Poems From the Porch 14

Christmas is closing fast, and while we, in this part of Australia are experiencing sweltering heat, those of you in the Northern Hemisphere are probably dreading the approach of snow (if it isn't already.)

You will notice that the first poem even has a Christmas theme. I hope your Preparations are under way and you have done most of your present buying already to avoid the last minute rush.

So, pull up a chair, sit back, and enjoy the poems requested by you or your colleagues. p.s. you may have a cat or two rub up against you or jump on your lap, so be prepared.

Try as I might, I can’t find FlourishAnyway’s original request, but she did ask that using ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas as a guide to write about “the Impeachment.”

She did add the following prompt a little later:

”’Twas the Night before Christmas and all through the House

Not a creature stood neutral, not even a mouse ...

Just a suggestion. Looking forward to the results!”

Well, I haven’t been following the Impeachment proceedings very closely, but from what I have seen I came up with the following poem. I hope you like it Flourish.

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the House

Not a creature was neutral, not even a mouse;

But no one outside of America cared,

If President Trump was impeached or spared;

We Aussies were nestled all snug in our beds,

While Democrats and Republicans kept butting heads;

I am sure my dear wife would give me a slap,

If I woke her up from a much-needed nap;

When on the News Channel there was such loud chatter,

I sat up in bed to see what was the matter.

Apparently, there was a sudden news flash,

Saying President Trump was acting quite brash!

Well, that wasn’t something I needed to know,

My disinterest just continued to grow.

Other key witnesses were called to appear,

It seemed this Impeachment would see the New Year.

Then it was all over, so easy and quick,

I changed the channel with one remote click.

Political debate is really quite tame,

Compared to the thrill of my favourite game.

” I am into several sports, my favorite is tennis. I could sit and watch Rodger Federer all day. I wonder if you would write a poem about tennis? Thank you.”

I enjoy tennis too Ruby, so I didn’t have to struggle too hard to write this poem. I hope you like “The One Across the Net.”

Of all the sports I love to watch,

Or those that I have played,

The one that I enjoyed the most

Is still the same today.

Although I like athletics,

Cricket and football,

Tennis is my favourite sport

That overtakes them all.

With champions like Federer,

And Raphael Nadal,

Fresh faces like Ash Barty,

And Alex de Minaur.

There’s Love, 15, then 30,

40 all is deuce,

Advantage, then the next point’s Game,

But someone has to lose.

Tennis goes from strength to strength,

An elite and high paid sport,

Where players strive to be the best

On the Centre Court.

Who’ll be Number One this year

Is anybody’s bet,

But ever player tries to beat

The one across the net.

“I'll make a request for sometime in the future. I'm thinking of my family now. My late wife was a science teacher. Her favorite subject was geology. For that reason, she, our two sons, and I became "rock hounds". Everyplace we traveled around North America, the Maritime Provinces of Canada, Iceland, and Norway, we collected rocks. In our home state of Michigan, the State rock is the Petoskey Stone. We find them on the Lake Michigan beaches near our home. So, in honor of my late wife, the Rock Lady, write a poem about, "a rock". That's it. No further instructions, just "a rock". Go wherever you like with it.”

Chris, it was my pleasure to write a poem to honour your late wife. As soon as you said the topic “a rock” one thing came to mind..hence the following poem “The Rock.”

A rock sits alone and stark

Like a land-locked red iceberg

Amid a dusty plain.

The landscape flat and bare

Making it conspicuous,

A sandstone monolith,

Towering high and bold

In magnificent splendour,

Over the Red Centre.

People used to travel far

To photograph and climb

The Rock.

Once “Ayers Rock”

Now “Uluru.”

A stoic sentinel,

An oasis in the desert.

Changing colours

As the sun rises and sets.

No matter what it’s called,

It will always be known as

“The Rock!”

• Located: Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park, Northern Territory, Australia
• Height: 348 m (1,142 ft) high, rising 863 m (2,831 ft) above sea level with most of its bulk lying underground
• Circumference: 9.4 km (5.8 mi)
• Distance extending underground: 2.5 km (1.553 mi) approx.
• Colour: appears to change colour at different times of the day and year, most notably when it glows red at dawn and sunset
• Type of Formation: Uluru is an inselberg, literally "island mountain".It is also often referred to as a monolith, although this is a term that is generally avoided by geologists.
• Geological Composition: composed of coarse-grained arkose (a type of sandstone characterised by an abundance of feldspar) and some conglomerate
• Climbing Banned: As of 26th October 2019 climbing the rock has ceased. Anangu, the traditional owners, have requested that visitors not climb Uluru because it is a sacred men's site, and because they feel cultural responsibility over the high number of deaths and injuries incurred from Climbing. There have been 37 confirmed deaths since the 1950s

(source: Wikipedia; The Guardian)

Well, that's it for another week. I know it doesn't seem like it because last weeks edition was a little late and this one is early. I actually wanted to get this one finished and published as quickly as possible so I could fit another in before Christmas.

I want to thank everyone who has responded with new requests. So far I have enough for at least two more hubs in the series. The next edition should feature poems requested by Rosina S Khan, Lora Hollings, Bill Holland, and Lorna Lamon.

Until then, bye-bye, sayonara, and so long for now. if I don't see you before then, have a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, or whatever you celebrate.