I95

Oh Fairfield Inn and Suites

Thank you for the nice room

The bed was so cosy

But the wall mounted AC

Roared like a jet engine

Too hot to sleep without Cooling

I adopted a military watch routine

30 minutes of wide awake cooling

Silent deep sleep and a sweaty awakening

The night seemed to last forever

Until daylight rapidly appeared

I jumped in the shower

Alternating hot and cold streams

Just for continued masochistic amusement

Normally I start the day with great optimism

But there was no way to look forward

To 450 miles of Interstate 95

A boring straight road of convoying trucks and cars

Monotony was gratefully interrupted by a road accident

We all slowed pretending its for safety

As we leered at the twisted metal

Hoping for a glimpse of gory broken bodies

disappointed when the occupants were uninjured

Perhaps the next wreck will be more entertaining

The endless journey continued

I got tired of listening to music

Ran out of people to call on the phone

My driving became sloppy

I was tailgating a long line of cars at 70mph

A tidal wave of brake lights erupted ahead

Not enough room to stop in time

The inevitable impact approached in slow motion

Blackness enveloped my sweating body

I woke up in the Fairfield Inn and Suites

Time to get up and drive that 450 miles for real.

scrambled eggs and scrambled words

I decide to cook scrambled eggs for breakfast today

Eating on the balcony while watching the world go by

Like any city, Miami is full of life and activity

Always some thing new to discover

I notice a small group gathered across the street

Maybe a dozen folks setting up cameras and reflectors

Somebody appears to be in charge

Giving direction to the others

Although most of them seem to be standing about drinking coffee

A lady in a green dress makes multiple strolls by the corner

As cameras click away from various angles

No logos on trucks means this is not a news crew

A low budget film or documentary perhaps

The whole event only lasts fifteen minutes

Gear rapidly packed into an unmarked white van

Perhaps they are moving to another part of the city

To shoot the next scenes of this mystery production

I close my eyes to focus on the sounds of the city

Trying to dissect the components of the broken silence

Intermittent drilling of construction noise as metal hammers concrete

The steady rumble of traffic from cars rolling along the street

Rubber on road combined the roar of engines

The electric vehicles emit hardly any sound at all

Whilst the throaty V8’s on shiny sports cars yell out “look at me

Occasional motorcyclists make the most noise

Blipping their engines to warn others of their presence

The traffic noise comes in waves with periodic lulls

There is however one constant background sound

Birds singing from the trees below

A never ending chatter of tweets and shrieks

I open my eyes to look for the birds

Mostly invisible on their perches they are seldom to be seen

Except when a large flock of parakeets takes to the wing

Flying between buildings with shrieks with laughter

They fly by me close enough to make eye contact

I wonder what they are all laughing about

Do they find the film crew on the corner to be hilarious

Perhaps they are poking fun at all the humans in their habitat

Laughing at the silly bugger on the balcony eating scrambled eggs and writing scrambled words

Haiku poetry

A Haiku uses just a few words to capture a moment and create a picture in the reader’s mind

Haiku is written in three lines, with five syllables in the first line, seven syllables in the second line, and five syllables in the third line

