Happiness - on Three Wheels!

I cast around for subjects new
We're all in lock-down – what's to do?
Crisis management is key
Who'd run a country now? Not me.

But time rolls on and kiddies grow
New photos show them on the go
This scooter fills my niece with glee
Outside in sun, she plays carefree ...

It's pink and white and on blue wheels
Isabella loves the way it feels
In pastel colours all to tone
She peddles proudly – on her own!

Safe in Mum's gaze she starts to go
Across the garden patio
A wobbly start but soon on track
In no time she's acquired the knack!

Such freedom at an early age!
She is determined to engage
In all the joys allied with speed
«Have wheels, will travel» her new creed!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Freebies!

This year's June draws to a close ...
It's been a warm month, Heaven knows
But unlike many Junes we've known
Despite the sun, we've stayed at home.

But dare I see a ray of hope?
We're learning in most ways to cope

Now cautious optimism reigns
More travel options and more trains!

Our borders will re-open – great!
Soon hordes will pack up and «escape»
A taste of freedom long denied;
How green's the grass on t'other side?

The hunt for bargains doesn't die
So summer sales start in July
But browsing seems a pastime fraught
Beware the Virus - quickly caught ...

Life as-we-knew-it - swept away;
Yet masks - of all types - on display
Chemists now provide them FREE:
Yes, Brussels still surprises me!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Summer Spikes Unmasked!

Graphs and statistics are so telling
They signal how Corona's spreading
From a high point back in March
The curve has dipped - but is not past!

Fine weather: masses on the beach
Where masks are flung off – out of reach
«Let us tan while the sun shines
Who wants a face with stripey lines?»

Crowds, t'other side of Pond, are key
In Tulsa, many keen to see
Their President* pronounce his pitch
(What virus, Folks? It's just a hitch ...)

Big cities in Brazil now quake
Another spike is hard to take
But people swarm, still on the go
As the economy is slow ...

Dear Belgium likes to hedge its bets;
While many planned trips have been wrecked
Borders re-open in July
And charter flights are standing by!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

* D.T.

What's Your Buzz?

I wonder - what gives YOU a buzz?
This special «something» when it does
Makes feelings flow on higher keel
However slight, you know it's real!

Forget routine, you're floating high
A special sun shines in your sky
You wallow in a happy glow
And do not want to let it go ...

What is this trigger of delight?
It could be holding dear ones tight
A phone call from a long-lost friend
Latching onto a new trend ...

Or fast-paced music played real loud?
Drinking with your favourite crowd?
A quiet walk in forest glade?
Cooking fun meals that you've made?

Whatever – it will make your day...
This lock-down means we've had to stay
Confined, cut-off and out of sight
So tell me, what makes YOUR day bright?

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Auspicious June?

What a weird June this has been;
Amazing sunshine we have seen,
Torrential rain, floods, talk of drought
The climate's hard to puzzle out ...

Our cultural sites will soon restart:
Theatres, exhibitions, art*,
Theme parks, train trips (wear your mask!)
Hurry, summer goes so fast!

While virus spikes occur elsewhere
Belgium, tentatively, is clear ...
Though some persist and break the rules
The general feeling is: «they're fools!»

Slow and steady wins the race
So as culture picks up pace
We venture out with baby steps
Sometimes a modest queue collects ...

But there's a different atmosphere
We're more cautious, take more care
Though we can meet and dine outside
The way ahead is new, untried ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020



* 2020 - Jan Van Eyck Exhibition - Bruges

Transience

Medieval Man saw graceful bird
Fly uninvited through Great Hall
Its gentle song was briefly heard
Its impact on the diners small.

They all looked up, observed its flight
And marvelled at its presence there
But when it vanished from their sight
No one recalled it had been there ...

Our lives a fleeting speck of time
A mote of dust caught in the sun
We whirl and twist, dip, float and climb
Millions do what we have done...

We leave big footprints in the sand
Then gentle waves wash them away
We're tiny pebbles on the strand
Polished smooth, all shades of grey ...

