Paths in the Woods

A path in the woods – now where does it lead?

To many keen walkers there’s always the need

To explore a new path to see what’s at the end,

Or even to start with, what’s round the next bend.

For paths usually lead to a place that is new,

With always the thought there might come into view

Something of interest they’ve not seen before,

For one can’t be certain just what is in store

When walking in woods, with the trees and the ferns,

The flowers and the grasses wherever one turns.

The small trickling brooks and the slippery slopes,

And once in the woods one invariably hopes

There’ll be signs of life, such as squirrels and birds,

The minnows all swimming around in great herds.

Paths in the woods seem to beckon and call,

For people to spend time exploring them all.

No Time to Exercise

I really need to exercise to keep me looking trim,
Healthy, strong and shapely, in addition to being slim.
No wobbling bits on arms or legs, or spare tyres round my waist,
Or any other part of me with loads of fat encased.
The only trouble is that there's so little time each day,
Which in my life's left over and that I can put away
To concentrate of exercise and so I muddle on,
Hoping that the surplus fat will some time soon be gone.

Bluebells

The earth in the woods has a carpet of blue
As all of the bluebells start flowering anew;
Packed close together, it looks from afar
There's nothing at all lies between them to mar
The sheets of bright blue which are commonly found
At this time of year again covering the ground.
But move a bit closer and there can be seen
Various blues plus some patches of green,
As thousands of bluebells present to our eyes
Just one more example of where beauty lies.

A Romantic Evening

An alcove lit by candlelight,
Changing the darkness of the night
Into a warm and cosy glow
That's better than having lamps turned low.
A table that's just set for two,
A bowl of flowers of every hue,
Softest music wafting past -
No raucous drumbeat's deafening blast;
Excellent food that's piping hot,
And the nicest wine they've got.
Lots of laughter,fun and joy,
Nothing seeking to destroy
A very pleasant evening out -
Isn't that what life's about?
Chances to enjoy some hours
In this busy world of hours,
Just relaxing with a friend
Wishing the evening wouldn't end.
But always every time they do,
And we must move to something new.
While keeping things within our hearts,
The place where every romance starts.

The Aim of Canvassing

Every party activist is well acquainted with
The fact that canvassing changes views is very much a myth,
They know there's little point in spending time at every door,
Where records show they voted for the other side before.
Instead the aim of canvassing's to if they're the sort
Who come the next election will be certain to support
Their candidate, and help him win by going out to vote,
Their name and phone and email are the things they want to note.
Naturally there'll always be a few that they have missed,
But when election day arrives they'll have an excellent list
Of all those who support them and are on electoral rolls
So they can go and chase them up and get them to the polls.
For getting out the vote can be the thing that underpins
All the campaign planning of the candidate that wins.

Darkness

The night may be dark and dismal, but no night lasts for ever,
Even in the Arctic, the sun will come and sever
The twenty-four hours of darkness lying heavily on the earth,
And once again increasing light will herald the next spring's birth.

And so it is with darkness that can fill a person's soul,
Eventually chinks will appear, the signs of becoming whole,
And leaving behind the darkness, though it may return again,
And unlike the annual seasons one cannot be certain when

Dreaming

There aren't enough hours in the day for me
To become the person I want to be:
An artist whose painting skills would mean
Their works would everywhere be seen;
A writer whose literary talent beams
Out of the works which from them streams;
A pianist from whom the notes just flow,
As nimble fingers fly to and from;
A sporting type, who's really fit,
In whom the glow of health's been lit;
Someone who's travelled so far and wide,
They're better informed than a travel guide;
A person whose general knowledge would range
From mundane facts to the very strange.
An intellectual, the sort to whom
Those who sought advice would zoom.
I can believe it's only time,
That stops me from my upward climb,
To others though it well may seem,
The whole idea is just a dream.

Shopping

Shopping really is a bore,
Another irritating chore,
One which weekly must be done
Today by almost everyone.
There's hardly anyone alive,
Who can happily survive
Without the need to shop at all
Even at a market stall,
But wouldn't it be nice if we
At some future date could see
A time when things would come to us
When we wanted without fuss,
And all that was of us required
Was thinking of what we desired.

The Milkmen

It wasn't all that long ago the milkman used to call;
Now milk floats have all vanished and are never seen at all;
No pints of milk awaiting when first opening the door,
So brining home the milk and cream's become another chore.
The  milkman also used to sell a range of other food,
A list of useful items which at that time might include
Jam and honey, also bread, and many more if asked,
But milkmen like so many things are now just in the past.

