Missing Links

As through this life we wend our way

We garner friends we hope will stay

Beside us through our spills and thrills

And lend a hand when we climb hills.

 

But sadly, not all stay the course;

Careers and families are the source

Of choices we must sometimes make;

We lose touch and old friends forsake …

 

In a hectic whirlwind we’re engaged

With our concerns on centre stage;

So busy, it’s not we don’t care

It’s just we lack the time to share …

 

Emotions hit hard when we hear

By chance that so-and-so’s not here;

We instantly recall their face

And muse on how they ran their race …

 

What irony! With mobile phone,

No one should feel all alone;

Yet, who down Memory Lane will stray

And cheer a lonely friend today?

(c) Poet in the Woods 2022

A Basic Instinct!

Are your feet on shaky ground?

When you wake, does your heart pound?

Worried that your hard-earned cash

Is not enough to cut a dash?

 

With hyped-up fuel costs, food bills high

How many of us won’t get by?

The War* drags on, the outlook’s drear

The ghosts of poverty draw near …

 

Now ghouls and witches concoct plans

To parade in Christian lands

As Halloween looms into sight

With  cries of ‘trick or treat!’ at night…

 

An epitome of all our fears

A shaky, mirror-world appears

As children, masked and kitted out,

Confront confusion without doubt.

 

Yet, when we’re older, are we wise?

Humans still lead fragile lives …

The Bogey Man may change his form

But always, always – is re-born!

(c) Poet in the woods 2022

* in Ukraine

On Party Politics

The talk revolves round Number 10

The ‘ins and outs’ are all but zen

Post Caribbean trip we hear

BoJo* bows out, won’t declare;

 

Hence, this remains a two-horse race**;

For deft cartoonists – a new face

Will soon feature on front page …

But all is unknown – at this stage.

 

Time was when Cameron*** took a chance

And led the Brits in BREXIT dance;

But, since our dear Queen’s demise,

Liz Truss is leader – a surprise…

 

No shining stars come into view

Worldwide charisma blesses few

While climate-driven demonstrations

Ignite the hearts of many Nations…

 

A united force is what we need

Not petty squabbles fed by greed

So, who will step up to the helm

And navigate our modest realm?

 

In China though, more of the same

Bold Xi Jinping grips tight his rein;

But in politics you never know

Who will come and who will go…

(c) Poet in the woods 2022

* Boris Johnson P.M. 2016-2022

** Rishi Sunak ran against Penny Mordaunt and was  elected new P.M. without a vote on 24.10.22

*** David Cameron PM 2005-2016

N° 10 Downing Street

 

The Rainbow Cake

My family sends me lots of snaps;

I file them carefully, then perhaps

When I have more time to view

 I like to ponder them anew!

 

Take this rainbow birthday cake

Made for Thomas, who turned eight*

In the first days of this year

Its shelf-life brief, as you see here!

 

What makes this photograph complete

Is Isabella - dressed a treat

With rainbow hairband in her hair:

Proof positive of Mummy’s flair!

 

Auntie – absent - could not taste

Hence, avoided sugar to her waist!

But can indulge in this great pose:

My niece ‘nails it’ with her clothes!

(c) Poet in the woods 2022

* on 8th January, 2022

On the Sentiers Tartare

A brilliant day, in autumn glow

With art in-all-forms put on show

Along the 'Sentiers Tartare';

Where creative souls now star!

 

Tasteful sprays of Ikebana

Rock forms framed in paper drama;

Emotive photographs of trees

Golden sunlight gilding leaves …

 

Bold aquarelles both lush and green

Amazing fish-on-maps were seen!

The Psylophone*, food cleared away,

Had rustic pottery on display.

 

Our Commune, friendly, warm and quaint

Sports tiny houses splashed with paint

Where dabble those with in-depth skills:

Free-range imagination thrills!

(c) Poet in the woods 2022

 Once a year local residents open their own homes and display their artistic and creative skills.

 * local bistro: Rue de l'hospice Communale, 90

 

Acorny Day in Boitsfort!

A word on acorns: burnished brown

These graceful ‘goblets’ tumble down

As autumn yields its rich increase

Where piglets, let loose, liked to feast!*

 

The noble oak supplies rich seed;

Our woodlands have an urgent need

For saplings that will reach full height

Provided they have ample light.

 

The Forester explains anew

To his bucket-laden crew

How to scoop these glossy gems;

So, each of us now carefully bends

And runs his bucket through the pile

Removing crisped-up leaves a while

And fills tough white sacks to the brim;

In 90 minutes – we’re all in!

