Month: December 2024

Every day is a beach day

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Warm sunny day

Head to the beach

Barefoot on the sand

Find a nice spot

Put down a towel

Umbrella for shade

Lay down and relax

Stroll on the beach

Dip your feet in the water

Feel the sand between your toes

Stiff breeze off the ocean

Sand starts to get everywhere

Open a sandwich for lunch

Crunch crunch sandy sandwich

Wipe the sand from your eyes

Sip a cold drink

Sip crunch sip crunch crunch

The wind speed picks up

Umbrella topples over

Sand pummels your skin

Time to head home

Drag stuff back to the car

Shake off the sand before entering

Car gets full of sand anyway 

Arrive home tired and roasted

Step into the shower

Sand sticks to your skin

Refuses to wash away

Scrub soap scrub soap scrub pain pain

Dry off with a fresh towel

Feel the burn from residual sand

Sand in the shower pan

Sand on the bathroom floor

The whole house has sand trails

Vacuuming does not work

Sweeping is ineffective

Give up and go to bed

Wake up with piles of sand in the sheets

No point going to the beach today

You brought the beach home yesterday

foggy*

Ian Hunter1 Comment

I woke up in a fog 

my mind was groggy and dazed

it was foggy outside

my body was in phase with the weather

green tea did not clear my head

the fog stayed thick outside

was the fog leaking out of my head

or leaking in from the fields outside

maybe I was dehydrated  from drinking wine

or not enough sleep

my overloaded brain needed a rest

how long would all this last I wondered

the sun started to burn off the fog

but my head remained foggy all day

like I was drugged or poisoned with a toxin

I gave up thinking because it was too painful

my body was in low energy mode

no point in strenuous exercise

this had to be a day of rest

despite extra hydration I felt foggy throughout the entire day

the next day my head was clear when I woke up

my energy levels were back to normal

I tackled the day with vigor

taxing my body and my brain really hard 

then a thought struck me

how awful to be foggy all the time

to have you mind and body in a permanent foggy straitjacket

while others around you live large with a clear head

We often take our health for granted

a short sharp aberration reminds you

be grateful for good health

have compassion for those less fortunate

avoid the fog

The bad car wreck*

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She saw him driving too fast on a twisty road

The car was lurching at every turn

The turns got tighter and the car spun out of control before smashing into another vehicle

A sickening sound of metal crushing and glass exploding mixed with a human cry

Then……  She woke up in a cold sweat with her heart pounding

She dared her hand to reach out in the darkness and explore beside her in the bed

A warm sleeping body beside her calmed her anxiety, it was just a bad dream

She decided not to wake him to tell of her nightmare

4am blinked from the clock and she settled down again to sleep

Her body tried to relax but her mind was still racing from the horrific images

She tried to think of soothing things

The image of a blood splattered wreckage kept flashing back

Then she saw first responders cutting away the twisted metal from a dying man

How can a dream continue while I am awake she asked herself

She decided to get up and keep her eyes open

The reality of her surroundings will shut out the unwelcome thoughts

She went downstairs and made a cup of tea then slumped in her favorite chair in front of the TV

She scanned the channels and found mostly infomercials

Flick flick –magic weight loss powder

Flick flick — vegetable peeler will make you happy

Flick flick–  folding ladder will let you escape from your burning inferno bedroom

Flick flick—–News flash-—-  horrific car crash

The same image as her dream

A limp body is put into an ambulance

“It can’t be” she screams.

She rushes upstairs to check on her loved one but the only thing under the covers is the pair of pillows she hugs when he is away

She runs back downstairs and catches the end of the broadcast

“Police say the driver was taken to hospital in a critical condition“

She is convinced that the car in her dream and on the news is her husband’s

She decides to phone the hospital, as she picks up the phone, the outside security light flashed on

A police car is outside and a uniformed figure is walking up the driveway

She knows this must be bad news

“Please god no, don’t let this happen…..“

The doorbell rang loudly, she froze in fear

A voice called out “good morning darling” 

Her mind was confused

” Did you sleep well? 

