Sometimes things do not go as planned
The unexpected turns up
Or somebody lets you down
Its OK to be annoyed
But not for long
You have to move on
Find a way to fix it
Before it consumes you
Nil bastardo carborundum
That is urban Latin
Look it up
I remember so well our first dance
That led to our steamy romance
It started with a mundane conversation
Your voice gave me a strange sensation
Your words were dancing in my ear
Your intentions became ever so clear
I led you to the crowded dance floor
A place you had been many times before
The rhythmic squeezing of your hand
Totally in tune with the band
Your feet were smoothly gliding
Your inhibitions no longer hiding
Our bodies twisting and turning
My heart beat out the yearning
The evening flew by ever so fast
I wanted it to forever last
Then came the last slow number
Your head on my shoulder in a mock slumber
Your breath felt like fire on my neck
Your lips planted a discernible surrendering peck
My grip on your waist went tighter
We both knew this would be an all nighter
Food
Thoughts
Food for thought
Thought for food
For thought food
For the love of food
For the food of love
Love of the food thoughts
Thinking about the food you love
Thinking about the love you feed with food
Feeding your thoughts about your lover and food
Knowing that your food will be loved forever in your thoughts
Forever thinking of your lover feeding your loving food thoughts
Your thoughts of love can be everlasting just like your appetite for food
If you don’t eat you get hungry for food but you can still love somebody
If you stop loving you might lose your appetite for for food without feeling hungry
If you and your lover share the same love of food then you will never go hungry for food or love
Somebody knocks at your door
They know you are home because they can see you inside your house
You go to the door and see a man there but decide not to open it because you do not recognize him
You are now both looking at each other through a window next to the door
He points to the door gesturing a request for you to open it, you write down a note
“what do you want?” and hold it to the window
He reads it and writes a note back “I am your new neighbor”
You write another note “hi nice to meet you” and he writes “can you do me a favor please”
You make him wait ten minutes and hold up another note “what do you want?”
He writes “your car is blocking my driveway, is there any chance you could move it please”
To be sure he is genuine you go back inside and look up home sales to verify the house next door recently changed hands
Then you go upstairs to take a look if your car is indeed blocking his driveway
All this time the guy is waiting outside your door
You eventually go back and write him a note “ I need to find my keys, I will be there in a few minutes”.
Forty minutes later you open the door and introduce yourself to your new neighbor.
This all sounds ridiculous but we do it all the time with cellphones
Screening the caller ID before we decide whether to answer or pausing before responding to a text
Remember the good old days when you always tried to answer a call before three rings?
Before smart phones, If you called somebody on a land line you had a very high expectation of actually talking to a person at the other end
Today everybody has a smart phone in their pocket but its so much harder to speak to them
Imagine how it feels for somebody to see you posting on Facebook while you ignore their calls and texts
Perhaps we consider paying a thousand dollars for a smartphone a worthwhile investment because it comes with a free bad manners App
her face was at the window
watching the rain gently fall
counting the raindrops on the glass
watching them slowly slide down
she wished you were inside one
wondering why it all went wrong
wishing she could turn back time
suddenly your face appeared in a raindrop
pressing her hand to the window
hoping you would feel her love
praying you would stay a while
she watched you slip away
her tears chased after you
you never looked back
she had lost you forever
He woke up in a cold sweat
It was pitch black
He did not know where he was
Frantically searching his memory
Unable to recall anything of the evening before
He felt slightly groggy
Concluding he had been drugged
He stepped out of bed
Stumbling around the room
Eventually finding a light switch
The blinding light hurt his eyes
After a few moments he could see
Bloodstains all over the wall
Dark red blood on the bed cover
Blood stains on his hands and shirt
He went to the bathroom to clean up
Discovering a lifeless body in the bathtub
A large knife embedded in her chest
He ran to the door but it was locked
The windows were all bolted shut
Shutters outside prevented him looking out
He broke the legs off a chair
Binding them with strips torn from the bedsheet
Wedging the bundle between the handle and door frame
The bedside table was heavy enough to smash down onto the wedge
The door frame exploded open allowing him to step outside
He came across man in a white coat holding a clipboard and a stop watch
The man looked up and said you set a new record James at 2 minutes 42 seconds
He realized it was all a training exercise for his new job in MI6
