A is for Angst

In such times, my spirit roams ...
Life is seen in demi-tones
It's like it's always been, and yet
We're caught inside a seamless net...

We can go outside, shop and walk
Spend time with our dear friends and talk
But our friendship group has thinned;
And many find job prospects dimmed.

Arcane rules we must abide!
Toothcombed are those who come inside;
Restrictions rise as deaths increase
From this nightmare no release.

You may lie on foreign beach
But COVID always stays in reach!
Our planet now is virus-ridden
So many fun things are forbidden...

Angst blooms well in isolation ...
Fearing one more «visitation»
Uncertainty is tough to bear
Our joie-de-vivre fights hard for air ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

It's Not Fair!

Once summer kermesses took place
In three locations; now no trace
As Brussels merged them into one*
The Foire de Midi had begun!

Halle Porte – Porte d'Anderlecht:
Thousands happily collect
On hot and sultry summer days
Round entertaining, fun displays.

Gone now steam-powered carousels
No fortune tellers ply their tales
Absent, barrel organ trills
But autoscooters supply thrills.

The Big Wheel dominates the site
Smoutebollen - tasty bite!
Rifle range, though sights are skewed!
Mingling crowds in happy mood...

But not this year! The Powers-that-Be
Have promulgated a decree
When stands were putting up their awning
All was cancelled, without warning!

COVID strikes another blow!
Disgruntled, fairground owners go
To plead their case with the Commune;
No answer is expected soon ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

* In 1885

Bubble Rap!

Bubble numbers rise and fall
I really can't keep track at all
To tow the line we're forced to strive;
Are all my friends reduced to five?

The choice is hard, my circle's wide
How come so few can come inside
To have a chat, a drink or meal?
This situation is surreal!

The fuzz have got their work cut out
So many still the rules will flout
Keeping tabs on one and all
Is, let's face it, a tough call!

Will people sneak out late at night
To meet their friends and have a bite
Or rendezvous in lonely spot?
I know some who'll stir the pot!

Ingenious we have become
As the virus rules are rum
The world is in a fine old mess
Which no one knows how to address!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Under the COVID pandemic, our social group was reduced to five ....

Tightening Up!

Freedom comes at a great cost
No good bemoaning what is lost
We cannot do just what we please
Our selfish lives are put on freeze.

We have to queue, we cannot go
Without a smart mask, 'comme il faut'
In weekly markets, city streets
And outside cafés where one eats ...

The stats a sorry tale now tell
For 16 million, a death knell
Brazil, U.S. and now Peru
Have escalating figures too.

Airlines despair with quarantine
Imposed on July Brits who've been
Enjoying holidays in Spain;
A wealth of cancellations rain ...

But should we harp back to the past?
How could our excesses last?
The Virus our whole world has shaken
Hence drastic measures must be taken!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Vitaminissimo!

As Nature's bounty never stalls
The joy of eating never palls;
Summer colours strike the eye
A rainbow choice for us to buy!

With vibrant veg of every hue
Organic herbs tempt us anew
An Aladdin's cave of tasty bites
Palate frissons and delights!

Who says a salad must be plain?
Let's chop and mix and chop again;
This kalaidoscope of crunch and tang
Pleasures us as nothing can!

On Nature's wealth our bodies thrive
We love our vitamins alive!
So why take supplements and pills
When healthy eating cures most ills?

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

A Question of Form

Our lives still sadly out of tune
We've let down our guard – too soon...
Small 'people bubbles' are allowed
But woe betide a tight-knit crowd.

Restrictions cascade once again
Reinforced controls - a pain!
As the infection rate now soars
No cheering of these mounting scores!

In number terms – we're back to May
Just as we go on holiday ...
Have you heard? You must complete
With all particulars, your seat

On a new form, just devised,
When you return to Belgian skies
(The private car is not exempt!);
This new statement of intent

Voiced loudly on the midday news
Confirms the Pessimist's worst views:
Does Antwerp have a maskless flock?
Socialising takes a knock...

Oh, just forget Olympic Games
Tokyo is scared, and claims
This international get-together
May well be postponed – forever!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Rolling Up the Good Times

Where have all the good times gone?
Do we hear the song called 'swan'?
To stay safe we must stand apart
The distance of a shopping cart.

