SCENE OF THE SLIME

 

Now yesterday I planted out

My annuals in a bed laid out

I went to take a look today

But find my annuals gone away

What evil in my garden walks?

All I see are marigold stalks

Now I see the trails of slime

I know who did this awful crime

Not creepy crawlies or even bugs

But evil little snails and slugs

You cannot poison them they say

That isn’t nice there’s another way

Grit or eggshell on the trail

Or little cups of beer or ale

But I’m not one to treat them nice

They will pay the ultimate price

True Nature # 11

FOOTSTEPS IN THE FROST

A beautiful winter’s morning
When mist conceals the sunrise,
And nestles between
The frosty shadows of the trees,
And footsteps crunch
Through the crystal patterns
Of the crisp hoar frost

THE HARVEST MOON APPEARS

The harvest moon appears
In an Amethyst sky
The centre piece
Amidst the heavenly array
Of jewelled stars on display
Where such brilliance captivates
With spiritual delight
As you stand in awe
And imagine life
Beyond the stars

IN THE DEPTHS OF PURPLE CLOUDS

In the depths of purple clouds
Soft and temperate as the night
Masks the setting of the sun
And hides the fading of the light

NARWHALE

The narwhale lived year-round
In the Arctic waters around
Greenland, Canada, and Russia
Along with its cousin the Beluga
The narwhale males fished
The waters, and are distinguished
With its long straight helical horn
Like a predatory arctic unicorn

GALES ARE DRIVING WAVES

Gales are driving waves
Against the resilient shore,
And pounding
Them on to the rocks,
While on the edge of the wind
There is distant thunder sounding

SHE WAS A REAL NATURE GIRL

She was a real nature girl
Dancing happily in the meadows
Like a flitting summer sprite
With no thought of cares and woes
As she frolic’s like a lamb all day
Till the lengthening of the shadows

ABOVE THE HORIZON

Above the horizon
The beauty of a sunrise,
Slowly emerges and
Illuminates the sky
And as it spreads into the morn
It burns red on the calm water
As a cool pleasant breeze
Drifts gently across the bay

True Nature # 10

IN THE FROST FILLED MEADOW

In the frost filled meadow
I watch the dawn’s first rays
Beginning to melt the frost
In the majesty of winter days

NOCTURNAL

Nocturnal creatures scurry
And bats take flight
As the owl stands sentinel
Over a woodland night

IN THE DEWY AUTUMN MEADOW

In the dewy autumn meadow
I watch the dawn’s first rays
Beginning to evaporate the mist
In the majesty of Autumn days

FLAMES OF THE FOREST

Leaves like tongues of fire
Set the scene ablaze
Kenya’s Flame trees
Burning bright in paradise

True Nature # 9

THE FIERCE SPRING GALES

The fierce spring gales
Howl all through the night
Whipping up the seas
And turning wave tops white
The poor souls at sea
On the dark spring night
In the teeth of the tempest
Feel it’s savage bite
And pray to their gods
To save them from their plight
As the gale blows through
On the dark spring night

IN THE DEWY SPRING MEADOW

In the dewy spring meadow
I watch the dawn’s first rays
Beginning to evaporate the mist
In the majesty of the spring days

BENEATH THE GREY SKIES

Beneath the grey skies
In the crisp morning air
An over confident fox
Chases after a march Hare

IN A COUNTRY LANE

In a country lane
Where the noise of a highway
Is thought too fanciful
A wagon carries bales of hay
As the farmer heads home
At the end of the day

True Nature # 8

THE FIERCE WINTER GALES

The fierce winter gales
Howl all through the night
Whipping up the seas
And turning wave tops white
The poor souls at sea
On the dark winter night
In the teeth of the tempest
Feel it’s savage bite
And pray to their gods
To save them from their plight
As the gale blows through
On the dark winter night

IN THE DEWY WINTER MEADOW

In the dewy winter meadow
I watch the dawn’s first rays
Beginning to evaporate the mist
In the majesty of winter days

