Category: poetry

unwelcome guests in the garden

Ian Hunter1 Comment

In the golden light of summer

A shimmering army emerges 

Iridescent armor glinting on delicate leaves

like jewels scattered in the garden

Japanese beetles with their lustrous backs

Green and copper buttons dance between petals

A rustling whisper of wings

Ambassadors of the season

Yet unwelcome guests at the banquet of blooms.

They feast on our roses rapidly devouring petals, 

Leaving skeletons of beauty

A carnival of excessive consumption

Their laughter echoing 

In the soft sigh of the breeze

As they twirl and tumble

Oblivious to the gardener’s frown

In their short-lived revelry 

They embody the fleeting reminder

Of the balance between life and decay

The damage to our roses is extensive

War has hereby been declared

We gathered repellent sprays and traps as ammunition

Let battle commence

toast with tea and angels

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Sometimes the simple things in life are the best

Put a slice of fresh bread in the toaster

Spread some real butter on the hot toast

Devour it as the butter starts to melt

Its nowhere near as good when the bread is old

Burnt toast is a carbonized carcinogenic catastrophe 

Fake butter cannot hold a candle to the genuine article

You can never melt butter on stone cold toast

The English are obsessed with making tea correctly

The ritual includes pre-warming the teapot

They brew it for the precise time before pouring

It tastes so much better in a nice china cup

Inexperienced tea makers can easily ruin their drink

Over brewed tea tastes stewed and bitter

Forget to strain the leaves and you will be drinking tea soup

Tepid tea tastes sickly and cannot be resurrected by reheating  

With practice you can learn to make a perfect tea and toast combination

Bite into a crunchy slice of warm toast and taste that creamy butter

Then take a sip of hot tea and pause..repeat….pause…repeat

Now pour a cup of tea for the angel who just appeared beside you

My fridge is my best friend

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I probably don’t give my fridge enough credit

He doesn’t just keep my food fresh

He is actually a true friend 

Always there for me whatever my mood

I love the way my fridge greets me

He lights up every time I open his door

Reliable dependable and comforting

Thats the best kind of friend 

My fridge is never judgmental

Never complains when my leftovers go bad

Never scorns me for eating too much

No roll of his eyes when I take a fourth beer

We hang out sometimes at three in the morning

A cold drink is my insomnia reward

He never complains that I woke him up early

We chat for a while then both go back to sleep

He does not talk to me at breakfast time

Knowing that I like quiet in the mornings

Silently handing me fruit and juices

He patiently waits for me to come alive

I wrench open his door at lunchtime

I am starving so whatcha got for me I yell

He offers me cooked meats and cheese for a sandwich

Asks me how my day is going as I wolf it down

He suggests steaks would be good for dinner

Guarding all my favorite sauces in his door

Offers me a cold beer to drink at the grill

Tells me to save room for a yummy cake he kept for me

When I entertain guests he is very discrete

Don’t serve that crappy white wine he whispers

They will love this fabulous goat cheese he says with a wink

My fridge is my best friend

Early Morning

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Photo by Abdullah Ghatasheh on Pexels.com

its early

Very quiet 

sunday morning

still air

calm waters

light ripples

rising sun

long shadows 

birds singing

short walk

the marsh

observe it

then bond 

with nature

breathe deep

be alone

listen intently 

hear thoughts

contemplate it

hesitate more

Meditate again

Savor it

Before the 

World wakes 

Up today

What shots do you take daily?

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Danielle has type 2 diabetes

To keep her blood sugar level in a safe range

She must take insulin daily 

She no longer has to prick her finger

No more manual blood sugar reading

No daily complicated insulation dose calculations

She now had a device on her arm to monitor her blood sugar

It connects to her phone and a smart insulin pen

automatically setting the exact dose she needs

Her phone alerts her when its time to take her insulin shot

She does not use social media at all

Her phone takes calls and texts

Leaving her alone for most of the day

She is happy, very active and healthy 

Danielle has full control of her life

Emma is not diabetic

With no need to constantly monitor her health

Upon waking she takes a shot of Facebook 

Over breakfast she takes shots of “X”

Thought the day she takes frequent shots of TikTok

Interspersed with shots of Instagram

She adds selfies to her Snapchat shots

Linkedin shots help her dream about a career change

Amazon online shopping is her retail therapy shot

Happy hour shots taken over dinner with her friends on WhatsApp

Climbing into bed clutching her smartphone

Multiple shots of Facebook before falling asleep

Dreaming about all the shots she took that day

She is envious of the other lives she sees on social media

Emma is not really happy and frequently gets depressed

Mostly because she’s not in control of her own life

Emma’s smartphone calls all the shots for her

Power washing

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I live in a world of distractions

alarm clocks siren to wake me

smart phones always at hand

buzzing to signal an email

beeping at an incoming text

playing tunes for news alerts

streaming music to my headphones

ringing when a telephone call comes in for me

the TV flickers with Netflix moves

my laptop brings me live news on a screen

my car beeps to aid me park

flashes to warn me of passing vehicles

navigation voices tell me when to turn left

people I meet ask me questions

hardly ever ever any time for me to stop and think

I spent the entire day yesterday power washing the driveway

slowly moving a wand back and forth

watching the dirt wash away

the only noise was a high pressure pump

its constant tone was soothing

I turned off my cell phone

to spend a day off the grid

alone with my power washer 

nobody came up to talk to me

it was a great time to think

to check in with myself

to give myself a brain dump 

to layout all my problems

to mentally map out the solutions

and wash away all the clutter in my mind

by the end of the day

my driveway was sparkling clean

and my brain had been power washed too

Things are not always as they first seem

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Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

The day started with cloudy skies

Hugging the horizon

Blocking the imminent sunrise

They were dark devious depressing clouds

Where did all the nice clouds go today

Did the black clouds eat them all up

Are they hiding somewhere else

Why are only black clouds visiting me today

Are these black clouds carrying a hidden message

Why is everything so gloomy all of a sudden

I took a photograph to preserve as evidence

To share with others and warn them of the apocalypse

The image was even darker than the sky

I decided to alter the exposure

With a few clicks it got brighter

A few more clicks and the dark clouds became bright

And then it struck me

These clouds are not really that dark at all

They just appear that way in low light conditions

Your imagination does all the rest

The sun just came up

He is adjusting the exposure settings of the sky

The dark clouds magically became lighter

Things are not always as they first seem

The little red soldier

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The fire hydrant stands and waits

A little red soldier at attention

Ready in waiting for a firefighter

To save a home from burning down

Hopefully he will never get used

Except by passing dogs

Never flinches when peed on

He is a tough soldier

Annoyed if cars park too close

He laughs when they get a ticket

The sun and rain beat down on him

His paint is faded and dull

Soon to be repainted bright shiny red

He is looking forward to that

Next time you pass by him

Give him a friendly wave

Say thanks for your service

He will appreciate that