How can the young make contacts new
When disco dancing is taboo?
On-line chats pass time of day
Shopping on-line is OK.

But our joie-de-vivre is lost
Our tribute to COVID high cost.
Shops attempt to lure us back
With special offers on each rack.

But public festivals are banned
With silent streets on every hand
Few planes disturb the summer skies
And every restauranteur tries

To entice us with fine eats
With à deux tables in the streets;
Out of the wood, we are not yet
The Virus puts down roots, all set

To tag along for quite a while
This pandemic is a trial
Our masks a fashion item now
A lonely furrow we all plough ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Belgian National Day - 2021

Wot! Fireworks banned on National Day?
No crowds in Parks to wile away
This barmy summer with their friends
No military parade – new trends...

But some traditions stay the course:
Te Deum and the King's discourse
No flypast: yellow, black and red;
All else is seen on line instead.

Yet windows sport the national flag
Which cheers the masses who are sad
As the Nation counts the cost;
So many lives to COVID lost ...

Les Belges now celebrate at home
Or chat on Skype or mobile phone
While supermarkets do good trade
With beer and wine sales quickly made!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

A Momentous Mural!

Brussels Comic Strip Trail: a surprise
56 scenes greet your eyes
See the «Flower Garden » Rue du Char:
This corner mural is a star!

Brecht Evens*, artist – trained in Ghent
Four months on this artwork spent
His amazing pastiche, ochre-themed:
Tall trees behind high walls are seen.

Red roofs shade windows of stained glass
The cultural pot pourri is vast
Palm tree: lands remote recall
Does a tiger lurk beyond the wall?

In the urban garden - man at work
He labours in a rolled-sleeved shirt;
In 19th century grimy lives
In factories – now nature thrives!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

* Born 1986 in Hasselt, he now lives in Paris.

Inaugurated on 23.2.2018 by the artist.

WHO is Next?

July 2020: weather – fair
We live in a hushed atmosphere
More freedom, yes - but clinging fear
As COVID lingers in the air.

Out and about - some masked, some not
Careless people lose the plot
Summertime means outdoor fun
No one thinks they'll be the One ...

The virus harks back to December
The Chinese all kept coy – remember?
And what about the W.H.O.
Which sadly couldn't staunch the flow?

Our most precious gift is health
Stolen from us now by stealth
The race speeds up to find a cure
But how long will the wait endure?

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

WHO = World Health Organisation

Isabella meets Rocky!

Isabella has to learn the ropes
She finds dogs scary but one hopes
When friends with pets come round for tea
She'll accept their bonhommie.

This poodle cross is cute and small
And not frightening at all
He poses, peaceful, by her side
No need, she feels, to run and hide.

His name is Rocky; (did I say?)
It's early days, they don't yet play;
He senses this and tries to please
A bridge is crossed - she feels at ease.

Pooch shares with her the pink divan
Soon, Isabella feels she can
Stretch out and touch his curly coat;
Her cousins look on and take note!

It takes a while to conquer fear
But at least with Rocky near
She is learning one-on-one
That a dog-pal can be fun!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

A Friendly Word

As we bumble on with this new life
Unintended consequences are rife
Just think of those who live alone
Scared to face this new unknown.

Large gatherings are swept away
Fear stalks the streets - they stay away
And with no Skype or mobile phone
Depression quickly thrives at home...

The brain can only take so much;
The aged feel so «out of touch»
Millennials, angry, are aghast
When liberties are locked down fast ...

We're forced to think outside the box
But can consumers change their spots?
What we need is friendliness
'Cos we can make do with much less...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Thoughts on Bastille Day

The Bastille - stormed so long ago;*
Les Français, sick of excess, go
And get the Revolution going
Once lit, the fire is soon glowing...

A burst of sparks, the Royals flee;
Their capture at Varennes will see
Louis and Marie-Antoinette
Beheaded - hence this National fête!

Victory for Madame Guillotine!
Historic and momentous scene
Then Reign of Terror: blood-filled days
As France limps forward in a haze...

Aristocrats flee for their lives;
«A Tale of Two Cities»** tries
To give the poor bystander's view
As tyranny is nothing new ...

