by our special guest author Sam O’Brien
Northern it is
Oranges are grown here in California and Florida
Ranch dressing has been made here
Ten condiments come from here
Hats of cowboys are made here
America is a part of North America
Mexico is below
Everything is big
Red white and blue on the USA flag
I have family here
Canada is above
America has 50 states
I cannot help but stop and look at the majestic seabird
standing at the waters edge like a statue
wings waiting outstretched for a lofty rise
sensing the exact wind speed for stationary gliding
effortlessly climbing up into the breeze
magically suspended over the advancing surf
I see no kite strings keeping him steady
just instinctive adjustments to his wings during flight
his feet drop down as he gently descends
executing a perfect landing in the exact same spot
what a miracle I am seeing
a vertical take-off flying machine with no instrumentation
not designed by engineers computing his aerodynamic profile
no engine for thrust nor electric motors for power
no air speed sensors on his wings
no remote controls to pilot this animal craft
no silicone chips crunching software in his brain
just a majestic seabird playing in the Assateague onshore breeze
I woke up at 6am
intending to write something for Cheeky Monkey
but things got in the way
there were emails to answer
I had to make a hearty breakfast
get my bike ready for the 8am group ride
I decided to write something later
the group ride was so much fun
we decided to extend it to 37 miles
I got home later than I had planned
desperately needing to eat something
I decided to write something later
after wolfing down carbs and taking a ridiculously long shower
laying down to rest and think about what to write
I decided to write something later
falling asleep for a well deserved nap
dreaming about writing something later
my alarm woke me from dreamland
putting me in that twilight zone
where you don’t know where you are or what time it is
then I realized where I was and felt so blessed
giving thanks to be in good health and enjoying life
I briefly thought about writing something
but the football game was about to start on TV
I decided to write something later
the game was very entertaining
Liverpool won 3-0
I watched the recording of the goals over and over
then dashed out to meet friends for happy hour
I decided to write something later
happy hour was more like a happy two hours
then we went for a happy two hour dinner
I decided to write something later
Netflix was calling when we got home
the day was almost over
it was either go to bed or sit at my desk writing
I decided to write something later
determined to create something to write before falling asleep
I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow
waking at 6am in a panic
I had spent a whole 24 hours without writing anything
not even a brief thought about what to write
my guilt was short lived as I forgave myself
it had been a glorious day full of fun and adventure
I decided to write something later
In Miami’s waters Stiltsville stands tall
A cluster of homes defying the squall
Above the waves on stilts they rise
Against the azure they paint the skies
Each wooden abode weathered and worn
Echoes of stories since they were born
Whispers of laughter whispers of tears
Whispers of dreams throughout the years
In the 1950’s this was party central
Offshore bars full of people going mental
The bikini bar served free drinks to
Beneath the sun’s relentless heat
Stiltsville’s spirit will never retreat
In the dance of tides they find their grace
A timeless symbol of resilience in place
Oh Stiltsville Miami’s proud gem
A sanctuary in the ocean’s realm
With each passing day your legacy grows
In the heart of Miami where dreams arose
Sitting on the dock
Still cool air at sunrise
Flat calm water
Gentle humming sound
An approaching boat
Early morning fisherman
Carving up the resting water
Pushing waves to the banks
Sunlight flashing in the ripples
The fisherman waved at me
I waved back
An unspoken gesture of good luck
He headed towards the inlet
His wake slowly fading away
Glass reforming on the surface
An osprey flying by
His mate sitting on the nest
The sun rose higher
I sat in solitude
Bathed in silence
Grateful for another day
The moment belonged to me
Feeling blessed
The silence was ruptured
A loud roar and crash
Trash cans being emptied
The truck engine growled
My meditation rudely ended
Time to face the day
Interact with other humans
Share my world for a while
Until the next sunrise
In his younger days he was very active
Too old now for physical activity
He watches his waking hour sports on TV
Its a completely different story at bedtime
He lays in bed with a laptop
Logs onto the dream machine website
What shall I dream about tonight he ponders
Maybe I will play tennis at Wimbledon
He checks if others have already chosen that option
Recognizing some of his old friends
He selects a doubles game
The other three players acknowledge
All he has to do now is hit start
The chips under his skin do the rest
