Artemis - Ancient and Modern

Twin of Apollo, Artemis,

Goddess of the Wilderness;

She who, fleet of foot, would go

A-hunting in the moon’s bright glow…

 

Now finds herself, aloft, airborne

From Mount Olympus rudely torn

Re-branded NASA’s shining light

Harbinger of new lunar flight !

 

That sense of mystery pervades!

She shoots her bolt o’er darkened shades

The Galaxy her target now

What distances will Man allow?

 

Zeus’s daughter shows no fear

Her Grecian locks stream everywhere

Symbol of celestial might

Her name – evocative - seems right!

(c) Poet in the Woods 2022

The  NASA Artemis Mission - Cape Canaveral, Florida

September 2022: flight postponed twice due to technical problems but finally took off on 16th November, 2022!

Getting a Fix!

Should I write an ode upon this day

With many of you far away?

“Poetry”, I hear you say,

“Is so - in modern terms – passé”!

 

But I persist, as some ‘out there’

Peep daily at this art form rare

My discerning readers dare

To dine out on my modest fare.

 

Far from the madding crowd* I roam

My inspiration all my own

In quirkiness my Muse is honed

My message oft in undertone…

 

Subtlety - a favourite ploy

With News items, I may toy;

You catch my drift; it can annoy

Such fun - chimeras to destroy!

 

There’s social media, clever pix,

The constant lure of “clickbait” tricks

Cartoons where many get their kicks …

Yet - poetry stays in the mix!

(c) Poet in the Woods 2022

* Title of 1874 novel byThomas Hardy

A Time of Challenges!

The heat abates; we breathe again

Did I hear someone pray for rain?

Traffic jams the Brussels ring

As commuters, suntanned, drive back in!

 

Mailing postcards is passé

Just bills and adverts blight my day!

Abundant school supplies await

So, anxious parents navigate

 

The never-ending bright displays

As educating junior pays!

Costs escalate in all domains

Utilities cause budget strains.

 

Drought and strikes add to the mix

Who is “Up There”, playing tricks?

The future looks a tad more grey;

Was it like that, in my day?

 

Our only constant remains change*;

Time to step back and arrange

Our thoughts and hopes to stay in sync

As it’s a bitter draught we drink!

* Heraclitus of Epheseus 535-475 BC Pre-Socratic Philosopher

(c) Poet in the Woods 2022

R.I.P. Jean-Jacques Sempé (1932-2022)

From Le Var comes sad, sad news;

France, united in its views

Mourns its much-loved sketching son:

“Petit Nicolas” – alas, struck dumb…

 

Unhappy childhood in Bordeaux

Sempé at twelve, keen to show

His talent on the drawing board:

His poignant cartoons were adored!

 

He moved to Paris, as you do,

With René Goscinny* stayed true;

They worked in tandem, friendship sworn

And Petit Nicolas was born!

 

Through Paris streets he’d ride his bike

Observing at first hand each sight:

How local people were surprised

At their nitty-gritty lives!

 

Moods and emotions all rang true

His list of publications grew

Le Figaro and France-Dimanche

Punch and Esquire - all grabbed their chance.

 

On the New Yorker - their front cover!

He was an artist like no other;

His special take, of which I speak

Made him an icon – and unique!

(c) Poet in the woods 2022 

* who wrote the texts  (as well as for the Asterix series with Albert Uderzo).

Death announced on 11th August, 2022

"Petit Nicolas"

 

On the Deadly Sin of Envy!

Of all seven Deadly Sins

Envy causes untold stress!

It’s a state where no one wins

And hateful thoughts are not addressed.

 

Like its Big Brother - Jealousy

It destroys our inner peace

Why yearn for something that can’t be?

But hackles rise and won’t release…

 

Is the grass greener t’other side?

We feel we’re missing out on joy

Does longing deeper motives hide

Our purpose – is it to annoy?

