Poems From the Porch 4

Friends, colleagues, and random readers, welcome to Poems from the Porch.

In the first article I invited readers to give me ideas or subjects that they would like to see written as poems and said if the idea proved popular enough I would turn it into a series.

I have received enough suggestions, so far, to keep this series going into the foreseeable future, and the suggestions just keep rolling in

I am keeping a list of the prompts in the order they are posted in comments and the poems I create will be in the same order. So, sit back, put your feet up (as I did writing these) and hopefully enjoy poems requested by your fellow writers.

"As to suggestions for future poems, the weather is always a good topic. The value of long-time friends is another. At our ages, we are starting to lose many of them which also brings up the loss as a topic."

I agree, Peggy, the weather and friends are always popular topics. Thanks for the suggestions and I hope you find these two poems satisfactory.

“How’s the weather where you live?”

“Dry and hot, no sign of rain!”

“Well, it’s pissing down at our place,

Your loss must be our gain.”

So starts a conversation,

The weather breaks the ice.

It’s something that affects us all,

Whether it be bad or nice.

The climate’s changing all the time,

It’s hard to keep a score.

Records go back 100 years,

It needs to be much more.

Some say there’s global warming,

And man’s the most at fault,

While others say there’re cycles,

And warming claims are false.

Forest fires, and hurricanes,

Tornado, record drought,

Earthquakes, floods, and cyclones,

It’s worsening, no doubt.

Fossil fuels are running low,

Animals are dying,

Pollution clogs the waterways,

Polar caps are drying.

Whether it’s man’s fault or not

Is not really the point.

But, let’s do everything we can

To revitalize this joint.

We make friends throughout our lives,

At school, and work, and play.

Some friendships are fleeting,

But others here to stay.

When we graduate from school

And go our separate ways,

It’s often hard to keep in touch

And friendships often wain.

But now with social media,

Facebook and the like,

It’s possible to search for names

And re-connections make.

They may have travelled overseas,

Changed their names or married,

But long-lost friends can now be found

And friendships re-established.

Though, as we age, our friends do too,

Some sadly pass away,

So, reach out to those long-lost friends

And reminisce past days.

"Lately, since losing my son Jackie, I've been drawn to poetry about heaven and angels. Hopefully, you will write something along these lines. Whatever, I know it will be good."

Ruby, it is always devastating to lose a loved one, especially a son or daughter. I hope you enjoy this poem, and that it may even provide some comfort.

There are angels all around us,

Protecting us from harm.

Watching every move we make,

They try not to alarm.

When we make bad decisions,

Or get in lots of strife,

Heaven sends a guardian angel

To resurrect our life.

We may not recognize them,

They don’t seek praise or thanks.

They may look like the girl next door,

Or a bus driver named Frank.

God knows everything we do,

The good as well as bad.

It’s the angel’s job to guide us

So the best outcome is had.

So, next time you are troubled

And someone gives advice,

Don’t dismiss it with a shrug.

I suggest you should think twice.

Sometimes, when our time is up

And we have left this Earth,

God sends us back as angels

To do his precious work.

"How about those bush fires and the drought as reflections in Poems from the Porch? I, personally, am fascinated in how our planet is burning up in so many different corners and how personal certain blazes feel (like in Brazil's Amazon)."

Thank you for this prompt, Cynthia. This topic is very relevant to me as my area in the South Burnett, Queensland and surrounds is in the middle of one of our longest droughts in history. Bush fires are a major threat and we are currently under a total fire ban. I hope you enjoy this poem called Bush Fire Christmas.

* This poem was inspired by, and some phrases borrowed from "The Fire at Ross's Farm" by Henry Lawson.

T’was Christmas Eve when months of drought

Had dried up all the creeks.

Bush fires that started in the north

Now reached the southern peaks.

The cattle-tracks wound through the bush

Like long and dusty aisles,

And with a sudden gust of breeze

The fire would spread for miles.

At night along the mountain ridge

The scene was grand and strange -

The hill-fires looked like lighted streets

Of cities on the range.

The fire leapt any flowing streams

And kept its own accord.

It climbed the trees, engulfed the boughs,

As through the scrub, it roared.

Like the sound of distant gunfire

It crackled through dry lakes,

And o’er the spear and buffalo grass

It hissed like angry snakes.

The bees fell stunned within the smoke,

Or perished in their hives,

And fleeing with the livestock,

Roos bounded for their lives.

But, as the sun rose Christmas Day

God smiled down on the Earth.

Drought-ending rain poured from the sky,

From Darwin down to Perth.

It filled the streams and waterways,

And soothed drought-ravaged land,

And snuffed out every raging fire

O’er every mile it spanned.

Just a small reminder that if you have an idea for a poem you'd like me to write, then let me know in comments. Throw subjects at me and I will do my best to write poems about them. If you want to really test me you can even request the type/style of poem you want.

I am still not quite halfway through the requests I have already received, but more are always welcome. The next article will have poems requested by Liz Westwood, Rinita Sen, Shauna Bowling, and Marie Flint.