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.

push yourself and pull those you love along with you

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push yourself

seize opportunities

push yourself

embrace the uncertainty

push yourself

accept the inevitable transient wave of fear

push yourself

acknowledge wrong turns and start over

push yourself

remove objects blocking your path

push yourself

reach your goals

push yourself

bathe in the glory of your achievements

push yourself

avoid long lasting regrets

push yourself

set new goals and keep learning new things

push yourself

collect many beautiful memories

push yourself

and pull those you love along with you

Wild memories

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I bought strawberries 

from a farm stand

bright red ripe fruit

that first bite

brought back memories

of my childhood

picking wild strawberries

one for the basket

two for me

sweet taste of summer

I was a hunter gatherer

foraging for food

in the warm afternoon sun

dirt under my fingernails

leaves in my hair

red stains on my shirt

I was a wild child 

wild strawberries

wild summer days

wild memories

Goal Recipe

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Serves:  You and those you love

Ingredients: dreams, passion, plans, enthusiasm, courage, conviction, self belief

start with a dream

a really big bold dream

stir in a heap of passion to convert your dream into a well defined goal

next make the plans to forge the path towards your goal

stay enthusiastic and work diligently towards your goal

do not wander off the path when the going gets tough

if things do not work out

hit the reset button with courage and conviction

above all maintain your self belief

once achieved

serve with pride

The one night stand

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about thirty years ago

I answered the phone at home

a woman introduced herself

she asked me to confirm my name

I did so without hesitation

then she dropped a bombshell

I am your daughter

there was a long silence

I asked her if this was a joke

I am deadly serious she replied

my mother told me your name 

and the nightclub where you met her

I have been searching for you for months

I would like to meet you in person

get to know you as my father

I had no recollection of meeting her mother

but I had been to that nightclub in my younger days

I asked for more details 

my mother said it was a one night stand

she never saw you again

she made no attempt to find you

decided to bring me up by herself

keeping your name a secret

until her deathbed a few months ago

my mind was racing

could I possibly be her father

did I have a one night stand long ago

with her now departed mother

that I have since forgotten about

I broke out into a cold sweat

How could I ever explain this to my family

how will my wife react to this news

will this woman look like my kids all

will they bond with their half sister

when can we meet she asked excitedly

I was hesitant and tried to buy some more time

tell me more about yourself I asked

she said she lived alone

worked as a nurse in ICU and liked to go hiking

I asked her age

then with some quick mental arithmetic

I broke the news to her

I am sorry I could not possibly be your father

because I am only eleven years older than you

there was a long silence

she said sorry and hung up crying

I wonder if she ever found her real father

82 years of moons over Miami

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1941- THE MOVIE

Moon Over Miami is a musical film directed byWalter Lang, with Betty Grable and Don Ameche in leading roles and co-starring Robert Cummings, Carole Landis, Jack Haley and Charlotte Greenwood. It was adapted from the play by Stephen Powys.

Circa 2009- THE MEAL

At the end of night out on the town in Maryland with a bunch of friends, somebody suggested we go to Denny’s. I am not sure if it was a late dinner or a 3am breakfast but one thing stood out on the menu- Moons over my Hammy – Ham and scrambled egg sandwich with Swiss & American cheeses on grilled artisan bread. Served with hash browns.  We all ordered this dish. The most memorable thing was when one of our group fell asleep at the table with her head resting on her plate of moons over my hammy

2023- CINCO DE MAYO

A gathering of friends at the Miami Yacht Club listening to live music and celebrating Cinco de Mayo.  Suddenly the moon appeared on the Miami skyline and everybody rushed to take photographs. This scene brought back memories of other moons over Miami

Time was going fast then it slowed down

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Moving home is always stressful

So many things to do and the list keeps growing

Time seems to go faster as the moving date approaches

Its hard to look forward to packing all those boxes 

Just the thought of it fills me with dread

I imagine a condemned man feels the same way about his approaching last meal

There is however some comfort in the inevitability of moving

The boxes will all get filled even if it takes all night

Stuff will somehow get moved on the day

Friends will show up unannounced to help

New neighbors will greet you with gifts of food

You will wake up the day after moving behind a wall of boxes

You will feel overwhelmed at the amount of stuff you have collected

You will vow to declutter and get rid of all your surplus things

Then you will stuff them all in drawers and closets to be hidden until your next move

Moving can also involve unplanned moments of pure joy

While tediously sifting through the contents of a drawer to be packed

I stumbled upon the watch that my mother bought for me many years ago

As I held the watch I could hear her soothing voice

I saw that beautiful loving smile on her face when she gifted it to me

The watch started ticking in the palm of my hand

Reminding me that her love is still alive and ticking inside my heart

Time slowed down when I held that watch

Digital adventures of Laura and Dave -Part 5 Finale

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A little boy was happily playing in the back yard of a small house