My favorite Haiku of all time was written by John Cooper Clerke 

To convey one’s mood
In seventeen syllables
Is very diffic

I wrote my first Haiku in 2016

my wife is a gem

our home is like Buckingham

A palace indeed

Here are my latest Haikus

I dare you to try

writing a Haiku yourself

Its fun and free

Who writes this stuff

Daily poetry for you

The cheeky monkey

Seasons

Photo by Alissa Nabiullina on Pexels.com

the cold wind blows from the north

its icy tentacles seek out your exposed flesh

your face numbed so hard you can’t smile

you stopped smiling when winter arrived

brown withered lifeless foliage surrounds you 

where once colorful flowers bathed your eyes

naked trees sway in the howling wind

withered leaves cling to their branches 

their lives are over and soon they will fall to be absorbed by the soil

today’s raging brown river was once a gentle summer stream

you watch the angry boiling muddy water rushing down to the bay

no boats dare wrestle with those white capped waves 

the watermen all stay at home by roaring fires telling fisherman’s tales 

summer is now a distant memory

we will all suffer many cold dark days before she creeps back

seasons make us appreciate the weather we don’t have on that day

do you really like winter

flames in the fireplace may give you heat

but you can’t get a tan from laying by a fire

sitting by a pool in summer is so delightful 

you dare not sit by a pool cover dusted with snow

please come back soon summer

will you promise never to complain about summer’s long hot lazy days

is this art

Pure abstract art

Random paint splatter

No recognizable shapes

Meaningless to some

Beautiful to others

Everybody interprets different

Some see calm

Others see anger

I see vibrance

She sees faces

Real artistic impressions

Doubters see nothing

Great conversation starter

Two camps form

Those totally for

Rest non believers

Nobody on fence

Either love it

Or hate it

Either its art

Or spilled paint

If in doubt

Take a risk

Look at it

With open mind

Let it speak

To your soul

My litmus test

Made me think

Therefore its art

No monster breakfast but 7 goals for brunch

I woke up before dawn today

It was my quiet time

Nobody around and no distractions

I waited for the sunrise on the balcony

She came with a fanfare

Lighting up the bay with long shadows

Moored boats formed an honor guard

Glistening in the morning sun

Casting infinitely long shadows 

I watched the early morning risers in the street below

Joggers running down the trail by the marina

Family pushing a stroller with their non-sleeping child

Waves of cyclists whizzing by towards Key Biscayne 

One group must have had one hundred riders

I waited and waited and waited while I drank hot green tea

The sun rose higher and the shadows got shorter

No big blue monster showed up today

It must have been his day off

Probably at home munching on garbage leftovers

That yellow jacketed man shovelling trash into his belly

I was disappointed not to see the blue monster

Even more disappointed that I did not get to feed him

It was one of those slow lazy mornings which slid towards brunch

Soon it was time to watch my football team Liverpool on TV

Real football that is AKA Soccer

We were playing our local rivals Manchester United

It was a frantic first half and we grabbed a late goal to lead 1-0

Both teams were evenly balanced in a fiercely competitive game

The second half was a totally different story

Liverpool came out on fire and scored straight away

Soon a third and fourth goal came our way

Then a fifth and sixth scored without any response from Manchester United

Scores this big are very rare in football, perhaps a few in a lifetime

We scored again just before the finish to make it 7-0

Congratulatory messages were flying into my phone

It felt good to be on top form after a very mediocre season

I pictured the big blue monster sitting in his depot

Watching the football game on a huge TV screen

Grunting and doing smokey donut burnouts in the parking lot

Shaking his horns at the monster Manchester United fans

YNWA!

