Dawn Thoughts

Up early on this New Year’s Day;

Dark outside where street lights play

Their eerie patterns in the street

A silent view, no passing feet…

 

Europe wakes to a new dawn

Where, for Brits, red tape will spawn

More hassles, ire and deep regret

In many ways a backward step…

 

With all cooped up in their abode

Fewer deaths upon the road

While Fear, alas, still stalks abroad

And, dare I say it, we are bored!

 

 New Year betokens virgin slate;

What happenings will syncopate

Our COVID lives? A little jab

May be the best hope we now have!

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

The Book of BREXIT!

 2000 pages? What a screed!

The BREXIT terms – a sleepless read

The UK’s future is at stake

Let’s hope the Queen can keep awake!

 

Countless taut, committee stages

For this tome of tight-knit pages:

Late-night sessions, midnight oil

Sturm and drang on British soil!

 

Up to the line, with knuckles white

Fishy clauses – watertight?

‘Westmonster’ keeps momentum going

As to the outcome, Folks – no knowing …

 

As Theresa May resigned her post

Bold Boris now surveys the coast 

Where the good ship BREXIT will set sail

But will it flounder in a gale?

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Post-Christmas Blues

Are you back at work, or work from home?

Or gnawing on a lonely bone?

We’re on the crest of a huge wave

Whose impact, when it comes, will save …

 

I stare out on a sky pale blue

Through bare branches – a clear view

A brand-new diary waits close by

As empty as this wintry sky…

 

Uncertainty is humans’ lot

A concept we had quite forgot

Recalled to mind in stark relief:

2020 - source of heartfelt grief.

 

At such times the bard is prone

To hesitate, leave well alone;

What words on souls can pour warm balm?

What treasures lie in winter barn?

 

Too close to see what lies ahead

With COVID storm still overhead

No lull, no let-up, constant fear;

How will things pan out next year?

 

Think of others, do our best …

We shall somehow ride this crest;

The future is not ours to call

Damn! Who  pinched the crystal ball?

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

End-of-Year Review

In this wishy-washy time between

What is to come, and what has been

We let our hearts and minds look back

On how this year has gone off track.

 

A virus leak from Chinese lab

In “other news”, did not seem bad;

As feared Ebola had not spread

And each slept safely in their bed.

 

This time, the leak became a flood

What seemed at first a poisoned bud

Blossomed into worldwide threat

Ensnaring all lands in its net.

 

The travel industry declined

Culture in all forms was stymied

Health professionals bore the strain

A sort of Black Death once again.

 

Man likes to think that he’s evolved

And all such problems have been solved

But COVID puts him in his place;

How fragile is the human race!

 

Nostradamus was at pains

To foretell in brief quatrains

Pandemics that lay far ahead

But who believed his sharp street cred?

 

The rich and famous weren’t immune

Many sportsmen gone too soon

World leaders mask-less, caught the bug;

So, now we must beware a hug!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Nostradamus:  French philosopher & physician: 1503-1566

 

In-Box-ing Day

A bomb in Nashville, Tennessee!

Is this how Christmas has to be?

Nature reaches sell-by date:

For some rare species, it’s too late…

 

Winter floods in Bedfordshire;

Why is all our news so dire?

Just titbits gleaned from online news

On the day we should enthuse …

 

Caught in this maelstrom of dismay

With friends and family kept at bay

The human spirit keeps in touch

Those screen connections mean so much!

 

Surprising phone calls fill our day

More warm thoughts the I.T. way

A virtual Christmas - if you will

But each gap bridged is such a thrill!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Downtown Nashville, Tennessee - December 25th

A Christmas Meditation

So much has changed in this past year;

Who overflows with Christmas cheer?

The virus has a hidden face

Chimeras we begin to chase …

 

In such grim times the poet’s role

Serves to brighten each lost soul

With words of comfort and delight

A tricky task to get it right …

 

Against a backcloth worn and tired

How can the poet be inspired?

Too many loose ends to be tied

The Web, alas, has spread too wide…

 

Yet the yearly miracle begins:

The Christ Child, Star and Angel Wings;

While humble shepherds, tending flocks

Gaze in the sky; the old world stops.

 

Recalled by artists down the ages

Traditions form in gentle stages

This midwinter celebration

Still remains a meditation...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

 

The Little Man in Black!

