Moving slowly
Silent footsteps
Stealth
Patience
Caution
Purpose
Not a hunter stalking his prey
Just me getting up early in the morning
Making a cup of tea
trying not to wake the wife
Lightly tapping the keyboard
Writing ever so quietly
The silence is almost deafening
Words whisper onto the screen
They will not shout out when read
Best read in a quiet place
Savored moments
Peace shared
Enjoy the silence
Sometimes you can tell its going to be one of those days
I got up early as usual to write
but my cordless computer keyboard was dead
no problem just plug it in to recharge
then I went to open up my word processing application
horror of horrors the icon to start the program was gone
thrown into a panic that all my files were missing too
a frantic search showed them all to be intact
I decided to do what all computer experts advise
a reboot solves almost every problem in the digital world
making tea while the computer strips itself naked
I think it prefers to get dressed unseen
tea in hand its time to start writing again
there is still no icon for word processing
is somebody playing digital tricks on me
perhaps a conspiracy to stop me from writing anything
did my last poem upset somebody so bad that they hacked my computer
I always thought conspiracy theories were ridiculous
but when things go really weird on you they suddenly became plausible
logic tells me all will be ok if I google a solution for the missing icon
safari then announces there is no internet connection
drinking a second cup of tea while the wifi router reboots
willing that last blinking light to come on
best to walk away and let the router get dressed unseen too
at last the internet is back up and running again
I picked out a you tube video to learn the solution
a knowitall teenager with terrible acne tells me how to restore the missing icon
what a sad life he must lead squeezing pimples and teaching old farts he never meets
a few clicks and the missing icon is back in place
normal service has been restored thanks to a pimply faced teenager
no stolen icon – the little bugger was just playing hide and seek
conspiracy theories are all part of a big conspiracy to spread unnecessary fear and panic
chef rises early every morning
buying fresh fish, meat and vegetables at the commercial market
setting tasks for staff in the prep kitchen
showing the line cooks the precise methods to create every dish perfectly
keeping a database for every dish served in the restaurant
estimating how much of each menu item to prepare
sample dishes prepared in advance for all the servers to taste
teaching them how to precisely describe each dish to diners
a final tour of the kitchen inspecting every small detail
just before the intense cooking period as orders flood in
although seemingly chaotic to the untrained eye
the kitchen runs smooth like a military operation
chef is on his feet all day without a pause
as the lunch servings slow down, the kitchen is switched over to the dinner menu
achieving perfection for every dish served requires a marathon winning mentality
chef is no athlete but he finishes this culinary race in first place daily
finally service ends and its time to clean up
chef inspects every surface to make sure it it clinically cleansed
chef makes a point thanking each of his staff for their efforts
grabbing a quick meal and a relaxing glass of wine at midnight
he smiles as the owner says nice work today chef
chef cannot sleep until he writes the menu for. the following day
he dreams about farm to table recipes
the first cup of tea in the morning is special
although made the same way it tastes so different
the tea brings out feelings
familiar
warm
comforting
forgiving
encouraging
refreshing
enlightening
the tea triggers
ideas
inspiration
calmness
serenity
quiet solitude
reflections
memories
I get to the end of the cup
negative things start lining up
all shouting take me take me take me
reality
anxiety
worries
conflict
fear
concerns
I reject them all
and simply make another cup of tea
its going to be a great day today
I recall spending a lot of time in record shops as a teenager
Searching for the albums of my favorite artists and even standing in line for hours to buy the latest new releases
All my friends had access to two distinct collections of vinyl records at home
There were the golden oldies classics that our parents had collected but we totally shunned them
We regarded our modern music, which our parents refused to listen to, as a monumental symbol of our teenage rebellion
Listening to music at home required access to record player and the occasion was often an excuse for teenage social gatherings
You could always tell how cool somebody was walking down the street or into a room by the album cover tucked under their arm
Cassette tapes allowed us to make incredibly poor quality recordings for playing over our cheap car stereo systems
We endured the poor sound quality because we knew of nothing better back then
CD’s came along and it was instant death for vinyl and tapes, suddenly the sound quality of music both at home and on the go improved dramatically
Fast forward to today’s era of music streaming and we not only have excellent sound quality but instant access to an infinite range of artists, genres and playlists
Today I can wake up to morning jazz, workout to a fast paced pop song, blast the house with heavy rock while vacuuming, chill outside with W Hotel Miami sounds and host a dinner party with a backdrop of super cool Japanese LoFi music
