Feeling Nettled!

Do I hear rumbling in the air?

First cold, then drought – it isn’t fair!

With my wisteria branches bare;

Sharp frosts at night;

The weather with our mood in tune:

Our lives feel like a lead balloon;

Will seeds and herbs awaken soon

Or lose the fight?

 

Friends report on garden gloom

The chill means flowers late to bloom

Some pots still sit in dining-room

Their stems too frail;

Brisk walks in local parks allowed

Beware weekends and milling crowd:

Ducks splash in ponds, birds chatter loud

On nettle trail!

 

Daft dandelions with sunny faces

Unbowed, pop up in many places

April puts them through their paces

Bold as brass!

Will May provide a warmer ride?

Who’s for a BBQ outside?

Forgive me if indoors I bide;

This time I’ll pass!

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

Dandelions and nettles!

Isabella - Cheeky with It!

This stunning grin warms me inside

A smile can cross the Great Divide!

How wonderful to feel such joy;

Let happiness its wings deploy!

 

Sweet innocence is Nature’s balm

Wrapped in hopes, kept free from harm

With all illusions still intact

See, in her mirror, not one crack!

 

But why grow up? There is no rush

To leave sweet childhood’s rosy flush

Enthusiasm weaves its spell

For Isabella, all is well.

 

Ebullient, keen to show her feelings,

Spontaneous gal in all her dealings:

Her joie de vivre fills to the brim;

Shoals of hearts she’ll surely win!

 

In perky, pink-blue dress, she’s sweet

But with cheekiness replete;

A moment captured for all time

And for Auntie, this new rhyme!

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

My Seagazers!

Against a seamless sky of blue

Untrammelled sand, footstep or two

Their gaze caught in the deep beyond

Side-by-side in caring bond

 

Isabella, in pink tones still clad

Stands by Thomas, quite the lad!

As both, spellbound, in contemplation

Absorb the wonders of creation …

 

No hordes of tourists in the way;

Its haunting quiet - a giveaway…

In sapphire sea beyond the strand,

Do they seek Van Diemen’s Land*?

 

Australia’s vast expanse inspires:

 Such isolation, such bushfires,

Yet a sparkling jewel in Southern seas

Clothed in eucalyptus trees …

 

In this precious moment caught in time

What do they think, these loves of mine?

Their vigil on this beach surreal,

Is magical, my senses reel …

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

* aka Tasmania

 

A Tale Short and Sweet!

This chill persists – it blows our mind;

How come this April’s so unkind?

Through my terrace window cold blue sky

And my neighbour’s tree house perched up high!

 

Birds gather on the outstretched twigs

They’re light and fragile – nothing gives

While whippy branches, some with leaves

Form a bower in the breeze.

 

On sunny days, kids climb aloft

 A perfect look-out spot - this croft!

A ladder leans against the bough

An escape route for small kids’ pow-wow!

 

Birds build nests, that’s how they’re wired

Great skill and patience are required

So, I wonder if they pause to see

Whose home this outsize nest will be?

 

Two beehives now have moved nearby;

Will there be honey soon to try?

How this poet likes to tease

With stories of the birds and bees!

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

A Turbulence of Tulips!

Though ‘Keukenhof’* this year is banned

‘Floralia’ blooms are close at hand

In April through to early May:

 What a sight for sore eyes on display!

 

In Groot Bijgaarden castle ground

 With tower and bridges ivy-bound,

Is a vast complex with benches strewn,

And sandwiches on sale – at noon!

 

If you like tulips, you’re in luck

There are multitudes to see, not pluck

They stretch, like Wordworth’s daffodils,

O’er new-mown lawns, by joyful rills.

 

The paths strike out through leafy glades

 There’s magic in the tended swathes

Bold rainbow colours, row on row,

Each vista forms a splendid show!

 

The day we went was chill, but sun

Made the trip a pleasant one;

So, do tulips come from Amsterdam?

Wrong song – their home base is Iran!

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

* Dutch tulip festival held annually in the spring

Elizabeth II - at 95!

Subdued, yet heartfelt, family-led

At Ninety-Five alone; instead

Of Philip standing by her side

The Queen puts all sad thoughts aside …

 

A long reign, blessed with warmth and care,

Supported by her helpmate dear

Continues now in a new vein

Henceforth it will not be the same.

 

The Family forms a tight-knit bond;

Her people, sympathetic, fond

Admire her quiet fortitude;

The Press stands back, does not intrude.

 

The royal deck has lost its king

While errant knave steps in the ring

The saddened Diamond Queen now leads

Her celebration - in black weeds …

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

Born: 21st April, 1926

 

Basic Instincts!

Disasters strike - then fade from view

Anniversaries - forgotten too

Hard-hitting headlines draw our gaze

Fast to distract, shock or amaze …

 

As News is always “in your face”

With the need-to-know a constant race

Journalists excel at “spin”:

Juggling what facts to put in …

 

Scarce time for sources to be checked

So, reputations can be wrecked;

Trial-by-media now the norm:

War theatre or salacious porn!

