January 28, 2020

 

 

 

 

When woodlands in shambles,

and old fashioned brambles,

lie stinky and soggy with the rain.

 

and broken tree branches,

just like avalanches,

destroy a once beautiful terrain.

 

and the aftermath of the season,

that gave us a reason,

to ‘whoop it up’, to the full.

 

reminds us that celebrations,

no matter how long their duration,

are always followed by a lull.

 

But very soon after,

the sound of love and laughter,

fills us once more with joy.

 

when fourteen days later,

cupid arrives to sedate her,

and St. Valentine’s Day, we all enjoy.

 

 

 

 

December 16, 2019

 

 

 

…. when all but three

were off their head

and others looked

as if half dead

 

all poisoned by

the arsenic tree

where bamboo swayed

and said ‘not me’

 

and Ursula from

the other world

with tortured charm

and cultured pearls

 

chose not to mix

with other girls

dancing through the night

with thrills and twirls

 

settling for a life

of tales untold

as fading memory

took a hold

 

where honey lights

shone out so true

in amber tones

from Ursula’s view

 

as angels came

and took her hand

to a far off, calmer

safer land

 

and jasmine

in entanglement

survived the seasons

old lament

 

where three had now

become just two

as Ursula disappeared

from view

 

no longer being

a driving force

as nature once more

took it’s course

 

seeking out the weak,

exposed and lame

unshielded from

life’s bitter game

 

as hawthorn

prickly as could be

watched bamboo sway

and say ‘not me’

 

though gum trees

taller than bamboo

took on, an all round

over view

 

as autumn leaves

lay dead and rotten-

a life well lived

would be forgotten

 

and holly branches

with berries bright

on festive wreaths

came into sight

 

and mistletoe

on borrowed trees

moved gently in

a winter freeze.

 

where all but two

were off their head

and others lingered

full of dread

 

all poisoned by

the arsenic tree

where bamboo smiled

and said ‘not me’.

 

written by

Harriet Blackbury