Police and Queues!

Behind wisteria leaves I peep
Cheery voices in the street
Dogs, bikes and runners pass on by
Delighted in the sun to fry!

The Boitsfort market touts its wares
But a one-way system invites stares
Past the bank round barricades
A sense of virus still pervades.

Police control the waiting crowd;
Once 'in', no dawdling is allowed
The atmosphere is somewhat tense
How many will short cut the fence?

The casual joy of pick and choose
And chats with neighbours sharing news
Now seems a distant memory
I ponder – are we really free?

There's talk of drones and 'track and trace'
What loss of privacy we face ...
I give it up – it's all too hard
Like Shakespeare's lovers – we're ill-starred!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Coin Du Balai - Observations

A short walk in bright sun today
Where shadows on the tarmac play
A wealth of gardens: some so neat
Filled with flowers smelling sweet.

Surprising plantlets bloom on walls
In nooks and crannies ivy sprawls.
Hotel for insects near the school
Birds in rooftops keeping cool.

Books and toys on sills are stacked
Free for the taking – bric à brac!
An eerie silence all the same
So odd – it goes against the grain.

Just two families, kids in tow
Chat on the sidewalk in full flow
They keep their distance, so do I
The life we live right now - a lie ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020





Insect Hotel

On Heysel, Crowds and Drought

The bad news avalanche still runs!
My head, beleaguered, fairly hums
What's forbidden, what's allowed?
How many people make a crowd?

The schools go back, exams online
Without a mask – is this a crime?
The world of culture in all forms
Strikes vociferously – in swarms!

In Eighty-Five - right on this day
The Heysel stadium gave way
So 39 fans lost their lives;
This tragic memory survives ...

Meanwhile there's drought on Flanders plain;
Will we live Seventy-Six again?
Some 'feel-good' factors there must be
If so, they hide themselves from me ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020



29/5/1985 Heysel Stadium, Brussels Liverpool vs Juventus (who won 1-0)

On Human Nature

A thought plays deeply on my mind:
Perhaps I am a tad unkind?
But in this unplanned situation
Human beings – of all persuasion

Show their best side and their worst;
An intriguing subject for my verse ...
Devout are those who do their best
To help us, when put to the test.

Then those, I fear, who think of self
And grab more loo rolls from the shelf!
Meanwhile, the Virus rides the crest
So those without masks risk arrest!

With beach and Ardennes out of bounds
"Essential travel only" sounds
A Cross too many to be borne
Many all precautions scorn ...

Though the battle's far from won
Masses drive out just for fun ...
And those, mean-spirited, who spy
On neighbours merely passing by?

While most behave and stay at home
Others cannot cope alone
Some a new tongue learn to speak
Others just get drunk all week ...

Creative streak or deep frustration?
Both exist in this small Nation;
Deep down we hear our inner voice
And after listening – make our choice!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

A Reappraisal?

Will bars re-open? Maybe not ...
And will the masses wish to shop?
Or crowd in football stadia now?
Cheap airlines take a final bow?

Our modern world, beset by greed
Quakes; we just buy what we need
How can these superstructures last?
It seems to me the die is cast ...

The longer limits are imposed
The less we're tempted to buy clothes
And wearing make-up is obscured
Lipgloss under masks – absurd!

Baking, sewing, jigsaws, plants
And crafts - our lock-down lives enhance,
We check our cupboards – too much stock
Queues on spending sprees don't rock ...

May's sunbeams warm both rich and poor
It's free and waits outside our door!
Let's gently take our daily stroll
And fill with joy our inner soul...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Welcome to Aiden Miles!

Was it the stork's wings that I heard
Near midnight, on the 23rd?
My far-flung family grows apace;
A phone call tells of brand new face!

A goodly weight, proud parents thrilled
Their crib with first born son is filled
Shy of the camera – with eyes closed
But a shock of dark hair clearly shows!

Already worth his weight in gold
Here's Aiden Miles! He's one-day-old
Swaddled tight in pink and blue
By Mummy's side, her dream come true!

In Irish - he's a «little fire»
In time perhaps a real live wire?
This name is written many ways
Each promises new trails to blaze ...

