Author: Ian Hunter

I retired from the energy business in 2014 and started writing poetry. At first I shared my writing with family and friends. Then I set myself a challenge to write a poem every day for a year. After meeting that goal I just kept going and started this blog in 2021. I hope you enjoy reading my poems. Remember happiness is just a state of mind and poetry is great nourishment.

the price of home grown food

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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

the world can wait for me tomorrow

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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

The golden age of travel is long gone

Ian Hunter1 Comment

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

My Manhattan

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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

Water wind and light

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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

Flat Earthers

Ian Hunter1 Comment

I had a brief encounter with FaceBook

for a few years I was part of this community

collecting friends and liking their posts

but then I became disillusioned

I did not appreciate the way my feed was being manipulated

algorithms were deciding what I should see

with the sole objective of keeping my attention

so they could push more ads into my feed

at first I just stopped posting but then I stopped reading

next I deleted facebook from my phone and computer

eventually I closed my account

it was a great relief to break free

now I make my own choices of what to see

its not just FaceBook that uses algorithms

YouTube does the same thing

using artificial intelligence to determine what keeps you interested

this might be harmless for the majority of the population 

but its a different story for individuals with strange beliefs

without social media these people generally remain isolated

they typically browse the internet for conspiracy theories

algorithms feed them more conspiracies 

eventually they latch onto one like believing the earth is flat

these individuals find comfort in joining a community of flat earthers

research has shown that most flat earthers stumbled upon the conspiracy via social media

what kind of world are we creating for our children and grandchildren?

Fire pit

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fire pit 

hypnotic attraction

dancing flames

changing patterns

bright colors 

intoxicating heat 

crackling fire 

billowing smoke

sit close

feel heat

smell burning

watch flames

bring friends

drink wine

play music

sing songs

feed fire

tell stories

tall tales

nocturnal ritual

totally spiritual

fire dies

flames subside

heat gone

wine finished

bed time

fall asleep

vivid dreams

dancing flames

satanic rituals

virgin sacrifice

burning flesh

evil spirits

wake up

cold sweat

burning aroma

smell clothes

smoke reek

collateral damage

wash everything

dreams forgotten

fire pit

Lets play ball in the park

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a boy walked down a busy city street

staying very close to his mother

clutching the ball tightly

on their way to play in the park

cars buses and trucks noisily sped by 

the boy was oblivious to the traffic

his mind was fixed on playing ball in the park

his mother took a call on her cell phone

the ball slipped from the boys hands

he stopped walking as the ball went down

it struck his foot and bounced up in an ark

the ball was heading for the road

everything went into slow motion

the boy reached out towards the ball

he was stepping towards the road

his eyes focused solely on the ball

his mother was talking on the phone

but for some reason her instincts kicked in 

she spun round and saw the ball in the air

and her son following it towards the road

she lurched towards the boy

grabbing the hood of his coat

pulling him back away from the road

they both spun round and fell in a heap

as they sat on the sidewalk 

they both watched the ball in slow motion

it bounced once in the road

then landed under the wheel of a passing truck

a loud bang signaled its total destruction

the shredded remains smashed into the road

the boy looked deep into his mothers eyes

they went shopping for a new ball

A recipe for making memories with good friends

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Taking fresh the scallops from the fridge

Rinsing them before gently patting dry

Delicately seasoning with salt and fresh ground pepper

Squeezing the juice from a whole orange

Cutting another into thin slices

Shaving the zest off the orange peel

Peeling a few cloves of garlic

Heating a well loved cast iron frying pan

Adding a splash of extra virgin olive oil

Waiting until the oil is super hot

Tossing in the scallops quickly 

Listening to the rapid sizzle

Searing them quickly on both sides

Pulling them out to set aside

Tossing in the garlic and browning it

Stirring in a few shots of rum

Deglazing the pan as the alcohol burns off

Adding the orange juice and a chunk of butter

Sprinkling in the orange zest

Turning down the heat as it reduces

Putting the scallops back in for a few seconds

Adding a few chili flakes for good measure

Scooping everything into a beautiful serving dish

Adding a dash of orange zest just for fun

Decorating with chopped parsley and orange slices

Squeezing a fresh lemon over the entire dish

Serving to smiling happy faces

Bringing rice and vegetables to the table

Pouring a fine wine in acute anticipation

Breathing in the exploding citrous aroma

Taking that first bite with eyes almost closed

The party in the mouth begins

Soft fleshy scallop meat with seared edges

Dancing with the juicy citrus orange sauce

The garlic and chili flakes demand to be noticed

Chewing releases more flavors

The wine starts flowing and the conversation flows faster

Making memories with good friends

where did the silence go

Ian Hunter1 Comment

Sometimes you just want silence

Escape from all the noise

Turn off the radio

Close all the windows

Lower the blinds

As you get closer to silence

Even the quietest noise becomes deafening

Clock ticks like a drum

Airplanes scream from the skies

The phone rings like a firehouse alarm bell

Somebody is hammering next door

Its not going to work

Fill the bath with water

Put in earplugs

Submerge your head

Noise still travels through water

Strange muffled sounds but still no silence

Desperate to breathe

You consider your options

Drown in the bathwater

Or drown in the intense noise outside

You wait until your lungs are imploding

Your breath sounds like a hurricane

Loud noises fill your head

Close your eyes and it gets louder

You decide on a new strategy

Stop listening and ignore all the noises

It works for a short while

Until your thoughts start shouting inside your head