Category: poetry

Don’t be a digital lemming

Ian Hunter2 Comments

I woke up early this morning to see Venus in the sky above a beautiful crescent moon

I made tea and watched the sky slowly lighten as sunrise approached

tall trees stood still waiting for the first breath of the morning breeze

a high tide had crept deep into the lush green marsh

with great stealth the rising sun greeted the pale blue sky

orange rays kissed the calm waters of the bay

my cup of hot green tea tasted divine

distant celestial objects will be around for billions of years

they will see whole species come and go on planet earth

for them a human lifetime passes by in less than a blink of an eye

your time on this rock hurtling through space is incredibly precious

do not waste it

take a deep breath and look around you

most people you see are focused on trivial insignificant activities

they do not stop to smell the roses

social media has engulfed the imagination of an entire generation

don’t be a digital lemming

be amazed by the stars and planets in your sky

strive to be equally amazing in all your thoughts and deeds

be in awe and be awesome

word mountaineering

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So here I am with four years into it

my self imposed daily writing challenge

I thought it was time to check in on myself

see how its gone so far and what I have learned 

daily writing is like climbing a mountain every single day

only to wake up the next morning at the bottom

to be told I must take a totally new path to the top

although it gets harder I do get stronger

as I take each tiny step another word appears

then a line and a paragraph and some more

until the page is full and I pause to take a breath

reading it back to myself to see how it flows

at this point I am never at the summit

just at base camp editing where the climbing gets really steep

words fall off cliffs and into precipices  

blank spaces gasp for oxygen in the thin mountain air

I find new edits as I climb up higher and higher

having used up my reserves of stored thoughts

I must dig deeper inside my mind to find more words

some days its an easy raid into my memory banks

but then there are days when the banks are not open 

I can always look through the window and take a mental picture

to be converted into words about what I can see outside

other days I go knocking on the door of my emotions

saying hey guys please tell me how you are feeling today

occasionally I will slip while climbing

sliding back down the path and losing many precious words

I watch them tumble down the mountainside into oblivion

oh well, they were not great words anyway

when the word climbing gets really tough I can become desperate

begging my soul to open up and offer me a few phrases

if my soul is unresponsive I ask my heart to deliver a message

he never fails to produce the most beautiful meaningful words

the finished page is now a long way from camp editing

I have reached the summit and can take in the view

a few clicks and today’s writing is uploaded to Cheeky Monkey

I feel blessed to be at the top of this mountain right now

tomorrow’s starting blank page is a long way off

How many lives will you live?

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many say you only live once

I do not believe that

you live your life over again every single day

so wake up with a blessing to yourself

seize the opportunity of a new day

Smile and dream big

live it to the full

fill it with fun, joy, love and laughter

make it pleasant even if you have to work

for sure you only die once

but you can live thousands of lives

cherish every passing moment

When the letter S stops working on your keyboard

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I will give you my word, I hit you not

I will give you my sword, I shit you not

He took out a hammer and hit the nail low, it went on for a long mile

He took out a hammer and hit the snail slow, it went on for a long smile

He was afraid of the now, the team made it better

He was afraid of the snow, the steam made it better

The train made him late, it was a really bad tart

The strain made him late, it was a really bad start

Oh no, he had been hot but without any cream

Oh no, he had been shot but without any scream

The lime tart could not be on the wing

The slime start could snot be on the the swing

He often thought about the ex, he remembered giving her a friendly lap

He often thought about the sex, he remembered giving her a friendly slap

Oh well he thought, looking at her really ugly car that made him wallow lowly

Oh swell he thought, looking her really ugly scar that made him swallow slowly

He picked up a pear before a very important kill today, then he ate a cone

He picked up a spear before a very important skill today, then he ate a scone

After taking a very big pill, I could not find my hoe

After taking a very big spill, I could not find my shoe

Technology 2-1 Sporting Humans

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some say sport can be traced back to ancient Greece

making it at least 3,000 years old

others say its roots go much deeper

back to tribal war games

sport captures the imagination of spectators

fans look forward to the spectacle

the uncertainty of the outcome creates a lot of tension

victory is sweet but defeat leaves a bad taste

modern day sport has embraced technology

fitness training is now totally science based

coaches use computers and data analysis to assess performance

high tech materials are used for sports equipment

many sports rely on a referee to enforce the rules

but technology is now replacing refereeing decisions

cameras are focused soccer goal lines

lighting up the referees watch to confirm a goal

more cameras are used to monitor ever play in soccer

today there is no guarantee a goal will stand

even if the referee on the field signals a goal

the players and fans all wait for distant judges to review the video

imagine the joy of scoring a winning goal

to be taken away by a video playback review

which uses technology to zoom into plays

and declare a player 3mm out of position

players do not carry microscopes or tape measures on the field of play

they play the game in real time with their hearts, eyes and minds

when a team makes a great play and scores

why punish that team and their fans with microscopic video playbacks

technology has enhanced sport in so many ways

but video playbacks are destroying the soul of the game

players may eventually be replaced by sensor filled robots

stadiums will be empty as fans will pack the video playback booths

Old flames never die – part 5

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Angie tried to convince herself this was not real