His grandfather was sitting on the porch watching over him

The boy pointed to a small gravestone

Hey grandpa please tell me again the story about this grave

The boy listened intensely as he sat on the lap of his grandfather

Well a very long time ago when I was a little boy like you

Aliens made secret visits to the planet earth

They wanted to create new lands for themselves and enslave mankind

To avoid a full scale conflict they devised a way to control everybody

The aliens were able to disguise themselves as humans

They took jobs in companies developing mobile phones

The aliens used their advanced technology to bring us smartphones

The aliens then left earth and waited for the smartphones to take over

Within a decade almost every human had a smartphone

The phones made life much easier for everybody

With a few clicks you could get directions order food or a hail taxi

People stoped talking to each other

Instead they sent messages via their cellphones

The aliens plan was working and they were watching from a distance

Hoping that humans would soon become robots controlled by smartphones

Then the aliens would make a peaceful invasion on earth

Nobody would notice because they would be too busy looking at their phones

But somebody figured out what was going on

Your grandma destroyed her cellphone and then she destroyed mine

She buried them in that grave back there

I almost killed myself trying to replace my broken phone

As I lay in that wrecked car I suddenly realized what was happening to everybody

Your grandma and I started a movement to free humans from cellphone control

We went on lecture tours and organized seminars 

People followed us and started talking again

The art of letter writing became popular 

Governments passed strict laws controlling the use of artificial intelligence

Social media companies lost all their clients and went bankrupt

Smartphones were replaced by dumb phones 

Humans regained control over their lives

The aliens gave up and looked for other planets to conquer

Laura came to the door and asked who wants home made ice cream 

I do yelled the boy as Dave carried him inside 

Digital adventures of Laura and Dave – Part 4

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Dave tried to open the washing machine

But the door was locked mid cycle

He hissed at Laura who instinctively backed away

He went out to the garage

Returning with a large sledgehammer

Smashing the glass door to retrieve his phone 

Soapy water spilled onto the kitchen floor

He tried to turn it on but the broken screen would not light up

He hurled it against the wall in rage

Laura cowered in the corner

Dave turned to her and said this is your last chance now 

Either you with me to buy us both new phones or we are done

Laura was too afraid to speak

She slowly shook her head and waited in fear

Dave walked out and slammed the front door

He drove off fast like a maniac

Knocking over the mailbox in a cloud of dust

After a lifetime of relying on the GPS navigation in his phone

He could not remember how to get to phone store

He tried typing ATT into the car navigation system

But it kept flashing error messages

He desperately tried to reprogram the directions

The car left the road and glanced off a tree

Speeding into a ditch which flipped the vehicle skyward into a rolling spin

He flinched when the car landed upside down in a field 

Laura was cleaning up the mess in the kitchen

She picked up his smashed wet phone and held it lovingly

Recalling all the fun times they had captured with it

She put it in a bag with her own wrecked phone

Wrapping a bright red ribbon around the bag

She dug a hole in back yard and gently placed the bag at the bottom

Carefully covering it with dirt while reciting a burial prayer  

You two brought Dave and I together briefly and you will both lay here eternally

Digital adventures of Laura and Dave – Part3

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Laura did not sleep well that night

Dave snored loudly after drinking too much wine

She tossed and turned until somehow she dozed off

She woke up to see Dave beside her looking at his phone 

It was before dawn and the bright screen lit up his face

Hey look at this dancing cat on Facebook he beamed

Do you like my new avatar Laura

You should see all the comments about us on FaceBook

Jenny even asked if the makeup sex was good

Laura ducked back under the covers

Hoping he would stop talking about his phone

Eventually he announced he was taking a shower

He left his phone at the side of the bed

She seized the opportunity to move it

When he came out of the shower he searched for it

Laura told him she had hidden it

So they could have phone free time together

She held him close and whispered

I feel like we are each married to our phones

And having an affair which our phones condone

We even met through a dating Ap 

Its like our phones planned the whole thing

Lets leave them forever so we can focus on our relationship 

Dave listened patiently then said to her

OK this has gone on long enough

Tell me where you hid my phone please

She led him to the laundry room

The washing machine was in mid cycle

His phone was under water clattering against the drum 

Dave went ballistic

Digital adventures of Laura and Dave- Part 2

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Laura opened the door

Before she could decide what to say

Dave flung his arms around her begging for forgiveness

It felt so good to be held by him again

He asked her if he could move back in

She did not say yes or no

Dave never waited for her answer

He just assumed she would agree

He asked why she had not answered his calls earlier today

Laura had to think fast on her feet 

Now was not the time to tell him everything

She said her phone was in her jeans and got washed by mistake

No worries said Dave we can get you a new one tomorrow 

Do you want to go out to Dinner he asked

As her pulled up their list of favorite restaurants on his phone

Laura felt like Dave really wanted to take his phone out to dinner

She said lets eat at home instead

With a few taps on the screen he ordered Thai food

Oh look Doordash just picked it up 

Dave was glued to his phone

The App says the driver will be here in 7 minutes

Laura felt ignored and neglected

She opened a bottle of wine and poured two glasses

Dave went to the door to meet the delivery guy

He took pictures of their food

Posted them on facebook

He never commented on the food itself

He just looked at his phone while eating

He drank the wine without thanking her for it

Laura thought the food was cold and bland

Dave never bothered to ask her if she liked the meal

She was bored and frustrated while she ate 

She refilled their glasses

Dave gulped his down while browsing FaceBook

She wanted to lure him off his phone

After dinner she snuggled up to him

Lets have some intimacy time she whispered

That got his attention fast

But Dave insisted on taking more selfies

Both before and after sex