Australia - a laid-back scene

Outdoor life laced with sun cream!

Cool dude in black, the way to go

Or are those shades just worn for show?

 

December blue skies, shortest nights

Outdoor picnics, beach delights

Easy-care, not city chic

An untucked T-shirt does the trick!

 

Cold Europe goes for glam and smart

And festive cocktails after dark

While for Thomas, Christmas means

Casual gear - just shorts or jeans!

 

His simple ‘uniform’ makes sense;

As does the setting - rustic fence

Already knowing, in his stare

It’s who you are, not what you wear.

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

 

 

Stocking Up!

Forget all thought of Christmas travel!

For Tier-4 Brits, their plans unravel

Most at home obliged to stay;

Dame Virus takes no holiday!

 

It’s tough; we grumble, face huge fines

In more ways than one – bleak times …

Mutating COVID won’t relent

So, Channel crossings blocked in Kent!

 

Belgium, Denmark, France and Spain

All repeat a grim refrain:

“You’re not welcome!”; we’re aghast

This blanket ban extends so fast…

 

As for BREXIT babble, it annoys;

Taxes on incoming toys?

We’re living in a real-life soap;

With daily dramas, how to cope?

 

A casual glance at TV news:

Both sides of the Channel – queues!

In brief, a bureaucratic maze:

So, will stocks last these Christmas days?

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Isabella - at Three!

 There’s no hope for a quick release

I can’t fly South to hug my niece

Who celebrates three years today!

As COVID means no Aussie stay…

 

But through the months I’ve watched her grow

So many arrows to her bow

 As Isabella shares my sign

And Archers aim high every time!

 

You like to dress up, face the lens

Chatter with your little friends

Bathe in limelight, unafraid

The world’s your oyster, little maid!

 

Growing up means learning, sharing,

Thinking for yourself and caring

Both Grannies and your Mum agree

Enthusiasm is the key.

 

You’re bubbly, like the best champagne;

Dad says you know your mind – and reign!

Attention-seeking? (Yes, a bit)

Oz has talent - you’re a hit!

 

At three, Sweet Lass, your world expands

My Blog is read in many lands

Auntie hugs you from afar

Happy birthday! You’re a star!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

What Rings True?

 It’s quiet and peaceful in my home

My Muse and me, we’re quite alone

No one breaks my concentration;

I lose myself in contemplation …

 

Images swirl round my brain;

I look outside - see spots of rain

At times a car grinds up the hill

But apart from joggers, all is still.

 

Saturday, these hours are mine;

I marshal odd thoughts for a rhyme

But the dratted words won’t click in place

Like music, poems must have pace …

 

Lost in a daydream – miles away

What words will form this new display?

How to make the mundane feel

Just for a moment, poignant, real?

 

I cast around; no theme rings true;

Then the phone rings!  I come to …

A nuisance call! I might have known

No poet can stay long alone!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

A Mystery Card

 At Christmas, festive cards arrive,

As friends and family contrive

To pen a year’s events in brief

Explaining joys – and sometimes grief.

 

Though thrilled of course to get such news

Brief signatures sometimes confuse

No surname, no return address

Or squiggly scrawl; how can I guess

 

Who has penned this Yuletide note,

And made an effort to devote

Time, card and stamp to get in touch?

To respond - at straws I clutch …

 

Neat label typed on envelope

To find the sender – a vain hope

I’m flattered someone thinks of me

But can’t work out who it can be …

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

 

A Game Changer?

 I marvel how morale stays high

When death rates peak; can we stand by

And still plan meet-ups with our friends?

Insouciance breeds fatal trends!

 

High peaks, low troughs - the COVID graph

Has cut our jollity in half

Why Christmas shop, when many stay

At home – all visits kept at bay?

 

Law-abiding citizen, the Kraut?

Despair of Merkel; a new bout

Of lock-down (schnell gemacht!) in place

The German image – a red face!

 

“Over by Christmas?”  Sad refrain …

War on COVID in fast lane

With shoals of vaccines shipped worldwide;

Now new strains threaten – Woe betide …

 

All in finesse, this ‘game of chess’;

Who will win, not ours to guess;

While COVID plans new moves, we scheme;

Tempest-tossed in this bad dream …

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

 

In the Twilight Zone

We struggle hard to keep in touch

Friends are precious, they mean much

Most are lonely, on a limb

Their threads of social life worn thin.