monster breakfast

A noise woke me up early this morning

It was a big blue monster roaring in the street

He seemed angry and impatient

Stopping outside our condo building menacingly

A man got out of his side and walked into the parking area

Emerging a few minutes later wheeling a large trash dumpster 

The blue monster unfolded his two big long horns from behind his ears

They were now sticking forward like he was ready to do battle

I wonder if these monsters fight and lock horns during mating season

Dueling over feeding grounds and the right to be king of the herd

The man wheeled the dumpster into the street in front of the monster

Creeping forward slowly until his horns slid through holes in the dumpster sides

It was effortlessly impaled with precision

With a hungry roar he lifted the dumpster up high

Tipping it backwards into a big opening on his back

The monster shook the dumpster violently to release all its contents

Once empty he reversed his horns to place the dumpster back in the street

He slithered back to pull out his impaled horns

The man wheeled the empty dumpster away and returned with a second full one

Obviously one dumpster load was not enough for the hungry monster

He impaled the second one and ate all its contents too

The opening in his back seemed completely full

Then a big plate slid across pushing all the trash deep into the monsters belly

He folded his big horns back behind his ears

After a few grunts he was ready to look for another meal

The man in the yellow jacket climbed back into the monster

Roaring off towards the condo building next door

The two empty trash cans were wheeled away

Placed under the trash chutes to gather more monster food

Residents visit the trash chutes daily with their monster food contributions

I wonder what would happen if the monster did not show up for a few days

What would the residents do with all that monster food

Or what if the residents stopped feeding him completely

Would he curl up and die from starvation

He likes to feed early in the morning when nobody is around

Maybe he sleeps it off for the rest of the day

I am setting my alarm early for tomorrow

So I can witness the monster having his monster breakfast again

Perhaps the man in the yellow jacket will let me feed the monster

Dave and John at the pub -Parts 1 and 2

Part 1 the full text, bold items translated in Part 2 below

John went to the pub last night, he met up with Dave for a few bevvies. 

They always have a good chin wag at the pub.  

After five beers, Dave offered to buy John a whisky but he said “No.”  Dave kept insisting so eventually John said “Go on then.” 

Lenny was at the bar having a skinful because of his newly arrived  grandson and he was wetting the baby’s head.  

By the end of the evening Lenny was totally legless and everybody was taking the piss out of him.  

Dave was totally gutted after the Saturday football results, he said that his team’s manager had totally lost the plot during the game.  

John said he found the game so boring on the telly that he took a kip instead of watching the second half.  

When he woke up, his moggy was laying on his stomach purring.  

“You need to get rid of that moggy” said Dave “He is about as much use as a chocolate fireguard.”  

John said his misses was cheesed off again because he had not decorated the bathroom over the weekend as he had promised. 

 “You better pull your finger out soon” said Dave “Before she gets really pissed off at you.”  

John said “She wants us to go to Spain on Holiday this year, I am thinking of taking her camping in Wales instead and spend the rest of the holiday money on a new motorbike.”  

Dave laughed out loud, “That would certainly put a spanner in the works.”  

John laughed back “She is always whinging about something, I bet she will have the hump when I get home from the pub tonight.”   

Dave said his misses was always chuffed to bits when he got home.  

“She gets my dinner and lets me fall asleep in front of the telly with a beer afterwards.  

“She probably nicks all your brass while you sleep” said John.  

After the pub closed they walked home together, stopping at the chippy for some takeaway.  

Vinny pulled up outside the chippy in his vintage Morris Minor

Dave and John gave him a lot of stick for driving an old banger.  

“I have not seen one of those old rust buckets for donkeys years” said John.  

Vinny laughed at them saying ” I was going to give you both a lift but you have pissed me off now, I bet those chips will be soggy by the time you fat buggers stagger home in the rain.”

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Part 2 English phrases explained

Bevvies plural of a bevvy- an adult beverage

chin wag- when friends chat and gossip together

Go on then- OK you have convinced me

having a skinfuldrinking alcohol to excess

wetting the baby’s head- celebrating the birth of a baby with a drink to two (babies heads are wetted during a christening ceremony)

Legless- Completely inebriated from excess alcohol consumption to the point where your legs cannot support your weight

taking the piss- making fun of something or somebody, can also mean taking liberties

Gutted- very upset indeed

lost the plot- over reacting when things go wrong

took a kip- took a nap or a short sleep

Moggy- a domestic cat

as much use as a chocolate fireguard- sarcasm when something is useless

the misses- the wife, AKA the Mrs.

cheesed off- mildly annoyed

Decorate- literally to paint or wallpaper the walls of a room, for Brits it does not mean adding furniture or items to change the entire decor of a room

pull your finger out- get focussed and finish the job with haste

pissed off- to be very annoyed

Holiday– Vacation

put a spanner in the works- an action that messes things up in the way that a spanner (wrench) dropped into a mechanical device would clog up the mechanisms