She rolled over and saw her husband holding a breakfast tray

It was all a big bad dream

She tried to mask her pounding heart by stretching and yawning

She kissed him sweetly

No need for his good deed to be disrupted by her bad dream experiences

She sat up as he got into bed with their breakfast feast

Pouring the tea into a welcome mug she thanked god for not taking him

She listened to his sexy voice telling him he loved her

She smiled and looked into his eyes

He smiled back before saying to her

 “I had this awful dream last night honey

You were in a bad car wreck and the police came to tell me..

Hey watch out you are spilling that tea…..”

Pomegranade

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I bought a pomegranate

I was determined to make a recipe

Humus sprinkled with pomegranate

Not be that difficult I assumed

But I had no idea how to open it

Watched a YouTube video

Looked so easy

Slice open the top

Peel it off

Seeds spilled into a bowl

Slice along sides

Peel it open like petals

Seeds dropped into a bowl

Looked ever so simple

I took a really sharp knife

Sliced around the top

Everything was looking good

I pulled off the top

It took some effort

The top popped off eventually

Pomegranate seeds shot in all directions

On the walls, floor and ceiling

All over my clothes too

Hardly any dropped into the bowl

I went onto the petal slicing stage

It seemed to be working better

Until I pulled the petals back

Then I detonated a pomegranade

Red blood seeds flying through the air

Instant massacre movie scene

Without the Valentine’s day machine guns

Hours of wiping and cleaning

But the blood red stains persisted

No need for forensic magic lighting

The kitchen was permanently blood stained

So was my reputation

And hardly any seeds made it to the bowl

They should rename that video how to explode a pomegranade

Happy human glue making day*

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glue is such a fascinating substance

take a walk down the adhesives aisle at a hardware store

there are glues for joining almost anything to anything

wood glue, plastic glue, metal glue, glass glue..

but there is one glue that you just can’t buy

its never been manufactured

its human glue, the stuff that bonds people together

the stuff that keeps friendships going

the stuff that creates long lasting relationships

so if it can’t be bought then how do you find human glue

you have to make it yourself

unfortunately there is no human glue recipe book

yet there are some well researched ingredients

if you want to have more meaningful relationships

here are the ingredients you should assemble

Availability

being there for somebody

making time for them

showing up at the promised time

answering calls or texts promptly

………………

Vulnerability

taking that big step beyond small talk

sharing your feelings fears and phobias

opening up about traumas in your life

trusting somebody enough to open up your soul to them

………………………

Communication

learn the art of listening

repeat back what you think they said

take note of non-verbal signs like expressions and body language

……………………..

Physicality

touch

intimacy

either platonic or non platonic

everybody needs a hug

……………………..

Empathy

learn how to feel another persons emotions

understand what they are going through

let them know you understand their feelings

…………………………….

Love

learn how to value another person’s well being or happiness above your own

share your feelings and emotions of attachment, affection and need

…………………………

Once you assemble all the ingredients, go out into the world and find somebody to practice with

be aware that human glue can be messy

sometimes it comes unstuck

some folks are wary of it

but nobody is allergic to human glue

keep trying and eventually it will work

happy human glue making day

Dream Controller*

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My memory stretches back over sixty five years