A CAVE

A cave, in the face of the cliff
Like a mouth, wild and mad,
Snarling like a demon
Across the barren land
From where a wind blew
Into the cavernous mouth
and howled like a Ghost
Calling out in despair

AN OAK

An Oak, tall as a cathedral spire
Cast a mighty shadow
As the setting of the sun
Turns the western sky to fire

True Nature # 7

THE FIERCE SUMMER GALES

The fierce summer gales
Howl all through the night
Whipping up the seas
And turning wave tops white
The poor souls at sea
On the dark summer night
In the teeth of the tempest
Feel it’s savage bite
And pray to their gods
To save them from their plight
As the gale blows through
On the dark summer night

IN THE DEWY SUMMER MEADOW

In the dewy summer meadow
I watch the dawn’s first rays
Beginning to evaporate the mist
In the majesty of summer days

BENEATH AZURE BLUE SKIES

Beneath azure blue skies
Beside a silent pool
A bird sings in the stillness
Its sweet song drifting
On the lemon scented breeze
As evening approached

WATERY WORLD

In a river, barely worthy of the name,
Where the gentle water trickles back
Towards a greater watery world,
Lives the humble little stickleback

True Nature # 6

THE SUFFOLK PUNCH

The Suffolk Punch
Heavy draught horse
Beautiful Chestnut beast
Solid and dependable
With energetic gait
Known as “good doers”
The Suffolk Punch
Work horse of the land

HEAVEN SENT APRIL SHOWERS

Heaven sent April showers
Will bring the May flowers
And after spring has begun
Soon comes the summer sun

SWEET MEMORIES OF OUR CHILDHOOD # 1

Sweet memories of our childhood
Those days of youth were the best
Golden Septembers in the fields
Gathering the bounty of the harvest

AS THE LENGTHENING DAYS WARM UP

As the lengthening days warm up
When the north is on the cusp
The ice begins to speak or sing
Heralding the arrival of spring

SWEET MEMORIES OF OUR CHILDHOOD # 2

Sweet memories of our childhood
Sunny days bright and pleasant
Cold crisp Novembers on the heath
Beating the bracken for the Pheasant

ON THE PLANTATION

On the plantation
Nothing can be finer
Than a bevy of Quail
In South Carolina

IN THE AUTUMN

In the Autumn
The shoot is very pleasant
And we end the day
With a bevy of pheasant

UP ON THE MOOR

Up on the Moor
The birds take flight
On the glorious 12th
They leave the hill
With a bevy of Grouse
The trappings of wealth

THE SUN BURSTS THROUGH THE CURTAINS

The sun bursts through the curtains
As dawn brings forth another day
And bids us waken from our rest
With every golden warming ray

THE SUFFOLK HORSE

The Suffolk Horse
Heavy draught horse
Beautiful Chestnut beast
Solid and dependable
With energetic gait
Known as “good doers”
The Suffolk Horse
Work horse of the land

IN SHADES OF RED AND ORANGE

In shades of red and orange
The sky burns with fire
Clouds in sunset are illuminated
Like smoke in a funeral pyre

BEYOND THE SNOW-CAPPED MOUNTAINS

Beyond the snow-capped mountains
A brand new dawn breaks
Night moved onward into light
Across the land and the lakes

THEY CLIMB WITH STRENGTH AND GRACE

They climb with strength and grace
And ramble wide and free
They stand alone as Floribunda
Standard or Hybrid Tea
The glorious English rose
Beautiful flower of history

WHEN WINTERS BITE IS TAMED

When winters bite is tamed
Spring brings forth the shoots
Then summer scents the flowers
And the autumn earns the fruits

LET THE WIND HOWL

Let the wind howl
Let the tempest blow
Bring forth the rain
Bring forth the snow
Then let the frost bite
Let the ice crack
Then we can get
The winter sun back

THE SUFFOLK SORREL

The Suffolk Sorrel
Heavy draught horse
Beautiful Chestnut beast
Solid and dependable
With energetic gait
Known as “good doers”
The Suffolk Sorrel
Work horse of the land

