In an old briefcase
capsuled for years in a corner
of the shed, I found a rolled up wad
of poems, stalled, still looking
for something to say, frozen
in a futile gasp for air.
I should have thrown
them away.
There was also an old plane ticket,
a beer coaster from an Antwerp cafe,
and a few photographs taken
from a bridge across a canal
in Bruges with three nuns wearing
starched white cornettes
stretched out like enormous
butterfly wings perched atop
of their heads.
And tucked in a side pocket,
were letters from my mother
written more than thirty years ago.
Long dead, I could almost hear
her voice read each word.
In one, she told me how
she scored an A for English
in the HSC exam she sat
when well into her sixties.
She could recite Frost's "Birches"
off the top of her head. Stevens,
for her, made no sense. Mum liked
plain language pared down
to bone.
I am not sure why I am writing
these words about such
middling matters, much less trying
to shape them into poetry.
No matter.
Sometimes just ordinary things,
like those found in an old briefcase,
seem to find a moment
to have something to say,
at least for me.
Categories:
bruges, poetry, words, write,
Form: Free verse
Hans Memling a painter from Bruges
known for altar pieces oh so huge
His portraits were not ornamental
rather gentle& sentimental "
*https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portrait_of_a_Man_(Hans_Memling)
Categories:
bruges, art, people,
Form: Clerihew
From Bruges was Jan Van Eyk
modified oil to depict the light
He made his name painting the wealthy
which made his own bank account look healthy
Categories:
bruges, art, humor,
Form: Clerihew
Posh candy - Annie is no Scrooge
Her chocolates are flown in from Bruges
She got wedged in her chair
I believe she’s still there
No wonder, her fanny’s so huge!
Bruges is very famous for making amazing chocolates
when we lived in the UK we went on several coach journeys there!
Bruges is one syllable when its pronounced it sounds like Brooj
12/28/18
Categories:
bruges, abuse, body, chocolate,
Form: Limerick
Cameras snap the last actions as tourists flash
Bullets fly by at respective velocities in streets
As dark humor goes out the window in Bruges
Some one falls from the high church tower
Assisted by gravity, a force of nature works well
A push from a stranger works even better
To bring him to his senses, obsequious to that end
A splat, a stain on the pavement below, where else
On the square, over a glass, a sampling of fresh brew
A hit man, this time, does not miss his mark
The story, like the beer, is delicious this time of year
Authors Note: The film named “In Bruges” (Who would do such a thing?) is a gem of a movie.
Colin Farrell, (eye brows and all), stars with Brendan Gleeson and Ralph Fiennes. A must see.
Categories:
bruges, appreciation, celebrity, conflict, dark,
Form: Free verse
Tourist in Bruges
I was in Bruges, in Flanders, once
Saw beautiful old buildings where the patrician class
The merchants and charlatans lived
Where the poor lived in the past has been erased
The poor now live in high rise flats.
We rented a carriage with a bored horse that did its round
On streets too clean to be true; animals peed on canvas.
We walked around took the pictures as did others.
We had lunch at a café too expensive for its food, but the beer
Was good and that is worth remembering.
Categories:
bruges, boat,
Form: Blank verse
“Our own Festival of Youth Sport reminds
us that the potential to achieving the highest
starts with home grown talent.” It's no jest.
Karen works for the Girl Guides, the finest.
She has spina bifida causing weak legs,
And started shooting in the year of 1984,
With the Duke of Edinburgh, open door,
The top award scheme where you core.
Stoke Mandeville introduced her to guns,
And she first shot in 1991 at the Euros,
Which were there with Belgium portfolios,
In the big West Flanders city of Bruges.
Karen made her debut at the Paralympics
Of Barcelona in Spain in the year 1992,
And went on to enjoy more Paras, due:
Three - Atlanta, Sydney and Rio with ado.
She thoroughly enjoyed Operation Raleigh,
Which was a disability trek to two islands,
Over the Atlantic to Turks, Caicos sands,
Where she dived among the coral strands.
Categories:
bruges, sports, strength,
Form: Tail-rhyme
At birthday time, I was in Bruges
And what a treat for me,
For it's a place as charming
As a city gets to be.
The streets are paved with cobblestones,
Canal boats drift between;
The churches, castles, towers
Are among the best I've seen.
Each block has chocolate shops galore
And beer for every taste.
Indulging in a waffle's also
What should be embraced.
And if you like to shop, my gosh!
The stores are cool and hip,
Enough to keep you occupied
On any shopping trip.
So here's the way my birthday went -
Meandering the streets,
A lovely cruise on the canals
With beer and chips for treats.
A visit to a special store
And splurging on some shoes;
An ice cream cone, my husband there -
I really couldn't lose.
A birthday's only once a year -
To celebrate's a must;
And birthday time in Bruges
Left all the others in the dust.
Categories:
bruges, birthday,
Form: Rhyme
bridges
The kids, their teacher, sprouts and dandelions
the aquarellist and a wet bicycle.
Sit on the worm bench as bytes on the mainframe
wiped pastel of a bright warmth with shades of red
gray
as I look down I find more than wanted
for god sake, it’s the age throbbing you see
and frailty, thy name is woman drifts in
been mine for too long in nobis chesterland
churches
slender cobbled gothics and proud romanesques
the decorum of acolytes and bishop
blesses youthful virginity using gods
eleventh finger prodding at my tongue
Florence, Bruges and Ghent
old cities of Europe
contrast with gadgets
life and hearts
break fast
Categories:
bruges, allegory, introspection, life, love,
Form: Free verse