A Snapshot of Namur

Wallonia’s H.Q. is discreet

Where Meuse and Sambre flow by and meet;

Namur in sunshine blessed with flowers

Is picturesque - despite light showers!

 

On outcrop looms stark citadel

By myriad troops defended well

Fierce sieges many shadows cast

Its Butchers Hall* recounts grim past.

 

Winding streets where shoppers stroll

‘Biétrumé’ toffees**  are my goal;

Fruit basket carving in quaint square

Namur’s oldest pub***  right here!

 

Cathedral just beyond our reach

Where Jesuits were wont to preach;

Félicien Rops - a favourite son;

One bronze snail caged, one on the run…

 

On arch by bridge vast Spanish crest

 War-damaged belfry, stone-faced, next ....

Bold Bourse and Theatre brightly painted;

A brief trip – just to get acquainted!

(c) Poet in the Woods 2024

* now city Museum

***  Le Ratin-Tot founded 1616

Snail artwork

** Local specialty

An Opportunistic Slug!

Our binmen come by once a week

The eve before – bags in the street

All filled to bursting with debris;

What “chuckers-out” we seem to be!

 

To avoid night ravages by foxes

The commune gifts us plastic ‘boxes’

Complete with lids to keep scraps in;

Long live our cheerful orange bin!

 

Our modern truck, once horse-drawn cart

Always makes an early start

It rumbles past; we’re scarce awake

All clear by breakfast - which is great!

 

My orange bin lay open wide;

A hungry slug had crawled inside

Wet and slimy, like the rain:

I chucked it down a nearby drain!

 

My woodland enclave in Boitsfort

Whose leafy walks I so adore

Is home to fauna of all kinds

And like today, prompts my wee rhymes!

(c) Poet in the woods 2024

A Rainy Day in Bruges

Time for a poem as May ends:

How on the weather much depends

We plan excursions, walks in wood

Or trips to Bruges as good guides should.

 

But crowded trains are not my thing;

Will clouds disperse and sunshine bring?

We travel north like packed sardines

Will Bruges provide us with new dreams?

 

By lovers’ lake*, once busy port

Where oaken ships each day were brought

With exotic merchandise aboard

Hence cost-of-living standards soared!

 

Waffles and chocolate in profusion

Medieval grandeur? An illusion!

But commerce here is kept alive

Tourists help Bruges to survive!

 

 The Maria Kerk stands tall

Though gone is fabled Water Hall**

Where once fine cloth was on display

Herds of tourists stroll today!

(c) Poet in the woods 2024

** once in the market square, demolished in 1787

* Minnewater - Bruges

Rodin and Monkey Business in Mons!

Culture, Art and Patrimoine:

The CAP in Mons is fun

In modern setting by main square

It features RODIN’s statues there

 

With umpteen sketches finely drawn;

Brief stay in Brussels, in France born

Youthful, optimistic, poor,

He fled the Franco-Prussian War.

 

His tutor Carrier-Belleuse

Commissioned Rodin on the Bourse;

He sojourned in small Ixelles flat

Commemorated in wall plaque.

 

Skilled artist of the human form

His life-like sculptured oeuvres seem warm

True shades of Michelangelo

Renaissance Man in movements slow…

 

The Thinker stands out, enigmatic

Six burghers of Calais – dramatic

Ugolino*, who his kids devours,

Is worked in stone and overpowers…

 

Torsos in assorted sizes …

A monk, with naked girl, surprises!

Detailed drawings in finesse

His draughtsmanship the very best.

 

Café later in main square

Sunshine: crowds enjoy the fair;

Before I leave, must not forget

To stroke bronze monkey** – Mons’s pet!

(c) Poet in the woods  2024

Ugolino by Rodin

* See Canto 33 of Dante's Inferno

** Stroking the monkey's head  with your left hand is said to bring good luck - since 1843!

 

Pentecost - a Meditation

Blue sky Monday, radiant sun!

Time to get some housework done

The windowpanes need a strong wipe

Exhausting - but we need more light!

 

I empty buckets, rest a while…

Maintaining my house is a trial,

It’s picturesque, at woodland’s edge

Nature’s largesse - wee birds fledge…

 

Alas, with constant dripping rain

Spring this year has been a strain…

Gold dandelions with nettles fight

While puddles laced with ferns delight.

 

The world’s in turmoil – Man can’t cope;

War zones from us quite remote

Present themselves on TV screens

And global warming haunts our dreams.

 

A public holiday - for some

Though local supermarkets hum

Once holy day, with churches full;

Now Mammon has the greater pull!

(c) Poet in the woods 2024

A Shattered Peace!

Chaos - Brussels’ middle name

Roadworks reign supreme – again!

The Royal Square has ‘slag heap’ face

As tram tracks need to be replaced.

 

Barricades surround the Bourse

Tough challenge or par for the course?

Tram Museum served by STIB T-bus

Two-month hiatus - travellers cuss!

 

Some delays: don’t make me laugh

Bus travel times increased by half!