Writing Poetry

It can be quite hard to find words that will rhyme
And often can take up a great deal of time;
You think of a line which expresses quite well,
The meaning or story you're wishing to tell,
And then you discover there's really no word
For ending the next line that you'd have preferred.
So it's back to the start of the couplet again,
And the need to spend ages racking your brain
For ways to express the ideas in your mind,
And regularly while you are writing you'll find,
You have to revise what you've written before,
Even though doing so is such a bore.

Moving On

Tragedy  strikes and the world seems to stop,
And interest in anything else starts to drop.
Nothing's important, except that event,
All of its details and all it has meant
To their outlook on life, which has changed overnight;
They can't push their memories from mind or from sight.
They suffer depression, and can't find the will
To remember that they have a life to live still.
But they have; and although it is quite right to grieve
Eventually they must again start to weave
A life for the future, where they may well find
A life that is better than that left behind.

Love

Love can arise at any time, and also in any place,
And in the varied strands of life it often is the case
The first attraction makes its mark in just a moment when
The sets of eyes meet, turn away, and then turn back again,
As both their owners realise that a spark has just been lit,
And thoughts of romance through their minds at that time briefly flit.
It may be just a passing thought, but many loves have grown
From such a brief encounter when a tiny seed was sown,
Which they encouraged afterwards, as they moved on from that hour
Enabling it to flourish and eventually to flower.

Syria

The country's in turmoil, with guns everywhere,

And levels of violence now too hard to bear;

Leaders emerge with the aim to enslave

Those whom they don't send before to their grave;

Buildings which once firmly stood on the ground

Are just piles of rubble that's scattered around;

Bridges have gone; many roads are destroyed

With no other structures to fill in the void;

Crops are not planted, for who can foresee

What the position at harvest might be;

The schools and the hospitals fight to survive

To keep education and healthcare alive;

Industry slumps; people’s confidence dips;

Production to virtually nothing soon slips;

The whole population's surrounded by fear,

Knowing the danger that's always so near;

Food is a problem where fighting is rife,

And not everybody can flee from the strife;

Chaos occurs with the numbers that race

To leave sites of battle and find a safe place;

Unimaginable horrors stalk over the land,

Where culture and wealth in the past used to stand.

What does the future hold?   No-one can tell,

But the present could well be described as like hell. 

The First Snow of Winter

The room's become lighter, and I soon surmise,
What sight through the window will soon meet my eyes;
I sit up and look through the mist-covered glass,
At the lawn which just yesterday sported green grass,
And all I can see is a carpet of white
That's arrived in my garden some time in the night.
It all looks so beautiful, peaceful and still,
But heralds the coming of winter's hard chill.

The Small Political Party before an Election

An election is looming, and all are agreed,
With few party members there's now a great need
For everyone present to knock on some doors,
For that's still the best way, despite all its flaws
To find our supporters, and urge them to vote;
With money so short, we are barely afloat.
We cannot afford to spend thousands of pounds,
Producing nice leaflets, to take on our rounds,
But have to rely on the chat at the door,
Especially with those who've not backed us before.
As we go down the streets we'll be hoping the reach
"Undecideds" who'll like all the  things that we preach
And maybe decide that the time has now come
To take a step forward and follow our drum.
We're happy to show the other side of the coin,
For we're always looking for people to join
And bring about change in an orderly way,
By voting for us when there comes polling day.
We need to work hard, if we're hope to ensure
The voters aren't blinded by all the allure
Of much larger parties, with money to spend;
But think for themselves, and then in the end
Throw past attachments and habits aside
And vote for the policies that will provide
A life that is better and fairer for all;
We realise for us this will be a long haul,
But we look to the future, and hope that we'll win,
With our candidate being the one who gets in.

The Rays of the Sun

The sun sends its rays tumbling down to the earth
Helping to bring all the plants to new birth;
It sheds all their warmth to give joy to men's hearts
For hours every day-time before it departs.
They makes people cheerful, lift spirits on high
With their rich golden prongs reaching down from the sky.
The sun is essential to keep us alive,
If it's rays didn't reach us we could not survive.

A Nicer World

The world would be very much nicer if when one looked around
So much evil and hatred didn't everywhere abound;
If all that causes misery were to suddenly disappear,
Along with all the actions which can spell distress and fear,
If there was not another war or violence anywhere,
If everyone desired to know that they were just and fair;
Pornography did not exist and no-one was abused,
And bad behaviour anywhere would never be excused;
And if the people of the world sought only to be nice,
Eschewing every evil and disowning every vice,
And tried to make the earth a place of beauty, joy and love
Whose aim was here to imitate the life of heaven above.

