Month: June 2021

Air**

Ian HunterLeave a comment
air

air

still air

need new air 

blow winds blow

freshen up this stale air

bring me new air from afar

air that has touched many faces

air full of ghosts from forgotten times

air that was exhaled by giant whales in the ocean

air that kept aloft majestic eagles soaring over mountains

air that once filled hot air balloons drifting silently at sunrise

air that was used to speak the most famous speeches

air that pushed sailing ships to new discoveries

air from the first breath of a baby

mysterious air

silent air

air

Calendars and Pill Boxes

Ian Hunter2 Comments

When I was really young I had no concept of time

Birthdays and Christmas were slow to come around

The days in between seemed endless

Growing up was something for the distant future

Schooldays seemed to be never ending

But weekends were fabulously long 

We had a calendar on the wall of the classroom

With big bold letters for each day of the week

School summer breaks were the annual highlight

Six weeks seemed like an eternity

Plenty of days for endless fun

Suddenly schooldays were over and working life started

I remember company diaries

A page for every day to write notes

The first diary took forever to complete

But in no time at all there were twenty old diaries in my drawer

Diaries were replaced by a Filofax folio

Pages to plan every aspect of my life

Appointments, contacts, todo lists and birthdays 

The time between my kid’s birthdays seemed to get shorter and shorter

Then came the age of smartphones

Recording times and dates for everything I did

I upgraded religiously every three years

But it seemed like I only had each smartphone a few months

They gave me a clock when I finished working

But I never use it, who needs to know the time in retirement

All the days are the same and its hard to remember the date now

Years seem to flash by in an instant 

I take my pills every morning 

Carefully arranged in a box with daily compartments

A big bold letter for each day of the week

I swear the pill box lettering is identical to that calendar on the classroom wall

Bars

Ian Hunter7 Comments

Crowded bar

Drinking more

talking shit

another hit

vision blurring

emotions stirring

last drink

slow blink

step outside

wobbly stride

lost car

wandering far

bladder pain

peeing strain

pants wet

cold sweat

car found

homeward bound

radio plays

car sways

curve accelerating

sideways braking

car spinning

face grinning

closing eyes

car flies

explosive sound

upside down

seeing black

panic attack

grasping handle

seatbelt tangle

open door

arms sore

crawl outside

eyes wide

smell burning

stomach churning

must escape

knees scrape

crawling fast

explosive blast

fear mounting

limbs counting

legs intact

ribs cracked

watching flames

pounding veins

lights flashing

rescue dashing

total collapse

memory lapse

sore head

hospital bed

long recovery

jail discovery

alcoholic seminars

behind bars

Cold beer memories*

Ian Hunter2 Comments

it was a hot summer

he had been working outside all day

but finally got home tired and weary

time to relax and unwind

he slowly opened the fridge door

fully stacked with cold beer

reached for his favorite

gazed at the label like a long lost friend

the ice cold bottle melted the sweat from his hand

he unscrewed the top like champ

that whooshing sound was music to his ears

wakening his anticipating taste buds

as he lifted the bottle to drink

he caught the sweet smell of the beer

his brain instantly recognized that aroma

old memories flashed across his mind

as the bottle met his lips

he thought of sweet kisses from his first love

the cold beer flooded his mouth

cooling his baked neck from within

he sank half the bottle in one go

slumping into a porch chair

catching a breath of the hot humid air

his closing eyes raised the theatre curtain in his mind

seeing again the birth of his first child

watching him playing outside

teaching him to ride a bike

taking him on fishing trips

more thoughts of his young son flooded his mind

he could hear his running footsteps approaching

the theatre curtain in his mind closed as he opened his eyes

the young boy beamed I missed you grandpa 

my magic carpet ride

Ian Hunter4 Comments

two hours and twelve minutes after sunset

a glow appeared on the southerly horizon

suddenly the tip of the moon crept into view

slowly she climbed above the horizon

a full strawberry moon in a clear June sky

it was such a memorable sight

she seemed so much bigger than when up high above

on such a quiet night the wind respectfully stood silent in awe

the still waters of the bay became a nocturnal mirror

the moon paused briefly while low in the sky

she was an expert seductress

dressed in a fiery orange suit

reflecting a broad orange moonbeam over the bay 

this carpet of light pointed directly towards me

inviting me to walk its path towards the moon

come visit me she whispered come visit me now

I knew this was a once in a lifetime opportunity

with eyes closed I stepped onto the carpet

strangely I felt mo fear at all

soon I was flying over the bay

whizzing though the clouds and higher

my magic carpet ride to the moon

Nostalgia on a plate*

Ian Hunter1 Comment

freshly baked scones

still hot from the oven

slice one open

inhale that distinctive smell

add a little butter

watch it melt

add a dab of raspberry jam

be a devil and add more jam

make a cup of hot tea

find a comfortable chair

bite into the scone

taste the sweetness of the jam

and the soft buttery scone

take a sip of tea

eyes closing

taste memories flood in

early childhood

family gatherings

Sunday afternoon tea

with fresh scones

lively conversations

fighting over the last scone

parents intervene

last scone shared

eyes opening

flash back to today

parents long gone

siblings live far away

eat more scone

sip more tea

eat more scone

eyes closing again

nostalgia on a plate

Embrace your situation

Ian HunterLeave a comment

We are all on a journey in life

Sometimes things take an unexpected turn 

Every situation, even in scary times, is an opportunity for growth and learning

Try your best to:

Accept the uncertainty

Embrace your situation

Look deep into the darkness

Seek guidance from your soul

Firmly grasp onto hope

You can find surprises and miracles

You can emerge from the darkest times

With happiness and confidence to face the next challenge

Woodpecker chronicles*

Ian Hunter2 Comments

I could hear the woodpecker tapping the tree

his rhythmic drumming rang through the forrest

I stealthily walked towards the noise

pausing every time he took a break from hammering

I knew he was close by when the noise got louder

struggling to get a visual location on him

I searched higher in the trees and eventually spotted him

dressed in his best tuxedo outfit

sporting a ridiculous bright red mohican haircut

clinging firmly to the tree bark

jack hammering a hole into the trunk in search of a tasty grub 

all that hammering must be damaging for his woodpecker brain

he probably goes to the woodpecker doctor

complaining about persistent woodpecker headaches

the doctor lectures him about limiting his woodpecker pecking time 

no more than forty minutes a day

or you will end up with permanent woodpecker brain damage

try foraging on the ground like all the other birds

and you should give up smoking too

the woodpecker nods a fake approval as the doctor writes a woodpecker prescription

he pops a few woodpecker headache pills and flies back to a tree trunk

he spends the rest of the day hammering holes in search of a snack

then goes out drinking that evening with his woodpecker buddies

telling tall woodpecker tales of the enormous grubs he uncovered today

he rejects a woodpecker cigarette saying he has quit smoking

his woodpecker buddies make fun of him

he orders another woodpecker beer starts smoking again

the next morning he wakes up with a huge woodpecker hangover

he lays in bed smoking a woodpecker cigarette while checking his woodpecker emails

swallowing a double dose of woodpecker headache pills before flying to the nearest tree

his woodpecker brain rattles as he hammers away in search of his woodpecker breakfast

I am getting a headache just watching him

a magician in Portugal

Ian Hunter3 Comments

I walked through an old village in Portugal

the narrow streets winding up a steep hill

old row houses hugging the side of the road

every door was a painted in a bright color

decorative curtains adorned most windows

a sharp contrast to the drab stone walls

one of of the doors was wide open

an elderly lady leaning against the door frame

watching the tourists struggle up the hill

she was dressed all in black

offering a toothless smile greeting to all who went by

she said something in Portuguese as I passed

I stopped to listen to her

bring up a talking translate app on my phone

I spoke the words please repeat

my phone translated and her eyes lit up

she spoke more into the phone

I eagerly awaited the translation

who am I talking to on this phone she asked

I replied it was me pointing to myself

she could not comprehend that the phone was translating

asking next if I spoke Portuguese

shaking her head as my phone said no in her language

but you just answered in Portuguese she said

she was convinced somebody was on the phone translating

in desperation she started to ask questions

what color is my door

its bright red was the reply

she looked  around for somebody watching on another phone

are you a magician she asked

I hesitated and replied yes I am

she went inside and closed the door

Bridget was a librarian

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Bridget was a librarian

she dressed conservatively and wore librarian glasses

hardly ever speaking to customers

checking out their books with a timid smile

living at home with her aging mother

her day started early preparing breakfast

cleaning the house and helping her mother dress

before walking a short way to the library

she came home every lunchtime

preparing sandwiches for her mother

stealing the occasional bite as she tidied up 

back at the library her silent phone lit up frequently

remember to buy the vegetables

my prescriptions are running low

you left dirty dishes in the sink again

I want fish for dinner tonight and don’t overcook it

bedtime was her only period of solitude

curling up with her favorite book

too exhausted to read more than a page or so

dreaming about being an author

one day at work her phone was unusually quiet

her mother did not respond to her texts

she knew something was wrong and ran home

finding her lifeless body at the foot of the stairs

Bridget quit her job at the library

exchanged her librarian glasses for contacts

spending her inheritance on a round the world cruise

enjoying being waited on hand and foot

she became a social queen on the cruise circuit

lovers were easy to find and easy to lose

fulfilling a dream to write a best seller

the book began with….Bridget was a librarian