We can shout and promise much
Be omnipresent on the screen
Though futile, we still try to clutch
Longevity – but it's a dream...


(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Corona - Stage Four?

This Corona Book has many pages
Instead of chapters we have stages;
Initial lockdown by default
To Life-as-we-knew-it – Halt!

Home sweet home has its own joys
We like the peace, less aircraft noise
With mini trips to stroll outside
Cos it's unhealthy stuck inside.

In time, more shops fling open doors
But lengthy line-ups give us pause
Friends may now meet – masks on face
But the world's a different place.

Midsummer – how our gardens grow!
This year, with so much care, they glow
In wild profusion, lush and green
Perhaps the best they've ever been...

Huge crowds foregather when day's done
Although Stage Four has not begun
Time to party through warm night!
Forgotten, fears of a new spike ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020



Crowds in Place Flagey - Ixelles

Malaise ...

It's getting tough to find new themes
Life's a series of bad dreams
Being positive's a skill
But should one go for overkill?

Whether we like it - or not
In many ways Man's lost the plot
There's climate change, famine and drought
And now the Virus wipes us out!

If we delve in medieval minds
Religion is the glue that binds
All's 'right' and 'wrong'; if we've transgressed
Then God will put us to the test ...

But modern thought abhors all that
Though none deny we've gone off track
Our nature is: catch as catch can
Yes, Man's worst enemy is Man ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Uncertainty - Our Status Quo?

Another week draws to its close;
How it will all end? Who knows?
This social distancing is grim
We feel uprooted, on a limb ...

The days stretch out, sun warms our skin ...
Who fathoms now what mess we're in?
We contact friends – most seem O.K.
Yet is this virus here to stay?

Health workers, quite exhausted, strike
All things considered, they are right
Our budget costs are overrun;
Yet surely health is Number One?

It's tiresome keeping wide apart
Two metres from friends in the park ...
And as for all those endless queues
For non-essentials ... I refuse!

On-line for business, I accept
Though «Oldies» feel out of their depth
The life we knew - discarded, torn
But has the new one yet been born?

It's the uncertainty we dread
As no one knows what lies ahead ...
Man is confused, in disarray
And yet, it's always been this way!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

R.I.P. The Forces Sweetheart

Born while the First World War was raging
Her songs in World War Two engaging
Hearts and minds in Darkest Hours
Vera's voice had magic powers.

Performing at an early age
Just seven when first on the stage
E.N.S.A. wartime entertainer
Egypt, India, Burma* claim her.

Iconic song to troops fought over
Hoping for 'White Cliffs of Dover';
Who wasn't moved by that refrain
So bittersweet «We'll meet again»?

The Forces Sweetheart; O.B.E.
Active at Queen's Jubilee!
A last link with our time of trial
Yet living through her voice and smile.

At 103 the curtain falls
A sudden silence in the stalls ...
The Press makes much of Vera Lynn
The girl who really loved to sing ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Dame Vera Lynn, née Welch: 20.3.1917- 18.6.2020
* Burma - now called Myanmar

Speaking Out!

The world's a stage; we all play roles
Sometimes we are happy souls
At other moments, lost and low
Facades break down and feelings show ...

Should our heart be on our sleeve?
When someone dies, we want to grieve
And yet we put on a brave face
Emotions pushed to second place...

What motivates each change of mood?
Sometimes we're tempted to be rude
We really want to speak our mind
But hesitate ... it isn't kind ...

Yet crowds whip up our latent fears
We know such scenes will end in tears
But prompted by deep-seated goals
There is no time for placid roles!

When anger and injustice spoil
Our sense of what is right, we boil
Raging heat burns on our brow
So we let rip - and it's «Kapow!»

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

On Social Distancing

What's real life and what is fake?
Social-distancing can make
One feel so lonely, 'out of touch'
A poignant metaphor to clutch...

Streaming, online shows, debates,
Screen encounters, 'virtual' dates
Link-ups: Skype or maybe Zoom
Musicians play, each in own room.

A disconnect that can't be bridged:
One's only trip is to the fridge!
No wonder lock-down means weight gain;
Tele-working is a strain.