True Nature # 5

BEE’S ATTENDED TO THE ROSES

Bee’s attended to the Roses
As Butterflies fluttered by
The great artist mixed his blue
And with it painted the sky
And the sweet scent of lavender
Lingered long on the afternoon air
Should we ask for better?
I don’t think we dare

THE CHAFFINCH

She builds her nest
In the time of spring
And then to find a mate
She must patiently sing

Chaffinch sing your song
So charmingly
From your high branch
Up in the chestnut tree

BABBLING STREAM INTO RIVER

Babbling stream into river
Flows on through the lea
skirting woodland as it winds
On the move constantly
Cutting thru meadow sweet
On its journey to the sea

HERALDING AN APPROACHING STORM

Heralding an approaching storm
Lightening lit the far horizon
As thunder rumbled
Around the valley
Then louder and louder it grew
Closer and closer it came
Until it was overhead

True Nature # 3

BLUEBELLS IN THE WOOD

Bluebells in the wood
Sway in the dappled shade
To the tune of Spring

THISTLEDOWN, IN IDLE FLIGHT

Thistledown, in idle flight
Drifts upon the highland wind
Like ancestral spirits

BATHED IN SUMMER SUNSHINE

Bathed in summer sunshine
Gentle breezes stir the stems
But above in the golden sun
Grow an array of perfect gems

ICE AND RAIN

Ice and rain
Sleet and hail
Storm and tempest
Wind and gale
The rugged rock
Cannot prevail

THE SUMMER IS ENDING

The summer is ending
The flowers are dying
The meadows are still
And the geese are flying

SUMMER FLOWERS ARE BLOOMING

Summer flowers are blooming
In the scented meadows
Are the sun slowly sets
Lengthening the shadows

THE PEACEFUL VILLAGE

The peaceful village
In the frozen valley
Lay quietly beneath
Its winter cloak

BENDING IN THE BREEZE

Bending in the breeze
White stalks sway
Flower heads dancing
On a summer day

THE WINTER LAND LIES

The winter land lies
In suspended animation
Part of life’s eternal cycle
And with it, paused
Is its Infinite variety
But As the earth turns
Mother natures seed waits
Beneath the February snows

VOLCANOES ARE TERRIFYING

Volcanoes are terrifying
Just the thought of them is frightful
But pyroclastic eruptions
That’s just Nature at its most spiteful

A Mixed Bag of Poems

AT THE ELEVENTH HOUR

At the eleventh hour
On the eleventh day
Of the eleventh month
We heard the generals say
You can go home now lads
To the land you’ve defended
Thank God one and all
That the madness has ended

MICHAELMAS DAISY

Lovely Miss Aster,
My flower girl Maisie
My natural beauty
I love her like crazy
My own precious
Michaelmas Daisy

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD

Happy birthday dad
See, we did remember
Because you are so dear
Just like every year

We will never forget
We just wish and wish
You were still here
Just like every year

So we wish you
A happy birthday
And wipe away a tear
Just like every year

Harold Curtis 19/6/1922 – 8/5/1978

DANCING PIXIES IN THE GREEN

Dancing pixies in the green
And sparkling water sprites
Oft heard but never seen
Bathing in the morning light

DEATH IN THE SHADOWS

Death in the shadows
Grim reaper take flight
Don’t let me be the one
You’re coming for tonight

PEBBLES SMOOTH

Pebbles smooth,
Like crude glass
Smoothed by nature
Time and tide
Its patterned form
Marbled in style
Sits comfortably
In the fingers
To be skimmed
Back to the ocean

I HEAR A SINGING CHILD

I hear a singing child
Innocently engrossed
In childish play
Singing sweetly
To her audience of dolls
Safely oblivious
In her enchanted world
Would that it could
Always be that way

DEAR OSCAR

He was witty
Blessed with a fine mind
A bel esprit
And was the clever kind

MICHAELMAS DAY

Feast of the Archangels
As the autumn equinox nears
Michaelmas marks the turning
Of the husbandman's year

