Today’s writing, “a night to remember?” was published by mistake yesterday.
Enjoy!
Today’s writing…….
Month: October 2021
A night to remember?
it was a Saturday night
time to let loose and party
John started drinking beers in the early afternoon
he had a good buzz before getting ready to hit the town
his friend came round to pick him up
a few shots of vodka before heading out
after a couple of beers in the first bar
they decided to switch to bourbon
moving on to a club for some more lively action
loud music and an overpacked dance floor looked like fun
propping up the bar with tequila shots
they felt brave enough to ask some ladies to dance
his head was soon spinning from gyrating
they sat down to chat with the ladies
ordering expensive champagne to impress them
the Red Bulls helped keep him awake
his friend slipped him some pills
soon the room was blurred
everything was moving in slow motion
he did not remember anything after that
he woke up in a cold sweat at 6am on the bed of a cheap motel
he had no idea where he was or how he got there
he was still holding an empty bottle of booze
his friend was passed out snoring on the other bed
John’s wallet was empty of cash but his ID and credit cards were still there
looking through the hundreds of selfies on his phone
he could not remember anything in those pictures
a long cold shower helped wake him up
he went home and slept the rest of the day to sober up
John worked extra shifts in the week to make up the money he had lost
he stayed in on weeknights but come Saturday afternoon he was drinking beer again
waiting for his friend to pick him up
the cycle continued
So ironic that John spends the whole week looking forward to his Saturday night
but by Sunday morning he has always forgotten most of what happened
Mermaid
a young boy sat on the dock
fishing pole in hand
gazing at the water
dreaming of catching a mermaid
a young girl came beside him
smiling she asked his name
“Robert” he replied
she was very pretty
many years since passed
Robert never saw her again
he never married
he grew old
Robert sat alone on the dock
fishing pole in hand
staring at the water
dreaming of that young girl
nobody came to join him
the fish were not biting
no mermaid to be found
veiled in sadness
wishing that he could go back
to being that young boy
and meeting his girl again
his eyes closed
Robert fell into the water
gasping his last breath
he surrendered to the deep
it was easy to let go
he woke up coughing
a beautiful lady kneeling beside him
she smiled and said “hello Robert”
he could see the young girl in her face
Robert married his rescuer
they sit together on the dock every day
holding hands and smiling
Robert had finally caught his mermaid
Things I like to do but not in preferential order
I like to swim in the pool
well to be truthful I like to float more than swim
it requires minimal effort
and you can just let your troubles float way
soaking in the hot tub at night is divine
slowly cooking under the stars
while listening to soothing music
sipping single malt whisky completes the decadence
riding my bike fast gives me a buzz
feeling the wind in my face
watching my heart rate elevate on my bike computer
my heart must have a limiter because it won’t go above 175
a walk in the countryside is so rewarding
observing nature and bird watching
you can see lots more when you move along slowly
animals can sense when you are not a threat to them
sometimes all I want is to sit alone in my back yard
watching watermen collect crabs in the bay
listening to the soothing waterfall in my pool
peaceful relaxing quiet solitude is my serene treasure
I am most at home when tinkering in my garage
building something or just mending stuff
I listen to exceptionally loud rock music while alone there
Every man should have a man-cave retreat
fine dining is tickles my tastebuds
especially in the company of good friends
wine helps folks loosen up and make the conversation flow
alcohol is the WD40 for fixing shy and reserved party guests
they say that travel broadens the mind
I have been fortunate to travel worldwide
seeing many different cultures and fascinating places
I think my mind must be a mile wide now
you can only read this if you are eating cornflakes
Float like a butterfly and sting like a bee
that was said by Mohamed Ali
I wish I had said that
or something equally funny
instead I bring you quotes from famous people
while I sit here waiting for inspiration to come up and bite me
not that I wish to be famous at all
I just want to write stuff that rings your bell
stops you in your tracks
makes you spit out your cornflakes laughing
but maybe you don’t eat cornflakes for breakfast
I cannot imagine folks spitting out granola or smoked salmon while reading my words
it has to be cornflakes
all I need to do now
is think of a funny quote
maybe a bowl of cornflakes will inspire me
“ask not what your cornflakes can do for you
– ask what you can do for your cornflakes”
The battle of Culloden Moor
As a boy I stood on Culloden Moor
2000 kilted warriors perished there
My father by my side
A pilgrimage to his Scottish homeland
A rugged raw place
Scotland’s saddest day in 1746
I watched my father shed a tear
Not understanding why
Standing on the grave sites
It made no sense to me then
Just a bunch of tombstones
My father gave me a history lesson
The last pitch battle on British soil
Scottish highlands fell to English rule
Wearing tartan was subsequently outlawed
Scottish culture was being crushed
Scotsmen remained proud
Their glorious highland landscape
Owned by distant Englishmen
Never relinquished its stark beauty
Scotland was poor in the 1940’s
My father came south seeking work
Settling near Liverpool
Shipbuilding supported jobs
Three children later
He remained a proud Scot
taking me to his birthplace
And to that lonely moor
My father has long since left us
I have explored Scotland with vigor
Walking, fishing, whisky drinking
Inheriting my father’s yearning
I fell in love with the highlands
Proud to wear my clan kilt today
Now I understand why my father cried
Culture survives persecution
What is wrong with so many historic towns in America?