There's a Punk Rock Band from Washington,
An exile - lost in Babylon ...
'Harry Potter' has an Aiden too
And football fans cheer quite a few!

'Attractive', 'handsome': treasured joy
An exciting life awaits this boy
Such fun it is to contemplate
What Aiden will write on his slate!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020



Born  23rd May, 2020 at 23h 5min!!



Home sweet home!

Pavement Thoughts

The Virus helps young weeds to grow
In many colours all on show
Unbowed, they stretch their tiny leaves
Between the tram tracks like a frieze!

Sturdy, bold as brass and strong
They congregate in happy throng
Perhaps they nod as trams glide past
Conceited – Man has been outclassed!

A mere two months with people banned
And city streets, with feet once crammed,
Relax - and let wee tendrils creep
Through cracks in sterile walkways neat.

I leave tram 8 and gaze around
At Nature's artwork on the ground
While many restos, too long closed,
Look dusty, maybe in death throes?

No outside tables, no swish bars
More graffiti ... fewer cars
Brussels seems becalmed; its mood
A trifle sad, its heart subdued ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

The Bee All and End All!

The insect world is vast, diverse
A noble subject for my verse
So let us home in on the bee
Whose efforts always guarantee

That in this mad world we survive
As its purveying pollen drive
And bold, engaging springtime dance,
Fertilize our crops and plants.

Four large hives once stood next door
A swarm had settled on shed door
The neighbour put them all to sleep
Their honeycomb was gold and sweet.

I remember flowers round the lawn
And gentle buzzing wings at dawn
But, as a child, I did not know
Their vital role in this fine show.

Unlike the wasp, that garden pest,
Bees, God's creatures, do their best
To make our lives rich and intense
Their sting, their fatal self-defence...

Industrial farming, pesticides
Often Nature's ways derides
But sans our humble friend the Bee,
You and I would cease to be ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

The title, slightly adapted, comes from Shakespeare's Macbeth ...

Tempest-Tossed?

Our minds play tricks when we're alone
Undisturbed by telephone
All links undone, we feel bereft:
Only coping with ourselves is left...

«That's easy», I can hear you say
«Now I can suit myself today!»
Agreed, but when the weeks drag on
Total freedom can seem wan.

Eternal verities arise ...
We all need people – sans surprise
And no amount of social chat
via Smart phone, changes that.

Eye contact via a screen means less
A lack of hugs - cause for distress
Greeting neighbours in a mask
Seems an unrewarding task.

Cash doesn't cut it – never will
Shopping sprees have lost their thrill
Why join huge crowds at football game
Or gala concert? It's a strain ...

Shakespeare's Tempest got it right
A sea-change is due, hold tight!
With shuffled pack, we cut the deck
Which cards are Trumps? We don't know – yet ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Weeding out Problems

The warmth's a blessing - May brings joy
But parking fines will now annoy
More buses swell rush-hour commute
Tattoo parlours follow suit.

Long, wayward tresses can be trimmed
Toe and fingernails be limned
But culture still takes a back seat
Its role in current life effete.

Two months – a long time kept apart
Though Skype and Zoom chat cheer our heart
Nothing beats the real McCoy
At best they are a media ploy...

For those who plan, there's take-away
As restos do their best to stay
In our minds and on our plates
At, for the moment, honest rates.

With a «new normal» we are faced
Self-distancing in city space
While Nature, left alone, succeeds:
Behold our Grand-Place - flecked with weeds!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Flower Power et al.

After several days of harsh May chill
The Ice Saints* vanish o'er the hill,
Their snowy beards mere cotton wisps
The sky, a deep blue, beams - sun-kissed.

Beyond the headlines, other news
But you must search to pick-up clues:
Spa-Franchorchamps, the Grand-Prix race
Will still, amazingly, take place!

Surrogate babes in the Ukraine
Await collection - but in vain
Their adoptive parents kept apart
Trapped sadly in this maelstrom heart.

A red, rafflesia tuan-mudae
Grows, giant-like, into the sky
What a Sumatran masterpiece!
Nature's wonders never cease.

Israeli leaders coalesce
Will years of squabbling stand the test?
Some borders open, some stayed closed
What will happen next – who knows?

