Spring

Spring

The miracle of Spring is upon us,

The anemones smile from their lairs;

The daises too make a carpet of white

In this countryside of ours.

Snow in the mountains glistens,

The low sun casts its delight;

Winter is slowly stepping aside,

Spring has put it to flight.

The gold of the buttercup flashes,

Birds find their voices again.

The grass on the roadside awakens

And bulbs come alive where they've lain.

The daffodils stand up and trumpet,

The snowdrops swing to the tune,

The crocus peeps out from its slumber;

Summer is coming soon!

Then let us enjoy the wonder's reborn,

When each season tells its own story;

Give a special thought to the coming of Spring

That awakens nature in all of her glory.

JJW

March 2013

The first and fourth photos were taken near a little historical village called Kayakoy, near Fethiye, last Sunday (10th), a family enjoying the experience and a young lady with the ever-present mobile phone!. The second was taken in the suburbs of Fethiye near where I live from time to time and shows the Golgeli Mountains in the background that rise to about 8,000 feet. The third was by the roadside near Kayakoy. Camera used: Nikon Coolpix L310. Handy for an amateur like me!

Toothy the Tortoise

Toothy the Tortoise

 

When Toothy the tortoise went for a walk

Down to the shops in his street;

Everyone stared and started to talk,

All the girls said, "Isn't he sweet!"

 

Toothy had plans to make himself pretty,

There was no one he was going to tell;

He had a shoemaker friend in a shop in the city

Who had agreed to polish his shell.

 

He paused at the kerb where pedestrians stood

And waited 'till the red man turned green,

Then he scurried across the fairly wide road.

"That's the quickest little tortoise I've seen!"

 

Said a man who had watched as Toothy went past,

Quite surprised at Toothy's great scurry;

But Toothy knew why he was going so fast,

His friend had said he needed to hurry

 

Because the polish he'd made to start off the job

Was a mixture he needed to boil.

As it hubbled and bubbled away on the hob

He added some raw linceed oil.

 

At last Toothy arrived at the door of the place

And he smelled that mixture so sweet.

He was tired from running, it wasn't his pace

But worth it to receive such a treat.

 

"Get down on that bed I've specially made,

Face down and lie on your tummy!"

"Your shell I see has started to fade

But I'll make it all bright and sunny".

 

Said the Shoemaker before he started to scrub

With a brush to take off the grime.

Then he took a soft cloth and gave it a rub

And the shell then started to shine.

 

He then took his mixture and with a soft brush

He deftly painted the shell.

He said, "The secret is that I must never rush,

So my mixture gives off a nice smell".

 

When he had finished and it had started to dry

The shell glistened and gleamed in the light.

Toothy could feel the change and knew why

His home was now shiny and bright.

 

He said the the shoemaker, "You're ever so kind

To help a small creature like me".

"It's my job!" Said the shoemaker, "And you never mind,

What's more I did it for free!"

 

Toothy climbed down, put his feet on the floor,

Said, "I'll never forget you for this".

"If I can't pay you money before I walk out the door,

At least let me give you a kiss!"

 

The shoemaker just laughed 'till his eyes filled with tears;

"A kiss from a tortoise! Thats funny!"

"It's the very best payment I've had in years -

And worth loads of anyone's money".

 

"But wait just a minute, I know you've come far,

Just to get here was a long way to roam".

"I'll shut up my shop and you'll get into my car

And I'll drive you back to you're home".

 

It was one happy tortoise who slept that same night

To dream of that shoemaker's dell;

He had a smile on his face as he turned out the light,

And said a prayer for the shoemaker as well.

 

 

 

 

Diplomacy

Diplomacy

 

So Kerry's come to Turkey to meet with Erdogan,

Then he should sit and listen and learn things when he can.

He should learn about the culture and not decide in haste

To take on any issue before he's had a taste

Of what is meant by friendship in these countries of Islam;

Look beyond the conflicts and he will see that to a man

There's an extended hand of welcome, it's basic to the creed,

And there's an inbuilt sense of duty to serve a stranger's need.

Its not a sign of weakness but a strength that they all show;

So he should take care to recognise what you reap is what you sow.

A Haircut

 

 

A Haircut

I picked up courage to sit on his chair,

The demon he hovered around;

Then gently he ran his hands through my hair

While making a strange humming sound.

 

He spoke in a voice I hardly could hear,

"It's longer than I've seen it before!"

Then he put his scissors' up close to my ear;

That's when I nearly made for the door.

 

He put his hands on my shoulders holding me down;

I was trapped with nowhere to go.

I looked in the mirror and saw his deep frown,

 Then I waited for that final blow.

 

But instead he was gentle as he started to clip,

Still humming his infinite tune.

In his hypnotic trance I started to slip,

My senses reeled all over the room.