Picking up signals from the software
He closes his eyes and drifts off to sleep
Soon he is on the center court at Wimbledon
The grass is deep green and its a sunny day
He chats with his friends before starting the game
The ball flashes towards him at great speed
Its a demanding game and he has to work hard
Fast volleys and sprints to the net
He can feel the sweat on his brow
The crowd roars at every winning point
The game goes to five sets
He has to concentrate hard
With tremendous effort he makes the match winning shot
The crowd goes crazy and he lifts the trophy
He wakes up in a cold sweat
Oh my look at you said the nurse mopping his brow
Go back to sleep now while I make you comfortable
She clicks on relaxing massage and spa dreams while he snores
my name is Harry and I am a great blue heron
I live in the marsh near Turville Creek
you might have seen me fishing there
or flying between my favorite spots to hang out
I remember growing up in the nest with my siblings
our parents brought us food every day
We would sing songs and play games in the nest
but when we got big we just got kicked out one day
We had to learn to fly around and catch our own food
now you might think that being a heron is a really cool life
but let me tell you that I face lots of daily challenges
survival in nature requires a lot of hard work and constant vigilance
we used to have this place all to ourselves
but people started building houses all along the coastline
taking up more and more of our homeland
I am very scared of humans and fly away when they get close
when fishing I have to stand very still in the water
its so hard to keep focussed on catching a fish
my mind keeps wandering off and I think about finding a mate and having chicks
then a fish swims by and I am too slow to catch him
the other day I saw this really pretty girl heron
she flew into the pool near me and started preening her feathers to attract me
I pretended not to notice her and with massive concentration caught a huge fish
I held it in my beak for her to see and she came close
she looked at me with those big beautiful hungry eyes
I gave her the fish and said you can have it hoping it would lead to sex
she just took it and flew off without even a kiss or a thank you
I caught no more fish that day and went to sleep hungry
the next day I got chased off the water by those bald eagle thugs
then that girl heron showed up again and wanted to get all friendly
I was not interested in her teasing game so I said to her “bugger off and find your own dinner!”
I am the tall lanky lonely horny hungry sex starved great blue heron with an attitude
what time is it
time to wake up
what time is it
time to get up
what time is it
time to shower
what time is it
time to get dressed
what time is it
time to eat breakfast
what time is it
time to go to work
what time is it
time to eat lunch
what time is it
time to go home
what time is it
time to eat dinner
what time is it
time to watch TV
what time is it
time to brush teeth
what time is it
time to sleep
what time is it
time to dream
what time is it
stop asking me
what time is
stop asking
what time is
its the
what time
end
what
now
wha
no
wh
I
w
I can remember when you just plugged in a TV
and placed an antenna on top
in those days we only had two channels
deciding what to watch was easy
today our smart TV and internet comes via cable
we have thousands of channels
and the ability to play music throughout the house
I wonder if the extra choice is enriching my life
of course this is no longer plug and play
we have seven electronic boxes in a media cabinet
routers bridges amplifiers switches and modems
all linked by miles of spaghetti wiring
lights wink at me when I open the cabinet
some flashing blue others white and green
I have no idea what they are telling me
I wonder if they stop winking when the cabinet door is closed
There was a knock at the door
Mary opened it and smiled
It was her best friend Jane
She had not seen her in a long time
They hugged like there was no tomorrow
Tears rain down their cheeks
They were both gasping for breath
Eventually they untangled from their long embrace
Mary stood back to look at her friend
It had been three years since she last saw her
Jane looked exactly the same
They went inside holding hands
They sat on the sofa in silence looking at each other
Loving eyes talking to each other
Not daring to blink
In case this was a dream that might evaporate
They talked non stop catching up
Lots of adventures to share
A few tears shed but lots of laughter
The wine flowed freely
So why did you come back now asked Mary
Jane started to cry
Mary tried to console her friend
She just sobbed incessantly
Eventually Jane gained her composure
I came back to see my sister
Who would that be asked Mary
YOU! sobbed Jane as broke down again
I found that we were both adopted from the same mother
Mary looked at her anxiously and said
I had better cancel the blind date I had set up for you
It was with your new brother
Cheeky Monkey Poetry 