The Scouts are Back!

My quiet cul-de-sac - loud chatter
I peep outside – what is the matter?
It's Sunday and my coffee brews
A passing lad tells me the news...

It's a pow-wow - scouting style
A joyful first for quite a while
Assorted ages, all with mask;
What today, will be their task?

The woodland beckons straight ahead:
Autumn damp means mushrooms spread
Bright fruiting bodies to our gaze
Beechnut and ripe chestnut phase!

Drizzle, unrelenting grey
But yet more stragglers make their way
Having left their nice warm homes
To huddle on wet cobblestones...

Of course! They've been let off their leash
So parents get some well-earned peace
I'm heartened by their cheery noise
Nature beckons for these boys!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

It's Not looking Good!

 Not subtle this wet change of mood

The chill's upon us and we brood
More of the same and worse to come
Down window panes fat raindrops run.

Puddles fill, walls glisten, damp
Tired blooms look sad and rank
Rainhats, umbrellas - long ignored
Now our companions when abroad!

Bedraggled owners face new threat
How to cope when masks get wet?
In the wings six months of grey
Shops mourn as clients stay away ...

Special offers leave us cold
Racks of clothes remain unsold
Job losses soar as furlough ends
Who could have dreamed up these grim trends?

While weeds in rain rejoice and grow
Winds shake down leaves in golden show
Soon famished foxes, hid from sight,
Will forage in our bins at night ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Isabella - La Poupée qui fait Bon Ton!

In pink and green with skirt and beads
Our fashion princess swirls with ease

But why the grey-red stethoscope
Hanging round her gentle throat?

Will Isabella be a nurse?
If so, it's here you've heard it first!
Maybe with COVID in the news
This has influenced her views?

Who can tell? Our pert wee Miss
With tumbling blonde locks still sun-kissed
Has such an innate sense of self
No chance she'll stay upon the shelf!

What puzzles Auntie are the specs ..
Shades of Polnareff – what next?
Iconic – though she's not yet three
She milks her audience – and me!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Inspiration: French singer Michel Polnareff (born 1944) original song: "La Poupée qui dit non" ...(1966)

A For Appreciation

Given that I write for fun,
All topics underneath the sun
Are worth a challenge from my pen:
(This knack I have from way-back-when).

It's not a case of keeping scores
I rarely sell my books in stores
But seven full years down the track
You, dear Readers, still come back!

A 'tally' in the ether notes
Your log-ons, so I garner votes
Hey Presto! Brand new themes explored
My quirky mindset hits a chord ...

We're told that poems do not sell
Yet Keats and Shelley did quite well
And old Will Shakespeare's still in print
Hence my thought-provoking stint.

Shucks ... may I take time out to say
Thanks for passing by today
We have a bond, which though unseen,
Keeps my muse forever green!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Ineffable Autumn

 Being 'cooped up' isn't new
Bad weather keeps us indoors too!

We fill our time in myriad ways

Or yield to alcoholic haze...

The Internet keeps us amused
And entertained, if not on booze
Perhaps imbued with long-lost zeal
We de-clutter clothes for real.

Whatever way we justify
Our hours of leisure, time goes by
The seasons change, the leaves once green
Now form a reddish-russet screen.

Summer's butterflies alight
On autumn blooms in fading light
Bright-coloured birds prepare to fly
Nature's exodus is nigh...

The shadows lengthen, it grows cool
The little ones are back at school
No mists or rain but both are due
September – now past half-way through ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

A Smile goes a Long Way!

The family gathers on settee;
Our brand new cousin wriggles free
At four months Aiden packs a punch
But sits contented after lunch.

My brother, smart in shirt well-pressed
Today is riding on a crest
He celebrates his own new year
With smiling Isabella near.

Her spontaneity is sought
A perfect shot, her sparkle caught
In lucky lens – and right on cue
Her beam full on - which warms me through.

Sharing photos is a joy
No COVID hassles to annoy
Instead our family builds new links

And each lonely moment shrinks!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

COLOR-ful Journées du Patrimoine

Heritage Days - how they spark joy!
Sites open to the hoi polloi
A Brussels weekend in the sun
Free access? Yes, to everyone!

The theme is COLOR-ful and bright
But COVID measures are still tight
So masked-up guides, absence of queues
But sans a booking - you're refused!

For once the weather plays its part
Historic buildings show their heart
A wealth of styles, graffiti mix
The clever use of coloured bricks ...

Neo-classic, Gothic and Baroque
Mosaics, church and lay, still rock!
A Haute-Ecole, the National Bank
So many artisans to thank!

Bike tours and promenades outdoors
Clever stonework, ancient floors,
An initiative we all applaud
Don't miss out – you won't be bored!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Nothing Lasts Forever!

When there's aught to do yet warm sun shines

Burnished leaves inspire my rhymes

I contemplate friends far away

Who can't have visitors to stay...

It's human contact that we need

Not bargain shopping spurring greed

Consumer goods cannot replace

The spark of joy on a friend's face.

We de-clutter, read, drink to excess

Complain the world is in a mess

Play the blame game and accuse

Our leaders for their selfish views!

Meanwhile the world turns, ice floes melt

Job are lost, more tighten belt

Computers invade all our lives

We stare at screens, not bright sunrise.

News is a no-no - gloom and doom

The needle's stuck in this sad tune ...

Six months in, end of our tether

But - no pandemic lasts forever!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

A Cover-Up?

Place Keym, while waiting for the bus

With shopping bag, not in a rush:

Up comes a woman, mask on ear

Who declaims, so all can hear,

«In this heat, masks suffocate

I just won't cooperate!

