Roman Raspberries

The Romans gave us
aqueducts, mosaics and the Colosseum,
and fragments of pottery,
that can be found in museums.
Julius Caesar was an ill-mannered swine,
he threw folk to the lions,
and got drunk on wine.

The roman soldiers
were sticklers for order,
they built very straight roads
and a wall on the border.

They were big fans of summer fruits,
but sartorially they
preferred sandals to boots,
raspberries were their favourite food,
but they didn't blow them,
'cos that would be rude!

Cowes Week

Cowes Week
is a regatta extravaganza,
a maritime bonanza
a celebration of sailing and culture
don your yellow wellies and souwester
for this annual sailing fiesta.

Captain Mick is there,
on his motor cruiser Phoenix 1,
she's a beauty at 36ft long,
the cannon fires,
the race begins,
all entrants intend to win.

The Fastnet Tragedy
is front of mind this week,
40 years on
the memory of the lost is still strong
15 sailors lost their lives,
75 battered boats capsized.
a trial of seamanship,
demanding grit and sailing spirit.

Cycling in the Forest

We're going cycling in the Forest
yeah we are - honest
without a bike
we'd be hiking
we'll be trying trikes & bikes
& quads & stuff
we can't get enough - honest
if it's exciting
we'll return
which might be recycling
as we're speeding along (like Geraint Thomas)
we won't hit a tree - honest

Cake and Cricket

The contents of
Mick's fridge
are in this cake:
Harrods' strawberry jam,
half a dozen eggs,
Anchor butter
from New Zealand,
home of the Kiwi cricketers
(no hard feelings).

The England team
were jammy,
just like Mick's cake
(which took 2 hours
to bake),
that was a win
we were happy to take,
the cricket went
to a final ball,
and Mick's cake was enjoyed
by one and all!

Nature Brings Peace and Serenity

I like to stand and look
at waterfalls and babbling brooks
for hours on end
as foliage blends
into the forest's leafy canopy
nature brings peace and serenity
to me

My olfactory sense
is heightened
by the perfumes
of wild blooms
my mind gets lost
in the dampness of the moss

The leaves on the trees
rustle in the breeze
a symphony of birdsong
is music to my ears
I listen to the sound
of the woodpecker's
staccato rap
as it drills for grubs
in the resin and sap

I hug a tree
with all my might
I whisper
I need love not fight
it's nature's haven of security
Oh how I wish I could take it
home with me

By the Biscuit Poetry Group

Duty by Ellen S. Hooper

I slept and dreamed that life was Beauty:
I woke and found that life was Duty:
Was then the dream a shadowy lie?
Toil on, sad heart, courageously,
And thou shalt find they dream to be
A noonday light and truth to thee.

Survivor by Roger McGough

Everyday,
I think about dying.
About disease, starvation,
violence, terrorism, war,
the end of the world.
 
It helps
keep my mind off things.