Category: poetry

The window of smiles

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Looking out from the window

Her baby in her arms

She saw an old lady walking

They smiled at each other

Looking out from the window

Her baby was walking now

She watched her play outside

The child waved and she smiled 

Looking out from the window

Her daughter went to school now

She watched her walking home

She smiled when she got close

Looking out from the window

Her daughter was starting college

She watched her packing the car

She smiled as she drove away

Looking out from the window

Her daughter was a grown woman

She watched her leaving home

She smiled as she waved goodbye

Looking out of the window

Her grandchild in her arms

She saw the same old lady walking

They smiled at each other

Looking out of the window

There was nobody outside

She saw the face of that same old lady

She smiled at her own reflection

I have lived inside two stars

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I remember so well our first date

There was a twinkle in your eye

Sparks crackled with our first kiss

One of them set my heart alight

A warm steady glow at first

Flames began to flicker

Soon my heart was an inferno

An everlasting burning deep love

Fueled by your happy smile

Your touch caused those flames to explode

You told me your heart was ablaze too

Together we formed two bright celestial binary stars

We rode that energy with abandon

Nothing else really mattered

Our love was powered by nuclear fusion

It was going to last forever

It did so for decades

Suddenly your fire for me was extinguished 

It was glowing for somebody else

My flames kept burning

Resisting all your attempts to snuff them out

Burning bright even after you left

Fueled by hope that you would someday return

When I ran out of hope fuel

I poured gallons of desperation on my glowing heart

Unfortunately desperation is not combustable

The glow went dimmer and dimmer

My burning star joy replaced by intense agonizing pain

It was unbearable when my fire went completely cold

I feared it would never burn again

Slowly my pain became almost tolerable

Subsiding to dull ache for most of the time

Memories would cause that pain to intensify like a stabbing knife wound

Reminding me of what my life used to be

Punishing me for something that was not of my doing

Eventually I found a cure for my pain and suffering 

I had to let go of you completely

Sever the ties of our dead binary stars

Then suddenly all the pain was gone

Replaced by a calming emptiness

It was my way of grieving for a death

Although you were still alive and walking around

You were not the same person who once stoked my flames

That was a different you back then

I grieved for a while as I gazed at other galaxies

I was finally in control of my life again

Knowing that you could no longer trick my wounded heart

Your fake smile emitted no sparks for me

You last parting limp hug felt stone cold 

I looked into the night sky checking out the constellations

Just a black hole were our stars once burned bright

It was time for me to take a journey through the universe

A bumpy ride fighting off many alien invaders

Then I spotted an interesting star in the distance

Glowing brighter when I approached

I wasted no time flying right into her heart

Mine was on fire the first time I kissed her

This binary star will burn bright eternally

Some you win and some you lose

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Final Score

my team just lost at home by three goals

dragged over red hot burning coals

they were all over us like a rash

one goal down in a flash

we clung on until halftime

praying for a second half ever so sublime

but sadly it was not meant to be

they scored two more to make it three

we could not find the net to reply

at the end a sad tear in my eye

I am not that admirable graceful loser

prefer to be a constant winning cruiser

please don’t say its just a game

that sentiment just drives me insane

football is not about life and death

its more important than a dying last breath

deciding to hang my head in losing shame

until we emphatically win our next game

Nashville or NashVegas?

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They call it the Music City

country music and girls so pretty

now a bachelorette destination

a party town sensation

they come in wave after wave

pink cowboy hats all the rave

matching printed T shirts

riding along Broadway in short skirts

in an open top party bus

screaming and making a big fuss

all drinking to excess

the bride to be in a veil headdress

waving indiscriminately to passers by

kiss the bride and make her cry

frequent stops for bar hopping

live country music and wild bopping

in the Broadway honky tonk bars

back on the bus waving at passing cars

fresh lipstick and endless preening

constant selfies and video streaming

outfits all far too revealing

even when its near freezing

more drinking and screaming

their egos almost steaming

dancing and more scheming

alcohol induced coma dreaming

that bus will need some cleaning

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?

Ian Hunter2 Comments

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

Ian Hunter1 Comment

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