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