The fake corpse walked out of the bathroom and winked at him
Beautiful lake
Still waters
Resting in peace
Boy despises calm nature
Intent on disruption
Launches a pebble
Ripples race to the shore
Reflected mountain shimmers
Wind woken up
Waves melt reflected mountain
Mountain unimpressed
Boy throws another pebble over the surface
Bouncing over the waves
Hopping smaller distances with every rebound
Pebble swallowed by a wave
Lake is not amused
Mountain fumes
Pebbles annoyed
Clouds get angry
Boy picks up another pebble
Sky turns black
Raindrops fall in an angry hiss
Lake surface boils with rage
Soaked boy clutching pebble
Thunder roars
Lightening crackles
Wind howls
Boy afraid
Suddenly the rain stops
Empty clouds drift away
Wind dies down
Setting sun glows red
Spilling its blood into the lake
Boy hesitates
Decides not to toss pebble
Fearing more retaliation
Discarding pebble on shore
Smiling sun sets
Mountain shrugs
Clouds giggle
Wind sighs
Pebbles chuckle
Lake snores
Soggy boy trudges home
Nature won
Useppa Island
Fancy name
Near Sanibel
Sort of
Sandbar origin
No bridges
Too far
Boat required
Inhabited today
Nobody local
Money required
Mostly humans
Private island
Exclusive club
Not public
Members only
Costly join
Invited guests
Feel grateful
Paradise found
Previously lost
Small houses
Expensive land
Hideaway homes
Seasonal occupants
Some manicured
Preppy owners
Others secluded
Off grid
Pretty flowers
Ugly leaves
Big trees
Small paths
Secluded beaches
No roads
Golf carts
Walking trails
Breathtaking views
Tiny museum
Tennis court
Helicopter pad
Collier Inn
Harborside bar
No nightclub
Cute place
Been there
Got T-shirt
Very expensive
No return
Useppa unzipped
The internal combustion engine
Once the king of traveling machines
Is soon to be an old relic
Replaced by electric motors
Overtaken by hydrogen fuel cells
Future generations will look back
At the golden era of pistons and carburetors
With the same nostalgia we hold for steam engines today
We will remember the glorious roar of the V8
The throaty exhausts of open wheel race cars
Yearn for the sweet smell of hot oil
Marvel at the skills of those who maintained them
We will no longer be driving cars or piloting planes
Vehicles will become autonomous taxis
Hailed by your smart device
Taking you to your destination quietly
Without polluting the planet
Or plundering its fossil fuel reserves
Cars will morph into driverless pods of all sizes
Either flying or speeding along designated tracks
Small ones for a couple of people
Medium sizes for families and groups
Mass transit will take the commuters
Drones will deliver to your door everything you need
Cars buses trains and planes will all integrate
Nobody will ever have to steer or hit the brakes
You will engage in work or entertainment while traveling
Perhaps watching movies about old combustion engines
Wondering how people ever controlled those relics
Children will study the history of transportation
Flipping through images of horse drawn vehicles
Watching videos of hissing steam trains
Turning the page of the internal combustion engine
A middle aged man in banner painted lycra walks the halls
Wheeling his bright red bicycle to the elevator
His lumpy cleated shoes tap dance
Announcing his presence loudly
He leans on his two wheel walking stick
This crazy walker is like a fish out of water
Speeding downward in the elevator
Emerging at ground level into the parking lot
Anti covid mask is bagged and stashed into a back pocket
Nestling with keys and sugar laden snacks
A strong leg is thrown over the cross bar
Straddling the tamed beast for a ceremonial moment
Adjusting the visor on his helmeted head
Cranking the left pedal backwards
Till his foot is near the ground
A resounding click welds his shoe to the pedal
A slight crank primes his muscles for takeoff
Man and bicycle are now welded together
The beast lurches forward as his right shoe clicks in
Hands push down on the odd shaped bars
Palms resting on the hoods of the infrequently used brake levers
Padded shorts rise skyward to meet the ridiculously high razorblade seat
Arms stretched out into the wind
A small computer on the handlebar displays his progress
Speed and heart rate rise in unison
Whilst pedal rpms stay constant
Gear changes are fully electronic on this high tech machine
The skin tight costume refuses to flap in the wind
Every nut and bolt on his bike has been trimmed for weight
The featherlight carbon fibre frame mimics airplane wings
Slipping through the reluctant air softly
The middle aged man flies low at 25mph
It will be a short 30 mile ride today
The computer reminds him to hydrate every 15 minutes
He pedals hard up the bridge to Key Biscayne
Rolling back down at 40mph
He meets a group to ride in formation
Pulling hard at the front for a mile
Before dropping to the back for a tow
He takes a rest stop at Virginia Key beach
A long gulp of coconut water washes down the sugary energy gel
Snapping a photo of his ride to share with his friends in the frozen north
One more loop with the group at maximum effort
Then its a gentle cruise back home
Click clack down the halls of the high rise
Wheeling his red machine back to his condo
The beast rests while he showers and recuperates
Another day another ride
Cheeky Monkey Poetry 