Month: February 2022

naked wedding ring finger

Ian Hunter4 Comments

in the summer of 2017

I slipped on a boat

tried to grab a rail

but only got one finger on it

I knew straight away it was bad

my medical training kicked in

I had to get my wedding ring off fast

otherwise it would be cut off in the ER

the ring came off smoothly

just before my finger started to swell

my knuckle joint froze bent

I had to wear a finger stay for weeks

months of physical therapy

slowly brought mobility back

scar tissue kept my knuckle enlarged

my wedding ring no longer fitted

I saw a hand trauma doctor

he said it would probably never fit again

I was sad and depressed

larger rings felt very uncomfortable

it never felt right 

having my wedding ring finger bare

I started wearing my wedding ring

on my pinkie finger

on two occasions the ring slipped off

losing it set me into a massive panic

frantic worried searching ensued

great relief each time it was recovered

with some gentle lubrication

two years later, my wedding ring slipped over my knuckle

no more naked wedding ring finger

its staying on for life now

Making memories on a plate

Ian Hunter4 Comments

Our nephew and his girlfriend flew in to visit us in Miami

It was almost midnight on a Friday

We went straight to Versailles to eat dinner

The most famous Cuban restaurant in the world

Opened more than fifty years ago

Still serving delicious Cuban food

The place was totally packed

Mostly locals with a few tourists

We ordered the Friday special dinner

Shredded chicken with rice and plantains

For the pricey sum of $10

Washed down by Mojitos

Consuming the meal while people watching

Well dressed Hispanics 

Trendy dressed Miamians

Badly dressed tourists

All checking each other out

While eating enormous quantities of food

Every table was engrossed in deep conversation

Nobody was eating in silence

The noise was deafening

It is the place to be seen

The pace to eat

The place to be seen eating

The place to meet, eat, be seen and talk

Cuban food

At midnight

An iconic restaurant

Friendly people

Terrific ambiance

The kids loved it

Afterwards we bought empanadas from the Versailles bakery next door

Took them home for breakfast

Making memories on a plate

The drum beat

Ian HunterLeave a comment

the drum beat is mellow and groovy

cool jazz lounge 

foot tapping and head nodding

slipping into the mood

the drum beat is loud and steady

a parade

bright costumes and dancers

swaying to the rhythm 

the drum beat is fast and furious

rock concert

sounds amplified to painful levels

possessed teenagers leaping

the drum beat is very slow

military funeral 

a young life extinguished

weeping wife and children

the drum beat is steady but faint

beating heart

body pressed tight against you

feeling the rhythm of love

Go for it

Ian Hunter1 Comment

successful people are not born lucky

they use their knowledge and experience

to make decisions that lead to success

acquired knowledge is stored in your brain

so you can recognize patterns

and better understand an opportunity

experience comes from taking measured risks

by remembering what caused your past failures

its all a continual process

take some time every day to learn new things

pause and reflect on every potential opportunity that comes along

measure the risks and consult both your heart and your head

if they both say yes

then dive in head first and go for it 

you will regret it if you pass up the opportunity

Shopping chopping and chomping

Ian Hunter1 Comment

I finally figured out why eating home made salad makes you thin

Its not just the fact that they are low in calories

Its the Herculean effort involved in making them

From shopping

Through chopping

Onto chomping

You burn more calories than you consume

Lets kick it up a notch

Leave the car at home

Jog to the supermarket

Skip the line of shopping carts

Carry a basket in each hand

Walk down every aisle ten times

Do not loiter near the prepared salad section

Buy whole vegetables

The bigger and dirtier the better

Walk back the long way with heavy bags 

Do bicep curls all the way home

Avoid the Covid capsule elevator

Haul those grocery bags up 14 flights of stairs

Put all 79 items in the fridge

For a few minutes

Then take them all out again

Spend hours scrubbing off all that dirt

Then scrub some more to be sure

Play loud rock music while you fast chop

Use every knife and cutting board you own

Make a huge mess in the kitchen

Dress that salad lightly

No more than five molecules of oil in the vinegar

Serve your salad with pride

Work those jaw muscles hard

Chew every mouthful 26 times

Cut out the dishwasher 