The Desire for Power

For some people power is their ultimate goal;
Their main aim in life is to seek to control
All those around them, and using their power,
Deny to all others their own right to flower.
They often start off while they're still very young,
With feet firmly placed on the very first rung
Of ascension to power which they hope to achieve,
Uncaring that usually behind them they'll leave
People they've damaged or broken as they
With ruthless ambition have made their own way
Each year ever upward in whatever field
They've chosen because they're convinced it will yield
The power which they crave; they really don't care,
How many they harm in their quest to get there.
Some may be criminals, others may find
Politics feature much more in their mind,
Or maybe it's business the power-hungry see
As being the route to the top of the tree.
Wherever they end up, the same will be true,
They trampled on others that power to accrue.

The Need for a Time to Dream

Everyone needs some space where they
Can be alone, and dream away,
A space where they're completely free,
And can withdraw to simply be.
A place where there is nothing stacked
With which they need to interact,
Whether it's people at their side,
Especially those they can't abide,
Or work that simply must be done,
Or memories they cannot shun.
In everyone there is a need
For time in which their souls can feed
On peace and quiet, and be refreshed,
A window where they're unenmeshed
With all the stress that life entails,
The stress which most today assails.

Women Deserve Respect

Every woman should have the right
To walk in the street, by day or night,
Without any fear that she'll be attacked
Or the possibility she will attract
Unwelcome attention from men passing by,
Who think it's acceptable for them to try
To humiliate women by groping and worse,
The sort of young men who are never averse
To treating young girls just as objects of fun
Indulging in actions all good men would shun.
They urgently need to be taught to behave,
And accept today's woman's not every man's slave.
To treat as he wants, their desires should be checked
So they learn to treat women with proper respect.

The Problem of Greed

The world's in a poor situation indeed,
And much of the problem's related to greed.
So many people want more all the time,
Their wealth and possessions must constantly climb.
They cannot be happy just having enough
But need to be endlessly buying new stuff.
To make sure their pockets are always well-lined
They'll grab all they can and they don't really mind
If their actions are honest, so long as they bring
More money, for they believe money is king.
They may not be criminals who go out and steal,
But happily join in a known dodgy deal.
They'll trample on colleagues to increase their wealth
What can't be gained openly they'll take by stealth.
Corruption is rife, as is bribery too,
And both of them make for an unpleasant brew.
Reducing man's greediness might be a key,
To help make the world a more safe place to be.

The Girl Across the Room

I looked across the room and there you were,
And something in my heart began to stir.
Was it your hair which neatly framed your face?
The gorgeous blouse of dainty pale blue lace?
Your twinkling eyes, which darted everywhere,
While never pausing long enough to stare?
The way you looked in animated talk?
The gracefulness I noticed in your walk?
The air of quiet confidence you showed?
The sense of fun which from your laughter flowed?
Your smile which lit your face and seemed to say
You really were enjoying life today?
I do not know, for what man really knows
The source from which a first attraction flows?
But something in your presence made me feel
A longing to get to know you which was real.

I Don't Want to Gain Weight

My weight is increasing - though not mine alone,
But I don't really want it to get to nine stone.
I'd rather stay slim, which is much more my style
Over-eating must stop, except once in a while.
So it's out with the cream cakes and biscuits as well,
My longings for chocolate I now have to quell;
My choices of drink must from now be improved,
With fruit juice and cordials swiftly removed.
No more second helpings so nothing is left,
At cooking the right amount I'll become deft.
I'll use smaller plates as they don't hold as much
And most types of afters I'll no longer touch.
I'll limit my eating to three meals a day,
And all thoughts of snacking I'll send on their way.
All bad eating habits will just have to cease
For the last thing I want's for my weight to increase.

The Need for Free Speech

It's really important that all should be free
To comment in public on all that they see,
With just the proviso their words don't incite
Others to violence; it should be their right
To say what they think, although some of their views
On morals or ethics or much current news
Might possibly seem to some people to tend
To cause them annoyance or maybe offend.
But those who object should remember that they
In some other country or some other day
Might find that their views were regarded the same,
A source of revulsion or hatred or shame.
For what is acceptable changes through time,
As yesterday's truth is today made a crime.
So all should be free to proclaim what they think,
For once there appears in the law a small chink
Which makes people stop and not say what is true,
Then fear of the outcome will quickly accrue,
And there will be much that no-one will dare say,
But the thoughts in their hearts will not thus go away.

