New Year Resolutions

What's the point of New Year resolutions?

Experience shows they are to be given up

Within two months

Do we set the bar too high?

Do we set too many goals?

Are they only an expression

Of our wants and desires

Without any realistic check?

Let's be truthful here

We are not going to change

The status quo ,

It might not be perfect

But if it works , why fix it?

It might pinch here and there

But if we are comfortable 

The chances are

We won't bother.

So my friends

Happy New Year

Enjoy all of it

Without any regrets!

Lucette C. Bailliet

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The hunt

Ducks waddling across the paddock

They don't deserve a glance

A group of Roos holding a conference by the gate

They can hold the fort

A pair of rabbits crossing the track

Always busy those ones

The dog oblivious to all the environment 

Is tracking the one and only honourable prey 

The elusive, perfect stone

He sniffs here and there 

Nose to the ground in circles

Until it finds the telling smell

Once spotted it follows its track

It won't loose it, oh no

Indefatigable he runs to its lair

Starts digging frantically around it

Spraying all and sundries with gravel and soil

Until it gets it out, settling to enjoy it

Licking it to a pristine state

Only then it will carry it 

All the way back home

Proudly wagging its tail

What a hunt!

Lucette C. Bailliet

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Merry Christmas

'Twas a grumpy gardener

Pushing around his rusty wheelbarrow 

You couldn't miss its rickety clanging 

Christmas morn came

By the tree stood a cutting-edge wheelbarrow 

'Twas a happy gardener

Tending to his garden beds.

'Twas a night owl kind of a girl

Sleep eluded her completely 

Couldn't get up in the morning

Was dreaming of a new pillow

To rest her sleepy head

Old man Christmas delivered

She had the softest dreams hereafter!

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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Christmas tree

As Christmas has lost its meaning

Reduced to a shopping feast

The one pagan symbol of the tree

Endures and renews its purpose

It always stood for the end of winter

For longer days to shine

The way to the incoming Spring 

For love to follow in its steps

It now seems to pick up a new meaning

That of carrying wishes in the new year

So it's time to deck the tree

Loading it with my best wishes

For your happiness, prosperity 

Health and success!

May the new year bring Peace 

And Reason to mankind

So it can prosper and live

In tune with the Earth.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year! 

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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Aleppo

Doomed is the town 

Inhabited by the Storm God

Along the milleniums 

It has sustained fifteen empires

 Four Kingdoms and Caliphates

Invasions waves succeeded each other

From the Hittites to the Mongols 

Hosted all religions

Each one bringing destruction and killings

As an offering to that sanguinary deity

When it was felt insufficient

An earthquake wiped a quarter of a million lives

It is a very demanding God , Hadad

Do the names of Khalpe, Khalibon,

Beroea, Haram-Zobath, Halam, Halab, 

Alep, Aleppo resonate at all? 

Barely rediscovered from oblivion

The Thundering One 

Required a new donation

Amidst exploding bombs

Children, women and men are killed.

Aleppo will rise once again

From the smoking ruins

To feed this bloodthirsty God

For as long as mankind exists

It will follow the red hazed folly.

Lucette C. Bailliet

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Santa Lucia

No phone call 

No celebratory card

No candle lit

No cake baked

No songs

No cheers

'Twas my name day 

No one remembered

Santa Lucia who is revered

From Italy to Finland

Never made it on our shores

What a sad day!

Lucette C. Bailliet

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December moon

Like the queen in Snow White checking her mirror,

The moon refreshed by her monthly beauty sleep

Comes to town to check Christmas decorations

As every year she's the ultimate judge,

For December is the dangerous month for

Which town will challenge her own brilliance

She hovers low in the dusk sky

Surrounded by the creatures of the night

Taking their evening flight , 

Noting every detail

Nothing escapes her

This year the town has put on a good show

She has to admit

But nothing approaches her serene luminescence

And she rises in the night sky undisturbed 

To continue on her imperious way.

Lucette C. Bailliet

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Philosophy of the real estate agent

At the auction in the town club

Nice place, says I

I simply love this place, says he

My best friends married here , adds he

How nice! Reply I 

Of course they bought their first house,

With us here too

How convenient! Thought I

When their brood grew, 

Bought a bigger house, 

Still with us, in this place , declares he

How lovely! So many memories! Opine I 

When they divorced 

We sold their house 

Always here, this is life! 

