The Scouts are Back!

My quiet cul-de-sac - loud chatter
I peep outside – what is the matter?
It's Sunday and my coffee brews
A passing lad tells me the news...

It's a pow-wow - scouting style
A joyful first for quite a while
Assorted ages, all with mask;
What today, will be their task?

The woodland beckons straight ahead:
Autumn damp means mushrooms spread
Bright fruiting bodies to our gaze
Beechnut and ripe chestnut phase!

Drizzle, unrelenting grey
But yet more stragglers make their way
Having left their nice warm homes
To huddle on wet cobblestones...

Of course! They've been let off their leash
So parents get some well-earned peace
I'm heartened by their cheery noise
Nature beckons for these boys!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

It's Not looking Good!

 Not subtle this wet change of mood

The chill's upon us and we brood
More of the same and worse to come
Down window panes fat raindrops run.

Puddles fill, walls glisten, damp
Tired blooms look sad and rank
Rainhats, umbrellas - long ignored
Now our companions when abroad!

Bedraggled owners face new threat
How to cope when masks get wet?
In the wings six months of grey
Shops mourn as clients stay away ...

Special offers leave us cold
Racks of clothes remain unsold
Job losses soar as furlough ends
Who could have dreamed up these grim trends?

While weeds in rain rejoice and grow
Winds shake down leaves in golden show
Soon famished foxes, hid from sight,
Will forage in our bins at night ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Isabella - La Poupée qui fait Bon Ton!

In pink and green with skirt and beads
Our fashion princess swirls with ease

But why the grey-red stethoscope
Hanging round her gentle throat?

Will Isabella be a nurse?
If so, it's here you've heard it first!
Maybe with COVID in the news
This has influenced her views?

Who can tell? Our pert wee Miss
With tumbling blonde locks still sun-kissed
Has such an innate sense of self
No chance she'll stay upon the shelf!

What puzzles Auntie are the specs ..
Shades of Polnareff – what next?
Iconic – though she's not yet three
She milks her audience – and me!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Inspiration: French singer Michel Polnareff (born 1944) original song: "La Poupée qui dit non" ...(1966)

A For Appreciation

Given that I write for fun,
All topics underneath the sun
Are worth a challenge from my pen:
(This knack I have from way-back-when).

It's not a case of keeping scores
I rarely sell my books in stores
But seven full years down the track
You, dear Readers, still come back!

A 'tally' in the ether notes
Your log-ons, so I garner votes
Hey Presto! Brand new themes explored
My quirky mindset hits a chord ...

We're told that poems do not sell
Yet Keats and Shelley did quite well
And old Will Shakespeare's still in print
Hence my thought-provoking stint.

Shucks ... may I take time out to say
Thanks for passing by today
We have a bond, which though unseen,
Keeps my muse forever green!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

Ineffable Autumn

 Being 'cooped up' isn't new
Bad weather keeps us indoors too!

We fill our time in myriad ways

Or yield to alcoholic haze...

The Internet keeps us amused
And entertained, if not on booze
Perhaps imbued with long-lost zeal
We de-clutter clothes for real.

Whatever way we justify
Our hours of leisure, time goes by
The seasons change, the leaves once green
Now form a reddish-russet screen.

Summer's butterflies alight
On autumn blooms in fading light
Bright-coloured birds prepare to fly
Nature's exodus is nigh...

The shadows lengthen, it grows cool
The little ones are back at school
No mists or rain but both are due
September – now past half-way through ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

A Smile goes a Long Way!

The family gathers on settee;
Our brand new cousin wriggles free
At four months Aiden packs a punch
But sits contented after lunch.

My brother, smart in shirt well-pressed
Today is riding on a crest
He celebrates his own new year
With smiling Isabella near.

Her spontaneity is sought
A perfect shot, her sparkle caught
In lucky lens – and right on cue
Her beam full on - which warms me through.

Sharing photos is a joy
No COVID hassles to annoy
Instead our family builds new links

And each lonely moment shrinks!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

COLOR-ful Journées du Patrimoine

Heritage Days - how they spark joy!
Sites open to the hoi polloi
A Brussels weekend in the sun
Free access? Yes, to everyone!

The theme is COLOR-ful and bright
But COVID measures are still tight
So masked-up guides, absence of queues
But sans a booking - you're refused!

For once the weather plays its part
Historic buildings show their heart
A wealth of styles, graffiti mix
The clever use of coloured bricks ...

Neo-classic, Gothic and Baroque
Mosaics, church and lay, still rock!
A Haute-Ecole, the National Bank
So many artisans to thank!

Bike tours and promenades outdoors
Clever stonework, ancient floors,
An initiative we all applaud
Don't miss out – you won't be bored!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020