 

This pall of COVID casts deep gloom;

Obliged to dance to a new tune

We yearn to run out, fling arms wide

And welcome friends to meet inside …

 

But No!  Drones check our every move!

We’re punished if we leave our groove

Though Christmas lights these winter nights

Try to put the world to rights.

 

With downtown bars and pubs all closed

No respite for onlookers’ toes

And should we decorate our home?

What’s the point when we’re alone?

 

Sound bite shockers: what is real?

Vaccines? Biden? BREXIT deal?

BBC and CNN

Stir the pot – no one is zen!

(c) Poet in the Woods 2020

 

 

Taking Our Leave

Our ‘Sceptred Isle’ at end-of-tether

Brit life on the never-never

Mad scramble to tie up loose ends

Constant talk of fishy trends!

 

How to survive without free trade?

Long queues in Kent with tempers frayed

Reels of red tape at the Coast

With a “No Deal” folks, we’re toast!

 

Ahead,  a bureaucratic maze

As UK-sourced goods risk delays

Uncertainties in all fields trending;

The ins and outs are never ending…

 

Last ditch attempts, up to the wire;

The E.U. stands firm, does not tire

Of warning what we stand to lose

By Jan 1^st we should have some clues!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

'Sceptred Isle' speech by John of Gaunt in Shakespeare's "Richard II".

On Opening a Christmas Card

How wonderful when people write!

Holding Christmas cards feels right;

This virtual world where no one meets

Save via a screen or silly tweets

 

Means missing out what matters most:

Seeing friends or playing host.

We fill our fridges, wine and dine

But stare at walls most of the time…

 

Mental issues now beset

Many who cannot connect

With loved ones, family or workmates;

As months slip by – fear escalates.

 

With social distancing enforced

Most from friends are now ‘divorced’!

The gaudy shopfronts are no lure;

For loneliness, there’s just one cure …

 

We humans are a social bunch

Keen to share news over lunch

Or meet in pubs and have a beer;

Where is the bonhomie this year?

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Brussels - Out of Plaice?

 Fish on the menu? What a catch!

But will wine and dining match?

A last-ditch meal behind closed doors

Taut discussions, fraught with flaws.

 

Important “Heads”* not on a roll;

For whom indeed will the bells toll?

I talk in riddles, (tap on wrist?)

But you are smart, you get the gist!

 

London-Brussels – Eurostar

To keep on track, they raise the bar;

We poets wield such tools with ease …

O Metaphor! How you do tease!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

*Last minute European Council Meeting in Brussels to discuss the EU Budget.

We are still on a Journey!

We can travel many different ways;

Our memory of each journey stays

Within our hearts when stuck at home

Locked down this winter and alone.

 

Viz: mini-trips to sunny climes,

Weekends with friends in better times

Those magic places that we’ve seen

Recalled in photos, help us dream…

 

Our travel “bug” this year defeated

Hence our coffers not depleted!

Foreign rendezvous curtailed

Business meetings all derailed…

 

It’s time indeed to sit and think:

What has brought us to this brink?

Less air pollution, CO2

Flights reduced - more skies of blue!

 

The Tourist Sector limps, ill-starred

As COVID plays each trump-filled card;

Good Health is on my New Year’s list

2020, soon gone, won’t be missed!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Splashing Out!

How dull is life without a splash!

Perched on the edge, they cut a dash:

Thomas, with his Monster Green

And Isabella, pale pink queen.

 

The Pool is vast, the scene is set

In just a moment, they’ll get wet

As each dives into noisy swell

Unafraid; they both swim well.

 

But why indoors, when Aussie sun

Beckons now to everyone?

The thing is, harsh rays burn pale skin

Hence the Pool’s the place to swim!

 

December in S.A. is hot

And danger lurks for tiny tot

So, here our water-nymphs are sent

To frolic to their hearts’ content!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

A Christmas Box!

 I wonder where we all would be

Without a noble Christmas Tree?

In Brussels real firs are on sale

With spiky fronds and needle trail.

 

We swathe the boughs in tinsel streams

Each festive ornament now gleams

Reflected in electric light

Days ahead of Christmas night…

 

Excitement mounts, the thrill now lies

Anticipating children’s eyes

Mad rush for gifts, both big and small

Which congregate in coloured sprawl.

