A Friendly Word

As we bumble on with this new life
Unintended consequences are rife
Just think of those who live alone
Scared to face this new unknown.

Large gatherings are swept away
Fear stalks the streets - they stay away
And with no Skype or mobile phone
Depression quickly thrives at home...

The brain can only take so much;
The aged feel so «out of touch»
Millennials, angry, are aghast
When liberties are locked down fast ...

We're forced to think outside the box
But can consumers change their spots?
What we need is friendliness
'Cos we can make do with much less...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Thoughts on Bastille Day

The Bastille - stormed so long ago;*
Les Français, sick of excess, go
And get the Revolution going
Once lit, the fire is soon glowing...

A burst of sparks, the Royals flee;
Their capture at Varennes will see
Louis and Marie-Antoinette
Beheaded - hence this National fête!

Victory for Madame Guillotine!
Historic and momentous scene
Then Reign of Terror: blood-filled days
As France limps forward in a haze...

Aristocrats flee for their lives;
«A Tale of Two Cities»** tries
To give the poor bystander's view
As tyranny is nothing new ...

Corrupt regimes still rule today
Heads roll in metaphoric way;
Injustice brings things to a head
People fight back, won't be led...

You've only got to look around
Repressive rulers are unsound
But how to neutralise the threat
Of people-power on Internet?

(c) Poet in the woods 2020



* On 14th July, 1789

** Novel by Charles Dickens published 1859

Isabella - Southern Belle

Our party poppet cuts a dash
Yes, Isabella has panache!
In the round from every view
Twirling conjures visions new.

Pert Miss is technicolour proud
This rainbow warrior stuns the crowd
Expressed in every frill and flounce
Her sense of self is well pronounced.

'Over the top' perhaps? Who cares?
She laps up those admiring stares!
With poise that quite belies her years
She confidently wows her peers ...

And cheeky with it – there's no doubt
See the leopard combi peeping out?
At not-yet-three – what sense of dress!
Will she be Oz's new Mae West?

(c) Poet in the' Woods 2020

2020 - What Lies Beneath

2020 gives our lives a shake!
Offbeat thoughts – a different 'take'
Human life seems so absurd
Emotions hide behind each word...
Behaviour seen in shades of grey
We're pulled up short with this «new*» way...

Out in the ether my odes go
And you, my Readers in-the-know,
Are tempted to connect on screen
To see what insights you can glean!
The game's afoot with Twittersphere:
Clickbait titles must have flair!

The glaring truth - that life is brief:
We wrestle with what lies beneath
So poets feel impelled to write
With irony to keep things 'light'
Humour helps our souls to bind
And see things through a lens more kind ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

* COVID restrictions

Lean Times for Huggy Bear!

Without our friends we cannot live;
Mere on-line contact cannot give
This recognition which means much...
We starve and wither without touch.

Alone, confined,* out of harm's way
We hide behind our mask all day
What has happened to mankind?
We keep our distance – or get fined?

Without the warmth of a big hug
Which calms like soporific drug,
We feel rejected, on a limb
What if we rebel – and sin?

Cooped up like a battery hen
Our fate is sealed; we don't know when
We can walk again on grass
And feel the sun's rays as we pass ...

Conflicting rules of 'stop and go'
Should we travel - yes or no?
The urge is strong to pick up pace
Without that damned mask on our face!

But this, we're told, is not to be
As masks are now obligatory
All shapes and sizes swell the trend
But for our hug-less days – no end ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

* due to COVID lockdown

At the Van Eyck Exhibition

At the Groeninge, along the quay
In Bruges' heart, what joy to see
Outstanding works by Jan Van Eyck*
In spacious rooms, suffused with light.

Court painter to Burgundian Duke**
Diplomat in demand - to suit
The portrait whims of bourgeois class;
None can his mastery surpass.

Forget tempura, fresco art;
Slow-drying glazes soon impart
A multi-depth and vibrant glow
To this 'Wow Factor' oeuvre on show!

The lightness of the master's brush
On jewels and textile drapes is such
That Bruges' wealth is clearly seen:
Decors, landscapes, burgher's mien...

Rich donors captured in oil paint
Surrounded each by patron saint
Through Jan's genius still live on,
With parrot, dog or horse long gone ...

Six hundred years have stood time's test;
X-rays reveal Jan's great finesse
Brilliant paint strokes slow to dry
Precision prior to camera's eye ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

*Flemish primitive painter (c.1390-1441)

** Philip the Good (r 1419-1467)



The Madonna and Canon Van der Paele by Jan Van Eyck (1436)

No Escape?

A slump in temperature today
Belgian grey won't go away
Like planes, we hover in the air
Our holding pattern all but clear...

Mass exodus to sunny climes?
We hesitate these doubtful times
Checking where we now can go
Is complicated and so slow!

Costs fluctuate, masks cause debate
It's the uncertainty we hate
No matter where we choose to be
The Virus tags along – for free!

Two's company but three's a crowd
Our uninvited guest, uncowed,
Hides in the air and longs to strike;
This summer just does not feel «right».

Pre-vaccine, there is no escape
Please wear your mask for goodness sake!
There's no such thing as «a clear run»
The Virus, in a sense, has won ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020