I rarely think of childhood days while awake

But when sleeping I am a kid again

Happily playing games in a schoolyard that no longer exists

Hard to remember that first day of school while awake

Big buildings and noisy playgrounds

details are filed somewhere in my head

Teachers voices so clear in my dreams

They said I would never achieve anything in life

Their words motivated me to prove them wrong 

I like to walk on beaches 

Roaring waves fill my ears

Those teenage years living by the sea

Can only be relived vividly during slumber

Long days playing on sandy beaches

Catching fish for dinner

Three score since my first love

Her sweet smiling face so close in my dreams

Filling my heart with joy and passion

I dare not ask if still utter her name in my sleep

My university degree was almost fifty years ago

I have dreams about those final exams

Waking in a cold sweat of worry

Why does my mind go back there at night

Sixty five years supporting Liverpool Football Club

Early days watching games in packed stadiums

Today’s players fill my wide screen TV 

I score the winning goal nightly in bed

As a boy I dreamed of racing cars

In my twenties I owned a racing mini cooper

I won a race in 1980

I often see that checkered flag waving at 3 AM

While sleeping last night I held my new born baby girl

Watching her first breath in awe

She is a grown woman now

With her own baby 

My son is living the music city dream

Performing in Nashville

He dreams of being a rock star

He is still a happy playing five year old boy in my dreams

More than thirty years since my father passed

His face and Scottish brogue are fond memories

We still have great conversations today

Interrupted so rudely by my alarm clock

Over twenty years since losing my mother

Her love lives on in my heart

In troubled times she visits me

Those dreams more real than today

It’s so much fun to wake up 

Next to the girl of your dreams

Recounting our last night’s adventures

That she did not know of because she was sleeping

I am living my dream life now

Filling my days with activities I want to do

Having adventures that were once only dreams

Surrendering my nighttime thoughts to the dream controller

Air*

Ian Hunter1 Comment

air

still air

need new air 

blow winds blow

freshen up this stale air

bring me new air from afar

air that has touched many faces

air full of ghosts from forgotten times

air that was exhaled by giant whales in the ocean

air that kept aloft majestic eagles soaring over mountains

air that once filled hot air balloons drifting silently at sunrise

air that was used to speak the most famous speeches

air that pushed sailing ships to new discoveries

air from the first breath of a baby

mysterious air

silent air

air

Double stubble trouble

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I have never grown a beard

Often daydreaming of having one

Being released from the daily chore of shaving

No more razor nicks and bloody faces

I want a long flowing beard

Like a ZZ Top rock star

It will be my manly badge of honor

Opening new doors for me

Acting in craft beer commercials

Hired for Santa jobs at Christmas

I will bond with other bearded men

Get some ugly massive tattoos

Buy a Harley Davidson

But what about my balding head

Should I still shave that daily

Or let the non-balding parts grow wild

To match my grizzly facial hair

Perhaps a braided pony tail

The possibilities are endless

There is however one big obstacle

Something of a major beard roadblock

If I skip shaving for a single day

My stubble feels incredibly irritating

I have on a very few occasions

Reached a second day without shaving

That double stubble becomes unbearably itchy

It inevitably never gets grown into a third day

Nothing like a smooth shaved face

I guess I will never be a craft beer TV star

ZZ Top will never ask me to join their band

I will not be wearing a red suit and frightening children at Christmas

Harley Davidson sales will plummet

Tattoo parlors will go out of business

Now is the time to buy stock in razor blade manufacturers

No more double stubble trouble

Woodpecker headache*

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I heard the woodpecker tapping the tree

his rhythmic drumming rang through the forest

I stealthily walked towards the noise

pausing every time he took a break from hammering

I knew he was close by when the noise got louder

struggling to get a visual location on him

I searched higher in the trees and eventually spotted him

dressed in his best tuxedo outfit

sporting a ridiculous bright red Mahican haircut

clinging firmly to the tree bark

jack hammering a hole into the trunk in search of a tasty grub 

all that hammering must be damaging his woodpecker brain

I tried to imagine what his life was like

he probably goes to the woodpecker doctor

complaining about persistent woodpecker headaches

the doctor lectures him about limiting his woodpecker pecking time 

no more than forty woodpecker minutes a day

or you will end up with permanent woodpecker brain damage

try foraging on the ground like all the other birds

and you should give up smoking too

the woodpecker nods a fake approval as the doctor writes a woodpecker prescription

he pops a few woodpecker headache pills and flies back to a tree trunk

he spends the rest of the day hammering holes in search of a snack

then goes out drinking that evening with his woodpecker buddies

telling tall woodpecker tales of the enormous grubs he uncovered today

he rejects a woodpecker cigarette saying he has quit smoking

his woodpecker buddies make fun of him

he orders another woodpecker beer and then starts smoking again

the next morning he wakes up with a huge woodpecker hangover

he lays in bed smoking a woodpecker cigarette while checking his woodpecker emails

swallowing a double dose of woodpecker headache pills before flying to the nearest tree

his woodpecker brain rattles as he hammers away in search of his woodpecker breakfast

So I figured out how this woodpecker lives his life

I am getting a woodpecker headache just watching him