Best Skippers Poems
In one square mile, northeast of Noojee,
there are seven birds that I often get to see
as I walk on the tracks in pristine forestry,
in one square mile, northeast of Noojee.
A Whipbird crack through ti-tree scrub,
a Lyrebird echo from Cascade Creek,
Red Browed Finch on the sword grass heads,
I’m watching close a Ground Thrush sneak.
Black Cockies feed on Blackwood wattle,
in heath Blue Wrens are a family,
Yellow Robins perch on a paperbark trunk
in one square mile, northeast of Noojee.
In one square mile, northeast of Noojee,
are seven mammals sometimes I get to see,
as I walk on the tracks in pristine forestry,
in one square mile, northeast of Noojee.
Echidnas forage in wood or litter
Wallabies graze on grass and weeds,
a burrowing wombat sleeps all day;
high in a manna gum, a Koala feeds.
Sugar Gliders doze in a hollow log,
like Ring-tail Possums in a high ti-tree.
A Bandicoot scarps through the undergrowth
in one square mile, northeast of Noojee.
In one square mile, northeast of Noojee,
in Cascade Creek sometimes I get to see,
as I look at the water in pristine forestry,
in one square mile, northeast of Noojee.
Flowing over sand, fishbone fern as cover,
lurk Blackfish and the Gippsland Cray.
Brown trout forage in the hiding place
where Mountain Galaxias are their prey.
In Cascade Creek; well the Platypus play,
in long deep holes, but are rare to see.
There’s Short Finned Eel, Yabbies and Shrimp,
in one square mile, northeast of Noojee.
In one square mile, northeast of Noojee,
are a few reptiles I sometimes get to see,
if I look down at my feet in pristine forestry,
in one square mile, northeast of Noojee.
There are Blue Tongue Lizards and Three Lined Skinks;
Goanna’s up a tree and the Tiger Snake.
There’s Copperheads or Red-bellied Black,
and treading on snakes is a big mistake.
In one square mile, northeast of Noojee,
Growling Grass Frogs watch from water grass,
And the ‘pobblebonk’ croak is an Eastern Banjo,
in a swampy pool as I walk on past.
Skippers float over the canopy blooms;
Mosquito, March Fly, Bush Fly blight;
Jezebel Caterpillars feed on mistletoe;
Stag Beetles hover in the fading light.
In one square mile, northeast of Noojee,
on walking tracks there is much to see,
where I’m just a link that don’t belong,
in one square mile, northeast of Noojee.
We talked about poetry
Over cups of coffee and cigarette
In a café full of prowlers of pleasure
And skippers of wisdom
On a wintry day
That was numbing my patience
The bitter taste of coffee
Energized my words,
Fluttering like cherry blossoms of spring,
Right from my heart, timid, but with lots
Of rhyme to offer,
And it beat
Faster than the hands of time
As I looked at you
With your eyes, teasing...
And I almost forgot
To take my «I love you, Dad» kid from school
‘Cause of your Angelina Jolie
Lips that giggled my widowed soul
Ancient Aliens
They have always been here
ancient? – alien?
living amongst the unknowing
hiding in plain sight.
How have they altered
our past? – our future?
advanced or hindered
our progress – our failure.
How have they touched us
with an unseen nudge,
aligned the stars
that we might follow
crumbs of reason,
sat with us in silence
awed by our insolence
humbled by our fervor.
They view us from a distance-
time and space overlapped
knowledge and inexperience
in conflict with themselves.
Knowing that in time
experience becomes
the proving ground of knowledge,
knowledge the anvil
shaping the experience.
They are the flat rock skippers,
the kite flyers, paper airplane makers,
sidewalk chalk drawers,
mud pie makers, frog catchers,
butterfly chasers, bug touchers,
flower sniffers, feather collectors.
They will always be here
ancient – alien
wiser than their years
greater than their fears
in forever’s - ancient moment
alien – in human form.
