we like to hold hands when we walk
it keeps us connected
striding at the same pace
we take turns to squeeze
our silent invisible caress
I squeeze the hardest
to remind her I am the boss
she squeezes the longest
to let me know she is really in charge
we squeeze together
to be as one
walking
holding
squeezing
loving
Sometimes we get into bad habits in our relationships
Not checking in with each other often enough
Allowing bad communication to create conflict
Bickering at each other instead of discussing solutions
Relationships need regular maintenance
Working on things does not mean they are broken
Just like cars need servicing and homes need TLC
The problem is that its ever so easy to neglect your relationship maintenance
It only takes a few minutes to check in with each other once a week
Put it on your calendar as a weekly event
Pick a subject that needs resolving
Try to reach a mutually agreeable compromise
Then agree which aspect of your relationship you will work on next
Giving you both time to think things over
Follow your successful check in meeting with a date night
It will make that date night so much more enjoyable
Long lasting love requires persistence to keep it on the boil
Alice sent the selfie with three heart emojis
the detective said the gang will be checking the metadata now to verify your location
a few minutes later the gang called the bank to verify the wire transfer
the call was picked up at police HQ
the skilled operator pretended to be from the bank
he was stalling to keep the call open as long as possible
Alice was surprised that the caller sounded just like her
and equally surprised that she answered all the bank security questions
the patrolling SWAT team locations were on a huge screen
soon the police traced the calling cell phone
they dispatched the nearest SWAT team
who arrived minutes later to arrest the entire gang
They also arrested satellite teams who were roaming in vans
printing out stolen ATM cards and withdrawing cash
the detective thanked Alice for her help
he said they had been trying to catch this gang for months
Alice wanted to understand how the gang got all her information
the detective explained how they work
Dave is an experienced actor and con artist
he targeted you as a wealthy single woman
while you were dating Dave he was recording all your conversations
to build up a voice profile database
the gang used that with some sophisticated software to call your bank
Dave got to know you well enough to answer the bank security questions
Dave probably used your computer sometime with your permission
he then installed spyware to record all your keystrokes
when the boys came they accessed the spyware to obtain all your passwords
the wire transfer requests came from your computer to make them appear authentic
the boys probably copied your credit cards while you were asleep
do not feel bad said the detective many people have fallen victim to this gang
luckily we got them before they they stole all your money
Alice declared she was done with online dating
the detective asked Alice to gather her bank statements and credit cards
he then called his superior at police HQ
I am bringing in a victim of ongoing identity theft
we need the incident room with comms IT forensics and the bank fraud squad
make sure you bring your cell phone said the detective
Alice jumped into the police car and they went lights and sirens
the detective received a radio message from HQ
operation stingray is launched and three SWAT teams mobilized
upon arrival at Police HQ they rushed to the incident room
it was packed with about thirty people and banks of computers
the detective handed the credit cards and bank statements to different groups
he asked Alice to hand over her mobile phone to the comms team
the detective sat a command post with multiple monitors
within minutes he was briefing Alice on his team findings
the gang have made multiple charges on your credit cards
your phone has been hacked and cloned
they have successfully completed a modest wire transfer
that was just a test and a $5000,000 wire transfer request is pending
we now have your bank on the line
they will give us control of the wire transfer authorization call
an operator in a sound proof booth made the call pretending to be the bank
the detective told Alice it will be to your cell phone but this one will not ring
because they are forwarding your calls to another cellphone in their possession
the call went to VM and the operator left a call back message
the detective told Alice to standby
the gang will want to be sure she had not gone to the police yet
a few minutes later Alice got a text from Dave
Hey how is it going….the boys told me you went out
text him back saying you are at the mall said the detective
Dave responded with I miss your smiling face Alice please send me a selfie now
the detective led Alice to a green backdrop to take a selfie
the IT guys added a background and changed the metadata to match the mall location
Alice was trying to understand it all
why would Dave tell her he was visiting an injured relative
then move out of his home
leaving his boys with her
sorry it looks like your boyfriend has done a runner
said the man at Daves house
he seemed like a nice guy and a great tenant
he paid me his rent in cash every month
how long had he been living here asked Alice
only two months but he paid me an extra month before leaving
that means he rented the place after we first met thought Alice
she drove home fast to check on the boys
there was no sign of the them and their belongs were gone
she noticed the place smelled of cleaning products
stepping outside to look for the boys
she saw a neighbor working in his yard
have you seen two boys leaving the house she asked
yes they left with suitcases a while ago
than a couple of workmen in hazmat suits went inside with chemicals
I assumed you were having some kind of pest treatment
Alice became very concerned
she called the police to report the missing boys
they came very fast and listened to her story
the officer told her not to touch anything in the house
soon after a detective arrived
he asked her to describe the boys appearance
he nodded when she provided the details
the detective told Alice to listen carefully
