GloPoWriMo2017: Day I: The Fortress of Solitude

In a rather secluded part of a large family home a lone figure sits up in his bed. Here he is his most comfortable, lying beneath his quilted blanket, strewn with the colours of a vibrant Peacock and as soft as the fresh cotton bursting from its pod.

Here I will be safe
Here the outside won’t touch me
Here I will find rest

The room, though it has changed many times and existed in many locations, remains ever the same. That one table to the side, littered with discarded wrappers, his grandfather’s ring, that one watch he’s managed not to lose or break and the cough syrup he sometimes sneaks to help him sleep.

There are many things
In my life and on my mind
Do I need them all?

As the sun rises he knows soon he will have to leave the comfort of the womb he has fashioned for himself with pillows and blankets and the familiar warmth of a laptop that heats up just a little too easily. It was almost time to go to work. To put on the ol’ Penguin suit and hide behind his wall of files.

The cold world beckons
And I guess I must answer
For that’s what one does

Begrudgingly and slowly he dressed himself and prepared to say goodbye to his one true place of escape. His Vanishing Point. His Tower of Fate. His Fortress of Solitude. For the real world was pulling at him. And he knew he had not the courage nor the grit to leave it all behind, as he oh so often dreamed he would.

Another day then
Of brave faces and fake smiles
Until I return

(Today’s poem is inspired by the NaPoWriMo early bird prompt – the Haibun – a fun and interesting mash-up of prose and haiku)

30 Days, 30 Poems! NaPoWriMo 2017

Well April is almost upon us and this April’s fool has decided to once again take on the rather draining yet fun exercise of writing a poem a day for National Poetry Writing Month, aka NaPoWriMo (or as it is now also known Global Poetry Writing Month aka GloPoWriMo).

So what does this challenge entail? Well it means I’m going to attempt to write and share a poem every single day for the month of April! Sometimes I’ll be inspired by fatigue or beauty or sheer boredom, sometimes I’ll use the fun and often interesting prompts on the NaPoWriMo site.

30 poems – Will they be inspired or insipid? Daring or dumb? Brave or banal? Well that dear reader, will be for you to judge.

If you’re interested in participating in the challenge or just following other blogs and websites that are participating check out the NaPoWriMo website. But whether you’re a poet or a punter, I hope you’re ready… Because the Poems are coming!

 

I Am A Leaf On The Wind

Across the avenues and boulevards
Their bodies lay strewn about
Pushed to the side and brushed away
Without a whimper or a shout

In their falling there is beauty
And passersby will gaze
But once fallen they are forgotten
And left lying still for days

There was a time they stood tall
Atop their lofty perches
Sheltering those below and within
Mighty Oaks and Elms and Birches

But time did break their bonds and bodies
Made them pale and weak
And so they left this mortal coil
And slowly fell to sleep

Soon others will stand in their stead
But as seasons go so will they
For this is how life marches on
For this is its way

 

(P.S. To all you Firefly/Serenity/Wash fan out there – Sorry for the mislead ; p)

Cotswolds Wildlife Park and Gardens (Better Late Than Never II)

Alright I definitely have to get more organised about posting my photographs after a session/trip… Because here we go again. Posting from the back log – This time from my visit to the Cotswolds Wildlife Park and Gardens (again sometime in 2016 while I was living in England). Hopefully from now on I learn my lesson and post more regularly. As a bonus though, this post is particularly Otter-heavy… So gets ready for the awwwws : D

If you don’t see a Ring-Tailed Lemur performing Hamlet, you’re mad!

What is this Oriental Small Clawed Otter shielding its friend from?

A Cotton Top Tamarin having a cheeky scratch

I wonder if my painter can reproduce the funky markings of this Tokay Gecko

A vibrant and (I’m sure misunderstood) Tarantula

This Burrowing Owl does not look happy to be caged up!

Does this Frilled Lizard remind anyone of an iconic movie scene?

A wise old looking Six Banded Armadillo

This Prevost’s Squirrel is terrifying!