Corrupt regimes still rule today
Heads roll in metaphoric way;
Injustice brings things to a head
People fight back, won't be led...

You've only got to look around
Repressive rulers are unsound
But how to neutralise the threat
Of people-power on Internet?

(c) Poet in the woods 2020



* On 14th July, 1789

** Novel by Charles Dickens published 1859

Isabella - Southern Belle

Our party poppet cuts a dash
Yes, Isabella has panache!
In the round from every view
Twirling conjures visions new.

Pert Miss is technicolour proud
This rainbow warrior stuns the crowd
Expressed in every frill and flounce
Her sense of self is well pronounced.

'Over the top' perhaps? Who cares?
She laps up those admiring stares!
With poise that quite belies her years
She confidently wows her peers ...

And cheeky with it – there's no doubt
See the leopard combi peeping out?
At not-yet-three – what sense of dress!
Will she be Oz's new Mae West?

(c) Poet in the' Woods 2020

2020 - What Lies Beneath

2020 gives our lives a shake!
Offbeat thoughts – a different 'take'
Human life seems so absurd
Emotions hide behind each word...
Behaviour seen in shades of grey
We're pulled up short with this «new» way...

Out in the ether my odes go
And you, my Readers in-the-know,
Are tempted to connect on screen
To see what insights you can glean!
The game's afoot with Twittersphere:
Clickbait titles must have flair!

The glaring truth - that life is brief:
We wrestle with what lies beneath
So poets feel impelled to write
With irony to keep things 'light'
Humour helps our souls to bind
And see things through a lens more kind ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Lean Times for Huggy Bear!

Without our friends we cannot live;
Mere on-line contact cannot give
This recognition which means much...
We starve and wither without touch.

Alone, confined, out of harm's way
We hide behind our mask all day
What has happened to mankind?
We keep our distance – or get fined?

Without the warmth of a big hug
Which calms like soporific drug,
We feel rejected, on a limb
What if we rebel – and sin?

Cooped up like a battery hen
Our fate is sealed; we don't know when
We can walk again on grass
And feel the sun's rays as we pass ...

Conflicting rules of 'stop and go'
Should we travel - yes or no?
The urge is strong to pick up pace
Without that damned mask on our face!

But this, we're told, is not to be
As masks are now obligatory
All shapes and sizes swell the trend
But for our hug-less days – no end ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

At the Van Eyck Exhibition

At the Groeninge, along the quay
In Bruges' heart, what joy to see
Outstanding works by Jan Van Eyck*
In spacious rooms, suffused with light.

Court painter to Burgundian Duke**
Diplomat in demand - to suit
The portrait whims of bourgeois class;
None can his mastery surpass.

Forget tempura, fresco art;
Slow-drying glazes soon impart
A multi-depth and vibrant glow
To this 'Wow Factor' oeuvre on show!

The lightness of the master's brush
On jewels and textile drapes is such
That Bruges' wealth is clearly seen:
Decors, landscapes, burgher's mien...

Rich donors captured in oil paint
Surrounded each by patron saint
Through Jan's genius still live on,
With parrot, dog or horse long gone ...

Six hundred years have stood time's test;
X-rays reveal Jan's great finesse
Brilliant paint strokes slow to dry
Precision prior to camera's eye ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

*Flemish primitive painter (c.1390-1441)

** Philip the Good (r 1419-1467)



The Madonna and Canon Van der Paele by Jan Van Eyck (1436)

No Escape?

A slump in temperature today
Belgian grey won't go away
Like planes, we hover in the air
Our holding pattern all but clear...

Mass exodus to sunny climes?
We hesitate these doubtful times
Checking where we now can go
Is complicated and so slow!

Costs fluctuate, masks cause debate
It's the uncertainty we hate
No matter where we choose to be
The Virus tags along – for free!

Two's company but three's a crowd
Our uninvited guest, uncowed,
Hides in the air and longs to strike;
This summer just does not feel «right».

Pre-vaccine, there is no escape
Please wear your mask for goodness sake!
There's no such thing as «a clear run»
The Virus, in a sense, has won ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Unease

The sun is tepid, light of touch
It disappoints, but augurs much;
The Belgian Government is slow
Across which borders can we go?

Work and vacation lines are blurred
Life's a maelstrom, harsh, absurd!
We cannot shake off this bad dream
At every turn there's quarantine ...

