?

(c) Poet in the woods 2019

 

Armistice Day - 11th November

Lesson Unlearned?

This Sunday as our heads bend low
Parades of soldiers mass below
Their youth and hopes untimely lost ...
While we remain to count the cost.

Proud generation of ideals
Now buried deep in Flanders fields
The «War to end all Wars» was mined;
Why is politics so blind?

The inter-war years – fragile peace
The bubble swelled and then released
Its rancour on the sons of those
Who, bright-eyed, once wore khaki clothes.

Is this the Lesson we can't learn?
When will this tide of hatred turn?
Those beyond our gaze look down ...
What price glory and renown?

Each precious life needs love and care
But many did not live to share
This wondrous world and all its joys
The last they heard was battle noise ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2019

Double Happiness!

Time passes and this family grows
We wonder if wee Haydn knows
That suddenly, he'll have to share
As Ethan and twin Blake are here!

A double dose of infant joy
These little creatures, pink and coy
Have swelled this family to five
So many legs and arms to writhe!

David - Patriarch indeed
And Hoa, loving Mum, will need
Some time to plan a schedule new
Two-for-one means lots to do!

To a topsy-turvy world they come
Pre-Christmas gifts for Dad and Mum
As excitement reaches fever pitch
There is no greater joy than this!

(c) Poet in the woods 2019



Born 6.11.2019 - Brussels

and now (2024), aged 5!

Where are the 'Real' People?

We hurtle onwards, no respite,
At rocket-speed – we hold on tight
We've hardly time to catch our breath
Is life a whirlwind unto death?

I put my foot out – where's the brake?
This constant worry when we wake
What drama will we face today?
What provocation comes my way?

Like you, more human warmth I search
As more friends now fall off their perch
Old and new merge into one;
The phone rings – more work to be done ...

Retirement is an awkward phase
There seems no pattern to my days
The assumption is I've time to spare
But only when my friends aren't there!

The constant lure of Internet
Impersonal and demanding, yet
Real people seem thin on the ground
So our soul suffering is profound ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2019

The Perplexed Poet

Has all been said? I feel bereft;
What intriguing subjects still are left
On which I can indulge my muse?
All around - conflicting news...

We're all so busy; family ties
Or hectic deadlines fill our lives
The nights draw in; at end of day
Much easier to hide away

In cosy bolt holes, than go out
Our energy reduced to nowt!
So it's a joy when friends drop by
And share a moment on the fly...

A phone call, unexpected, brings
News of all kinds when it rings
Be it joyful, weird or sad;
Being 'in touch' makes me glad.

As each day dawns and I go out
I wonder what life's all about
We rush, haphazard through our lives
The path before us – a surprise!

(c) Poet in the woods 2019

BREXIT Day - Plus One!

The day dawns slowly, crisp and cool
A holiday, so there's no school
The roads are peaceful, there's less noise
November this year starts with poise.

Non-BREXIT Day has disappeared
No ugly red-tape beast has reared
Its threatened head; we're off the hook
Meanwhile, new deadlines start to cook!

I check - and yes, still Twenty-Eight
Countries sharing Europe's fate
We come and go just as we please
Crossing the Channel - still a breeze!

Brave 'Brits-Abroad' sigh with relief;
We cling triumphant to our reef
And enjoy the perks our Union brings
Despite its roundabouts and swings.

But the troubled Isle grows sick and mired
So Parliament must be retired
It's soon «All change!» for Red and Blue
Post elections, what will Britain do?

(c) Poet in the woods 2019

31st October 2019 - deadline past