Our buoyant lifestyle takes a knock
No more shopping-till-we-drop
No crowded bars, each has his place
Of carefree living – not a trace.

Now bonds are loosening at last
While many riot, curse the past
The 'natural' order is upset
As we see each other as a threat...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Going Out of Fashion?

Why watch the news? it's all so bad
Misguided, drama-led and sad.
More shootings and drive-throughs* destroyed
Common sense seems null and void.

New spikes of virus hit the news
Its lethal progress leaves no clues
Health workers,worn out with the strain,
Also suffer - are in pain...

2020 is now clearly seen
As the ending of a dream
We need to pull our belts in tight;
Alas, as yet, no end in sight.

The heat ramps up and cyclists roam
In family groups, not far from home
Street markets forced to one-way flow
Result? We lose the will to go.

But how will businesses survive
As this mass spending takes a dive?
A subtle switch to local places:
Small shops, amazed, have smiling faces!

But will 'fast' fashion now return?
Who has money still to burn?
Many, gutted, count the cost
Meanwhile, more lives are sadly lost ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

*Wendy's drive-thru restaurant (Atlanta, USA) burnt down 14/6/20

Light beyond the Tunnel!

It's the human contact that we miss,
A hug from friends, a loving kiss ...
But all of these have been taboo
Loneliness - a cancer too...

Agreed the virus must be checked
Yet looking back in retrospect
Have all these measures been extreme?
Business shivers, lean and mean...

Precautions, PPE* and masks
Have complicated daily tasks
Planes lie idle, factories close
Shopping malls have been - no-nos!

Now light outside the tunnel lies
We blink, uncertain, in sunrise
Corona darkness starts to fade
We peep out, still a tad afraid...

What lies ahead we cannot know
Pandemics threaten, come and go,
But let us take a chance – it's June
Vive encounters – at high Noon!

*PPE: Personal Protective Equipment

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

The Art of Compromise

It should come as no surprise
That lock-down has meant compromise:
Cohabitation, lack of space
Kids and pets around the place.

More time to bake and cook things new
Maybe grow a veg or two?
Catch up on reading, «Zoom» with friends
As on-screen working starts new trends...

Perhaps for some, scant exercise
Too many lazy lunchtimes, guys?
Drink-driving has a hollow sound ...
Fatalities on roads are down.

Forbidden, precious family ties
Yet domestic violence on the rise
Culture suffers all time-low
As opening-up again is slow...

A mixed bag - but with time to think
Each life «before» stands on the brink;
Drifting boats seek even keel
Is this a wind of change I feel?

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Slaves to the Media?

This wave of protest rolls unchecked
Polemics of all types connect:
Europe's colonial past long gone
The mood has changed, so has our song ...

Slave trader statues, Cecil Rhodes,
King Leopold – the mind implodes ...
Revisionism, so decried,
Assails us now – on every side ...

What's past is past, though we regret
The slave trade – it is with us yet
Injustice, lack of choice, poor schools
The slightest spark – and chaos rules ...

Yet those who make crime their career
Are not role martyrs, they breed fear ...
A whipped-up media goes off track
As not all coverage is fact ...

Rampant frenzy fills the streets
Repression widespread looting greets ...
We see the world through a new lens
But will this lead to kinder trends?

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Cupcake Heaven!

In a busy day, let's take a pause
It's tiring, running out of doors
Now Autumn reigns and days grow cool
And there are other things than school.

A leafy park lies quite near home
Granny likes to let them roam
And feel the wind blow through their hair
Two pixies - each with cheeky stare!

But when their energy runs low
A welcome bench is where they go
To take the weight off weary feet
While Granny offers something sweet.

Home-made of course by Mum's fair hand;
Who cares about the crumbs that land
On the ground where insects meet?
Cupcakes are their favourite treat!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

The Buzz - in Black and White

Hashtag painted out in gold
On black tarmac, silent, bold
How fitting that this text should be
WASP*-like in Washington D.C.

#BlackLivesMatter is writ large
Three simple words - a power charge
Man's inhumanity to Man ...
Tumult sparked on every hand.

