Being a Red Shirt is never easy

Ode to all Red Shirts, dead or alive

“He’s Dead, Jim” Dr McCoy

Being a Red Shirt is never easy

Wearing a red shirt
Feeling like about to get hurt
The target is painted on my back
No time for sleep or a snack
I know I am not really cherished
And quite soon to be perished
Since I am mainly used as cannon fodder
Even though I am none the odder
Than a yellow or blue shirted one
So, now my time has come
And with the beat of the drum
I will march into my doom
Proudly, staring into the gloom
After all it is my duty
And that is the beauty
Of being a Red Shirt

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The Lighthouse

“A ship on the beach is a lighthouse to the sea” Dutch proverb

The Lighthouse

Follow the light
Without a fight
And you just might
Have a journey
Without a plight
The beacon
Is the reason
Your vessel
Found its way
Without a hassle
Safely, into the bay

 

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The Finnish Dream

“Do not cross the brook for water” Finnish proverb

The Finnish Dream

A cottage on an island
Preferably on the highland
Still near or in the city
No running water nor electricity
Not another soul in sight
If you dare to enter
You will soon be in plight
Because the center
Of each Finns existence
Is the calculated distance
From their neighbour
Preferably as far as the equator

 

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Images are from the capital of Finland, Helsinki; just a few kilometres offshore.

SL-WEEK 1: Selfie

Challenge by SYLVAIN LANDRY

“But first, lemme take a selfie!”

Selfie

Strike a pose
Make sure it shows
Put on your face
Oddest of expressions
Trying doing it with grace
And leaving an impression
Click, click and click
Don’t forget the selfie stick
Camera at arm’s length
Can be a feat of strength
Save, crop send
To the social media trend
Sitting and waiting
For likes
How long is it taking?
I wasn’t faking
But yikes
And holy sh-t!
They really liked it!

 

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By the Seashore: Photography (The Clinic-Photo Rehab): Greece, Evia

Posted in response to The Clinic-Photo Rehab hosted by Lucile DeGodoy

“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever” Jacques Yves Cousteau

By the Seashore

I still remember
That one September
The bluest of skies
And it was warmer than July
The water clear and inviting
The air soft and delighting
Not a worry in sight
Everything quite right
In the distance
For an instance
A boat or two
Disappearing from the view
Most tourists already gone
Leaving us alone
Enjoying in peace
With a short lease
The last rays of summer

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So, How’s the Weather Today?

“Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather” John Ruskin

So, How’s the Weather Today?

Best topic ever invented in all of human history. If all else fails, it is, still, the best topic to fall back on. Beats the hell out of awkward silence in any company. It is also a well known cure for writers with blocks on their desks, meaning if you have nothing else to write about: Apropos, write about the weather! So I do and here it is.

Today it was cold and windy. Unusually so even for our northern climate, feeling like minus degrees on the skin. And before you ask; yes, we do get summers up here and no, there are no polar bears roaming the streets, nor penguins guiding the traffic either. And so far we have had luck on our side: No snow on the ground!

But, since it is July and supposedly summer, we do like to take our coffee breaks outside in the “warm sunny” weather. And today was no different.

Like every good Finn dressed for July weather: in sandals, shorts and sleeveless tops, ready to face the “warming sun shine”, no matter what may come. On our way down to the regular spot, coffee cups in hand, eagerly awaiting for the warming sun to hit our faces. How wrong were we!

The freezing north wind was gracing our exposed skins. Shivering and holding on the quickly freezing hot beverage while trying to make nice small talk. Mostly about the weather, of course. Lips turning blue, but still sitting there, enjoying the nature, outside, in the summer time. Finally after fifteen minutes of “enjoyment”, fantasizing and trying to hold on to the illusion of nice summer weather, we finally gave in. Mostly due to the fact that our fingers were growing numb and the coffee already cold, but drunk (never waste coffee!), did nothing to warm us.

Going inside, fresh from the light summer breeze, telling everyone else who remained behind, how invigorating the experience had been and recommending the others to try it as well. After all, it is not nice to not share great experiences with others, now is it?

While standing by the coffee machine, awaiting my turn for an actual hot cup of coffee, I struck a conversation with a fellow work mate. What did we talk about? Well the weather of course 😉
Lesson learnt: Enjoy the summer! It may be cold or warm, but it’s still summer!

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Driving Barefoot

“If you are not barefoot you are overdressed”

Driving Barefoot

A wrong set of sandals
Almost ended up in a scandal
While navigating in my car
Didn’t get very far
When I needed to change gears
Nearly caught by fear
When the footwear started to malfunction
Quickly driving to the nearest junction
Luckily getting there in one piece
But it wasn’t with ease
My heart caught in my throat
I swore myself this oath
I don’t want to be
Another flip flop fatality
Next time I will choose
More appropriate shoes
The rest of the way
In kind of a sway
And totally striving
As I was driving
Barefoot

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Photography & Poetry: A Day in Nature

“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished” Lao Tzu

A Day in Nature

Sitting on a swing
Not worrying about a thing
Enjoying the simple life
Without a stinger or a strife
The air almost like silk
Time slowly passing by
Not one trouble in sight

Observing, watching, looking
What is nearby cooking

The hedgehog sipping it’s milk
The squirrel with it’s tail high
A bird gliding in mid flight
The flowers in the wind crooking

The clouds hanging softly in the sky
Exhaling, letting out a sigh
The last rays of sun on the skin
What a perfect fin
For a July summer’s day
The grass in a gentle sway

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Wonder Women

An homage to a some of the women I admire

“In every woman there is a Queen. Speak to the Queen and the Queen will answer” Norwegian Proverb

Wonder Women

Feminism?
Never mind the ‘ism’
I’m in it for the idealism

Girl power
Female power
Human power

Heroins
Of different eras
Those afraid
May call you chimeras

Hell raisers
Trailblazers
Your wisdom and insight
Carrying the plight
For those
Who could not fight

Women of power
Hardly the cowards
Quite the women
Of wonder

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Pretty in Pink

“The colour pink makes everything look pretty”

Pretty in Pink

The colour pink
It’s more than just ink
It may be a chosen lifestyle
Or just some clothes in a pile
Don’t put me on a file
Just because for a while
I chose to wear the colour
Stay out late and holler
Wearing a short skirt
A well earned perk
Naturally, all in pink
And very much in sync
The illusion complete
To everyone send this tweet
“She is off her rocker
Oh what a shocker”
And with that, my job here is done!
And I had so much fun!

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