English countryside
East Sussex
Rolling hills
Green fields
Windy roads
Tall hedges
Tiny villages
Local pub
Warm beer
Pub lunch
Good banter
Friendly people
Slow pace
Afternoon stroll
Sunny intervals
Dark clouds
Passing shower
No shelter
Soaking wet
Trudge home
Warm fire
Dry clothes
Feeling hungry
Heading out
Pub food
Fried cod
French fries
Warm beer
Country life
Ideas arrive like small sparks
Not enough to light a fire
But bright enough to to distract you
Some cling to the edges of your thoughts
Thin as spider webs
Trembling with the weight of expectation
Others stagger around aimlessly and fall into oblivion
Ideas do not come with a manual or a tool kit to finish the build
They do not explain themselves
They press against your silence
Asking to be acknowledged
Not seeking approval
Simply wanting recognition
Left untouched they will fade away
Leaving a feint trace
A memory of what might have been
Embraced ideas will sometimes flourish
Especially if you develop them with a passion
Occasionally emerging from the sea of your imagination onto the dry land of reality
Waiting patiently for that inevitable question at a dinner party
And where are you from?
Replying
I was just an idea before
I saw ZZTOP in concert yesterday
my sixth time of seeing them live
the original band members now in their mid seventies
Still sporting long beards and outrageous outfits
most of the 3,000 people in the audience were of similar vintage
the band still play a mixture of southern hard rock and boogie
playing a gruelling 51 shows in their 2025 Elevation tour
celebrating 51 years of playing live music to their fans
they certainly don’t act like tired old men on stage
I can remember so well discovering their music in the late 70’s
I have carried it music with me through good and bad times
every song they played last night brought back razor sharp memories
taking ZZTOP albums to late night boozy college parties
driving my young kids around while playing ZZTOP very loud in the car
loud ZZTOP headphone weekend therapy escaping the stresses of corporate life
mopping while rocking to ZZTOP to liven up boring house chores
wild nights seeing ZZTOP play at packed venues
this was my sixth time seeing them play live
their music is still buzzing in my ears
Thank you ZZTOP for all the fun times
ROCK ON!
Here lies the peaceful Cape
Gulls cry in the salty air
Light dances silver on restless waves
Time slows to the rhythm of the tides
A beauty both wild and gentle
Endles as the horizon
A silent dawn spills gold over the bay
Sturdy dunes protect secluded bays from the mighty Atlantic ocean
Rising whales create rare transient mountains in the sea
A lighthouse keeps its patient watch
Brave fishermen venture out into the ocean
Tourists bask on sandy beaches
Yachtsmen fill their sails with Atlantic gusts
Cottages weathered by wind and salt stand proud
Cedar shake roofs are a welcome perch for resting gulls
The skies of the Cape are wide enough to carry your biggest dreams
….. With balls
The ball is so small, the hole is so far
You swing so hard that you see a star
It hooks, it slices, dives in sand—
Not quite the shot that you had planned
Yet still you smile, though skills are rough
But chasing balls is half the stuff
A perfect drive? A dream you so often recall
But golf is just walking, spoiled with a ball
I saw a meteor shower last night
bright fireballs tumbling low in the sky
it was an awesome sight to behold
the Perseus meteor shower is an annual event
remnants of and old comet hurling chunks of rocks at the earth
like kids throwing pebbles into a lake
scientists say we get 17,000 meteorites a year
that’s a lot of space dust added to all the rocks we already have on earth
the earth is steadily getting fatter day by day
time to put our planet on a diet and exercise plan
otherwise we will spin out of control
a program of rock carrying rocket launches is needed
hurling some of our rocks back into space
like the lake throwing pebbles back towards those kids
its the only way to achieve net zero in stabilizing the mass of our planet
I rode my bike today
A 35 mile ride alongside fields of corn in the eastern shore
I rode with four other experienced local riders in a pace line
With a slight tailwind we rolled along at 20mph on a beautiful Friday morning
Occasionally we sprinted at 25mph
Its very rewarding to train in a group and chat along the way
Camaraderie is priceless and it makes for a fun workout
Upon returning home I hit the “end of ride” button on the bike computer
It responded by telling me it was a high intensity workout and that I should recover over 36 hours
I cleaned up my bike and hung it on the wall like a piece of art
Its carbon fiber frame is ultra light and very strong
Sensors monitor my speed, heart rate, cadence and power
The bike computer automatically uploaded the ride into an App called Strava
Soon I was pouring over the recorded ride data
Comparing my speed, heart rate and power exertion to similar training rides
My times on specific segments showed I was trending faster
A deeper analysis from AI in the App gave me more detailed fitness analysis
My phone has become my personal trainer
It even congratulates me when I train hard
My thoughts wandered back to my first bike back in the 60’s