But with a furtive step or two
More possibilities accrue
Though Culture in a myriad guises
Is still riddled with surprises ...

The days grow long with no respite
Many don't go out at night
Home cooking with a friend or two
Is quite the most we want to do.

Our carefree lives - beset by blight
Will everything we knew come right?
A little voice inside my head
Says we must watch out where we tread ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

R.I.P. Ennio Morricone (1928-2020)

Farewell to the one and only
Film composer Morricone
'Once upon a time in the West'
Epitomised his very best...

Good, Bad and Ugly – all sublime
Italian wizardry each time
His impassioned, lilting, haunting notes
Garnered 70 million votes!

Ennio's enigmatic scores
Always welcomed with applause
Instrumental magic on large screen
For forty years he reigned supreme.

His oeuvre is sadly now complete
His genius though, is hard to beat
He's vanished to another sphere
But imparts joy to all who hear!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Over Afternoon Tea ...

My neighbour comes round for a tea
«Who'll put this world to rights?», quoth she
«It's so depressing, must we hear
How crowds of stupid people fare?»

She has a point; pubs open doors
Fools rush in and jam-pack floors
Microbes tiptoe over beer
The lemming parallel is clear ...

Now the WHO* reports
Infection stats with loads more noughts;
How, we ask, is Man so dumb?
How long will this circus** run?

It's summer and the hedgerows thrive
Birds and lambs rejoice – alive
We drink our tea, admire the scene
A world away from TV screen ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

* World Health Organisation

** Behaviour under COVID

Going Viral on 4th July?

Independence Day – across the Pond
Led by an independent blond
Festive events – fun BBQ!
Mass gatherings or new curfew?

We're all keys in the locks of life
We can choose to risk our life
Or keep our key deep in our pocket
Think Southern States where numbers rocket!

Slow and steady wins the race
Assuming that we mask our face;
Some cannot learn or just forget
The Virus - eager to collect!

But summer means let's meet and greet
Red-blue-white parties in the street!
If we our guard drop – who will know?
In two weeks – many will lie low ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Opening and Closing!

I delve into the on-line news
What can I find that will amuse?
Brussels traffic build-up, tunnels close
(But COVID can't be blamed for those!)

Though ground staff has to learn the ropes ...
In terms of flights, the Airport copes;
Wallonia features on the news
And boasts of sites with scenic views!

Lock-down was easy - but Phase Four
Is piecemeal, like a big jigsaw...
Can I? Can't I? Mask – or not?
The Virus keeps us on the hop!

No more wandering about
It's «name and cell!» when you eat out
Although displays say «Welcome back!»
Rue Neuve trading is still slack.

The mood this July is restrained
Will many find their jobs again?
In bars the hubbub has died down
As many fear to meet in town.

Home drinking round a BBQ
Is now what friends prefer to do;
Who has a crystal ball to lend?
We wonder where it all will end ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Proceed - with Caution!

Through a glass darkly* we saw straight
Now mists start to evaporate
A prism still distorts our view
Chimeras look like me and you...

Beware of crowds - but go and shop!
Like ships in the night we dock
In bars and bistros and cafés
Furtive in the summer haze...

Beware Distrust, with a big 'D'!
It roams unhindered; though we're free
To fling some caution to the winds
And tentatively spread our wings!

Vanished our insouciance
We feel restrained, yet take a chance
'Out and about' is now permitted
Though COVID has not been outwitted...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

* From the King James Bible: 1 Corinthians 13 v.12

A Time Like Alice?

Think lock-down birthdays – they are new
Some are born in lock-down too!
This year is so unlike the past
Like Alice through the Looking-Glass* ...

Sports events are brushed aside
The sun shines but we stay inside
Like Pilate we must wash our hands;
Put off - our trips to other lands.

No summer sales though it's July
Mounds of stock unsold, stands by...
From dear friends we must stay aloof
Do all statistics tell the truth?

Free masks - but now a COVID tax?
The Government is short on facts!
Our lives more «virtual» than real
Poor substitute for how we feel...

But Alice comes back through the Glass
Is found asleep on summer grass;
How far extends this metaphor?
Life won't be as it was before ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020



* published in 1871