1/6/2018
submitted to – Ancient Aliens – Poetry contest
Friend Ship
When my inner compass falters
with joy suspended from a sinking buoy
as waves rush by in sunken dreams
you shine the torch’s flare of sun and moon
When the tell tale light house fades
shrouded in the miserable fog of doubt
as currents scupper down with leaden anchour
you catch the comet’s touch of fallen stars
When the mocking pirates entertain
gloomy thoughts from skippers’ ropes
as darkness permeates the ship wrecked sailor
you share your life boat’s stellar luster
When broken drift wood fragments spike
the surface looms with shark’s grim grin
as buccaneers maroon the lost survivor holding on
you salvage patiently with love and kindness
You tug me into wherever our paths will venture
You are the vessel and the oars that row
01 May 2018
The Flag of the British Merchant Navy
The Battle of the Atlantic
We’ve heard of the famous Mighty Hood that was sunk by a Bismarck shell
We know how many men were lost and the Skippers name as well
We’ve seen the Battleship Barham rolling on her side
before the huge explosion in which so many died
The Repulse and Prince of Wales on rout to the Singapore post
Both lost to the Jap torpedo planes off the Malaya coast
There’s a film about the Kelly sunk in the battle of Crete
And of the famous River Plate where we inflicted defeat
Yet who knows the names of the merchant ships sunk almost every day
Who knew that as these ships went down seamen were put off pay
Shipping Companies all did this to cut down on the cost
They lost one of their freighters, but how many lives were lost
What of the men on the Arctic run ferrying Russian supplies
The ocean full of U-boats and Bombers filling the skies
Sailing a gas filled Tanker some only in their teens
Wondering if they’ll freeze to death or be blown to smithereens
Wallowing along in a rusting tramp to save the Russian Nation
Struggling to make eight knots whilst trying to keep station
Should a seaman stay topside or should he seek his bunk
Knowing if you fall astern your certain to be sunk
Many a merchant ship now lies under the Barents Sea
Lost in a desperate struggle to set the Russians free
The ocean bed is littered with merchant seaman’s bones
Now to lay forever at peace with Davie Jones
As a Nation we are rightly proud of our Navy in World War Two
Likewise of the R.A.F and what we owe to the few
To the men who fought at Arhnem and Monty’s Desert Rats
To those who fought the Japanese to all we raise our hats
From the Home Guard to the S.O.E in it from the start
All of our Armed Services were keen to play their part
Each had lost so many when they counted the final muster
But the greatest loss was those who sailed under the Old Red Duster
In summer my garden comes alive
as graceful butterflies make it home.
Peacocks with vivid colours flit
from blossom to blossom
Busily working gathering nectar
pollinating as they go on to next
flower. All so pretty I love them all
visiting my climbing rambling roses.
Red Admirals, Swallow tails and monarchs
adding swathes of brilliant colour
chased by Skippers and Orange tips
as each one vies for one more bloom.
While Gatekeepers and Clouded Yellows
delicately sip from my hibiscus.
A cloud of Fritillary's descend on stocks
and Painted Ladies mock the sweet peas.
A drone of bumble bees sets the tune
for Tortoiseshells to dance to.
Purple Emperors set the scene
as they visit my asters and begonia's.
Ah! sweet summer flowers, all
are kissed by Comma's and Coppers
bringing my garden to life
with joy as they all busily work
written 08/12/2015
contest Skat's Butterflies
Lies in the large area of Atlandic deep
Betwixt Florida, Puerto Rico, and Bermuda
A creepy, frightening, and mysterious reef
Formed the devil's triangle above atoll Barbuda
The heavily travelled shipping lanes of the globe
Where vessels vanished in mystic circumtances
Region where aircrafts routinely fly over and rove
But skippers and aviators still believe in chances
With the shot in the arm of weather satellites fly
Seen and noticed the unusual hexagonal clouds
Experts in atmospheric phenomena decrypt the sky
Hoped to save from deadly blast of water-air shrouds
Precioso Tano
May 13, 2017
At dawn the bay bed glows peachy yellow.
The waters above blue-green and gleaming.
Further out a grey shroud of ripples entraps the yachts
with lace nets en-snaring a flock of hulls.
Yet farther out still, the sea surface glistens and sparkles.
Then, the bay yawns and stretches, waking up, refreshed.
The first breaths of wind seep in like fingers
grabbing to get a finger hold to pull
the windy gusts in, with big blow coming.
Soon the sea is a field of grey ripples,
which grow to wavelets lipped with flecks of white spray.