 

In Ozzie heat, fir trees are scarce

So out of one long box comes first

Fake branches and a sturdy base

Soon reconstructed, put in place.

 

Isabella joins with Dad

In no time their tree is clad

Thomas also lends a hand;

 With Mummy’s snap, it's in the can!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Titillation - of a Sort

 Like “Old Mother Hubbard”, my cupboard is bare

I trawl through the news for something to share:

New victim of COVID at age 94

Valéry Giscard d’Estaing is no more…

 

The lock-down drags on, making people annoyed

Retailers moan, livelihoods are destroyed

The buzz in the High Street reduced to a hum

Despite Christmas opening, not too many come.

 

Pairs of policemen on bikes cycle past

Eager to catch those not wearing a mask

The mood is morose, friends still kept apart

But “bubbles” break open again after dark…

 

End-of-year parties, though strictly forbidden

Flourish regardless in places well hidden

But one bit of naughtiness has made the news:

A raid has unearthed a Brussels “partouze!”*.

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

* wild party or orgy!

Valéry Giscard D'Estaing:  2nd Feb, 1926 - 2nd Dec, 2020

A Subdued Soliloquy

How eerie fog makes daytime seem

At half-past two – the street lights gleam

Less constant is the flow of cars

Unlit are many shops and bars…

 

Retail in the doldrums lies

With lockdown, hardly a surprise

High Street hoardings disappear …

Yes, this has been a dreadful year.

 

The winter chill now sets in fast

Forget all shades of “Christmas Past”

More hopeful shops can open doors

Yet “non-essential” gives us pause…

 

This festive season is subdued

With Bruxellois not in the mood;

No mulled wine chalets by the Bourse

COVID has seen to that – of course.

 

Then sans a mask, you risk a fine

No parties – meet-ups now a crime!

All doom and gloom, unless like me

You lose yourself in books and tea!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

 

Pipe Dreams

 Nip-in-the-air becomes a bite

When heating doesn’t work quite right

Pipes gurgle on the upper floors;

I wrap up warm with frosty claws!

 

With curtains drawn and cup of tea

Surely, I should “cosy” be?

We take for granted winter heat

When we enter from the street…

 

But no – my old house shows its age;

New boiler fitted - all the rage

But radiators are “old style”

And haven’t worked well for a while…

 

The pressure drops – where is the leak?

Two workmen will be back this week

To test the circuit and retrace

The cracks - so I have happy face!

(c) Poet in the woods  2020

 

 

 

On Going ON

We’re “on tenterhooks”, “on hold”, “on line”

Or “on a knife-edge”, all the time

“On computers”, “on the ‘phone”

Or “on a journey, on our own” …

 

But “on” is such a tiny word

Why write about it? It’s absurd;

We’re “on track” for vaccines new

And Biden’s “on a mission” too!

 

Climate change is “on the news”;

With fingers “on the pulse”, we choose

To watch TV and see “What’s on?”;

The internal chatter just goes “on”.

 

COVID: lives are “on the line”

So much is turning “on a dime”

While “on a roll” we’d rather be,

“Off line” seems enough for me!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

The House is Sold!

 A timid sun peeps through the trees

Bird feathers ruffle in the breeze

 A work van slows as it goes past

The terraced house is sold – at last!

 

The truck pulls up and unloads boards

Two workmen make their way towards

This bijou home in sorry state

But the facelift will be great!

 

With a friend, I’d peeped inside

The staircase made for creaky ride

With age-old beams and cracks in plaster

It needed too much looking after…

 

But its location is a dream

So its potential has been seen!

Just a stone’s throw from the wood:

Foxes, horses, Robin Hood!

 

It’s quite bucolic down our way

Where neighbours chat and canines play

A nearby field boasts bees and sheep

But sometimes - planes disturb our sleep!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Rue de la Sapinière 36, Watermael-Boitsfort

 

Neologisms Pack a Punch!

Unprecedented how we live

Our normal lives fall through the sieve

We clutch at straws and new words spawn

To help us weather this harsh storm*.

 

Our dictionaries are updated

Some catchwords can’t be overstated:

Think ‘furlough’, ‘lockdown’ and ‘staycation’

Born without an invitation.