The elderly find this a trial

How to know if people smile?»

Two other ladies, one quite frail,

Listened to this dame regale

Them with her tales of woe

Then a young mother, son in tow

Joined the waiting queue in line;

His antics helped to pass the time!

Her audience, with me included

Listened to her rant - and brooded.

Do masks keep us safe and well?

In terms of breathing free, they're hell!

And on a hot day, like today

I'd gladly chuck my own away!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Place Keym, Watermael-Boitsfort

Kootenay Lake, British Columbia

Imagine, by a glacier lake

Enclosed by rugged mountain crest

Where birds swoop down their thirst to slake,

Two men have lit a fire and rest.

Outdoors and far from madding crowds

A brief vacation on the sly,

Peace, perfect peace with cheeky clouds

Hanging lightly in the sky.

Deep waters, terminal moraine

Reminders of an ice age past

A village where just few remain

Against a backdrop bold, first class.

On water's edge a boat lies, still

Its time to crest the waves ahead

This peace affords them both a thrill

Life in this spot has lighter tread ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

R.I.P. Diana Rigg (1938-2020)

Short-lived, the life of Mrs. Bond

George Lazenby looked on aghast

For once our James's heart grew fond

Alas, this marriage didn't last*...

Nostalgia hits me, I recall

Those Sunday evenings on the box

When Emma Peel and Steed held sway

And «The Avengers» was the tops!

What sadness when I heard the news

Another Sixties' icon leaves

In Diana Rigg we lose

A wondrous actress; the world grieves...

Feisty, sexy, chic and smart

With that twinkle in her eye

We took Diana to our heart

And find it hard to say goodbye...

The dreaded «C» , the enemy

That she and Steed could not combat

But she roams in our memory:

Jump suit, tall boots and bowler hat...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

* in the 1969 film:  "On Her Majesty's Secret Service"

She died on September 10th, 2020, aged 82.

Snakes Alive near Namur!

The things you hear on local news!

About this item, don't enthuse.

Watch where you walk in Walloon grass

Two lethal rattlesnakes got past

Their enclosure, a deep pit

And slithered near rail tracks a bit

Skulking in tall grass and weeds

How long before this creature breeds?

They're poisonous so have a care!

Fear stalks the routes around Namur ...

Both found (thank God!) by sharp police;

Who had ordered their release?

From Ireland, Patrick chased them out

This early Christian saint had clout

Endeavouring to save each soul

But can he deal with pest control?

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Doorstep Image

Birds cluster on the rooftops

Against the setting sun

Their silhouettes so lightly drawn

As if by artists done.

The evening sky a creamy pink

With wisps like candyfloss

Life seems on pause, I catch my breath

As day and night-time cross.

I feel the chill is setting in

Sweet autumn's gentle token

A single car drives slowly past

And so the spell is broken ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

At the Relais du Triporteur

Boitsfort, town-village rolled in one

Attractive in the autumn sun

On the bus route, yet way out

Lakes and cobbles all about ...

Sunday market, eats and clothes

Bars where you can tap your toes

At the 'Kasbah', up small slope

A banjo quartet floats my boat!

Tables, well-spaced, wobbly floor

I have not been here before

Discerning dishes, chocolate cake;

Enthusiastic diners slake

Their avid thirst with wine and beer;

A bench falls over, people stare

A man is thrown back, hits his head

And to a taxi is soon led...

It grows dark - a creeping chill

We wrap up warm, enjoy the thrill

Of sitting in the open air

At last – togetherness to share!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

124 Rue Middelbourg 1170 Brussels

Sadly, now closed for business ...

On Asking Advice

What happens when you ask advice?

Indecision isn't nice

So if you need professional gen

Ask an expert – and stay zen!

In business, this is always wise

In-house expertise is prized

But when emotions are involved

How should traumas be resolved?

Our inner feelings we can't show

Being tactful helps, I know

We put ourselves in others' shoes

Imagine what to do, enthuse ...

But we are wired in different ways

The workings of each brain amaze!

And body language can betray

All the noble words we say ...

So, should I give advice, or not

And unravel someone's knot?

To others' motives we are blind

Perhaps each must make up his mind ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Not a Wash-Out!

Nightmares dog our social plans

In COVID times – lost and loose strands

Social happenings curtailed

'Mice and men'* once more disrailed...

Although we like to plan ahead

Spontaneity's not dead;

A girlfriend cannot make her date

An empty weekend looms – not great ...

Weighed down with shopping, all alone

A kind soul offers car lift home.

A bonus in these troubled times

Warm inspiration for my rhymes!

A Facebook invite comes my way

Concert and eats on Saturday?

Out of the blue – so I accept!

Long live friends – and Internet!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

* Courtesy Scottish poet Rabbie Burns (1759-96) "The best laid schemes o' mice an' men Gang aft a-gley".

September Soliloquy

Let's think upon this year so far:

Benighted under COVID star

Whose rays are deadly when they strike

We fear another lethal spike ...

No let-up in the summer sun

We thought we'd got it on the run

But countries veered from green to red

So many stayed at home instead.

All shops, long open, plead for sales

But tempting advertising fails

Now autumn tiptoes through the air

So will those roadworks disappear?

It's overcast, the clouds roll in

Traffic build-up, schools begin

Enforced masking Berlin hates

Violent clashes cause debates!

Despite road taxes we must pay

Reduced speeds on the motorway

«New-Normal» comes in many guises;

September heralds more surprises!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Berlin