Now the yachts wake up and jostle like horses
pulling at their moorings, dragging side to side.
Listen, you can hear the dash of splashes prancing
on wave crests as the winds build up in the bay.
Sea's morn color and transparency now blurred.
Dawn's calm serenity and beauty now forgotten
Koala Bay's agenda has shifted to: Up anchor, Set sail and Play
The boat skippers and crew flock bayside to make it happen.
Both sailboats and sailors love to rock and roll in bay streaked
with gusts driving white horses with jockeys wearing white caps.
Hoist the sails, drop the mooring lines, tighten the sheets.
The yachts surge forward, like race horses, with muscles and sinew straining.
They leap through the waves with leaps, bounds, thumps and jumps.
The spray flies, flung by the wind against weather beaten faces
It is noisy now, with bash and splash and skippers yelping and barking at the crew.
Koala Bay loves the performance, loves to entertain.
Tonight the bay will be calm and serene again.
Time to herald the bay's softer underbelly of shear stunning beauty.
Tomorrow the wind will conduct and conjure up another day of rollicking fun and adventure.
the following quite quirky epistle may not exhibit the ordinary characteristics of poetry, but i decided to share this self made challenge (where every word begins with the letter "S" - no explanation can be offered why such self cerebral torture imposed, nor what motivated me to focus on the nineteenth letter of the english alphabet at the exclusion of other noble vowels and consonants.
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Sunday September seventh started seemingly same since...silver screen show secured seventy seven SeventhSeals.
Soupy Sales supreme salient strengths (starring smart pet sidekick Springer Spaniel Socrates) salvaged sagging sporting sorties. Slap stick stereotypical swashbuckling shticks supplied shipshape shenanigans.
Spartan stage set spurred spontaneous simply stupefying solution. Suede shod schlemiel. Sartre seasoned scenes. Sharp sticks supported sphere. Seats situated semicircular semblance.
SPCA, Siemens, Sears sponsored soiree. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious shouted satirically 'specially Saturdays seemingly sellout. Spontaneous spritely Shogun Samurai sangroid stance satiated slipups stripping stellar seasoned Skidamarinks substitutes sacredly, seminally, silently, slipstreaming soulfully saving saga.
Sometimes silly spouse studiously sought spurious strategy stringing superlatives showcasing senseless sophomoric soporific skills specifically spelling storybook sassy sharpshooters supposedly sleuthing shapeless seated sideways (sic seasonal slate smug spotified snapchatting skippers selfishly scooped sloop-ful seasonal six-packs) sinister Swiss scalpers sat sometimes squatted.
A Glimpse of T.I.P Journey
Education never stops and so learning does
The moment we embrace challenges
is the moment we climb and hold this torch
The torch of light and hope as we, painstakingly
reach for the pinnacle of success
On this day of Valentine’s
May we, instead reminisce and celebrate joyously
This Teacher Induction Program
But let not our pretty mind vanquish
My fellow mentees,
Remember how we arrived strangers at first
Knowledge and skills we all aimed and thirst
Like first day of school
Forget not the teachings of our mentors
As they helped mold us professionally
of who we are today
Sharing ideas, concepts and materials
Unlimited laughter partake in every meeting
Mind blowing activities, aye, night skippers!
To meet and hit the button of “deadline”
An endless cycle
of a student life
These shall be the roots
of our friendship and camaraderie
A journey worth roller-coaster ride!
May this poetry be heard and dignified
May this act of gratitude remind every mentor of our T.I.P
We, mentees are completely, perfectly and incandescently happy
We, mentees acknowledge your utmost dedication
To seamlessly immerse young professionals
in the teaching profession
We, mentees recognize that one day we will own the torch
The torch of responsibility that once our Mentors beheld
Shall pass to the next generation of young teaching professionals
The Rum Runners
Dry was the USA a hundred years ago.
Prohibition just begun, and spirits running low.
Then, to the rescue, fishermen, fresh from the Georges Bank,
Weighed down their boats with “demon rum” instead of fishing tanks.
For Woodrow Wilson listened to religious devotees,
Who thought that Prohibition would clean up society.
But crime increased and organized. Racketeers like Al Capone
And “Lucky” Luciano brought “bathtub gin” back home.
