Back in school

                         

I dreamt I was back in school

Work in class and fun in the gym

Swinging high on the trapeze

Looking at te pretty girls

Who then look shyly away

Or stick their tounges out at me

Doing homework in bedroom

Parents say "Apply yourself"

Hoping that I'll be famous

Because I am not mundane

Was told off for acting up

Longing for a break in class

Or the sound of final bell

So I can walk to gardens

Were there are some swings to ride

Achieving a high curved arc

Like defying gravity

With kids gaping at my feat

Saisfying need to unwind

...the alarm rang...I woke up

Image from www.pixabay.com

Welcome to the real world

 

I am old and have come to that time when I do need a list

For just about everything that I do in life

Sometimes it is easy such as shopping day

When first I need to check the the fridge and the larder

...and my wallet...and the bathroom...and just about

Everything else I look at each day but never have the sense

To write things down as I am not going to the shops just yet

Mind you I have often gone to the supermarket and found 

I don't have my shopping list with me anymore

So I search my memory after checking my Covid ap

That in Australia if you fail to do this you could be fined

Whether it is at the Newsagent, the Cafe, the Chemist

And every other trading place in town...so I am good

As the fine for failing to do so if caught is humungous

Illustration of Covid sign to put on mobile in Australia

The train stopped one night

 

The train stopped one night at old Farnham town

I used to live there but it made me frown

Memory hurt me I was courting Stella

But she ditched me for another fella

She was beautiful but played a game

Flicking her hair was a bweautiful dame

Couldn't dislike her , we went to the flicks

She was glad she always close the film picks

Each Friday was night we always meet

We would always try to get the same seat

We climber up the stairs ir was always best

Cuddled up together we had our nest

How sorrowful I was to lose this girl

This was like losing a precious pearl

She loved flowers I often bought her some

Courting is like that, win some lose sum

I know that now watching the falling leaves

Swirling around the platform under the eaves

I skipped out of my trainand stood by the wall

Why is it hard to lose the one and all?

Everything has changed oh how I missed her

Then I looked to platform the other side

Passengers gathering there for their ride

She hasn't seen me...but should have been my bride

Illustration found at www.Shutterstock.com

Io and me in New Zealand (Chapter 13)

 

Our next destination was New Zealand itself. I explained to Io that the country was once known as Aotearoa and the native population was originally aggressive but was still a significant part of the population of the country’s two main islands. I told her that once when I visited on a cruise ship a young Maori woman would welcome you and rub noses with passengers as they disembarked!

Many Maori settlements still existed and were great tourist attractions for visitors. Both Maori , British and other colonists were all mixed now. We decided to hire a car and drive to a North island reserve with hot springs and geysers to get details of the male god Io that my Greek goddess Io was keen to learn about. She loved the warm welcome we and other tourists received and delighted in their greetings with the men dancing the Haka and women dancing the Poi. 

Later we were able to explore the reserve and ask questions. When I asked about their ancient god Io. One of the women dancers nodded pleased with us asking. She told us that a few older members of their tribe still talked about their ancestors gods and goddesses but in modern New Zealand almost all Maori had converted to Christianity but still maintained ancient customs and way of life as Aotearoa (New Zealand) was still their home.

Clearly then the Pacific Io had disappeared and no longer had worshippers and shrines anymore. My Io looked at me, shook her head sadly saying “Perhaps that is what will happen to me”.

I gave her a hug to comfort her, saying “You can come back to Australia and stay with me if you like”.

She smiled at me but shook her head. “No, I must return to Greece. However I will not forget you Robin".

I kissed her and we hugged each other for a long time; when I opened my eyes I was all alone.

A couple of days later I caught my plane for Adelaide and have never felt so bad in all my life.    

The End

Picture from www.shutterstock.com

Brothers

                         

Little do we realise that we too are wild animals                                                                      Starting as children, crying for mothers milk                                                                                Grabbing anything with our liitle fingers                                                                                      Pushing it in our mouths in case it is food

Then as we look around we are aware of others                                                                  There is another child in the family                                                                                            Who looks at you strangely...you're the enemy                                                                          For you have taken something precious from him

And so it was with me for my own brother hated me                                                                    Five years later I finally understood                                                                                              Mother would encourage us "Go out to play"                                                                                So we did and clearly he was in charge  

We lived in the country and we walked in the woods and the fields                                            As his plaything he would push me in the stream                                                                        Or run off and hide from me laughing away                                                                                  As some of his friends in our street came along

I leant that the best thing to do was to just walk away                                                                  Find my own friends who also lived in our street                                                                          And so it was other boys who were my age                                                                                  Invited me home to play...so I survived                              

Illustration found at www.pixabay.com                                                                                      

Io chats with Robin (Chapter 12)

It was was only when I found Io was a keen tourist did I suspect the real motive for her quest. She was revelling in the trip of course in discovering new places she'd never dreamed of before. We had criss-crossed our way across the Pacific and not really doing a proper reasearch for Io's namesake God that once had been revered before the Eaurpean nations had decided to colonise the region. When she suggested going to an island miles from anywhere I couldn't see why but agreed regardless but clearly she reaaly had no interest in that long lost god from years ago.

The gods in Greece had no real interest in change and keeping up the pretence that everything was as it had always been. No wonder Io had cottoned on to me as a useful human to show her round the Pacific regardless of finding the male god Io or his history as I was heading that way so tagged along with me. It was only when she felt that sense of awe in Hawaii that she stopped pretending and fled away from the evidence to just be a tourist elsewhere. Meanwhile I was bumbling away with my books, photos and pages of notes, trying to help!

I was totally torn between keeping my beautiful Io for selfish pleasure or to confront her with my suspicions. We were due to fly back to Nadi in Fiji then travel on to Auckland in New Zealand. At dinner clearly she knew straight away I wanted to talk. She pouted and said "When did you realise?"

"Not at first, but when we were in Hawaii, and you clearly felt the presence of the Pacific god Io it all fell in place".

"How did you keep it from me?"

I told her how I kept her image in my mind all the time; breathing in her scent, running my fingers through her hair, nibbling her ears or laying my head on her breast. So you were never completely convinced. 

She looked at me sadly "You are very honest Robin; I think I should stay with you a little longer. I know now you will never betray me". 

366 words 

Finding a new home

At Brighton town overlooking the sea

We checked apartments did my wife and me

So we looked at new ones and we looked at old

But not one visited screamed out "Sold!"

At last we found this one high on the hill

Wife's eyes brightened how she was thrilled

From its Lounge window we could see the sea

So I told her it certainly pleased me

It's kitchen was first room seen by my wife

Never seen her grin so much in her life

The lounge room fireplace was burnished brass

In fact the whole place was really first class

I spoke to the salesman to check the price

Said "Sellers just dropped it...does that entice?"

Wife nodded as she said "It does for me"

"From master bedroom we can see the sea"

With drop in price we could now afford it

We double checked each room then we did sit

Signed the offer, salesman nodded his head

Wife said "I'll see the sea from my own bed"

Image from Brighton, England seafront