29th September

THE SCULPTOR CREATES

The sculptor creates
With skilful hands
The beauteous article
An artistic gift
Its concept borrowed
From his dreams
And his subconscious mind
To infuse in his design
And create a work of art

DREDGING IS NO SILVER BULLET

Dredging is no silver bullet
Is the word coming from their ranks
But at least it would be something
To prevent rivers bursting their banks
While the environment agency
Just blindly keep on firing blanks

SLAVERY WAS BORN OF EMPIRE

Slavery was born of Empire
But not a European one
Slavery existed for centuries
In fact thousands of years
Way before Europe rose to the fore
Even the Romans came late to the party
Following in Greece’s footsteps
Peoples were enslaved
From around the globe
Where there were trade routes
There was slaving
Arabs traded slaves bought
From African tribesmen
Muslims enslaved slavs
Turks enslaved Ukrainians
Mongols reached into the heart of Europe
And took slaves by the thousand
White Europeans became involved
Black enslaved black
White has enslaved white
I don’t know if it will ever end
I certainly hope so
But what I do know is
That the British didn’t invent it

ORIGINAL FAIRY TALES

Original Fairy Tales
Were not devised
To scare children
And inform them
That monsters existed
Children already knew
There were monsters
What Fairy Tales did
Was to teach children
That monsters
Could be beaten

NAZISM WAS LIKE A CANCER

Nazism was like a cancer
Spread across the continent
And when Hitler was defeated
It was not a cure, for the cancer
Was merely in remission

Nature Days

HUMMINGBIRD FLY

Hummingbird fly
On vibrant wings
Sip, iridescent beauty
From trumpet blooms
The nectar sweet
With long slender bill
In flower deep

FROM THE BREAK OF EACH NEW DAWN

From the break of each new dawn
When heralding the new day
The sun crests the horizon
To Paint the eastern sky
With natures orange glow
Until it sets again
In majestic splendour
Beyond the western hills
And is swallowed by the darkness
It gives life with its benevolent light

FLAME TREES

Flame trees in the jungle
Petals like tongues of fire
Burning bright in paradise

ON THE CUSP OF SPRING AND SUMMER

On the cusp of spring and summer
Hawthorn hedgerows bloom
And produce their fruity haws
Before the autumns gathering gloom

THE FADING LIGHT OF THE EVENING

The fading light of the evening
Mirrors the slow diminishing
Of my own dwindling light
As we both head towards the night

A DEW DROP SLOWLY ROLLS

A dew drop slowly rolls along the broad leaf
Like a perfect pearl, it moves on its journey brief
Before dropping off the edge to a rivulet below
And the pearl disappears into the mercurial flow

ON A STORMY NIGHT

On a stormy night
As strangers slumber
Around the gables
The wild wind howled
And rain hit the panes
Like thrown gravel
As the lightning struck
And thunder growled

THE HEATHERS ON THE HILLSIDE

The Heathers on the hillside
And Buttercups in the meadow
The Bluebells in the woods
And Orchids in the hedgerow
What a green and pleasant land
Where the wild flowers grow

AS THE EVENING LIGHT FADES

As the evening light fades
The sky takes on a twilight hue
Until the stars appear above
And the moon comes into view

RED ADMIRAL

Red admiral flutter by
You Beautiful butterfly
Drink from the buddleia
Lovely Vanessa atalanta

THE RED KITE

The Red Kite
Beautiful in flight
In the cape verde sky
Raptor flying high

THE RED SQUIRREL

The red squirrel
Cute arboreal Character
Once abundant in our woodland
Now small in number
Only survive in small pockets
Thanks to the grey intruder

LITTLE BIRD BRING US

Little bird bring us
Your sweet song
To woodland
And to meadow
Usher in another
Blessed summer

AMIDST THE MYRIAD STARS

Amidst the myriad stars
The bright crescent moon
Hangs in the midnight sky
And palely paints the ocean
With its gentle lunar light

A DAZZLING ARRAY OF STARS

A dazzling array of stars
Carpet the night sky
Enlivening the heart
And making spirits fly