she could not have witnessed Mark ordering an execution

perhaps he was reading a book out loud

or playing some sort of game

She decided to play music in her cabin to distract herself

she sat on the bed and dozed off

she awoke with a knock on the door

she let Mark in and he kissed her passionately

they stayed in her cabin until dinner time

Mark picked out an elegant dress for her

kissing her neck softly as he helped zip up the back

dinner was served on the upper deck

it was dark and they were now well away from land

Angie noticed the stars were extra bright

she also saw the sparkle in his blue eyes

Mark was her star and she was in heaven

Angie was curious to learn more about Mark

when they were lovers he owned a small IT operation

she asked him if he was still running the same company

No said Mark I expanded the company and sold it

then I moved into the commercial real estate business

I built up a large portfolio of properties

which I later sold to an investment group

then I became an angel investor

Your investments obviously did well said Angie

as she looked around the luxury yacht

suddenly the captains voice broadcast a message

unidentified vessel approaching fast on the starboard bow

Mark grabbed Angie by the wrist and literally dragged her to the lower deck

they passed crew members running up the stairs carrying assault rifles

Mark pushed Angie into a cabin and told Julia to look after her

Julia handed Angie a bullet proof vest just as the shooting started up top

Old flames never die- part 1

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she woke up in a cold sweat

the nightmares were still haunting her

plunging her back into an unhappy consciousness

sadness clung to her night and day

she forced herself to get out of bed

showering and dressing while numb

eating a bland tasteless breakfast

no pleasures brought by the simplest things in her life anymore

she preferred working from home

avoiding the awkwardness of being face to face with others

especially those who picked up on her true feelings

she could expertly hide behind a fake smile in the video conference calls

by mid afternoon she was winding down her online tasks

she held her breath when an email popped onto the screen

it was from an old friend she had not seen for many years

someone she still had very strong feelings for

she opened it with trepidation

he was coming into town and wanted to catch up

he suggested they meet for dinner on Friday

she accepted his invitation without hesitation

she slept soundly that night

waking up with thoughts about seeing him again

breakfast actually tasted good

she wore a genuine smile in the video conference calls that day

She arrived early for the dinner reservation

a martini settled her nerves

she saw him enter from across the room

he had aged well and was still dashingly handsome

he politely kissed her cheek while hugging her tightly

she almost feinted from being so close to him

he sat down and ordered a gin and tonic

are you ready to pick up where we left off were his first words

What did that dream mean?

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I had a very strange dream last night

All about getting something unexpected

It started with a phone call

Telling me my sailboat was ready for testing

What sailboat was my response

The one you ordered he insisted

I had no recollection of ordering it

But they had a signed contract

I was sure it was some kind of scam

To get money from me

There was no demand for money

It had all been prepaid

I went to the boatyard to see it

A beautiful white sailboat

Big enough to sleep six people

Fully equipped with the latest electronics

They took me on the water for a test

She handled like a dream

Which is kind of ironic

Because she was in my dream

I woke up feeling confused

Wanting to know the meaning of it all

I researched dream meanings

There was nothing exactly like this listed

I did discover the meaning of sailing dreams

I have the freedom to take a long trip

And I can solve very complex problems

Using the power that shifts us all

So now I have a very complex problem to solve

What is the itinerary for my round the world trip

Who can I get to prepay this for me

I am waiting for the surprise phone call in my next dream

undercover enquiries

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The undercover police detective was making enquiries

Writing detailed notes in his numerous well thumbed diaries

He brought in a notorious local thug to interrogate

Firing questions towards him at a manic machine gun rate

Where is Mary Jane he angrily barked

Her abandoned car is by your house suspiciously badly parked

The thug laughed in his face like a drunken hyena 

Claiming he had never even seen her

The detective was not at all amused

Soon the thug was all battered and bruised

Enquiries continued in earnest

Using unconventional methods not quite the fairest

Despite having huge muscles and a devil tattooed chest ever so hairy

The thug eventually broke down and sang like an operatic canary

Mary Jane was quickly located thankfully safe and sound

Life returned to its abnormal normal in the gritty gray ghetto playground

cold beer memories

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it was a hot summer

he had been working outside all day

but finally got home tired and weary

time to relax and unwind

he slowly opened the fridge door

fully stacked with cold beer

reached for his favorite

gazed at the label like a long lost friend

the ice cold bottle melted the sweat from his hand

he unscrewed the top like champ

that whooshing sound was music to his ears

wakening his anticipating taste buds

as he lifted the bottle to drink

he caught the sweet smell of the beer

his brain instantly recognized that aroma

old memories flashed across his mind

as the bottle met his lips

he thought of sweet kisses from his first love

the cold beer flooded his mouth

cooling his baked neck from within

he sank half the bottle in one go

slumping into a porch chair

catching a breath of the hot humid air

his closing eyes raised the theatre curtain in his mind

seeing again the birth of his first child

watching him playing outside

teaching him to ride a bike

taking him on fishing trips

more thoughts of his young son flooded his mind

he could hear his running footsteps approaching

the theatre curtain in his mind closed as he opened his eyes

the young boy beamed I missed you grandpa