 

We’re promised vaccines – that’s good news!

Should we try them? What’s to lose?

‘Flu jabs and/or COVID tests

Will help us safely ride the crest.

 

Asymptomatic? Who’s to know

Through whom the virus will now flow?

We isolate and live in fear

With a “Typhoid Mary” syndrome near...

 

An Irish cook, New York connected

Who 53 poor souls infected …

Such virus-carriers cause a chill;

So ‘Super Spreader’ fits the bill!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Note: the 4 underlined words are now added to the O.E.D.  (Oxford  English Dictionary).

* The COVID epidemic

Mary Mallon 1869-1938

Behind the Scenes

The year drags on as best it can;

For Christmas no one has a plan

With social distancing in place

Santa cannot show his face…

 

In this grown-up world gone mad

It’s for children I feel sad

As toys entice in bright-lit stores

But hidden hands have locked the doors …

 

We live perhaps in some weird dream

As more restrictions come on stream;

Consider - just one year ago

Who would have thought our lives would slow?

 

We took for granted airline travel

Now our trips and jaunts unravel

Theatres, concerts, sport and gyms

All lie frustrated in the wings!

 

The world’s a stage? I hate this play

The first two acts cause great dismay

We’ve lost the plot and cannot follow

And how will it all end - tomorrow?

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

A Meditation in Place Keym

The square is silent; scudding leaves

Swirl unchecked in chilly breeze

Tall stacks of chairs, all chained up neat

And only my steps in the street…

 

The Mall sports barren shops for rent

My optimism sinks, Hell-bent …

Then the Carrefour comes in view

Where shoppers congregate anew!

 

But non-essential retail suffers

Pre-Christmas sales have hit the buffers!

Pall of sadness in the air

Dark days with winter solstice near…

 

Police cars kerb-crawl, quick to fine

Those not wearing masks – a crime!

In trams and buses – empty seats

Eerie journeys – no one speaks …

 

With Halloween as good as dead

Saint Nicholas has wary tread

Toy Story, much loved, loses hope;

Our lives, in every sense – remote …

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

View of Place Keym, Watermael-Boitsfort

 

Figuring It Out!

 Statistics fuel so many things

Havoc, fear or deep mood-swings

"Games" played with figures can present

An outcome other than that meant!

 

Arcane averages are wild:

Whose family has a ‘point five’ child?

Algorithms do their best

Computer programmes blur the rest!

 

Success rates? Better check your source:

Fuzzy stats - par for the course

Some figures, rounded-up for years,

Make unsubstantial claims for cures.

Do check the small print – always wise

You may be in for a surprise…

Percentage points on samples small

Have no validity at all!

 

Right up to date - the U.S. polls:

Is this vote count full of holes?

Politics means tricks up sleeve

So, whom and what should we believe?

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

 

My November Man

 Sixteenth November … sixteen years!

Since he passed on and I shed tears

Time flutters by – deep sadness steals;

I play again my memory reels…

 

This, now ‘heavenly’, birth date

Recalls my much loved, much missed, mate

Who made my humble heart complete,

As each day I had happy feet!

 

Now down life’s corridors I roam

The only echoing – my own

Bold avenues I still explore

But differently, as he’s no more …

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Mike 16.11.1937 - 04.01.2005

 

 

 

Focaccia Fun!

My weekly purchases are stored

Untried recipes explored;

Why not make something good with yeast

Watch it rise and have a feast?

What thrills! My first focaccia bread!

Rosemary tufts and garlic, spread

With olive oil to make it glow:

A taste of Italy in dough!

 

Today, my tastebuds bide their time 

Awaiting pleasures quite divine

Inventing brand-new things to do

Means lock-down has “plus moments” too!

 

Of course, without a friend to share

This creation, warm and rare

I shall sit here and enjoy

The full extent of my employ!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

A Time of Transition

 It seems Democracy has won

No fraud, no jumping of the gun

The votes are counted, fair and square

The people’s voice is heard - so there!

 

There will be some Discontents

And those who sit upon the fence

Uncertain now which way to go;

This poker game has dice to throw!

 

To test the waters, Joe stands by

World leaders call him to say “Hi!”

For COVID, there’s a vaccine race

Mask-wearing will be commonplace.

