Family Fun
A game on the lawn
Wooden cylinders standing
Each with a number on top
A separate cylinder to throw.
The aim to reach a score,
Young boy excited
Adults joining in
All enjoying the challenge.
The sun shining on all
The laughs and squeals aboun
‘Hit the two Oma’
Cheers when she succeeds.
An hour and more passes,
All playing and engaged,
Until the uninvolved little one cries
And we all call it a day.
27/11/21
The Wandering Mind
The mind wanders
From here to there
Touching on this
Exploring that thing
And off again
Trawling through memories
Exploring future possibilities
Wasting time, or not?
Our minds rarely empty
Synapses constantly busy
Exploring the present
Reviewing the past.
Some of this brings joy
And some regret
Loved ones always there
Aspirations another constant.
World events impinge
Told of these we must know
And yet so little we each can do
To shape the clouds.
As tempests build
We choose how we’ll react
Bunker down and pray
Or take another step.
Knowing that what counts
Is our own integrity
Reaching out to others
Planning for a better day.
Brian Matthews, 13-12-21
The Whys
The corellas screech
Soaring through the skies
Resting in the trees
Despoiling shiny cars.
They were not so plentiful
In years gone by
But now they flock
And roam the surrounds.
A desert bird originally
Moving into suburbs
Plaguing small towns
Disturbing those asleep.
No easy answer
To their control
Leaving me wondering
What brought this change?
Change ripples across the lake
Of time and experience
Without clear connections
Between then and now.
Brian Matthews, 13-12-21
To Conversate
To share a conversation
Hopes and dreams
Fears and failures.
There are so many words
Shared between friends
Intimacy adds another layer.
Transparency hard to achieve
When life has so many masters
Ideals to be upheld.
Maybe this needs redefining
To address the essence
Another word to capture more.
One suggestion is conversate
Maybe just an informal way
Of describing an interaction.
Or possibly more than that
Actively participating in what’s said
Avoiding secret veils.
And listening so important
Unpacking the meaning
Connecting with the inner self.
Possibly this could mean more
Actively participating in the words
Searching for real depth.
Any exchange of words
Brings potential for change
When barriers are dropped.
Viewing the landscape ahead
When ideas resonate
A path worthy of pursuit.
Brian Matthews, 20-12-21
To Mask or Not?
Masking our faces
A sign of fear
Or a positive action?
No answer emerges
As viewing angles shift
Based on one’s beliefs.
Risk aversion is common
Avoiding that which tempts fate
Taking the safer path.
But many too are foolhardy
Ignoring looming consequences
Until the axe falls.
Balance seems the way
To risk that which appears
The cloud looming ahead.
Hindsight a great teacher
Once the die is still
The evidence before you.
The matter then sorted
The obvious then apparent
The way things are.
No matter the wisdom
Discrepancies always appear
Becoming fodder for some.
Trust in authorities
Such a rarity now
Feeding widespread dissension.
Grayness rolls across the land
Filling each crevice
Obscuring the black and white.
Leaving families split
Friendships torn apart
All casualties, no heroes.
Brian Matthews, 20-12-21
Tasks Done
The sweat runs
Down the brow
Into the eyes,
A sign of labour.
How many drops
Have there been?
Litres and litres
Over the years.
Hard work benefits
Not only the job done
But the mind of the doer
Satisfying an ever present need.
To be useful,
To achieve things
Jobs big and small
Necessary, and sometimes not.
But in the minds of people
These tasks are required
Promoting routine and comfort
Not to be sneered at.
Those things truly needed
Provide the most acclaim
While the smaller items
Smooth the day.
Brian Matthews 14-12-21
Brian’s Reflections 