European towns and cities have a history that spans millenniums
American architecture is much more recent
anything more than 100 years old in America is considered historic
in many towns there was no planning control before the 20th century
hence the wide range of architectural styles in well preserved streets
there is however one aspect of American historical buildings that really bothers me
the plethora of overhead wires, cables, transformers and poles is ugly beyond words
some might argue that its just a legacy from the past
perhaps even claiming the wires themselves are historic
for me they are a real eyesore that remains only for economic reasons
granted its more expensive to bury power lines underground
but they are less vulnerable to weather events when buried
and removing them will reveal the true beauty of 19th and 20th Century America
with all the time and money being put into restoring old buildings
somebody should take the initiative in modernizing the local infrastructure
just my $0.02 worth
my future is imprisoned in a small bag
I remember learning to make tea when I was growing up
boiling water in a kettle on the gas burner
the kettle would whistle when it was ready
adding a little hot water to the teapot to warm the insides
emptying that water before adding the dry tea leaves
then pouring over boiling water to fill the tea pot
covering the tea pot with an insulating cosy to keep it warm
some of our cozies were hand made affairs either knitted or crocheted
the more elaborate ones had a hole for the spout
so they could stay on while pouring
the brewing time was absolutely critical
too short and the tea was weak and insipid
we described weak tea as maiden’s water
too long a brew and the tea would be strong and bitter
that was called steeped tea
milk was always added to the cup before pouring the tea
the theory being that milk dissolves better when hot tea is added
this required skill to add the exact amount of milk
too much would make the tea taste milky
too little and it would be too dark
then we added sugar to make the tea sweet
the spoon never stayed dry so the loose sugar would form soggy clumps in the bowl
I always tried to lick to sugar sticking to the wet spoon
inevitably I got caught and scolded by my parents
after pouring three or 4 cups you could add more boiling water to get a second brew
when the tea was drunk it left loose leaves in the bottom of the cup
we would swirl around the remaining tea and quickly invert the cup over the saucer
leaving a pattern of tea leaves inside the cup
my grandmother would study the leaves in our cups
telling us what our tea leaves were saying to her
it was classic fortune telling but we soaked it up
for me it was the best part of tea drinking
I wanted to know what my future would be
so now many years later I am living in that future
I cannot remember all the things my grandmother predicted
but she was right in saying my life would be long, happy and healthy
today I have no interest in having my fortune told
but even if I did it would be impossible
we no longer make tea with loose leaves
our tea leaves today are imprisoned in small bags
I wonder what my grandmother would say about that
Gravity and love
we take gravity for granted
gravity makes objects fall towards earth
gravity keeps your feet on the ground
gravity maintains the earth in an orbit around the sun
but how does gravity work
what makes two distant objects attract each other
science defines gravity as a force
I want to know what generates that force
love is an invisible force that brings two people together
love makes you feel attracted to another person
the closer you get the stronger you feel it
love keeps many couples together for a lifetime
everybody has an infinite supply of love to share
children thrive on love
it feels good to give it out
and you feel ever so happy when you receive it
so now I understand it all
gravity is love
love is gravity
Fly fishing on a remote lake in Wales
It was late summer back in the 70s
I was fly fishing on a remote lake in Wales
a solo outing in a small boat
fitted with a small outboard motor
I knew the area well
the big lake was very deep and cold
I was fishing the evening rise
when the trout feed on hatching insects
I loved the solitude
no other fishermen on the lake that evening
the flat calm water would explode
as trout jumped to drown hatching flies
I watched the sunset over the mountains
darkness would soon follow
it had been a fun fishing session
time to head to the shore
I wrapped the pull cord around the motor top plate
one sharp pull and she roared up
I turned her to the shore
a cool breeze in my face
suddenly the boat stopped with a jerk
the engine died instantly
the stern was hanging low
I knew I had hit something
I tried to tilt the engine up
but the boat almost capsized
I could see something on the propellor
a discarded anchor rope
I had to think fast as the boat was now tied to the lake bottom
no cell phones existed back then
no way to signal for help from the middle of a remote lake
getting into the water was too risky
I did not want to spend the cold night in the middle of the lake
I took out my fishing knife
lashed it to the pole of my landing net
pulling the motor up slightly with one hand
guiding the pole under water with the other
the nylon rope was very tough
my arms were screaming in pain
after maybe twenty minutes of cutting the rope severed
the back of the boat popped up instantly
I was in a cold adrenalin sweat
I quickly cleared the strands from the propellor
headed for the shore in relief
using the familiar dark mountain peaks for navigation
it was fully dark when I pulled the boat up onto the shore
I loaded up my gear and the freshly caught trout
heading for the safety of home in my car
reflecting on how I had just escaped a potential tragedy
moments like this remind you how fragile life can be
Cheeky Monkey Poetry 