 

Who rules the Senate will be key;

Obama found it hard to see

How his measures could go through

With a majority not blue.

 

This mammoth task Joe Biden faces

When he and Donald do change places

But the Virus that is politics

Will not make this an easy fix!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Concedo Nulli!

History’s parallels are intriguing

In terms of politics – revealing;

Let’s cast our minds back long ago

When Renaissance printing caused a flow

Of grammar books and classic law

Helping educate the poor

But when unleashed, the printed word

The minds of those in power disturbed.

 

Religious tracts, revised translations

Caused schisms and divided Nations!

Their consequences put in play

Dilemmas which exist today.

 

Erasmus, Prince of Humanists,

Dutch priest and thinker in the midst

Of this turmoil and confusion

Friend of kings, but sans illusion

 

Advised and warned, did not take sides

"Whose name", said Colet, "never dies"*;

Known for his motto, much admired;

 “I yield to no one” has inspired

 

Perhaps the Oval Office man*

Whose tweets proclaim that he still can

Stave off the overwhelming tide

And hold on tight for a new ride!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Concedo Nulli  -"I yield to no one"

Erasmus of Rotterdam  c 1467-1536

John Colet  Churchman 1467-1519

*D.T.

* Nomen Erasmi numquam peribit.

New Lock-down - Week Two

 What shall I write? A daily task

Strange thing to do, you may well ask;

We flounder in pandemic times

Where ‘going viral’ means more rhymes!

 

Inspiration is a funny thing;

How to predict what thoughts will spring

From deep within each troubled mind?

Lost memories come back on line…

 

Corruption charges in high spheres?

CNN and Fox News scares?

My battered Muse has lost its spark

So many of us kept apart …

 

Yet our creative streak awakes

We sew, design, knit or bake cakes;

Let’s email those from long ago;

‘Zoom’ and ’Skype’ make friendship flow!

 

So much we treasure put on hold

While mounds of toys remain unsold;

Restrictions force us to take stock

While stocks of vaccine - dreams unlock…

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

 

 

Biden His Time...

It’s been a rough road, long and hard

For America has been ill-starred

Mass turn-out on November day

Huge line-ups – each wants his own say.

 

The tension mounts, the Blue Wall builds

The central Red Belt quickly fills

No landslide as predicted, yet

Several States run neck-and-neck...

 

The tweets continue; calls for calm;

Both Trump and Biden chance their arm

But it is still too close to call

All up for grabs!  We’re held in thrall…

 

There’s need for healing in this Nation

Sadly split, through provocation;

Europe watches in the wings

While someone practises golf swings!

 

Then Pennsylvania State declares

The Democrats learn it is theirs

Crowds fill the streets in Delaware

Joyful cries rend though the air!

 

A wind of change we now detect;

Joe Biden – President-Elect

Makes his first speech to the Nation:

The word is - reconciliation …

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

 

 

A Clean Sweep?

It’s hard work sweeping up wet leaves

But here I am, out in the sun

Wrapped up warm with rolled-up sleeves

Trying to get this job done!

 

In COVID times, despite lock-down

It’s vital to take exercise …

With leaves all piled up in a mound

A sense of order greets my eyes.

 

The days draw in, it’s dark too soon

With heating on and curtains drawn

We read, watch TV or just moon

While more leaves drop upon the lawn!

 

The household chores do not relent

I sort out clothes and iron sheets

In such dull ways my day is spent

When not engaged in rhyming feats!

 

Vote-counting drags on – scores are close

Europe, on the side-lines, waits

Will we get a “double dose”?

And what will be the new dictates?

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

 

Swing States - in the Balance

 Shall we look into a crystal ball

Or flip a coin to guess the score?

The fifty States play hard to guess

Some red, some blue, some in distress …

 

Are exit polls wide of the mark?

Statistics paint a picture stark

But all predictions have a flaw

270 the magic score…

 

Election speeches, hope in check,

The outcome still unknown and yet

Newscasters round the world debate,

Will postal votes be a tie-break?

 

En masse, new voters join the line

Determined to be heard this time

Their voices raised in indignation;

Who will lead this complex Nation?

 

Time zones vast; perforce delay

Sharp focus on “swing States” today

To keep momentum, stats are flowing

But as to who will win – no knowing…

(c) Poet in the woods 2020