Isabella - The Butterfly!

Our blue-winged butterfly takes flight

Pink frills are once more in limelight!

Unaffected by stage fright:

Her own class-act!

Her movements follow ballet trends

Though young, she’s fond of camera lens

Isabella curtsies – they are friends

She’s got the knack!

 

Imbued with grace in new routine

Her personality is seen

This budding actress is so keen

To show her skill

Though hesitant at first, she’ll try

To emulate the butterfly

As gliding gently, she goes by

Dreams to fulfil!

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

Untimely Deaths in Miami

Miami – city on seaboard

Where retirees and snowbirds soared

A nineteen-eighties high-rise block

Collapsed – the mayor in total shock …

 

Engineering firms have clout

So, inspections had been carried out

As this beachfront condo wears and tears;

Nine million needed for repairs!

 

One night*, for reasons unexplained,

This Surfside building that contained

Many souls on lofty floors,

Fell to ruins out of doors…

 

Such tragedies all go to show,

How buildings reap what planners sow;

A hiccup in the regulations …

Were corners cut?  Now “Action Stations!”

 

Though diggers labour night and day

Signs of life soon fade away;

Coveted sea views - dearly bought

More treasured life-threads now cut short …

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

* on 24th June, 2021

Circa 150 people unaccounted for ...

New Search for Meaning

We struggle to make sense of life,

The learning curve is long and steep

Nothing’s clean-cut with a knife

Work commitments dent our sleep.

 

One day we wake up and take stock;

The COVID crisis gives us pause

This wobbly helps re-set our clock

We’ve time to think when stuck indoors.

 

Teleworking comes on stream

A rift with colleagues then ensues

The enforced-isolation theme

Is a concern – it makes the news!

 

School-age children have it tough

I.T. disparity divides

Has this year’s learning been enough?

Stressed-out teachers roll their eyes!

 

Agreed, the Black Death plague was worse

But Corona also changes lives;

Through injections from the Public Purse

More people live and hope survives!

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

 

Wonderful Portmanteau Words!

We read; our minds put to the test

Apt words provide a lexifest!*

I revel in our gift to show

Our spirit in creative flow!

 

Brunch, pregret and smog are known

Then there’s ‘textpectation’ on our phone

Mansplaining? Hangry? these are new:

Labradoodle?  Cockapoo?

 

'Probsolutely' stands a chance;

Does a ‘snaccident’ our lives enhance?

‘Anticippointment’ (lack of thrill) …

All prove our tongues are never still!

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

* I invented 'Lexifest' ! :-) 

Note: A portmanteau word (from " portmanteau (luggage) ") is a blend of words in which parts of multiple words are combined into a new word, as in smog, coined by blending smoke and fog, or motel, from motor and hotel.

  

A cute Labradoodle!

The Way Life is

 It’s tough to find a theme that’s new

As hosts of subjects are taboo …

At the speed the Twittersphere reacts

Reputations soon collapse!

 

News filters through at breakneck speed

Should we trust the tweets we read?

Old-time research by journalists

Disregarded - in two clicks!

 

Long-gone is newsprint as top dog

As data input our phones clog!

Breaking news is the new trend

On BBC and CNN.

 

Politics and global warming

Assail our eyeballs every morning

No wonder many cannot sleep

With news on line: Repeat! Repeat!

 

Becoming famous, lured by fame

Unknowns soon rise to household name;

Reality celebs make hay

Their fragile lives on world display!

 

By COVID, forced from public eye

Yet creative spirits never die

New compositions and routines

Now entertain us – on our screens!

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

On Drought

Encroaching drought - farmers despair

Recalling Thirties’ “Dust bowl” scare

Crops planted suffer in sharp heat

As reservoirs once full, deplete…

 

Green fields lose their emerald touch

As lack of rain destroys so much;

More mountain snow melts clean away

Is water shortage here to stay?

 

Advancing deserts, more parched land!

When will world leaders understand -

That this is no ‘one-time’ event?

And “all hands to the pump” is meant!

 

Harsh talk of “point of no return”;

While round the globe our forests burn;

Such petty squabbles hit the news

And social media’s inane views

 

Put serious scientists aside;

Meanwhile, for many, hopes have died

As prolonged droughts reach new extremes

And global warnings flood our dreams...

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

Noises Off - in Boitsfort

It’s quiet in Boitsfort, just bird noise

Or sometimes giggling girls and boys

From local school or Sunday scouts  

Or thud of horses, ridden out

 

From friendly stables, near the bus;

Here on the outskirts - rural hush!

Though cars in low gear seek a place

At nightfall with crestfallen face!

 

Bollards lined up on kerbside

Sometimes a friend pulls up outside

But most climb “Robin Redbreast”* slope;

The heights of Boitsfort are no joke!

 

It’s June – our Commune’s lush and green

Two hives - so bees come on the scene

Or panting joggers run on past

Brave keep-fit addicts, eyes downcast…

 

Dogs bark as owners meet and greet

Some neighbours catch up in my street;

Life’s cameos - where less is more

Snug on my terrace – I adore!

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

* Rue du Rouge-Gorge

 

  

A Snapshot of Bruges

Amid grey stones and ancient walls,

This bridal veil* of white now falls;

While undercover insects lurk

Encroaching on man’s handiwork

In this glossy mass of leaves,

Nature’s beauty blessed by bees.

 

Eternal Bruges; this bustling town

Devoid of tourists, long shut down

Now sees keen hordes invest the streets

In search of much-loved chocolate treats;

By train, by coach, on foot they come

By 10, the city’s overrun!

 

Once busy port, now peaceful pool,

Strolls past the Beguinage are cool

Here regal swans, both cob and pen,

Glide by, epitome of zen.

UNESCO jewel, now Belgium’s pride

Where old and new vie side-by-side.