Isn't it? Philosophises he

This is so true, answer I.

Such is the philosophy of the real estate agent!

Lucette C. Bailliet

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Forest walk

In the hustle of life

The forest is a retreat

The sandy path gently leads

To a harbour of peace

Between the tall trees

Even the sunset is muted

Birds are slowly settling down

Not a leaf is stirring 

Not a kangaroo to be seen

Everything is in a harmonious stasis

My steps are crunching the peace

Leave your worries there

Breath and heal your soul

Feel the blissful instant

No demands, no challenges

Exist simply in the moment

Following the path.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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Summery haiku

Bottom in the mud

Clogs flying up in the air

Summery games.

Black cloud

A black cloud shades me 

Faithfully wherever I go 

Imprinted firmly in my head 

As the storm rages 

Playing with the howling whirlwind 

The silver lining of it all

What beautiful rainbows it creates

High above the roof a double arch

Protecting the house and its people

Spreads itself against its blackness 

Bringing a ray of hope

The rain so long awaited

Does not bring relief

Times are black, it will get better

The night might be long and hard

The sun will still shine in the morning.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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New meaning

 Hello pain my old companion

Came to visit me again

For old times sakes,

It's a waiting game now.

I knew I was in trouble

When next to the magazines

There stood the holy bible,

When the poster in the examining room

Ends up by saying

"Live like it was your last day"

Some motivational messages!

Someone has an agenda 

Prying on vulnerable gens

Pain and fear are best paired

To get souls back to the church cradle

Missionary work has gained 

A new meaning by recruiting in surgeries.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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Off kelter

Off kelter

My world is off kelter

Take my room for instance

I'm running out of space 

It's either shrinking

Or the bed is expanding!

The pets are no better

The dog eats banana

Licks and carries rocks

Cries to be brushed

When the cat shakes the chimney pot

It's time to bring the ladder

To let her climb it down 

For the roof is her domain 

My world is off kelter!

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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Merry Christmas

It feels weird, it feels strange for me to say so

It's disgusting, it's horrifying 

It's disappointing to say the least

Two thousand years and more have passed

And we humans have learnt nothing

If we go by the story in the good book

A refugee family in need is turned away

One among many

Once a year Christians all over the world,

Celebrate the birth of a babe in a manger, 

Talk about compassion, love and peace

The rest of the year happily

They demonise reality

What's the point of following a creed

If no one puts in action its principles?

Merry Christmas to all!

Lucette C. Bailliet

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The wheel of destiny-II

The wheel of destiny

Crushes us all eventually 

It does not matter

If you are old or a babe

It does not matter 

If you're hale or sick

The wheel will keep at it

Until the shade of your memory 

Will lapse into ether

No winner here

Only stark equality 

What is alive must die

The whirring wheel  is indiscriminate

Never satiated 

It keeps looking for new victims 

To keep rolling

In perpetual movement

Eternal destruction

It's coming for you

Now or later

That is not your choice.

Lucette C. Bailliet

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The wheel of destiny I

The wheel of destiny

Moved forward today

Leaving you behind

Slowly you passed away

In the comfort of modern medicine 

If I can say

You manage to escape 

And now you are free again

Of the oxygen tank to help you breathe

The morphine injections to dull the pain

The catheter 

And the intravenous to feed and keep you hydrated

You lived simply

Having the name of a king

You fought for Liberty 

You did your duty by your country 

Reading poetry was your hobby

We had that in common

Suffering has ceased

You can now rest in peace René.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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Sneaky

I am sneaky that is the truth

Sneaky I am

Rehearsing for her concert tomorrow 

I sneakily recorded her

That is how sneaky I am

It is such a comfort to hear her play

Working through diminutions

Baroque music is so healing

A real balm for the soul in distress

So now when I miss her

I just push a button

And she's there in the lounge rehearsing

While I'm pottering around in the house

A concert all for myself

How privileged I am

To have such a gifted daughter!