If I get really nostalgic I listen to early 70s classic rock, it conjures up memories of smoke filled dimly lit rooms, crackly vinyl record players, cheap booze, acne and teenage fumblings
When my kids were young I got the urge to grow food
I dug out a large patch in the garden
Planted seeds and regularly pulled out weeds
Eagerly waiting for my first crop
I grew carrots onions green beans beetroot lettuce and potatoes
For a short while we lived the farm to table life
But things tended to mature in bulk
Nobody can consume 15 lettuces in a week
We gave most of our crops away to friends
Pickled some for later in the year
It was intense hard physical work
A constant battle against invading pests
The following spring I had to double dig trenches
Adding compost to prepare the potato bed
The soil was wet and heavy to turn
I dug it all by hand with a fork
At the end of a long digging morning
I took a break and parked the fork in the ground
Intense pain exploded in my right foot
I had stabbed myself with the fork
It went right through my foot
I was pinned to the ground
My instinct was to pull the fork up
It hurt even more on the way out
My boot was full of blood when I pulled it off
It was a short drive to the local hospital
After checking in they put me in the waiting area
I noticed a bunch of guys all with blood stained feet
The nurse smiled and asked me if I was digging today
We get so many injuries like yours she said
Spring is our foot injury season
She cleaned and dressed my wound
I went home and looked at the muddy patch
Unable to work on it for a long while
The weeds took over that year
I admitted defeat and had it all paved over
sometimes the day just gets away from me
I wanted to write a piece earlier today but was distracted
I was reminded that I needed to do something urgently
then a few phone calls came in
my priority was to deal with those
then I had to run an errand and the whole morning was gone
another phone call in the afternoon requested information
I had to spend many hours gathering that data
and sending a bunch of followup emails
more calls interrupted every email I was composing
so here at am at almost 5pm
sitting down to write at last
wherever did the day go I asked myself
the truth is it went nowhere
of course its easy to blame others for taking over my day
its really a weakness on my part for allowing others steal my time
it was my choice to let those diversions consume my time
I could have said no to most of those demands
or simply rescheduled them for later
my writing time is my metime
tomorrow I will get up early
I will close the office door
the phone will be turned off
tomorrow metime is metime
no ifs and no buts
the world can wait for me tomorrow
hope you can be there to share the experience
Travel is a great way to see new things
Escape from your familiar surroundings
Break your normal routine
Shake things up a little
Getting to a place is often stressful
Deciding what to pack
Will the houseplants die while we are away
Who can we trust to check on the house
What time should we leave for the airport
Will there be time to eat after check in
I forgot what size liquids you can take on the plane
The taxi we booked is late
There are long lines at the check in counter
We will never make the flight
More long lines at security
If we run to the gate we might just make it
Boarding not started yet but something is wrong
A sign says flight delayed but no reason or new time
Angry passengers swarm around the staff at the desk
Will we still make our connection
The gate is a mob scene with passengers scrambling to board
Tired staff suffer more verbal abuse from angry passengers
We eventually get to our seats
No space left in the overhead compartments
The in-flight TV screen is broken
Weary flight attendants selling overpriced food and drink
After a long line for the bathroom I find it filthy
I wish I had stayed at home
Fortunately the connecting flight is late too
Finally arrive at the destination
Too tired to unpack today so its living out of a suitcase
I just realized I forgot to bring my medication
Cocktail party
Long dresses
Black ties
Fake smiles
Polite nods
Posh voices
Smug people
Need drink
Find bar
Chunky glass
Big Ice
Bulleit Rye
Sweet vermouth
Angostura bitters
Stir clockwise
Thirty times
Luxardo cherries
Leave standing
Gently chill
Lift glass
Eyes shut
Sip slowly
Smell aromas
Savor flavors
Forward tasing
Slightly bitter
Strong sweet
Rinse mouth
Slow swallow
After taste
Slow burn
Alcoholic buzz
Eyes open
People mingling
Mundane conversation
Glass caressed
Boring party
Stupid people
No escape
Second sip
Eyes closed
Longer savor
Slow rinse
Gentle swallow
Drifting off
Eyes shut
Floating gently
Ears blocked
No chatter
Manhattan bliss
Rude awakening
Shaken shoulder
Wife annoyed
Wake up!
Guests frown
Eyes open
Start chatting
Mumble mumble
Boring boring
Smiling nodding
Pretend listening
Mind elsewhere
Eyes open
Third sip
Large gulp
Finish drink
Fast burn
Boring party
Wife agrees
Leave fast
Go home
Open door
Sit down
Wife retires
Make drink
Same recipe
Different environment
My glass
My Bourbon
My Vermouth
My ice
My music
My place
My time
My company
My life
My Manhattan
the low morning sun
reflects on the bay
millions of tiny ripples
explode on the surface
flashing silver
mesmerizing
tantalizing
hypnotizing
the wind drops
calm patches appear
sparkles evaporate
the sun waits patiently
for the next breath of wind
to sprinkle dancing stardust
into the eyes of those
who dare to witness
this simple blend of magic
water wind and light
Cheeky Monkey Poetry 