 

Home to trading nations Europe-wide

Before Columbus sailed on tide

And silt its seaways put to sleep,

Bruges slumbered long; its role effete…

Post-Waterloo new travellers came

Encouraged, sans doute, by the train.

 

This warm June Nature holds its own

As plants as well as tourists roam

In bright profusion everywhere

Round palace, spire or canal stair.

Scenes picturesque in every street

All for your camera lens compete!

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

 

*Flowers over a Bridge in Bruges

New Moves in Chess!

The one-child policy enforced;

Abortions - often girls - out-sourced

With males preferred, a dearth of wives

So, many men led lonely lives.

 

To bring new joy to village houses

Men seek abroad for bright young spouses;

As the drudgery of hard times past

Recedes with business growing fast.

 

This high-tech boom becomes a race

And China, fearing loss of face

Decrees the workforce needs more hands

For its brand-new ‘silk route’ plans.

 

Yet one into three won’t go;

The People’s feeling is, that no,

More children will upset the scales

With all the costs that this entails.

 

With life and living standards changed

Can people’s lives be re-arranged?

Like chess, some moves remain unseen,

Many pawns, and just one queen …

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

 

A Taste of Freedom

Do we know what freedom means

Without a mask?  The stuff of dreams?

To see one's neighbour’s smiling face?

The advent of new time of grace?

 

As always, it’s the little things

That make our day; the bird that sings,

The bus that pulls up right on time,

A friendly phone call down the line …

 

Rich soft fruit choice on market stall

For some, the joy of kicking ball!

Cool drink with friends in light attire

As ladies glow and men perspire!

 

Down town in blazing sun, a buzz

So, meet and greet is what one does!

A challenge new -– a place to sit

As bars and cafés score a hit!

 

Like lions long-locked in a cage,

We stride forth, eager to engage;

This new-found freedom lifts our souls

In more than one way, we’ve new goals!

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

Busy Brussels cafés

Isabella's Magic Box!

Isabella, pert as Punch, displays

Her treasure trove of beauty aids

While brandishing her pride and joy;

This hair dryer - is it a toy?

 

As Mummy lets her grow her hair

Do hairbands, bows and clips lie there?

It’s difficult to see inside;

What other goodies does it hide?

 

Perhaps a bracelet and some beads?

Our little Miss has fashion needs!

Maturing fast, she’s blessed with flair;

Chutzpah in the young is rare!

 

Big brother, mesmerised, bemused

Admires his sister who’s enthused;

Pink tutu – brand-new ballet craze

Proves how much she loves the stage!

 

Trinkets, baubles, mirrored lid:

Make magic for our Wunderkid

Who, thrilled with her own “make-up” box,

Has found her mojo and now rocks!

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

Masks Off!

Suddenly, it’s summer time

Long warm days are here – sublime!

The world becomes a brighter place

Without a mask stuck on our face!

 

Relaxation of the rules* at last

Inside dining is a blast

The cinemas can “do their thing”

In fact, there’s more of everything!

 

We had no Spring, just cold and wet

Long days at home – with internet …

Now social “bubbles” float away

More guests can meet for that “big” day!

 

But “normal” life is not resumed;

 Corona’s presence is assumed

The scene has shifted in our Play

How it will end now, who can say?

 

Old certainties give way to doubt;

That Man is fragile we’ve found out

New-found freedoms yes, but we

Must learn responsible to be!

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

*mask-wearing no longer obligatory in Brussels 9th June, 2021

Spirited Away!

Of personal news one never tires

Maybe a simple post inspires;

A life event, a point of view

A journey travelled which is new…

 

Hence this is why today I choose

To highlight those who forsake booze

In young adults these habits form;

Drinking – an accepted norm …

 

Peer pressure? Seen as smart and fun?

Yet surreptitious damage done

A single weekend glass with friends

Is fine; beware binge-drinking trends!

 

A cool beer on a summer’s day?

Time to drink our cares away

And shoot the breeze in trendy bar;

Alas for some, this goes too far …

 

Wine, beer or spirits, take your choice

Soon, inside your head, a voice

Prompts - so you go down the slope

Alcoholism is no joke.

 

I know these signs; my man was such

Sad victim of the grape’s smooth touch;

Gone these many years, much missed ...

So, I salute those who resist!

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

Portugal - what Green Light?

Last hope for Britons overseas

To cool their heels in offshore breeze

Along some peaceful foreign shore

But Portugal is green - no more.

Last minute warning - travellers’ plight

Mad scramble for an early flight

New COVID flare-up it would seem

Back to square one – quarantine!

 

Travel agents running scared

New volte face leaves them unprepared

Masses yearned for an escape …

 Left thwarted, it is hard to take!

 

The travel business can’t make plans

For holidays on golden sands

Delays and cancellations peak

And of jobs lost, let us not speak!

 

Mind you, this June is blessed with sun

Will south coast towns be overrun?

British phlegm is sorely tried

More dreams are washed up on the tide! 

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

Portuguese Beach

Socrates or the Happy Pig?

Such joy when friends get back in touch

“Real” beats “on-line” by SO much!

We’re tired of living through a screen

Now mask-free dining is no dream!

 

Warm weather cheers our lonely heart

And face-to-face ignites new spark

We share an anecdote or three

And laugh out loud at repartee!

 

Time is golden when it’s shared;

As COVID has us running scared

Let’s banish news and slow the pace

Remember – life is not a race!

 

As said, our friends will keep us sane

With cosy chats allowed again

Each ploughs his furrow his own way

But these are moments to make hay!

 

Carpe Diem? Mindfulness?

A smart way to remove our stress

Why play ‘Unhappy Socrates’

When ‘Happy Pig’ is such a breeze?

(c) Poet in the woods 2021