 

Round the sack-filled truck we wait;

A job well done; we celebrate!

A pair of clicks records our deeds

Will forests burgeon from these seeds?

(c) Poet in the Woods 2022

* Known as "pannage"

R.I.P. Angela Lansbury (1925-2022)

This British actress – so well-known

Who made America her home,

Both as a singer and on stage;

Although she never made front page

 

Of glitzy magazines and such,

Angela had the human touch;

An almost-twin of our dear Queen

Proud Dame* – admired on silver screen!

 

Her friendly voice and cheerful style,

For years her public would beguile

As intrepid on her bike, she strove

To right all wrongs in Cabot Cove!**

 

Smartly, but discreetly dressed,

‘Jessica Fletcher’ came off best

When seeking new plots for her books

And deftly thwarting many crooks!

 

Long scheduled days were spent on set

As audiences could never get

Enough of her bright innovation:

‘Miss Marple’ in Stateside creation!

 

Dying peacefully in her sleep

The entertainment world looks bleak …

But as warm tributes flood the Net

She lives on – we shan’t forget!

(c) Poet in the Woods 2022

* made a Dame by the Queen in 2014, she died on October 11th, 2022.

** in the TV series " Murder, she wrote" which ran from 1984-1996

Some Unsolved Mysteries!

I never know who reads my stuff;

Without Facebook links, it’s tough

But some persistent souls get through

And I am so touched that you do!

 

Wow! There are some who leave a note

Liking poems that I wrote;

I’m flattered yes, but mystified

As there’s no signature beside…

 

Who are you? How I’d like to know!

Perhaps we’ve met somewhere? If so,

Thanks for discovering my rhyme

You make this poet glow – big time!

(c) Poet in the woods 2022

 

 

 

 

Bridging the Gap

I like to keep my subjects light

But frankly these days one must fight

To find a theme with golden shine

As news is murky, caked with grime…

 

I ponder on the Queen’s long reign;

We shall not see her like again

Our monarchy is tempest-tossed

With her influence now lost.

 

A ‘slimmed down’ Court - the way to go?

Wills steps up with dice to throw;

Do robes and ceremonies sway?

What role can Kings and Princes play?

 

By birth, they sit on top of heap

Their lives in full view and effete

Or dogged by scandal, which is worse

And all paid out from Public Purse!

 

Charles III cipher - now in place

Banknotes soon will show his face;

New-minted coins will come on stream

And Christmas stamps with Charles will beam!

 

Though Royalty can’t stop the rot

Climate change is not forgot;

As fuel costs rise and bridges* burn

Not even Kings know where to turn …

(c) Poet in the woods 2022

* In Crimea ...

Cypher of  King Charles III

Posturing ...

From many quarters come loud cries

Out in the open – no disguise

Is nuclear winter on its way?

Tenterhooks are back in play!

 

Chat-chat and jaw-jaw down in Prague

Resolve nothing; we’re ill-starred

The atmosphere is getting tense;

Against such folly – no defence.

 

Since Nagasaki brought War’s end

In high drama, Nations tend

To rattle sabres, scream and shout

And let reservists fight it out…

 

Satan’s weapon primed - in check

But mass destruction stays a threat!

As Fall-Out – real and metaphor

Could be a step too far - and more …

Poet in the woods 2022

Escapism!

The mists that cloak the trees at dawn

Evaporate - and sun rays swarm

Turning golden all I see

How Autumn days enliven me …

 

The media - weighed down with bad news:

(War-mongering does not enthuse;)

Disasters, natural or man-made,

A chaotic cavalcade…

 

The world of books has giant appeal

Amazing prose can seem more real;

The written word my mind engages -

I lose myself in turning pages…

 

We now lack leaders who inspire;

This muddled world of which I tire

Seems out-of-kilter, lost, at sea …

Who else thinks this? Is it just me?

(c) Poet in the woods 2022

Isabella - in the Round!

O for October! Oh, what joy!

Niece and nephew looking coy

Mamma has got the pose just right:

Isabella - legs crossed-tight!

 Within this rosy circle pink

She’s in her element, I think!

With Thomas, carefully perched on top;

Together, they’re a pair who rock!

 

With spring now on its way at last

The sun its warming rays will cast

Hence, longer play times to explore

Fun climbing frames and so much more!

Smiling Thomas looks relaxed;

While Isabella, sharp as tacks,

Wide-eyed, not camera-shy, serene,

Oozes chutzpah like a queen!

(c) Poet in the woods 2022