 

The Royals, sadly, are not spared

As if the gossip columns cared!

It’s cut-and-thrust, deadlines are short

Lurid tales mean papers bought!

 

Allegation does the rounds

At times so crazy it astounds

But human nature loves a thrill

 Hence titillation fits the bill!

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

 

 

An Unexpected Pleasure!

A new week starts in morning mist

The schools go back (a mental twist

As not all pupils claim their desks!)

While birds nearby are building nests.

 

My plants, still safe inside, seek sun

As springtime growth has now begun;

Post-Easter - traffic back on track

I peep outside, the cold is back!

 

With floor now swept with battered brush

I frame the doorway, there’s no rush.

When a neighbour with large dogs in tow

Passes by and says: “Hello!”

 

A brief exchange in narrow street;

But oh-so-nice to stop and greet;

We share a moment not “on line”

Which cheers this poet’s heart big time!

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

These two wolfhounds are named 'Nineveh' and 'Siren'!

 

The Widow of Windsor

In unfamiliar black attired

Dead silence as the cannon fired

Windsor - shorn of foreign Press,

The Duke, who hated fuss, is blessed!

 

Neat lawn resounds with guardsmen’s paces

Subdued in grief, just thirty faces

“Jerusalem” moves heart and mind

And that Scottish piper was sublime …

 

Sober prayers from Windsor’s Dean

And the Archbishop – for the Queen

Who, both Head of Church and State,

Mourns the loss of lifetime mate.

 

Lone white bouquet, her last sad prize,

With Philip’s sword, on coffin lies

Poignant chapel choir farewell

Clockwork protocol, done well.

 

Outside, in sunlight, quiet discourse

No microphones, all seems unforced

The Family and the Firm united

On such a day much can be righted…

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

Funeral of Philip Duke of Edinburgh on 17th April, 2021 

at St. George's Chapel, Windsor

 

In the Drink?

Intriguing rumours do the rounds:

Café society out-of-bounds;

But a slight relaxing of the rules

Return of pupils to their schools.

 

The little ones back at their desks

But it’s part-time only for the rest!

The Government still hums and haws

Will cafés open – out of doors?

 

I sense a deep-felt discontent

As May 8^th not the first is meant

Though Commerce, stymied far too long

May open early to Spring throng!

 

Liège says police raids won’t be sent

As laisser-faire is their intent!

Meanwhile, promoted beer turns red*:

 “Diables Rouges”** - full-steam ahead!

 

How our freedoms totter on weird ride:

More a seesaw than a slide!

But guess what? Sun our mood improves

As we contemplate new moves!

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

*  The 2021 advertising campaign "We're All Red" consists of taking Jupiler, the iconic Belgian Beer and turning it red.

** Belgian National Football Team

 

Grateful Green!

A pale green haze clothes topmost branches!

Nature’s dressing up enhances

Horizons spied from window view

Chlorophyll is breaking through!

 

Though timid, seedlings bob their heads

Warm April means full steam ahead;

Will beans clamber up the staves?

I hope so, if the sun behaves!

 

Morning mists give way to blue

Dandelions say “Howdy do!"

Commune workers tame rough hedges;

Added sunlight helps wee veggies.

 

Here, on all sides, Nature thrives!

It’s wake-up time in nearby hives

Just a stone’s throw from my home;

Ants and caterpillars roam…

 

The thrill of Spring invades my heart

 Joy reigns where lock-down has no part

In total freedom, plants en masse

Crowd our byways as we pass!

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

Out of this World!

Honour Yuri Gagarin – the first man in space

In the Vostok* which orbited Earth’s rugged face,

17,000 miles clocked-up in an hour

Top-secret mission of Soviet power!

 

Aloft, all alone – pre the world of I.T.

With off-course, safe landing near the vast Volga sea;

What relief to his wife**, a rare one to know

Of this great mission, all else on down-low…

 

With the Cold War as backcloth, and black-out of Press

The world knew so little, the Americans less!

The Iron Curtain waivered at wind of this coup

The Space Race took off in the deepest of blue.

 

Soon Kennedy’s vow put a Man on the Moon

More missions then followed, some thwarted too soon

Exploration continues, we’ve landed on Mars

But Gagarin’s achievement is writ in the stars!

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

* On 12th April, 1961

** Valentina 1935-2020

Yuri Gagarin 1934-1968

R.I.P. Prince Philip (1921-2021)

Nearly a century sublime!

A chapter ends at ninety-nine

He is no more, the Queen’s best friend

Her rock on whom she could depend …

 

Handsome Philip, Prince of Greece

Soulmate, much loved, now at peace

The ‘Palace bubble’ in dismay

Mirrors Windsor stones in grey…

 

A long life, lived out to the full

Philip would accept no bull;

Fine sportsman, who to new heights soared

With his “Duke of Edinburgh” Award.

 

Unsettled start to royalty

From balmy Corfu, forced to flee

Unsettled childhood, tough Scots school*

Naval Philip was no fool!

 

Post-war wedding, coronation

TV presenter to the Nation,

The Environment his keen concern

A leitmotif son Charles would learn.