I’m just a sucker for a cute group of Meerkats

Hey I have a rock! High Five!

Compared to the other Wildlife Parks and Zoos I had occasion to visit the Cotswolds was definitely one of the better ones. Being somewhat out in the country meant that it had large spaces and bigger enclosures for most of the animals, and a really large selection too. Though if you’re a “completionist” like me be sure to pack a lunch and some comfortable walking shoes, because it will take you all day to check out the park… and there are many animals you’ll want to visit repeatedly depending on the time of day.

An Oriental Small Clawed Otter rolling around in the sun

A pair of Giraffes having a tussle

A rather angry and determined looking Male Galapagos Giant Tortoise

The Great Indian Hornbill

An African Crested Porcupine, just out for a stroll in its enclosure

A pair of Oriental Small Clawed Otters… kissing?

A shy, aloof Pallas Cat

A beautiful Peacock with its vibrant plumage

A beautiful Blue and Gold macaw

A gorgeous and poisonous two-coloured Dart Frog

Holi Hai

Colours are flying
Children are laughing
Spirits are soaring
Holi hai

Balloons that don’t float
Rivers but no boats
People with many coats
Holi hai

There is chaat and chat
Sun dresses and sun hats
Whether you’re blue-collar or aristocrat
Holi Hai

Though there is a nip in the air
Warm embraces we’ll all share
While rubbing red in everyone’s hair
Holi hai

So whether you chill or you riot
Whether its free or you buy it
Do something to enjoy it
Holi hai

Chester Zoo – March 2015 (Better Late Than Never?)

Pardon the date in the post. As it should make evident, I took these pictures a while back on a visit to Chester Zoo in England. The trip was a fun from what I recollect. Unfortunately it was also cold and shaky hands make for bad photography. So while it was somewhat memorable, it wasn’t all that successful.

A rather sad-eyed Emperor Tamarin

A hungry Andean aka Spectacled Bear noshing down on some yummy cucumbers

A rather grumpy looking Baboon, with his beautifully marked blue snout

An interestingly spotted Salvador’s Monitor lizard

Looks like Human aren’t the only ones with dirty habits, as this Great Sumatran Orangutan shows!

A straw chewing Radiated Tortoise, out on a stroll

A magnificent (and huge) Great Hornbill, shot through its mesh enclosure

A large Bornean Orangutan just swinging about

A Sumatran Cub enjoying his lunch

Still I’ve picked out a few worth publishing from the batch. Certainly a few gems in there I’m happy to add to the collection. Hopefully next time, if there ever is one, I’ll do the Zoo and its “Islands” justice.

A vividly coloured Caiman Lizard

A young Great Sumatran Orangutan

A beautifully camouflaged green Dart Frog

A gorgeous Blue Morpho Butterfly perched on a branch overhead

A pair of Radiated Tortoises

A pair of vibrant blue Dart Frogs

I wish I had more to say on the visit. But time and other factors nudge me away from reminiscing. So hopefully these few shots speak for themselves.

Booth 51

Fantastic beasts glide by me
With feathered wings or devilled horns
And passerby they marvel
And carve images a they fawn

All the while I am stationed
Do your duty, man your post
Be ever the friendly face
When you give, give the most

Most just pass and stare
The glint of idols in their eyes
Some do stop to probe and poke
But most they do not buy

It’s my soul that I attempt to sell them
With each unit, a small piece
Counting down the hours
Till their charade does finally cease

For those who do take a piece away
I thank you for your kindness
And to those who will not even try
I spite you for your blindness

In the end I will pick up the pieces
Of my heart, my spirit, my soul
And pack them up to take them home
Where sleep may make them whole

And there they’ll lie till the next time
The next time we play this game
Where things are every changing
Yet ever stay the same

But I am yet resolute
Though my strength and patience may diminish
I know the path is long
And I know I may not finish

But I do this not just for me
I do it for many others
And in that fight I do not fight alone
I stand with my band of brothers

So for them and for their struggle
I stand and call to thee
For though this world is harsh
We know what it can yet be