Clean everything by hand 

To be sure you missed nothing

Clean everything a second time

Dry the dishes by hand

Put everything away one piece at a time

Now mop the kitchen floor by hand

By now you should be exhausted

As you drift off to sleep

Try not to dream of fast food

Life is like a road trip

Ian Hunter3 Comments

Life is like a road trip

Sometimes you realize you are not going in the right direction

WRONG WAY

When this happens you must go back

U TURN

Don’t worry if things get too hectic

Its OK to reduce your speed

SLOW DOWN

If you are really reckless and moving too fast

Other may step in and force you to go slower

SPEED HUMPS

There are times when you just have to take a rest and chill

STOP

Be adventurous and explore

There are however places where you should never go

DO NOT ENTER

Occasionally you will find yourself in a blind alley

DEAD END

There may be many ways to get to your destination

If you follow a crowd, they will choose your direction

ONE WAY

If you are tired of running, step off the path

EXIT

Its never all plain sailing

People may try to block your path

Don’t fight them, instead find a way around peacefully 

DETOUR

Be courteous when meeting others moving in your path

GIVE WAY

When you get to your destination, make sure you stop in the right place

NO PARKING

Never overstay your welcome

3 HOUR LIMIT

life is like a road trip

Don’t blow it

How long does it take to eat an apple at the end of a picnic

Ian Hunter1 Comment

there is something ever so special about picnics

the excitement starts when preparing the food at home

knowing it will be consumed alfresco

wondering which spot will be chosen 

will it be by a flowing river or on a sandy beach

I carefully packed the picnic basket in the car

hunger pangs grew stronger while driving

heading out towards Assateague island

discovering a beautiful spot on the bayside

a picnic bench overlooking the bay

hardly anybody around on this cool spring day

watching the seagulls gliding by

wild ponies wandering through the distant marsh

kayakers rhythmically plowing through the cold choppy waters

you carefully arranged our picnic lunch

the food you had prepared was divine

gulping the salty fresh air with each delicious morsel

the chilled rose was a perfect pairing for the cool breeze

closing my eyes with every sip to see the long hot summer days to come

picking up the apple with my left hand

as my right hand reached out to hold yours

gripping them both firmly for a few tantalizing moments

squeezing your hand hard every time I bit into that apple

savoring the sweat tangy taste of that juicy fruit

pausing a long time after swallowing each mouthful 

you gave my hand a gentle prompting squeeze

before every delicious crunching bite

that apple lasted an eternity

The 6.29 train from Grey Matter Pool is now arriving at Fingertips

Ian Hunter3 Comments

When its time to write my daily poem

I grab random words as they run fast through my mind

Capturing them in my neural net 

Tossing them into a large empty container at the back of my head

I fill up the container with water

Dead words silently slip out through the drain

Lively words float to the top singing

Dancing over the surface like olympic ice skaters

After I have been sufficiently mesmerized by their display

Words are invited to step out of my grey matter pool and dry off

Commuting words quickly line up for an approaching train

The 6.29 morning train for Fingertips is now approaching platform 7

The train rushes though my veins at lightening speed

The 6.29 train from Grey Matter Pool is now arriving at Fingertips

Words burst through the open doors and run towards the exits

Massive lines form at the turnstiles

My fingers start to swell up with commuting words

I read the next word in line and spell out his name on the keyboard

The turnstile clicks and he exits the station

Once on my computer screen he typically smiles at his new neighbors

I type as fast as I can to ease the pressure on my swollen fingers

Eventually they all get through and I can take a rest

Suddenly a fight breaks out as a gang of words become agitated

They took offense from the taunts of a nearby rival word gang

I send in the word police riot squad to break up the scuffle

Separating the offenders onto different parts of the page

Unfortunately some words keep resisting and have to be deleted

I feel sad for them having wasted a long journey

Eventually every word is in the right place

All excited to see which of them will make it up top into the title

Knowing that in a few minutes they will all journey to another computer or phone

Patiently waiting in cheekynonkeypoetry.com to be read by you