 

Suddenly there was a change in the sound,

A burring from an infernal contraption.

I opened my eyes and looked all around

To see him fitting some kind of adaption

 

To the odd machine he held in his hand,

A cordless electrical clipper.

He waved it about like a mystical wand,

Perhaps to put a spell on his sitter.

 

From the back to the front and then down the sides

He leveled my locks with his mower;

While at the same time in me he confides

That his wife's run away with a rower.

 

I couldn't care less if she'd left in his skiff,

His talking was driving me barmy.

What was it to me that they had a great tiff

Because his son had signed up for the army.

 

At last he stood back to admire his creation,

Then proceeded to brush off the fluff

That had stuck to my face, a funny sensation,

But by that time I had had enough.

 

I leapt from his chair, threw his gown in his face;

I had a mad gleam in my eye.

I threw him some money and left that dire place.

I hate haircuts and I'll never know why!

 

 



Gallipoli

 

Gallipoli

I've stood on the lands where many were slain,

On the shores of Gallipoli.

And wondered whether they all died in vain

On the shores of Gallipoli.

 

The Anzacs and Johnnies, the Mehmets as well,

On the shores of Gallipoli.

Fought for a cause that's now easier to tell

On the shores of Gallipoli.

 

I've stood there in silence with tears in my eyes,

On the shores of Gallipoli.

Where brave men died without any goodbyes,

On the shores of Gallipoli.

 

I've felt for the souls who rest in that land,

On the shores of Gallipoli.

I've crumbled grains of it's soil in my hand,

On the shores of Gallipoli.

 

I've felt the warm breeze that caresses each grave

On the shores of Gallipoli.

I've looked out to sea where each memory's a wave

On the shores of Gallipoli.

 

I've lived to learn that enemies became friends

On the shores of Gallipoli.

Anzacs, Tommies and Turks made amends

On the shores of Gallipoli.

 

'Twas the Mehmets that saved those lands of their own

On the shores of Gallipoli.

We now realise that they fought for their home

On the shores of Gallipoli.

 

Ataturk in a letter expressed from his heart

On the shores of Gallipoli.

Your sons are our sons and will always be part

Of the shores of Gallipoli.

 

 

JJW

February 2013

A Violent Newcomer

A Violent Newcomer 

 

It streaked like lightening across the sky, thundered loud as it went by

Brought true fear and alarm, that could only mean  great harm

From the cold Siberian sky.

That meteor from outer space, brought sheer terror to the place;

Windows shattered in its wake, before it crashed down in a lake,

And left all to reason why?

 

Chelabinsk is the place's name, it never before had a call for fame.

It's not really too large in size, but now it's in the world's eyes

Because of one great rock.

No one's sure from whence it came, outer space must take the blame

 Where debris circles from times gone by, well above the visible sky;

It came as quite a shock!

 

The experts on TV appear, to confuse us more and add to fear

By telling tales of what might be, amimated to earn their fee;

 They talk a lot of rot.

The media must get to the place, from all directions they start to race

To interview the local clan, exaggerating when they can.

A story must be got!

 

If the world's press would stop and think, only send one crew to provide the link.

Cut your costs and give us peace, we want an accurate news release.

Not one you fabricate.

The victims will their story tell, just give them time 'till all is well.

But newsmen never take that view, they interfere and cause a stew.

They are all indelicate!

 

Twenty thousand were sent to assist, to make sure that no one was missed:

A timely move right at the start, all reaching out to do their part

To console the population.

When disaster strikes and brings its pain, people unite to ease the strain.

There behind each human mind, an inbuilt instinct to be kind.

Now that's a revelation!

 

Now Nation's may start to realise, that what took place before their eyes

Revealed a force they cannot contain, one that is too hard to explain.

Perhaps it was a threat?

Stop the fight for nuclear devices, work for peace in all its guises,

Reap the reward of working together, before someone out there loses His tether.

There is hope for all of us yet!

 

 

 

 

A

Whether the Weather

Whether the Weather?

 

 

I wonder whether the weather should

take any blame when I'm in a mood?

When it's sunny and bright

My mood is quite light,

When it's dull I just sit and brood.

 

I wonder whether the weather should

Take any blame when I'm in a mood?

When I've plenty to do

 I never feel blue,

Let it rain, let it snow I feel good.

 

I do not think the weather should

Take any blame when I'm in a mood.

If my grey cells are active

All weather's attractive.

All of this sounds a little bit crude!

 

But I really don't think the weather should

Take any blame when I'm in a mood.

Excuses are fine

But not all the time

And that is what I'll conclude

 

Next time I ask whether the weather should

Take any blame when I'm in a mood.

The faults are my own

Experience has shown

And its a fact that I cannot elude.