Airing myself
In liberty
Along whose open roaded
Sky-wide access
This day, as gift
On life's journey
Both offered and accepted
In its fullness.
The villages' rough roads
yet scenery is beautiful
so I like to wander there.
In a nearby place I frequent,
a quiet country road -
paddy fields stretching either side.
the road broken and pitted with potholes.
I rode there time and again,
often drove that road,
enjoying the peace and the countryside’s scene..
Jungle mynas often walked
striding along the roadside
while a cha - bora restaurant stood nearby,
run by a lone woman.
There, my wife and I would sit together,
relaxing over cups of tea and eating bora
watching the quiet countryside pass by.
But as time went on
private schools and houses began to rise
upon the paddy fields,
violating the laws -
but no one came.
Instead more and more buildings
continued to spring up –
motor workshops,shops,petrol pumps, restaurants-
along the edges of the paddy fields
by the roadside
The paddy fields began to vanish;
the wandering mynas were nowhere to be seen.
So, the little cha bora restaurant-
The countryside’s agrarian character
and its peaceful rhythm have vanished.
Wooden signs, pickup trucks,
Bob wire fence, cattle herds,
Rows of corn, cotton fields,
Shelly beans, kinder words.
No town lights, no loud cars,
See the sky, see the stars.
Swimmin’ holes, catfish bite,
No work stress, live on less.
Peace of mind, country side,
Sunday church, decent folk,
Pretty girls, handsome boys
Fulfilled life, boundless joys.
A shop is just a shop
No matter the street it’s down
A streer is just a street
No matter where its town
Not the sort of place
I would choose for relaxation
I always regarded London as
Just a large railway station
The sort of place to which
I would reluctantly go
To assist me on my journeys
Catching trains to and fro
Give me a country lane with
Woods and fields to roam
Yes thats the type of place
I can happily call home.
Wandering through the woods
Listening to the trees
And soft birdsong drifting
On a warm pleasant breeze.
Yes London was a railway station
And no matter how hard I tried
It was just a means of getting me
Back to my Yorkshire countryside
The most wonderful sight’s you will ever see
Is made by nature running free
Amongst the rolling Dales and Hills
Are pictures, magnificent, no made up frills
A combination of summer, winter in one view
The ground a mixture of green and brown hue
In the distance the trees so brown
With dying leaves hitting the ground
Bare and naked as nature intended
Its autumn so be not offended
It is their natural living state
As the time of the year is getting late
So, as we career through the winter days
A time when the cold Frost and Snow lays
The hills a patch of living white
From which the Moon reflects at night
Hidden by day from the noonday sun
Yes, nature’s illuminations have begun
The Badgers and Rabbits all dig deep
To find a burrow for their winter sleep
Only venturing out in search of food
And only then when in the mood
Trees snow covered look beautiful but forlorn
Each winter as nature becomes reborn
Always take the time to view
What Nature has provided for you
The most enduring sights you will ever see
On the land wild and free
One of my favourite parts of the UK
is in England's North West, in the lakes
many great holiday memories spent there
walked many a mile and ate a mint cake
There are some lovely places to visit
Windermere, with its lake so full
many a sail enjoyed on its waters
letting the breeze on your face so cool
Bowness is also so lovely to see
many nice shops to wander and browse
get an ice cream from 26 flavours
making you wish to find your own house
The crown of them all, Keswick by name
it was always my base, I loved to depart
surrounded by Derwent Water, so blue
makes this little town so close to my heart
Nearly forgot Sunday walks to Portenscale
where lunch was served at a local diner
stayed at various cottages, so pretty
Cumbria, no countryside is finer
With its wholesome look
Child's greener faced, child's
More gentle, sweet
The true Earth do now in this
Countryside greet.
In its stream, songbird
With naught of a disturbance
Heard to impart
A far cry from our offspring
Whose placid heart!
Horses galloping
in the barren country
long scorched
by conflagrations.
Carbonised bracken
and naked trees cry
gnarled in bewitchment
of incantations concocted
around smoky cauldrons
broiling with the fury
of serpent fangs
and necrotic poisons
that consume
the golden hour
Heaven's artistry in motion.
Stay for love
and fragrant jasmine
spiced buns with dainties
lovingly showcased
in a vibrant tableau
on country lawns
amid the whispering trees
and rippling brook
diamond specked
at the radiant close
of a summer’s day
when shadow dance
must come
with chilly winds
to rock the tender buds
and enfold dear younglings
in ancient lullabies.
Living in harmony with nature.
The sun sets after a long day.
I gladly mimic its rhythm.
Wordku: 5-7-5 words
AP: 3rd place 2025
Jersey cows on the outskirts.
Lounging around they idle summer days away.
Comfortable in their greener pastures.
Wordku: 5-7-5 words
The next time that I decide to take another ride
I will choose the countryside
City life is too busy, too confusing but it’s alright
I have all night
I can catch a train if I like
The last one leaves at nine
When I get there, this is what I will do
I might take a ferry if I like, the next one leaves at five
I might go down to Waterloo
On a river so clear and blue
The sun is out or is it a fluke?
No smog, no fog and the sky is hazy
Can’t go back to the city
it makes me crazy
Down South, Up North Out West, back East
Every Cornfield is my pleasure
Every Pasteur is my feast
Air so crisp, you can taste it
Life can be gone in a wisp, why would I waste it?
The city is my home
But the country is my pride
Come take a wild ride with me through the Countryside
*Inspired by photo
Layers of mountains hold stories untold
The golden sunset begins to unfold
Answers are so far away,
from contemplation at the end of the day
Dots of orange flowers look forward on the hill
I must have missed it, while I was sitting still
It is here, where I needed to be
In the silence of the countryside, welcoming me
Heidi Sands
10/7/25
(C)opyright
Mr. Abbott
Mr. Abbott bought a
steam powered Stanley
He felt it made him
look rather manly
He has a large
handlebar moustache
Constantly covered in
soot and ash
In his finery,
goggles and gloves
He would wave at his
imaginary loves
Over the hills
and over the dales
He would frequently stop
for supplies and sales
Horses would buck,
cows would “moo”
Whatever the terrain,
the Stanley got through
At the end of the day
back in the barn,
Mr. Abbott, in his chair
would weave a yarn
His stories were
colourful and bold
Renowned for being
exceptionally told
As the years drew past
the Stanley would sit
Stiffening up
becoming unfit
The trusty machine finally
rested in a meadow
Until today,
saved by Jay Leno
Ladder to ladder
Downwards the water falls flow
Cascading my heart.
Right side the stream
Throng of wild horses lining
Sipping the cold wet.
Looking far beyond
Is the field of wild flowers
And bushes alike.
Left side lone cabin
As old as the seventies
Long for its embrace.
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