 

Intrepid traveller, on the go,

Who always wanted more to know;

No diplomat, he liked to tease

But put those whom he met at ease…

 

Linguist, artist, engineer

Excelling in the polo sphere;

His crown of laurels he downplays

Lithe and fit till his last days…

The Nation now mourns with the Queen

As she reflects on what has been …

A Windsor chapel funeral planned

As social gatherings are banned.

 

But Philip never courted fuss

In many ways like one of us;

His actions enhanced countless lives;

His presence round the Queen survives…

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

* Gordonstoun

10.6.1921 - 9.4.2021

Developments - Bad and Good!

Northern Ireland - headline news!

BREXIT evokes violent views:

Stones are thrown, bus set on fire

The frontier problem remains dire …

 

Hong Kong dissidents debate,

Should they plan to emigrate?

As Mamma China claims her chick

Will British passports do the trick?

 

I look outside; no sign of snow

Where did those April blizzards go?

Doubts on the vaccine still pervade …

While seedlings perk up and parade

 

In my terracotta pots

As opportunity now knocks!

Safe inside, kept in the warm

My Love-in-a-Mist is born!

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

A Flaky April?

 April Snow? How can that be?

Whirling flakes flow thick and free

Painting each branch of the tree

Across my way

Pale lavender and thyme droop low

Their thrusting growth wrapped up in snow

Whiter than white my deck chairs glow

In weak sun ray…

 

A hopeful, sun-filled week forgotten,

Blossom buds now wreathed in cotton

Weird weather patterns are just not on

Farmers, beware!

Frosted veggies will cost more

With fewer choices in the store

While shivering Spring stands at the door

Lost in despair…

 

Caught unawares this Easter week

All cobbles hidden in my street

Prospects for an egg-hunt bleak

It’s Snowman time!

As the blizzard its cold swathe extends

I pity those with canine friends

Now faced with new, slip-sliding trends

Hence this new rhyme!

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

 

The Easter Bunny has Delivered!

Gosh! How lucky can you get?

Thanks to Smart phone and Internet

I speak with family, watch them thrive

And some days - miracles arrive!

 

Two smiling faces gaze at me

The Easter Bunny’s on the spree!

Eggs mean revival and new birth

While chocolate leads to wider girth!

 

Not that my niece and nephew care

For symbols, but the thought is there;

The Easter Egg hunt still survives

Firm favourite in our modern lives.

 

For us in Europe, winter ends

And eggs mean happy, springtime trends.

So as proud Auntie sees their smiles

She forgets those distant miles...

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

Thomas and Isabella

Hoaxed in the Park

We live indeed in troubled times

With plenty to inspire my rhymes

Now April with its springtime green

Opens doors to a new scene!

 

On Brussels social media came

An invitation – such fair game!

Proclaiming to improve our mood

A free concert – people queued!

 

Bois de la Cambre with wide green spaces

Soon filled up with eager faces

5000 youngsters, I was told

Hoped this event was to unfold.

 

No social distancing occurred

Angry voices loudly heard

A cheeky hoax which soon misfired

As Brussels youth, both sick and tired,

 

Felt cheated, thwarted and enraged;

Reactions that were soon front page!

Their hopeful dreams went up in smoke

Fines were meted out - no joke!

 

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

Thursday, 1st April, 2021

Riot police were deployed to disperse crowds in Brussels’ Bois de la Cambre on Thursday afternoon after thousands of people showed up to “La Boum,” a fake festival that was announced as an April Fools’ joke.

Thomas starts Karate!

Karate challenge and big thrills

Here’s Thomas – keen to show new skills

In loose apparel, belt flip-tied

And holding eggs – it’s Eastertide!

 

He proudly poses, centre stage

And learns with lads of his own age,

A host of tactics, clever throws,

Lunge and riposte, light on his toes.

 

Like keep-fit Dad, he loves all sport

So, in no time staged moves are taught

Close contact in these COVID times

Permitted in Down Under climes!

 

Such group activities are fun

And even better in the sun

While Europe still bans contact sport

As the Virus makes a third onslaught!

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

April's Overture

Sweet April promises so much

She tiptoes gently in - sans fuss

Bearing blossoms and new leaves

Which flutter, touched by warming breeze.

 

Poet of nature, I admire

Her joyful mien and green attire

Soft-scented blooms and daisied lawn

By ponds which ripple with frog spawn …

 

In ancient times, the year began

When April* in bright sunshine ran

With Hope, attired in her best clothes,

To bring back life to stark hedgerows…

 

Now scillas, daffs and aconite

With wood anemones delight,

Grape hyacinths and bluebells grow;

For snowdrops, it is time to go …

 

As man-made follies can annoy

This welcome change fills us with joy

Sweet April opens wide her arms

And we succumb to all her charms!

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

wood anemones

* Historical note: Some historians speculate that April Fools’ Day dates back to 1582, when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar, as called for by the Council of Trent in 1563. In the Julian Calendar, as in the Hindu calendar, the new year began with the spring equinox around April 1.