A heavy steel frame with no bike computer
The only data collection was the time on my watch
Training intensity was measured by the post ride aches in my legs
I had no trainer back then, real or virtual, but I still enjoyed riding
Today my ride analysis even tells me how much carbon I saved the planet by cycling
I often ponder if my riding is more enjoyable because of the added data
A few days ago I found the answer to this question
My bike computer shut down at the start of a ride because I forgot to charge it
I had to ride 35 miles blind with no data screen
Guessing my speed and selecting my gears by feel rather than data
I had no idea if I was exceeding my maximum allowed heart rate
It was basically like a pilot flying without any instruments
I felt robbed of data when I got home
Until I realized that my Apple Watch had silently captured my ride
Surprise surprise when I uploaded the data from my watch
I had ridden faster than usual and my heart rate was not excessive
Maybe I should take more breaks from riding with a data screen
he woke up early
she was still sleeping
the room was completely dark
he tried to go back to sleep
but his mind was racing
dark thoughts filled his head
they refused to go away
eventually dawn came
he went outside as the sun rose
he only saw long dark shadows
the bright sunlight was too much for him
he preferred a darkened room inside
she woke up happy and smiling
she detected his fake happiness despite the long kiss
vowing to rescue him from the dark side
she made breakfast as cool jazz music played
he hid under the covers a while longer
she dragged the covers off and hugged him
pulling him into the light for breakfast
he complained that the toast was burned
she knew he was only looking at a few dark spots
they had breakfast in silence
they both knew this was not sustainable
she told him they were at a crossroads
he took a shower with his eyes closed tight
got dressed with his eyes squinting
reluctantly venturing outside to join her on the patio in full sun
hiding his pain behind thick dark sunglasses
its time to come over to the light side she proclaimed
leave the dark side behind
he surrendered saying tell me what to do
just sit in the chair and relax she replied
she tied him tightly to the chair with soft rope
his eyes were tightly closed
say hello to Mr Sun she whispered as she took off his shades
he slowly opened his eyes and squinted
the sky was deep blue with fluffy white clouds
the grass was emerald green
bright vibrant flowers hugged the edge of the lawn
he pulled lightly on his restraints
slowly he became accustomed to the bright light
he stopped looking for shadows
she untied him and they embraced
her kiss filled his body with bright light
no more darkness in his thoughts
they spent the entire day outside in the bright light
a bike ride along the river bank
laying in a meadow
smooching in the afternoon sun
he felt warm and invigorated
they ate dinner outside in the late evening
he became anxious at sunset
afraid of the dark
she put on all the lights in the house
soon it was bedtime
he was anxious about sleeping
the darkness might reinvade his mind
she gave him a shot of whiskey as they retired
he closed is eyes and awaited the dark demons to attack
they never arrived
his dreams were full of bright lights
no more dark thoughts
rain drops
bountiful crops
floods prevail
crops fail
sun shines
grapes wine
sun bakes
desert makes
wind blows
oxygen flows
wind roars
damage occurs
politician sneezes
stockmarket freezes
dictator talks
investors balk
terrorists attack
markets crash
Profits galore
Markets soar
wife fertile
husband’s smile
new dawn
baby born
butterfly flits
life exists
butterfly tires
plant transpires
butterfly dies
sad goodbyes
my name is Gerry and I am a crow
we are members of the corvid family
my cousins are ravens jays and magpies
us crows are very intelligent birds
smarter than some primates
probably smarter than a lot of humans
if you see us all falling about laughing
its probably over the dumb antics of a human
we do get a bad rap from other birds
I admit that we occasionally steal their eggs
but they always lay plenty more
to be sure their own species survives
crows are despised by humans
they use our name to insult women
we crows are much more civilized
I married Dahlia three years ago
I would never stoop so low to call her an old human
we are a devoted couple and will stay together for life
unlike other birds who are polygamous
you will never see a crow at a bird swapping party
why do so many humans cheat on their partners
no wonder almost half human marriages end in divorce
we crows are civilized and live together in a family group
our sentries keep a lookout for owls and hawks
humans call a group of crows a murder
another example of how rude they can be
we crows use tools to get food
dropping hard shells onto rocks for example
some humans cannot even open a can of beans
humans are so wasteful with their food
we know how to open trashcans to get their leftovers
our ancestors were persecuted by humans
they tried to shoot us all to extinction
crows would never participate in such ethnic cleansing
we got smart and moved to the cities and suburbs
nobody shoots crows in urban areas
we often witness humans shooting each other though
Cheeky Monkey Poetry 