Month: July 2022

be there but only if you can afford it

Ian Hunter2 Comments
Formula One came to Miami in 2022

when I was young my main sporting passions were football(aka soccer) and motorsports

I played soccer as a boy and dreamed of being a professional

I never made the grade but played with local amateur teams up to the age of 18

it was relatively inexpensive to watch my team Liverpool play back then

I went to many games and enjoyed the thrills of seeing it live

the stadium was always packed with over 40,000 fans

mostly young boys and working class men

I also attended many motorsports events which were all inexpensive to watch

in my early twenties I built a racing Mini Cooper

spending two seasons competing in national championships

I soon learned that I would never make it as a professional racing driver

I gave up racing to focus more on my career

it was fun though to attend Formula One events and see the pros in action

as the years passed I drifted to watching football and motorsports on TV

although the coverage is excellent its not the same as actually being there

I recently thought about taking a trip to England to see a Liverpool game

the only tickets available for the game were over $400

that’s about 200 times more than I used to pay for a ticket

I was planning to see the Formula One race in Miami this year

Until I discovered that the cheapest available ticket was $1200

that’s more than I spent in a whole season of racing my Mini Cooper back in the 80’s

So sad that these sports have become so corporate

Formula One used to be the ultimate thrill for motorists enthusiasts

Its now the place to be seen for the ultra rich and famous

I bet most of them know nothing about motorsport

they just want to hang out in the VIP hospitality section and hope to be photographed 

I feel blessed to have grown up in an era when sporting events were accessible to everybody

Seahorses

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Photo by Jeffry Surianto on Pexels.com

I wonder if seahorses see horses

do horses see the sea

I can see seahorses in the sea

but can they see me

I saw dolphins in the bay

playing like children in the street

chasing and leaping with joy

but did they see me

I catch frogs in the swimming pool

they try to escape my net

why do they come back daily

perhaps just to see me

I gaze at majestic trees in the woods

arms spread wide

green leaves soaking up the sun

they smile back at me

I study the clouds

shaped by water and winds

sailing along like viking ships

their crews are staring down on me

I peer into the mirror

searching for my mind’s eye

wanting to find the image of a thought

but nobody looks back at me

How I learned to fly

Ian Hunter2 Comments
Photo by Hobo Fisher on Pexels.com

I used to dread failures

the ultimate embarrassment

something to be forgotten

then I learned to look back along the road I took to failure

identifying what had weighed me down

I challenged myself to give those things up

the next time I took that road

I could fly

the surrender

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she stepped into the pool

warm welcoming water

late evening sun shone brightly

after a few laps she floated

weightless drifting dreaming 

she waited

troubles melted away

thoughts dissolved

sunset approached

floating

drifting

she waited

darkness crept in

floating in the black silence

thoughts lined up 

all demanding attention

all were denied entry

she waited

dismissed thoughts wandered off

looking for another soul

her mind and body at peace

every breath treasured

each heartbeat worshipped

she waited

a loud splash

signaled his arrival

pulling her close

a strong embrace

warm kisses

she surrendered

stranded motorist

Ian Hunter3 Comments
Photo by Mike B on Pexels.com

Gary was driving home on the outskirts of the city

it was dark muggy late summer evening

his thoughts were lost in the jazz music playing on the radio

he spotted a car stopped ahead with flashers

instinctively slowing he noticed a young woman beside the car

is this a trap or is she genuinely in need of assistance he thought

seeing nobody else in her car he decided to pull over

I hope I don’t regret this he said to himself 

as he approached the woman smiled saying thank you sir my engine just died

he smiled back as he flipped open the hood to look at the engine

suddenly he felt something prodding in his back

keep them hands up or I shoot said a mans voice

he turned around slowly to see a masked figure holding a gun

empty your pockets real slow he barked

Gary said please don’t shoot I will give you everything

carefully placing his wallet keys and phone on the floor

a gun waving towards his wrist was the signal for Gary to take off his apple watch

the woman quickly picked up the keys and the wallet

we aint dumb enough to take your tracking devices said the masked thug

before roughly trampling the phone and watch into the pavement

Gary was forced into the back seat of the decoy vehicle

lay down and don’t move or you die here was the order

Gary listened to his BMW engine firing up

the robbers sped away before he dared to sit up

Gary walked back towards the city and found a shady looking bar

ordering a beer as he reached for the money belt under his shirt

keep the change he said handing the bartender a fifty dollar bill

and do me he favor please call me a cab

upon entering his house he went straight to the computer

scanning the event log on his vehicle security system

unauthorized vehicle start- hijacking sequence initiated-doors locked- engine immobilized- police on scene- doors opened- recovery service dispatched