we have been searching for this criminal gang for a long time
the boys are sophisticated computer hackers
they have given your bank account login details to the gang boss
we need your cooperation to catch them all emptying your bank accounts
Alice brought the boys inside
just then a text came in from Dave
my brother was in a bad car wreck
I am driving to the hospital to see him
so sorry replied Alice what can I do to help
feed the boys dinner please replied Dave
can they stay with you
I may not be back until tomorrow
she gave the boys dinner
they settled down in front of the TV
there was only one more text from Dave
not looking good so I will stay here tonight
the next morning she made breakfast for the boys
they each had laptops to do schoolwork
the elder boy Jimmy said his laptop was broken
Alice set him up to use her computer
the boys spent all morning doing homework
such great kids thought Alice
not wasting their time on video games
she sent Dave a text but there was no reply
she asked the boys if Dave had said anything to them
dad said he had a family emergency and we were to stay with you
by late afternoon there was still no text from Dave
her calls to him went straight to voicemail
Alice felt something was not right
she decided to drive across town to Daves house
telling the boys she was going to the store and would be back in an hour
she pulled up at his house and saw the front door wide open
she walked inside and the place was totally empty
can I help you said a man at the open door
I am looking for my boyfriend Dave she said
the man told her Dave had loaded a van and vacated the house that morning
Alice starting online dating two years after her divorce
she was almost fifty and very attractive
she was not looking to remarry
companionship was what she wanted more than anything
the vast majority of the men contacting her were much older
many were old enough to be her father
she focussed on those under fifty five
picking out a short list of five
just meet these guys for coffee her friends told her
be pleasant but do not tell them where you live
she followed their advice and met the first guy
he turned out to look nothing like his picture
subsequent dates were equally disappointing
mostly fat lonely old men looking for a younger woman
she had almost given up after four disappointments
then she met the fifth guy Dave
he was fifty two two handsome and charming
his wife had passed away after a long illness
he told her about his two teenage boys
wanting to be sure it was not a dealbreaker for her
Alice had never had children
she had many more dates with Dave
she felt herself falling in love with him
she found his sons to be well behaved and very polite
she asked Dave to bring the boys around for dinner
upon answering the door at the expected time
the two boys were standing there with suitcases
there was no sign of Dave
Where is your dad she asked
the boys just shrugged and handed her a letter
I am sorry Alice but I cannot cope any more
please look after my boys love Dave
I watched the rose grow
it started with a swelling bud
tips of deep red petals emerged
a tantalizing hint of its future beauty
it grew slowly
with stealth and precision
I checked its progress daily
eventually it was proudly in full bloom
a perfect specimen
passing bees paused in amazement
birds perched in awe
clouds parted allowing the sun to take a peek
I cut the rose
placed it in a vase
presented it to my lover
deliciously sweet scent
delicate soft silky petals
so cute to look at
beautiful in every way
just like her
the red rose
On the west coast of Florida
I sat outside by the dock early one morning
A hot cup of tea by my side
The low sun donated a temporary pink hue to the fluffy white clouds
The light breeze danced on the water to make tiny ripples
Birds sang their daily dawn chorus
No sign of human activity
It was my time to be alone with nature
I watched an egret stepping through the shallows
Stealthily searching for sustenance
Just like all other animals
Food water and shelter are their essential yet simple needs
Animals have no need to be fed news 24/7
They have no stress induced by pandemic worries or politics
I wondered what it would be like to have the mind of an animal
Suddenly I saw a big splash in the water
A dolphin surfaced close to the dock
He was probably feeding on small fish
Surfacing again about ten feet from me
We made eye contact briefly
It was long enough for us both to size each other up
I am sure he was thinking about me
Wondering what this human was doing up so early
He swirled around and leapt up high
Slapping his tail on the surface with a loud crack
It was his way of saying hi to me
I waved back and smiled next time he surfaced
I am pretty sure he smiled at me before he swam off
He probably went to his pod to tell them about the human who smiled and waved at him
I could not wait to tell everybody about my fabulous start to the day
Hot tea and a wave from a friendly dolphin
Its that time of year
The festivities are over
Put away the Christmas tree
Eat the last of the chocolate gifts
Step on the scales and gasp
Riddle yourself with guilt and remorse
Get back on the diet again
Dust off the exercise machine
Sign up for that gym yet again
Why not make some more resolutions
Do something to save the planet
Reduce your carbon footprint
While you reduce your expanded waistline
But wait there is a huge problem here
A sedentary person breathes out 2.3 pounds of CO2 per day
Vigorous exercise increases this eight fold
Diet and exercise can explode your carbon footprint
If everybody on the planet exercised continuously
It would release 98 Billion tons of CO2 into the atmosphere annually
Best we all stay at home and eat more carbs
Become a responsible citizen and store carbon in your body
Sit on the couch and exhale less often
But what about when you die
Where will all your stored carbon go
Cremation sends it into the atmosphere
Burial is probably a slow release back into the earth
Best you get launched into space
If each rocket has a payload of say 150,000 pounds
That could propel 1,000 dead carbon storage people into space
We will need 56,000 rocket launches a year to keep up with death rate
Hopefully they will have low carbon footprint rocket launchers by then
Cheeky Monkey Poetry 