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

* St. Boniface, St. Pancreas and St. Servatius - because their
saints days fall between 11-15 May, after which there is no frost.



The biggest flower in the world!

The Masked Invader

Damp weather: snails – but not snail mail
Though both of them may leave a trail;
Yet when locked behind closed doors
When one drops in, it's loud applause!

I mean the letter – not the snail;
The Commune's promise does not fail
Two masks with 'mode d'emploi' arrive
I'm now all set to go outside!

A first! I've not worn one of those
It fits in place o'er mouth and nose
This year's essential fashion fad
Ideal when rush hour crowds go mad!

For those who lip read, it is Hell
Do eye expressions augur well?
Mirrors of the soul we're told
A phrase, alas, which turns blood cold ...

Chats with staff are not the thing
Browsing certainly not «in»
Sales of masks now top the chart
Schools open – with kids kept apart!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Where is Delilah?

It's sunny, Thomas takes a walk;
Between two fences he is caught
I think I see him take the strain
Samson-like - without long mane.

It's a testing time, When We Are Six
Like Pooh, Thomas tries new tricks
The Book of Judges comes to mind ...
Is Delilah far behind?

But Isabella has no shears
Or perhaps she'd cut off ears
And anyway, she's out of sight
So Thomas still maintains his might!

Australia – rich in open spaces
Puts young Thomas through his paces
Europe - still in virus-throes
Can only dream – as parks are closed!

Here Autumn reigns so days are cool
But walks in nature after school
Show «our» Samson's rugged side
The lad takes nature in his stride!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Isabella - Quick on the Draw?

Is this the Writing on the Wall?
Isabella likes to sprawl
In gay abandon, skirt pavanned
With chalks and crayons in her hand!

A vast array spills from large box ...
The choice is endless – there are lots!
Each one a subtle shade or hue
Which one will she decide to chew?

Skill is required, a steady wrist,
Each colour gripped in tiny fist
A gentle pressure on the page
What thoughts will now her mind engage?

Swirls, curves and lines - few straight and true
Perhaps a squiggle gets drawn too
Circles, suns and Mummy's face
The Artist in her, starts to race!

Too young for school, she learns alone
It's tough when COVID keeps you home!
But Isabella's right-hand brain
Gives life to her creative strain!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Muddling Along!

We leap into the Great Unknown,
Yes, we now can leave our home
Go back to work on bus and tram
Or meditate in traffic jam!

New measures have been put in place
All non-essential shops now race
To regulate their client flow
A social-distancing go-slow...

Dispensers full of sanitizer
Cash desks protected with a visor
Almost like medieval knights
The King admires these brand new sights!

Your pets can trot off for a trim
Outside construction can begin
And fashionistas buy new clothes,
But hair salons remain no-nos.

Mixed messages: bus drivers strike
Yet sports in small groups is alright
Schools open, but not every day ...
Is this muddle here to stay?

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Mothers Day in Bruges

A walk through Bruges with camera poised
Postcard pretty with no noise
Except small birds and regal swans
Making nests amid the fronds...

Medieval Bruges - a thriving place
Once bustling port: wine, fish and lace
Now lost in sunny dream pro tem.
Memories of way back when...

No overcrowded tourist barge
Quaint winding streets round beguinage
Where residents can take their ease
Delighting in such scenes as these.

With florists closed this Mothers Day*
Some clever families find a way
To celebrate with near and dear:
Admire the bloempot hanging here!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

* Due to COVID



Photo courtesy of a friend

The Conversion - a Time for Hanging!

Long gone my garage and its twin
Instead - a house for living in
Plate windows streetwise boldly stare
Darth Vader solar-panels glare!

The Virus kept the men at bay
But here they come again today
Up parapet on ladder rung
To finish what needs to be done.

The rough brick height all smoothed and planed
(Thank God it dried before it rained!)
Now boasts its wooden beam anew
With stark white hooks, ornate, in view.

My hanging baskets now swing free
Their fate not what it ought to be ...
But post-Corona they will fill
So visitors will get a thrill!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020




4 empty hanging baskets

Addressing an Oversight

Locked-in with house and laundry done;
May promises some warming sun
No clouds distract that velvet blue
A whole day beckons – what to do?