Whinging- crying and moaning

have the hump- to be in a bad mood

chuffed to bits- to be very excited and happy

Nicks- Steals

Brass- Money

Chippy- Slang for chip shop, a carry out establishment selling French fries and fried fish

Takeaway- Carry out food service

Morris Minor- A British family car produced my the Morris Motor Company 1948-1971

gave him a lot of stick- to criticize him incessantly

old banger- an old vehicle in poor condition

rust bucket – a very rusty old vehicle

donkeys years- a very long time

give you both a lift- give you both a ride in my vehicle

pissed me off- seriously upset me 

Chips- French fries, not to be confused with potato chips which are called crisps in Britain

Soggy- The Brits douse their French fries in salt and vinegar to add flavor. However, if not consumed quickly, the vinegar causes the fried potato to lose crispiness and become soft or “soggy”

Bugger- a despicable, annoying and troublesome person

Dave and John at the pub – Part 1

John went to the pub last night, he met up with Dave for a few bevvies.

They always have a good chin wag at the pub. 

After five beers, Dave offered to buy John a whisky but he said “No.”  Dave kept insisting so eventually John said “Go on then.”

Lenny was at the bar having a skinful because of his newly arrived grandson and he was wetting the baby’s head. 

By the end of the evening Lenny was totally legless and everybody was taking the piss out of him. 

Dave was totally gutted after the Saturday football results, he said that his team’s manager had totally lost the plot during the game. 

John said he found the game so boring on the telly that he took a kip instead of watching the second half. 

When he woke up, his moggy was laying on his stomach purring. 

“You need to get rid of that moggy” said Dave “He is about as much use as a chocolate fireguard.”

John said his misses was cheesed off again because he had not decorated the bathroom over the weekend as he had promised. 

“You better pull your finger out soon” said Dave “Before she gets really pissed off at you.” 

John said “She wants us to go to Spain on Holiday this year, I am thinking of taking her camping in Wales instead and spend the rest of the holiday money on a new motorbike.” 

Dave laughed out loud, “That would certainly put a spanner in the works.” 

John laughed back “She is always whinging about something, I bet she will have the hump when I get home from the pub tonight.”

Dave said his misses was always chuffed to bits when he got home. 

“She gets my dinner and lets me fall asleep in front of the telly with a beer afterwards. 

“She probably nicks all your brass while you sleep” said John. 

After the pub closed they walked home together, stopping at the chippy for some takeaway. 

Vinny pulled up outside the chippy in his vintage Morris Minor.

Dave and John gave him a lot of stick for driving an old banger. 

“I have not seen one of those old rust buckets for donkeys years” said John.  

Vinny laughed at them saying ” I was going to give you both a lift but you have pissed me off now, I bet those chips will be soggy by the time you fat buggers stagger home in the rain.”

For the non-British readers, a list of English words and phrases from the above and their meanings will be in Part 2

From collecting to hoarding

When you think of collecting items what comes to mind first

Stamps,  Baseball cards and coins probably

Some folks have the most bizarre collections:

Belly Button Fluff

Airplane sick bags (hopefully unused)

Pringle boxes

Erasers

Toothpaste tubes

Ring pull openers from beer cans

Banana tags

Bowling balls

Bricks

Hotel Do Not Disturb signs

Fossilized excrement

The list is endless as people will collect almost anything

When your collecting gets out of control you may a hoarder

Hoarding is a disorder when excessive amounts of items are stored in clutter

We are all guilty of hoarding to some extent, its really a spectrum

Parents will often keep their child’s school report cards and certificates forever

Do you remember your parents bringing out photos of you as a child

The most embarrassing ones showed you naked in the bath probably

Will future generations pull out old selfies and digital photographs

Is having 30,000 photos on your iPhone considered hoarding

Don’t feel obliged to keep your inherited collections

Especially if they are debts or jars of belly button fluff