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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Good bye, my old friend

Good bye my friend

The time has come for us to part

Your constant presence made me appreciate 

The wonders of the world

The humble beauty of a weed by a roadside

The magnificence of a fleeting butterfly

The raucous laugh of the kookaburra 

The roaring windstorm in the forest

Sharing those moments with you

Made them more precious

So I'm grateful to you

In this I simply say thank you

It's been a long time now

That I've never been alone

Lately our relation has soured

Intimacy breeds contempt 

And nothing is more intimate

Than a lump in one's breast

So it's time we part

Good bye my old friend.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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Incoming storm

The incoming storm is here

The clouds built up

A phenomenon wall

On the front 

The wind picks up in blasts 

The clouds burst with their vile temper

Like jelly fish trailing the dirty sky

Thunder is drumming madly 

Lightning tear the air above ,

The first drops crash and evaporate 

On the white corrugated roof of the abode

Only adding to the ruckus 

The temperature drops suddenly

What a relief!

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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Don't

If you bring it here

You can take it back

The forest is not your dumping ground

How would you like to have 

Your playground turned into one?

So don't

I don't want excuses

It's empty, there's no rubbish bin

Simply don't

Drink if you must

Your Vic Bitter,

Coke and rhum,

Solo and other poisons

But leave the forest pristine 

Three bags full we collected

Of broken bottles and cans

Kind of ruined the walk, didn't it?

Don't throw your rubbish 

From your ute

It's not manly!

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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Spider and shoes

What's up with shoes

This week

Yesterday they tripped me

Today they hid a spider

When a fluttering occurred 

On my toes inside the shoe

My foot broke all records

To extricate itself, believe me

With the spider sliding from it

Landing on the bath mat

Both of us were in shock

It didn't move

Neither did I

I thought about crushing it

But it had not bitten me

It was the same one that I had dislodged

Last night from the bedside table

So I gathered the bath mat around

And carried it to the garden

Go and meet the neighbours

Was my goodbye

Now back to my shoes

What did I ever do to you

To treat me in this way!

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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Yellow tail goanna

You are a warden

Keeping after the dirt track

Three times I passed

Three times you stopped me

Crossing and recrossing the track

I wonder what you are doing

Then I see you tail

And I know

Going up the tree trunk

Terrorising nesting birds

Tail pretending

To be a snake chasing you

Oh yellow tail goanna 

You don't fool me!

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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The fall

This is the culprit 

No, I don't shuffle

Just a pair of used shoes

With a small metallic bit

That caught somehow on the pavement

Sending me crashing against the concrete

The flying was not to bad

Landing could be improved though 

Yes, I wasn't paying much attention 

To where I was going

Can't be everywhere at the same time!

Head and body where on pages apart

That landing made sure of the synching 

I'm all together again only shaken.

Lucette Bailliet

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I won't do it again

I won't do it again

Missing him already

An hour barely gone

I needed something to remind me of him

There on the bathroom bench

His perfume spray that I love so much

Getting out of a hot shower

I enveloped myself in this fragrant cloud

Major error ! What a disappointment!

His body chemistry and mine 

Are a sea apart

Instead of the sharp, fresh aroma of citrus

I inhaled a flat indistinct  smell

On the spot I'd killed 

The most intense memory of his body

A perfume is so intimate 

A smell is a body signature

Unique and personal 

I swear I won't do it again!

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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Super moon prayer

What an uplifting sight

Rising Between the gum trees 

Just behind the water tank

All  dressed in red

She made her entrance 

Following her own path 

Indifferent to onlookers 

Indifferent to the new orders

Tearing the USA and India apart

Beautiful goddess incarnated 

Rising from the swamps of mankind

To the cold ether of the night

Queen of our aspirations and despair

Loaded with our dreams of peace and love

Super moon take pity on us

Grant our wishes

For we all need it.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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The queen bee

The queen bee

At the queen bee house

Twas Xmas that year 

Like every third year

It was so much trouble 

For very little reward

Had to keep the three brothers happy

Thanks god for her brood

They would take charge

And she would make sure they did

From the sofa she was laying on

Her body full , ready to pop out

The ninth one for she was the queen bee

And reminded everyone of who she was

She sent orders to be obeyed, no discussion, 

She was to be contented for it was Xmas

Impatient and imperious was she

What else to be expected from her

As the day progressed the pain started

There would be a Xmas baby

For she was the queen bee.

