The Ceiling Fan
The ceiling fan
Just hanging around
Gathering dust and cobwebs
Little used though new year near.
How must it feel
Despairing at its lack of use
Awaiting inevitable discomfort
The need to relieve the heat felt.
It had one job
And nature glitches
Throwing a real curve ball
Delaying eventual engagement.
Brian Matthews- 27-12-21
To the Beach
Down at the beach
Families flocking to the water
The day hot and humid
Clouds taking the bite from the sun.
All ages mingled
Teenagers strut on the pontoon
Children and elders in the shallows
Kayaks litter the beach.
All having fun
Sandcastles rising steadily
A frisbee flies overhead
Many lounging and reading.
Blessed we are in this land
With sandy beaches aplenty
Just waiting for the days to warm
And schools to close.
And between these busy times
Long stretches of sand
With nary a person seen
Solitude a balm for the spirit.
The steady move of the water
Dolphins feeding and playing
Dog walkers regular users
Scattering the seagulls.
Large bodies of water
A magnet for all ages
A balm for jagged nerves
And the energy of youth.
Brian Matthews, 12-1-22
Endless Questions
The mind swirls
With little to engage it
Things to do, of course,
A family visit soon.
A day at the beach coming
Watching children play
Testing the cool water
Digging and splashing.
But endless questions float
Bounced around by experience
Challenging my contemplation
No answers emerging.
How soon will it be
That a clear picture emerges
A future landscape mapped
Hills and troughs emerging?
There are some times
When all seems a haze
Shapes ahead formless
Fear gripping the heart.
Knowing that tomorrow
May change this all
As answers emerge
The scene completed.
Brian Matthews, 10-1-22
Hidden Treasures
A drive through the country
Some so very familiar
But now in unknown territory
So close but not seen before.
Morning tea with friends
A tour of a lush property
A quirky house
Such beautiful gardens.
How many paradises lurk?
Hidden from constant view
Occupants feasting on privacy
Occasionally sharing with others.
No two the same
Each following the whims
Of those who own them
Their interests the focus.
But all enjoy I think
Showing what’s created
Little pieces of themselves
Shining brightly through.
And always plans for more
Ideas of more additions
Changes in the landscape
Refining the dwellings.
Paradise so rarely static
Changes invigorate all
New scenarios develop
Tumbling from fertile minds.
Brian Matthews, 12-1-22
The Beach Again
Only yesterday here
With other grandchildren
This day sun blazing
And more breeze.
Shelters haphazardly spread
Across the sand
No space underneath the jetty
Filled with loungers and children playing.
Many more in the water
A cool escape from the heat
A kite surfer active
Others floating and swimming.
The sand castles ever present
Laughing children abound
Their elders admiring
The energy of youth.
But all ages benefitting
From the relief given
By the cooling water
And the rhythm it contains.
The time to leave
Comes quickly it seems
As other needs intrude
And the trip home begins.
Not without treasures found
Amongst the fine white sand
Pretty shells and rocks
Remindful of the day of pleasure.
Brian Matthews, 12-1-22
Brian’s Reflections 