All this, while rain makes prospects stark

I’d take the car - but where to park?

 

Road markings 'touched up' - lengthy queues

Carrefour Leonard in the news

So, rush-hour cars zoom through Boitsfort;

Our peaceful enclave is no more!

(c) Poet in the woods 2024

May 14th - in History

On this day, in times long past:

French King Henry breathed his last

As Ravaillac’s blade his lights put out*;

The State of Israel came about:

 

New country formed in ‘48

Amid fierce Middle East debate;

The Warsaw Pact** was signed and sealed:

Realpolitik - Cold War revealed!

 

Space Race: high-tech, Land of the Free

Saw Skylab launched in ‘73

And someone of whose name you’ve heard

Birth of Facebook’s Zuckerberg***!

(c) Poet in the woods 2024

* King Henri  IV 1610

** 1955

*** Mark Zuckerberg born 1984

Musing on Fifty Years!

I did not know in Seventy-Three

When I flew to Brussels, fancy-free

To work in Europe, my new home

And speak French on the telephone…

 

That fifty years would roll on by

Under an - often rainy – sky;

 I’ve grown deep roots and changed a lot

But Brussels stays my own sweet spot!

 

Edward Heath had signed us in

The Eurotunnel could begin

Thatcher met with Mitterrand

“Splendid isolation” – gone!

 

The dream went sour; alas! Alack!

“Our sovereignty, we want it back!”

David's* referendum all hope steals;

Stranded, Brits create new deals!

 

My thoughts on this I won’t express

But, being Belgian, I protest

Food, style and culture win my vote

As BREXIT UK seems remote

(c) Poet in the woods 2024

* 2016 Referendum under PM David Cameron

May 9th - a Meditation

When nothing’s vital, we relax;

I’ve answered emails, filed my tax,

Cleaned the house; although some dust

Surely lingers but - who’s fussed?

 

Others organise their time:

Mini-trips to warm sunshine

Or jaunt perhaps North Sea coast

To visit friends, they like the most…

 

Mist swirls in beechwood and collects

So, the poet that I am reflects

On this day with no work to do

What will thrill my soul anew?

 

May ’45 meant end of War

A Europe wrecked with feelings raw

Deaths in millions, devastation

Chaos reigned in every nation…

 

Let’s look ahead; elections loom

Decisions to be made in June!

But politics has doubtful Press

So, will our votes ensure success?

(c) Poet in the woods 2024

Lunch Date in Kraainem

Will rainclouds never be depleted?

The sun tries hard but is defeated;

Roadworks, puddles, soggy brollies;

Cocoa yes, but not ice lollies…

 

Fleeing Brussels in despair

Depressed souls seek the sun elsewhere…

Why trudge in roadwork-filled downtown?

This pall of grey sky weighs me down.

 

Solutions must be found; I muse

A crossword puzzle book?  Good news!

With challenges on every page

My brain is happily engaged.

 

I wrap up warm although it’s May

Lunch date with friend will make my day

With STIB* and book, I need not stare

At the rain – and soon I’m there!

(c) Poet in the woods 2024

*Brussels intercommunal Transport Company

Rita and the Roadworks!

For quite a while, bright barricades

Line the bus route by Place Keym;

This phenomenon invades

And blocks the Place Royale again.

 

So, is there truth in the remark

That Brussels is one huge Swiss cheese?

 Roadworks mean nowhere to park;

This hole-y city is a tease!

 

Brussels suffers constant rain

Flooding drains without respite,

All infrastructures under strain

Time too short to put things right...

 

With new elections on the way,

The pressure mounts to speed repairs

Good Catholics to Saint Rita* pray

Let’s hope she doesn’t have deaf ears! 

(c) Poet in the woods 2024

Saint Rita of Cascia 1381-1437 - patroness of impossible causes

In the Swing of Things!

Freckled sunlight through the trees

Discarded litter whipped by breeze,

Dog walker on an early stroll…

But wrapped up warm, I’m on a roll!

 

It’s Saturday, life is on pause

But I enjoy my walk outdoors

Massed feathered friends are seen and heard

How wonderful to be a bird!

 

They swoop and dance before my eyes

Enjoying freedom in the skies;

Mist clears and the sun peeps through

I have a breakfast rendezvous.

 

In nearby playground, there’s a swing

I revert to childhood and give in

Tight squeeze on seat, I kick and rock

And it’s still not nine o’clock!

(c) Poet in the woods 2024

Mirror Images

History tells us what is past

Happenings that long shadows cast

This world seen through a mirror dark

Where religion played the lion’s part.

 

The God of War was never still

Lands captured by harsh force of will

The zest for conquest deemed of right

Revered perhaps … now battle site.

 

I mull this over; it is strange

Does human nature never change?

No knights-in-armour, techniques new;

But -  modern warfare deaths accrue …

 

When future generations read

In history’s pages of our greed

Still shipwrecked on ideals in vain

Will their lives turn out the same?

(c) Poet in the woods 2024