In the Declaration it is stated
Equal are all men created;
And yet, as widespead riots prove,
The U.S. seethes in ugly mood...

Not since unrest in Sixty-Eight**
Has violence so disturbed the State
Not just for George Floyd do we mourn
But for civil rights forsworn ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

*Acronym for White Anglo-Saxon Protestant

**Post shooting of Martin Luther King

Update: 20th April, 2021: White cop found guilty of manslaughter of 46 year old George Floyd (25th May, 2020) by Minnesota court.

D-Day Remembered

Of June the sixth, the Press still speaks;
The invasion planned for months, not weeks,
Great secret well-kept - no release
Millions placed their hopes on peace...

«Fight on the beaches!» Churchill said
Indeed, so many lives were shed
Mulberry harbours, men ashore
Many young, untried and raw ...

Hitler, thank God, caught off guard;
The Allies bravely pushed on hard
French towns in Normandy soon free
A heavy price for victory ...

Coastal defences run right through
The rough terrain on our side too
As Panzer tanks, caught up, were lost
No time to count the human cost ...

A first dent in the NAZI shield
Heavy fighting in the field ...
This war by stealth and Might aligned
Stays forever in our mind.

Though many veterans are no more
We recall that day in Forty-Four;
The map of Europe was redrawn:
We woke up to a brighter dawn...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

On the Sights and Sounds of Rain

The threatened, promised, much-missed rain
Now splashes down my window pane
The plants perk up, their leaves express
Their boundless joy and happiness!

The wind, up tempo, filters through
See how the boughs wave «How d'you do!»
Outside, the raindrops form a pool ...
The heat's been switched to «medium cool».

June showers are 'par for the course'
And thunderstorms with added force
Clear the dust from paving stones
And add to rooftops glistening tones.

Weather patterns are intriguing
Observe the endless lines of beading
Edging roofs and thirsty leaves;
Excessive sun means Nature grieves...

New sights and sounds as insects creep
Under leaves and no birds cheep;
Just hear the patter of the rain
Which beats a lively, wild refrain!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Helmeted Winter Bunnies

When the family lives a world away,
Midnight for us is their broad day
We hurtle into summer sun
While winter has them on the run ...

See how my wee two cherubs glow
Wrapped up warm, zipped head to toe ...
But what is this strange thing I see?
A dinosaur stares hard at me!

Snazzy helmets tough and bold!
Will these protect them from the cold?
They seem unfazed; do they go out
And cycle when the stars are out?

At six, and two years-and-a-bit,
Thomas and Isabella hit
That deep warm spot in Auntie's heart
And banish gloom with their bright spark!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Green Vengeance

Have you seen, when left alone
How roadsides come into their own?
Straggly tendrils cock a snook
At passers-by - and weeds take root.

Pavement verges still untrimmed
Now host seeds brought by the wind
Poppies, dandelions and sedge
Form a brand new natural hedge.

Ants, bees and dragonflies cavort
Flies in spiders' webs are caught
Beetles burrow in warm soil
Intent, perhaps, such gems to spoil!

The amazing world in which we live
Has indeed so much to give
Nature's had a tough, rough ride...
Wow! See the wealth that lies outside!

Untrammelled now by busy feet
Against which Nature can't compete,
After two months of free rein
It struts its stuff – it just needs rain!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

A Bit of a Worry

There are those who keenly follow news
And take on board conflicting views
Video clips with horror scenes:
Spike fear and drama in their dreams.

And those who, tired of all this hype,
Just hope things soon will be alright
Like the ostrich they will stand
On the sidelines, head in sand ...

But news requires some compromise
Mendacious truth or downright lies?
We sift wheat from the chaff and wait
What bread will land upon our plate?

This year provides a brand new slice
Of life; what gambler threw the dice?
Riots, lock-downs, spaceship travel ...
When will this woolly ball unravel?

New normal? Who will toll the knell?
The blame game sounds a warning bell ...
World leaders, lost, don't have a clue;
This mass anxiety is new ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020