I try to make sense, keep on track
Can my addresses be pruned back?
Some names recall times long ago
Colleagues whom I used to know,

Meet-ups, people seen one time
Or emails of those «met» on line.
Others who have left these shores
And even some who give me pause ...

Plus business cards kept neat in box
A tourist guide gets lots and lots ...
Does success mean many friends?
Is 'more the merrier' a trend?

This paper trail serves to remind
Us of those with whom we've «chimed»
Each page a trip down M'mory Lane ...
Do other people think the same?

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Going Viral?

Bluetooth tracking - Isle of Wight?
All movements captured – is that right?
Whom we meet and where we go
Should our lives be a live show?

So maybe that is what they mean
By «Going Viral» - a bad dream!
All Close Encounters of this kind
Make a film script* seem benign.

When we switch on mobile phone
We're suddenly - no more - alone
Essential to our daily lives
Its hidden app upon us spies...

Imagine the Cold War with these!
The KGB would shoot the breeze
And trace down traitors in a trice
A poker game, without the dice ...

With high-tech gizmos near our face
Who will step outside his place?
We're on thin ice, faced with more fear
It seems that 'App-y' days are here...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

* 1977 "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" Directed by Steven Spielberg 

On Pangolins, Mothers and Golf

The magic month of May inspires
Despite the hailstorms and sharp showers
A slow easing of restraints
Amid a groundswell of complaints ...

What would Ma Pangolin now think
As lock-down opens just a chink?
Kayaking is now allowed
As is golf – but not a crowd.

No Concours* concerts Place Flagey
All piano players kept at bay
Foreign talents want to shine
And so they will – but not this time!

New moods surface – take Ennui
We can't go where we want to be
Trapped by an enemy unknown
Within four walls with just a phone!

A short escape on bike, or walk
Without a friend with whom to talk
Somehow loses its appeal
Solitude is a big deal...

May's second Sunday – Mothers' Day**
Florists gear up to make hay
Warm family time with Mum as guest ...
But no, it's cancelled - like the rest ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

* Concours Reine Elizabeth
** Mothers Day (B) 10th May, 2020




Scaly anteaters/pangolins - vectors of Virus?

Zorro goes Back to Work!

Around the world the Virus goes
Causing havoc, Heaven knows!
Anxiety on the increase
We count the days to our «release» ...

Mental health – cause for concern;
What happens if we cannot earn
Our keep? The Powers-That-Be
Have issued a new strategy...

It's back to work (for those with masks)
But supplies are «iffy» - need you ask?
We must keep our distance, come what may
New normal is the «spaced out» way!

We study options – what is best?
Can everyone now leave their nest?
I watch the birds unfettered, free
How they must laugh at you and me ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

US actor Guy Williams (1924-1989) played Zorro (1957-59 TV series)

Home made masks in many colours!

Staying Cautious

How lives have changed these past few weeks;
There is no news - the Virus speaks!
Wings of fear cloud all our joys
Our minds adrift with worry noise!

While some prepare to step outside
Many, scared, at home abide
Afraid to board a bus or tram
Or get locked in a traffic jam!

As social distancing is key
Who wants to chance a shopping spree?
We realise we can «do without»
Why buy flash clothes if we're not out?

Airlines lay off staff in droves
All bars and restaurants stay closed
Methinks our future won't be smooth
Soon drones will watch our every move!

While burglaries and wars decrease
Violent household scenes increase
A quantum shift – good things and bad
We mourn the carefree lives we had ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Isabella takes the Wheel!

No race track this, no cheering crowd
But Thomas, perched on top, is proud
To let his sister take the wheel
A position needing nerves of steel!

Life is tough in the fast lane
With no gears to take the strain
So Isabella holds on tight
While Auntie pushes – out of sight!

No traffic problems in backyard
But no brakes either, so it's hard
To negotiate the track with skill
It looks flat but it goes uphill!

Although these two like to compete
Sir Galahad (Thomas) is discreet
Indulgent, he now sits astride
Letting Isabella drive!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020