the tow truck pulled up outside followed by a police car

Gary shook hands with the officers saying nice work fellas

that was our third arrest this week said the smiling police officer

the chief asked if you could cruise around west side tomorrow evening

Partying over half a century

Ian Hunter1 Comment

partying at home has changed so much over the years

when I was young it was very different

we spent days back then preparing for a party

we made sandwiches and snacks

the men mostly drank bottled beers or neat scotch

the ladies drank sherry or port

apart from that crazy aunty who hugged the gin bottle

kids drank lemonade and beer shandies

music was either from scratchy old 78 gramophone records

or a group singalong with my dad playing the accordion

family parties always started out jolly and happy

they always ended with somebody crying after an alcohol fueled family argument

a few kind souls always stayed up late to clear up the mess

hangovers seemed to last forever back then

its so much different half a century later

now we spend a lot of time preparing for the party

we buy prepared food or have the party catered

modern men drink low carb light beers from cans

then they switch to shots of vodka or tequila

ladies now drink low carb silly water called Truly or High Noon

but there its always one person who hits the cocktails hard

today’s kids are supposedly not allowed to drink at all

we all know they sneak something unnoticed 

music is streamed from Spotify on our Sonos sound system

nobody plays an instrument or leads the group singalong anymore

parties today always start out jolly and happy

they end with somebody crying after an alcohol fueled family argument

a few kind souls stay up late to help clear up the mess

hangovers last forever these days

come to think of it, nothing has really changed that much

alcohol induced fun with family and friends is still the same way to party

its just packaged differently

Meet other buzzed wizards

Ian Hunter2 Comments

pick up a beer can

ice cold

grab the ring pull

listen to the crack and woosh

bring it to your lips

the cold can feels good

especially on a hot day

take a big sip

savor the taste

slow swallow

take another sip

soon the can is empty

get another cold beer

tape the bottom to the empty can

repeat often

build yourself a wizard staff

teach others how to build a wizard staff

compare your staff to others

meet other buzzed wizards

support yourself with your staff

do the wizard stagger

Flood

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the water kept rising

much higher than normal

an exceptional high tide

it just kept coming

the creek got wider

water flowed to the edge of the road

still rising further 

spilling into the roadway

soon the roadway was inundated

vehicles splashing through

some driving carefully

others driving too fast

all this made me think

one day we will get hit hard

with a nor’easter or a hurricane

the water will come into our home

when the big flood comes

we will no longer see beauty in the water

it will be the evil liquid giant

 that eats our home

relentless

 uncaring

 indiscriminate

 floodwater

The pantomime horse

Ian Hunter7 Comments

I was very shy when I was young

I dreaded the annual school play

praying I would not be selected for an acting part

I think I was around ten years old

the teachers picked up on my shyness

putting all the other kids into performing roles

one by one everybody had a part to play

there was just me and another shy boy left

we got the part of the pantomime horse

the teacher asked me which end I wanted

I chose the back end

the other boy would be standing and wearing the head

which meant he had to be in control

all I had to do was bend over and grab his waist

no lines to memorize and speak

no place on the stage to walk by or stand

all I had to do was follow his lead

I would not even be seen by the audience

and I would not have to look at them either

it was exactly what I wanted

anonymity with no special role to play

rehearsals were easy for me too

just put my feet into the back legs

bring the costume up over my head

bend over and hold my partners waist

walk when he moved

stop walking when he stopped

I had no nerves on the night of the performance

watching most of the play from back stage

until it was time for us to walk on

we got into the costume with ease

took up our positions like real professionals

got the cue to walk on stage

I grabbed his waist and followed

after a few steps he farted right in my face

it was of those evil smelling farts

I wanted to escape the pungent odor

but that would involve letting go of him

the front half of the horse would walk away

and my face would be exposed to the public

I chose to be gassed rather than show my face on stage

the performance seemed to last an eternity

my partner never owned up to farting in my face

I was too embarrassed to tell anybody

I has taken me over fifty years to reveal this story

Credit card

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credit card

convenience cash

instant purchase

limitless spending

click shopping

amazon delivers

debts spiraling

borrow more

spend spend

spend spend

spend spend

bills unpaid

spend more

house foreclosure

car repossessed

financial ruin

marriage fails

messy divorce

couch surfing

bankruptcy court

bad credit

cash only

social outcast

deep depression

get help

life counseling

devise plan

create budget

essential spending

no frivolities

avoid restaurants

eat healthy

walk everywhere

get fit

start saving

balanced life

find job

work hard

get promoted

volunteer time

help others

find love

responsible partner

get married

build home

acquire wealth

no debts

happy times