Lucette C. Bailliet

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From  the prompt: The queen bee/Murchison Scribbles

PEOTUS

I dream somebody 

Had the guts to say 

PEOTUS you're fired

It would be great

Sadly it's a case

Of Dream on 

It's deplorable really

To have so much power

In such a small brain

I know the size does not matter

When a finger is enough 

To press a button

To start Armageddon!

So unfair , surely.

Lucette C.Bailliet

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'Tis but a simple flower

'Tis but a simple flower

I picked up for you

This morning in the garden

For you my friend so far away

We do not pick its aroma

On a photo yet 

But for the blue bees 

It's simply heaven on earth

Trust me

It is just another red flower 

Look more carefully 

For its tips are covered in gold

The colour of true friendship

Let me offer it to you

For no other reason 

You are my friend.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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11/11/11

11/11/11

Today is Remembrance Day 

We pause in silence and take a minute 

To remember What?

The Great War 

The last of the last kind of war

The sacrifice of a generation

The sacrifice of plebs 

For the benefit of a class

Which didn't give a damn

Millions were killed

For it was murder

The important thing

Was to prove one's theory

Gallipoli, the western front

We remember

We fought for a system

We are sheepple really

So beware today is Remembrance Day!

Lucette C. Bailliet

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Long live Imperator

In the corridors of history

Julius Cesar is laughing loudly

The plebs have elected 

Their new Imperator

A new dynasty is born 

For a new world order

Chaos is sure to follow

But imperial purple

Has to be worn

Rules are to be broken

Long live the imperator!

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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Donald's circus

Move over Barnum

A new circus has arrived

Donald's circus is in town

The greatest show on earth

Is yet to begin where the creepy clown

Is Master of Ceremony

He has paraded long and far

In that great land of the free

Lying, cheating, making promises

What a salesmanship it has been

Welcome to the new America

The land of the free, 

Demagoguery has won

Power has been delivered

From the disenfranchised 

To a raving megalomaniac 

What a show it will be

Already it has started 

United we stand

To make USA great again

Rebuilt this country

We'll be nice and polite to our allies

On your knees people

Don't forget to pray

Raise your voices 

"In God we trust"!

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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Daughters of the Millennium

Daughters of the Millennium 

You laughed at us old fuzzies

Spent women of the sixties

Our fights were obsolete

Our values were irrelevant to you

Life was there and Yolo

Feminist is a dirty word in your mind

So entrenched in your own worth

You do not not see

You are going backwards

For you can drink and fuck as a man 

Domestic violence is on the increase

Who cares it won't happen to me

Sexual harassment in the street or at work

They are not worth to fight for

It does not concern you

The glass ceiling is only an illusion

That is what you think

Equal pay is legislated

Why worry the system protect us

Daughters of the Millennium 

Open your eyes

Take notice

Fight for your rights

For everyday they are eroded.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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Results 2016

The pundits had it wrong

The populists won!

Remind me the Chinese curse

"May you live in interesting times"

2017 will be sure to be that.

Mind you twice he proved to be right

"The idiots will vote for me

Whatever I say or I do"

He was proved right again w

" yes #brexit here we come"

The Scotts might have booed him

But he judged the people mood all right

Obviously he is a unrecognised genius .

The flash flood is there breaking all

Not taking any notice cognoscenti

The playing field is his

Let's the game begin!

Watch and enjoy

If you can.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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Procrastination is an art form

Procrastination is an art form

Plan carefully new book

Research every tenuous link

Observe real time action 

Craft with care characters 

Read everything on the period

Analyse all hypothetical

Situations in the plot

Tend to any obvious missing element

Inherent to the overall action

Note all suggestions

Add any update in the technology 

Tear out any useless redundancy 

Iron out any discrepancies 

Organise  timeline

Not one word has been written so far

Institute contact with publisher

Submit synopsis 

Allow time for response

Negotiate financial rewards

Arrange overseas trip

Return as slowly as possible

Tease everyone about the new book

Fake writer's block

Only oral progress is discussed

Revisions are promised

Manuscript is somehow lost!

