Moving slowly
Silent footsteps
Stealth
Patience
Caution
Purpose
Not a hunter stalking his prey
Just me getting up early in the morning
Making a cup of tea
trying not to wake the wife
Lightly tapping the keyboard
Writing ever so quietly
The silence is almost deafening
Words whisper onto the screen
They will not shout out when read
Best read in a quiet place
Savored moments
Peace shared
Enjoy the silence
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
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
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
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?
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
In the heart of summer lies a meadow so grand
Where wildflowers bloom and butterflies prance
The sun shines bright gently warming the land
As nature puts on a glorious vibrant dance
The grass sways gently in the warm breeze
A symphony of green and gold
The air filled with the buzzing of bees
Nature’s beauty to behold
Birds sing sweetly from the trees
Their melodies filling the air with natural sounds
A harmonious chorus that carries on the breeze
An orchestral delight to entertain these grounds
The meadow is alive with colors so bright
Purples, yellows, reds, and blues
A masterpiece painted in the soft light
A canvas of nature’s vibrant hues
Children laugh and play in the meadow so inviting,
Running through the fields of pure green grass
Their joyous shouts explode like thunder and lightening
A picture of innocence you could never surpass
As the sun begins to set in the west
Casting a golden shroud over the meadow
Nature’s beauty at its very best
A sight that will forever in your mind’s eye echo
In the summer meadow time stands still
A moment of peace and tranquility
A place where nature works its will
A sanctuary of harmony and serenity
So here’s to the summer meadow so sweet
A place of beauty and grace
Where nature’s wonders all meet
A precious enchanting magical space
Awake 3am
Tossing turning
Body tired
Thoughts churning
Bathroom break
House quiet
Lay down
Close eyes
Count sheep
Give up
Too many
Mind wanders
Negative emotions
Quickly banished
Think positive
Check time
Still dark
Breathe deep
Happy thoughts
Invite sleep
Sleep declines
Sip water
Stay hydrated
Check time
Almost 4am
Open phone
Big mistake
Start surfing
Read emails
Mostly junk
Check calendar
Full day
Need sleep
Phone off
Close eyes
Need sleep
Body fatigued
Mind racing
Check pulse
Normal rate
Feels faster
Another mistake
Now listening
Heart beating
Ears tuned
Loud pulse
Face throbbing
Drink water
Stay hydrated
Must pee
Bathroom tiles
Feel cold
Bare feet
Lay down
Check time
5.30am
Dawn breaks
Birds sing
Sleep hopeless
Get up
Make tea
Open laptop
Write poem
Quick edit
Publish now
Cheeky Monkey
Check time
6.30am
Today will
Be long
Will sleep
Well tonight
Emily told Egor not to reach out to the CIA again
just to go about your normal business and wait to be contacted
he left room 407 a few minutes before another man arrived
Emily answered the door and let him in
he sat and watched TV with no sound
while Emily activated the speaker simulating their conversation
she removed the video recording device from the bathroom
plugged it into her laptop and downloaded the data
the recording was converted to a transcript
Emily checked it for accuracy
before encrypting an email to CIA HQ
her fake client left after an hour of watching silent TV
soon after another fake client arrived
the speaker played more fake conversations
while Emily hacked into the hotel security cameras
she saw the listening device being removed from outside her door
she continued writing her report after the second fake client left
her back up team was in the bar downstairs
she read the text from them
The Russians just left we can stand down now
Emily wrapped up her report
recommending that Egor’s data be followed up
she noted his watchers had given up at 1.30 am
the lazy KGB agents concluded that Egor was just seeing a hooker
a few days later there was chaos on Wall street
a virus shut down all the trading computers
stocks were sent tumbling
Russian short sellers made millions
step into the parlor
relax and enjoy lively parlor conversation
appreciate the parlor decor
feel the love that created the parlor
raise a glass in honor of the parlor decorator
feel the energy woven into the parlor fabric
admire the parlor artistry of the color and texture selections
listen to cool parlor jazz as you sip on fine wines
play loud rock music with your parlor Manhattan cocktail
cruise the blues with your parlor moonshine whisky
tell your tallest parlor tales as friends listen intensely
share your parlor secrets with trusted confidents
spill the beans in the parlor without staining your reputation
create your own safe parlor confession booth
sleep over and wake up contented
drift back into the parlor at dawn
watch the parlor sunrise
drink your parlor morning coffee and plan the day
chill a while in the parlor
take afternoon tea with the parlor ladies of leisure
read a good book in the parlor
write a parlor poem or a short story
the parlor hears all
but the parlor never tells
welcome to the parlor
Cheeky Monkey Poetry 