They filled their secret “juice joints” with lines of dancing girls,
And men would come from near and far to study every twirl.
Meanwhile, in New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia too,
“Ghosts in the night” transported all kinds of homemade brew.
Smuggling “booze” was dangerous. “Bootleggers” risked their lives
To set “suds” on a table in dark and dingy dives.
If not hijacking hoodlums, or U.S. Coast Guard boats,
RCMP were on the prowl for anything afloat.
But skippers knew the coastline, every single section.
They’d disappear in coves and bays to avoid detection.
Sometimes they’d be forced to hide their load in shoreline caves,
An ally’s barn or cellar, or cemetery grave.
They had to make a living when Atlantic cod were few.
They had a wife and children. They needed revenue.
They knew that they’d end up in jail if ever they were caught.
They’d lose their boat and family, or maybe even shot.
Peddling outlawed liquor held no special guarantee,
But every bit as dangerous, twas harvesting the sea.
***
Chiseled bone fibre silences white noise water
Shiv splits through throat, jugular scissored
Flung spray fusillade's lain flat slaughter
Bluster bullseye stabs canvas concave
Albatross follow our sharp slipstream
Wind vane spins blur invisible
Dolphin pod adjacent symbol
Ludicrous becomes our lucid dream
Green glaze wake calms crazed waves
Plunge smashes panic, pindrop pools surface
Instinctive dive into icy effervescence
Jolts flailing heart buoyed purpose
Castaways tack to breeze's best advantage
Seahorse spawns, cloud coral hammock
Hull pointed toward demand
Relentless racing hour hand
Gathered globe gauges chances gigantic
Skippers puncture tides, shark agile voyage
20th February
Triumphant Felicity
May the butterflies of this world return to us once more
when the spring provides her heat we will no longer hide
Eastern winds of far away lands flying in unknown shores
their cellophane wings of light need to return and chide
Once they adorned our many flowers here in Canada
now they are a memory of yesterday's summer gaze
I cling to the hope that tomorrow I won't need algebra
to count the flutter of their wings, like yonder days
I'll know them by the colors of their flight and groove
that April has arrived with her rainy cascade
all the trees will suspire as they soften their moves
garnished once again, with butterflies of every shade
I know that when the season wakes we are going to see
Monarchs, European skippers, and frosted elfin too
as the warmer shades and colors meld into the sea
we will begin to spot the pupas, and butterflies anew.
Contest Name: Your best quatrain
enter… find nature
Boultham Park hides its wonders
flora and fauna
hedgerows… privet…
hawthorn… laurel.. woodland walks
lake bank side vistas
siskins… goldcrests… gems
sparrowhawks… if your lucky
sneaky brown rats too
floating treasures… ducks
mallard… tufted… goosanders
widgeon… on good days
nuthatches… winter…
feeding stations… eye candy
great… blue… coal… titmice
a mammal mouse too
the cheeky little wood mouse
house mouse wannabe
squirrels… grey… sorry
reds swansong… long gone wonders
hedgehogs… dusk time joy
moles… very lucky…
a live one to photograph
mine… not a joy… dead
muntjac deer o yes
early morn… before dusk, they hide
kingfishers… jewels
bats yes… skimming lake
to drink and masticate
calm water… feast time
wild… cultivated
flora in great abundance
for your eyes only
invertebrates
macro… micro… all delights
chances for new finds
zyginella
pulchra… leafhopper
a county first
z…. pulchra
the second UK record
its host sycamore
record registered
entomological fact
chinstraped… red… green… beaut
butterflies many
look for chequered skippers… and
white letter hairstreaks
white letter hairstreak
on the UK threatened list
host plants… elm species
1
by the river Seine
a girl of sixteen summers
opened her blue eyes
2
the tulip opened
to speak out love but the bee
carried the last dew
3
a wrinkle in time
puckered the curtain of her
certain diffidence
4
the distant thunder
to wake the quick and the dead
smashed in the window
5
the sun cascaded
over the back of egret
to give birth to dawn
6
nimble fingers curl
plaits of creepers wedded in
moonlit slumber dew
7
mittens of rabbits
galloped in yellow forest
gamboling skippers
8
succubus laid eggs
hatched clone in gray and blue suits
on some other world