Oh, the joy of this, as a child!
The churning stomach, incase you were spotted,
The tension of keeping cavey** for a friend,
The risk of grazing an arm or leg,
Scrambling over walls, through fences,
Up the tree itself,
But the badge of glory of these ‘war wounds’!
Then stealing those apples,
With a pink blush on a green skin,
As if they’d been sunburned…
And that first illicit bite,
The crunch as you took that first mouthful,
The crack of mild acidity,
That made you momentarily screw your eyes up,
And the juice dripping down your chin!
And then the retreat with your treasure.
Oh, the delight of scrumping!

* scrumping = stealing apples from someone else’s orchard
** keep cavey = keep lookout

How do I like my fruit best?
Pies with pastry that melts on the tongue,
And the fruit hot and steamy and gentle on the palate.
Crumble!
The crackle contrasting with the soft?
Or straight off the tree or bush,
With the sun still warm in their skin?
Crisp, crunchy, hard on the teeth,
Sweet, yet with a note of acidity.
And soft, popping berries,
Bursting with purple joy!
Blackberry and apple,
Raw, as they were intended,
A feast of champions!

These trees have stood for centuries,
Giants that humbly stretch toward the sky,
And all I can do is stand beneath them,
And marvel at their simplicity and grandeur,

There used to be a bridge across the bay.
Now, the tides have wreaked ravages,
And the weather.
A line of sea-gnarled posts march across the water,
Like silent sentinels,
Marking time passing,
Marking history,
Marking a path to the island.

Vazon Blues by PhotoToasty on Flickr

Someone left this strawberry here,
Propped up on a twig!
And I will try to finish it,
Although it’s rather big!

Leaving it for such as me,
Took love and thought and care,
And though it may defeat me,
Leaving it is more than I can bear!

Eating something quite this big’s
A challenge to a mouse,
But I cannot take it home,
It won’t fit in my house!

The Chrysopelea or flying snake,
Is surely Nature’s small mistake?
Wandering through a forest in Borneo,
You might just encounter this flying halo!
It’s venom , thankfully mild, kills it’s prey,
Small lizards and geckos that get in its way…
Scales on its belly allow it to climb trees,
Then to launch itself off with great expertise.
It can travel up to 100 metres gliding thus,
With no wings to propel it, a feat to non-plus!

A young girl from Kalamazoo,
Liked to munch on a satsuma or two,
She bought a bumper crop,
From her local shop,
‘Twas a habit she just had to pursue!

From way up here, the world looks small,
I cling on tight incase I fall,
I only feel a few inches tall,
Oh, it’s great to see a world!

There are pockets of dense population,
Oases of vibrant vegetation,
Amidst the drought and devestation,
Oh, it’s great to see a world!

The houses look like tiny bricks,
On watered plots, out in the sticks,*
Indidividual vs. Urban politics,
Oh, it’s great to see a world!

* an English expression, meaning in the middle of nowhere

This is my favourite place to be,
I’m full of fun and wizardry,
I bounce around like Zebedee*,
When I’m by the sea!

I love exploring seashore caves,
I love jumping through the waves,
Kick a football, I’ll make saves,
Oh, I just love the sea!

I love this stretch of pristine beach,
The foam-tipped rollers just out of reach,
Swimming’s something I could teach!
Oh yes, I love the sea!

I love rolling in the sand,
The instant back scrub feels quite grand,
I love strolling down the strand,
Oh yes, I love the sea!

I love to wakeboard, love to surf,
This beach is my little bit of ‘turf’,
To me it’s simply my heaven on earth!
Bless that stretch of sea!

* a character in a children’s TV programme, The Magic Roundabout, that bounced from place to place

Things that twirl,
And things that swirl,
And things that make your toe-nails curl,
It’s all the fun of the fair!

Flashing multi-coloured lights,
That are super-duper bright,
That would illuminate the darkest night,
It’s all the fun of the fair!

Machines that hurl you up and swing you down,
That make your stomach swirl around,
This is neon-coated Tinseltown,
It’s all the fun of the fair!

Give me an old-fashioned carousel,
That has prancing horses, and birds as well,
That doesn’t hurl me round left and right, pell-mell,
That’s the only ride I take at the fair!