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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So today is the day

So today is the day

America the great, the free, the beautiful

To show us, the rest of the word

What democracy is about!

So today is the day

Your vote will decide the fate

Of America the great, the free, the beautiful 

And the rest of the world!

So today is the day 

To choose between two candidates

Who have battled for a year

Whose fight has been so ugly

That the country has been torn apart !

So today is the day

Deep entrenched racism has shown itself again

Riots the which had not been seen 

In half a century flared again and again

Showing the brutal police forces

Not fighting to defend the people

But fighting the rubble

A fight of the have against the have not

Of corporate greed against individual liberties

A fight of corrupted crumbling values against despair

From there America, the great, the free, the beautiful 

Will you ever repair?

So today is the day

The ugly face of deep sexism  

Has led attacks against its own womankind

Whose earlier fights brought us gender equality

Pushed away and trampled in the mud

In man lockers talking

What a revealingly degrading day

Of the reality of the glass ceiling

Denying us the right to be ourselves

To choose for ourselves

Naked Truth is in the street

America , the great, the free, the beautiful 

Choose carefully!

So today is the day 

To choose between 

An entitled old man 

Who has revealed himself

To be a crooked ignorant

A dangerous demagogue 

Who has called to the lowest 

Dividing values in mankind

Playing on the American Dream 

The powerful myth permeating society

Of the self-made man becoming billionaire

When never ever was he a poor himself

What a magnificent show of self marketing!

Even the GOP fell to this illusionist

The media couldn't make enough of him 

Greed is such an aphrodisiac 

Passing his failures as amusing peccadilloes 

The country had never seen the like of him.

So today is the day

Opposite him stands an old woman

Showing with confidence the scars 

Her years of public life experience 

Had brought to her

Nothing newsworthy, nothing appealing here

She had been groomed for a long time

For this fight to be the first woman president

Her strength, her intelligence, her experience denied

Pushed away as an unhealthy power drive

Deeply upsetting to witness to many.

But there you are, 

So today is the day

America the great, the free, the beautiful 

The choice is yours!

Lucette C. Bailliet

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White, red,white

For you,  Autumn is flaring 

Before the first snow settles

For us,  White butterflies

On a red bottle brush 

White fragrant delight

Of  orange blossom 

Walking along path lined 

With odorous lavender

Red and white roses aplenty

Further along red grevillea 

Compete with red bougainvillea 

White chrysanthemum steals the show

Even the birds wear the colour scheme

White cockies and galahs

Wherever I turn in the garden

These are the pleasures

A late spring brings to us

After a rainy winter

In  an antipodean garden.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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Halloween haiku

Weird wind is blowing

Old men willows are marching

Happy Halloween!

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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Halloween 2016

Beware!   Innocent passer-by

Deceiving glamour is on

On this Halloween festival:

Clear blue sky, shining sun

Lavender, thyme and orange blossom

In the fragrant garden

Entice all us to wander at will

Beware, Glamour is on

In the deep recess of the rose bushes

In the dark foliage shade  of gum trees

Hide in hordes the blood suckers

Don't make the mistake to believe

They only strike at night

In their feeding frenzy

Day and night

Any time will do

To feast on you

The vampires love warm blood

They might be small

By their sheer numbers

Attack after attack

Relentless their charges are

They ignore their losses

Keep moving for immobility

Is seen as surrender

A sign of sure defeat

They keep up with you

Infernal buzzing cloud 

Swat them maddly 

And your hands return bloody

Your body itches, blisters appear

Scratching does not appease

Au contraire!

Pursued by bloodlust swarms

Call the retreat and take shelter

Wish for the wild wind

To take them away

In this hallowed night.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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With a glass of wine

Ruby is the world

With a glass of Shiraz

Sparkling is the conversation 

With a glass of bubbly

Pink colours love

With a glass of rosé

Sunny is the day

With a glass of Grigio

Green is the youth

With a glass of Verdhelo

Sweet  is the cake

With a glass of muscat 

Damn the bottle is empty

Where did it all go?