The Latest Weather Forecast

It looks as if winter is coming - or that's what the weathermen say,
With temperatures plunging past freezing, and huge falls of snow on the way.
The coldest that most can remember - like the winter just after the War,
Bringing the sort of conditions  that will freeze people's bones to the core.
And it seems that it's set to continue for many weeks into the year,
With March being suggested as likely before all the snowdrifts are clear.
It all sounds a little bit frightening; we're not used to winters like that,
When everyone out for five minutes needs gloves plus a warm furry hat.
And things  could become very awkward for all those who must get to work,
For within our bus and train systems a great many problems would lurk.
The cost of home heating would rocket, and still mightn't keep out the cold,
With knowledge of methods of coping now just in the minds of the old.
But maybe the cold spell won't happen, or else it will not last as long
For how many times has it happened, that forecasts have turned out all wrong?

Planes Passing By

I lie on my bed and I look at the sky,
Watching the passage of planes passing by.
They follow each other with minutes between,
And sometimes the moonlight reflects off their sheen.
But always their lights flash, and mark where they are,
Creamish and ed, not the white of a star.
They're so far away, not a sound can be heard
They traverse the sky like an over-sized bird.
And I think of the people criss-crossing the skies,
And all the adventures their travel implies.

Forests

Tall trees stretching upwards as if reaching for the sky,
Growing ever taller as the centuries go by,
Their leaves and branches spreading so they shut out all the sun;
No point in seeking sunshine on the ground for there is none;
The plants and bushes growing there are those especially made
For life devoid of sunlight, living always in the shade.
Little streams traverse the ground, exposing roots of trees,
Which are always gnarled and bent when they're as old as these.
Dense forests can be gloomy, and as such are often prone
To have an air of mystery and a life that's all their own.

Life in an Attic

It's nice to live in an attic, with views all over town,
To have the chance to follow as the green leaves turn to brown;
To witness wonderful sunsets, with the sky all orange and red,
To gaze at all the twinkling stars while lying at night in bed.
To have much lower ceilings, so that bulbs are easy to change,
And awkward jobs like painting are much less hard to arrange.
The rooms require less heating, since all the ceilings are low,
And the warmth that travels upwards doesn't have far to go.
You can hear the rain on the roof-top, along with the breeze or gale,
Enjoy the fluttering snowflakes, or noisy clatter of hail.
And all the stairs to the attic nearly everyone would admit,
Are an ever present asset in the regime of keeping fit.

The Weather Forecast

"Heavy snow is on the way" -
At least that's what the experts say.
"We can expect some heavy rain,"
Or "scattered showers" once again.
"Tomorrow's forecast is for hail,"
Or "definitely there'll be a gale."
All too often it's the case,
"Heavy rain" means just a trace.
Gale-force winds end up a breeze,
Which barely rustles in the trees.
"Freezing cold" can be quite mild
While "sunny" can be wet and wild.
Especially if the forecast;s for
Three days ahead, or maybe more.
And as for forecasts months away
Predictions can be far astray,
With "cold wet  summer" turning out
Weeks of boiling sun and drought,
While "arctic winter" never sees
Even pools of water freeze.
For weather changes every day
So it's impossible to say
Referring to a future time
How the temperature will climb,
Or whether there'll be cloud of sun,
Really heavy snow or none.

New Year Predictions

It's hard to assess what the next twelve months will hold;
One could go completely out on a limb and be bold
With predictions for most of the countries throughout the world,
With lists of how they all will fare unfurled.

But that would be rash; for things can move so fast,
And within this varied and troubled world the choices are vast;
A region where yesterday peace was the accepted state,
Can become today a place where all are irate.

And other places where for years the way of life,
Was marked by constant and seemingly never-ending strife,
Can change, as peace is ushered in the door,
And all the violent troubles that marked the past exist no more.

One only has to look at the past to see how quickly things can change;
Brought about by events and negotiation that can range
From signing a treaty of peace, or just accepting that things are no longer the same,
To embarking on a course of action to set the world aflame.

This year may see so many different events which none could foresee,
As some are enslaved even more and others struggle to be free.
Only when we reach the end can anyone be certain that they know,
All the events which they could not have predicted a year ago.

A New Year Dawns

A New Year dawns; let's hope that this
Will usher in a time of bliss
For babies still within the womb
Knowing that they face no harm
From anyone wishing to end their lives
Before their day of birth arrives.