 

Destructive forces are in play…

We know we cannot have it all

But some just see the world this way;

So, “live and let live” is my call!

(c) Poet in the woods 2022

What Spoilsports!

How are we coping in this heat?

Withered weeds gasp in the street

Few people seem to venture out

Too scalding hot for them, no doubt!

 

But I, who love the sun’s warm rays,

Awake with joy – I am amazed

That little Belgium finds it tough;

Vitamin D is such great stuff!

 

My summer outfits earn their keep

No blankets needed when I sleep

A nice cool shower pearls my skin

Sunhats look smart – so, win-win!

(c) Poet in the Woods 2022

 

 

 

A Tough Call

If we’re not careful, days go by

Achieving nothing, on the fly

As August swelters in the heat;

Far niente* is so hard to beat!

 

Another morning - deep blue sky

My plants look wizened – will they die

Though watered daily in large doses ...

How long before they ban our hoses?

 

This week, large grain ships leave Ukraine

As Turkey's brokers take the strain;

But eyes revert to Middle East

 Where tensions flare up, threatening peace…

 

A powder keg – in all this heat

Worries our-man-in-the-street

Hence, I leave you with this thought:

Has history all its lessons taught?

(c) Poet in the woods 2022

* dolce far niente = doing sweet nothing

Some Hot Thoughts!

Dried riverbeds in summer heat?

Parched lawns and early leaf-fall greet

Our puzzled gaze this August tide

Torrid temperatures – we’re fried!

 

Though moderation is the way

Extremes send shock waves; farmers pray

For rain - but skies stay blue

So, irrigation costs accrue …

 

Forests suffer - tinder-dry

A sudden wind - and sparks will fly!

The South of France has sunburned face

Harsh water bans are put in place …

 

Here too in Belgium the sun beats

Weeds whither quickly in hot streets

But bottled water and ice cream

Are doing nicely, it would seem!

(c) Poet in the woods 2022

Down to a T!

 Life is, as always, full of risk

We teeter on a precipice

As Taiwan, island in far sea

Hits the headlines, malgré lui …

 

Someone, somewhere, takes the lead

As chips* fulfill a worldwide need;

When politics rears up its head

Many sleep ill in their bed…

 

I speak in riddles once again:

This “global warning” causes strain.

Will ripples from this contretemps

Affect the status quo, ‘ere long?

 

This gentle word-play veils a threat

Which spreads its wings on internet …

This visit - cut-short it is true -

Stirs the bird’s nest soup** anew…

(c) Poet in the woods 2022

* The world's cutting-edge, silicon semiconductor chips are manufactured in Taipei..

** an age-old Chinese delicacy

 

 

Tutankhamun visits Brussels!

Brussels once more lifts the veil

On treasures which will never fail

To fascinate, inspire, delight

As in “Shed 3” (old customs site*)

 

Tutankhamen reigns supreme!

The 18^th dynasty is seen

In objects of refinement rare:

War chariot, glass headrest, child’s chair…

 

Ointments, jewellery, fan and flail

Folding bed, fine textiles frail

Feluccas which plied old Nile flow

Exquisite grave goods – just for show.

 

Horus and Anubis wait

With rearing cobra at death’s gate

While he who died at just eighteen

Is laid to rest with reverent mien.

 

In painted face-mask, blue and gold

In four deep coffins laid, all told

While in canopic jars nearby

His heart and viscera stand by …

 

A minor pharaoh, just a boy

This find was Howard Carter’s joy

When, hot and dusty in a suit,

Caernarvon’s sponsorship bore fruit!

 

An archaeologist’s dream come true

When that pick axe strike broke through

And modern eyes beheld the sight:

Unlooted wealth – by candlelight!

 

Its hidden chambers - once rope-sealed

Or blocked by masonry – revealed

Way back in 1922…

Today it’s Brussels’ turn to view!

(c) Poet in the Woods 2022

* Tour et Taxis Complex