Need another one 

To finish the poem!

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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Mozzies haiku

The night is balmy

Frenzy mozzies' hunt deter 

Spring outdoors are off

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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Grateful

Butterflies court apple blossom

Bees flirt with orange blossom 

Spring is in the air

Crooked cat's tail 

Sails through the air

Dog's curvy tail cuts 

Through the long grass

Happiness is in the air

Sun shining, birds singing

Meadows are blooming

Gentle breeze blows

Flu vapours away

So nice to be out of bed

To gently breathe again

To walk with a clear mind

To rest on a lounge chair

To capture the first sun rays

Let's be grateful for a moment.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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Hocus pocus

The lighted cabin room is warm and cosy 

The grey carpet springs back when stretched

First anomaly

The shutters are in place solidly locked

Its wooden panels have been swapped around

The patterns don't fit together

Second anomaly

Halloween night

By the fire side we gather tonight

The dead are in turmoil

Their purring swirl in our head

Third anomaly

The dream unravels

I am knocked down awake

By the cat jumping on me

Madly chasing a low buzzing fly

In the sunny light of the afternoon 

Never got to hear 

What Marge was saying

Must have been some hocus pocus.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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Mozzies

The dryness of the forest is long forgotten

Months of rain have seen to it

The black scrying mirrors of the glades

Hide one mystery too many

As  hordes of fuzzing  mozzies

Rise relentlessly from them 

To conquer the world 

Their feeding frenzy puts us on the menu

For breakfast, lunch, dinner and supper

Whatever the time they are ravenous

For our hot pumping blood

A call they can't resist to 

Two hands are not enough to swap them 

And we are swiftly back inside

Where our untiring house spiders work full time.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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Pinocchio

Puppets we are

We wish to be free 

From these strings

Be that they are called 

Taxes, mortgage, work

Marriage, children, religion

To be free is one deepest wish

Like Pinocchio the puppet without strings

To go on adventures

Without any restraint 

But the world is built upon them

Freedom does not exist by itself

It has to be earned, it has to be fought

The goal is always moving, often illusory

The price is always steep

For courage, sincerity, dreams 

Are not the key to it

So who can speak about

The sweet taste of freedom?

Lucette C. Bailliet

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Happy rainbow hunting

Wet , washy weather

Rainbows spurt and spring

From everywhere

Middle of the lake

In front of the paddock

Behind the forest

Turn your head

They disappear 

Around the bend 

They reappear 

Playing tag with rainbows 

Single or double,

Some magical trip

Forget where you want to go

Follow the rainbows

Who knows where they'll lead ?

Dream on , you might win

For don't forget

If you catch the gold 

Your fortune is made.

Happy rainbow hunting!

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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Third child haiku

Twenty-two years old

Third child has just arrived

Send condolences!

Lucette C. Bailliet

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Spring 2016

How pleasant Spring is

The muddy paddocks have gone

In their place wild flowery meadows

Have sprung sculpting the landscape 

Each step burrows deeply in the leafy carpet

Of continuous evolving pattern and colours

Spread over patches, ruts, hiding all defects

Opening and closing their corollas

Tracking the Sun's daily journey

Across the sky where crested wood pigeons 

Pursue their courtship under a herd of clouds

Shepherded by a cool breeze

Everything is sprouting

Shy natives, invading weeds

Cultivated species

It does not matter

Nature does not discriminate 

If it there, it grows enlightening

Empowering  all around

Spring is here!

Lucette C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved

Friday night is sex night

Everybody knows

Friday night is sex night

You score and you are in

You don't and you're out

Boozing and partying

Are only a prelude

To the bed games

Two or threesomes who cares,

Nobody is counting

Action is sufficient in itself

Romance is only a trimming 

You don't want to complicate things

Sweat glands and pheromones 

Now you're talking

Are a heady potent mix

You want that chemical reaction

To lift you to cloud nine

How you get down 

We won't get into

It could be a let down 

After Friday's night sex frenzy

As everybody knows.

Lucette C.Bailliet

All rights reserved

A dangerous lady

You know her

Always in the latest getup 

Whatever the season

Moody with that

One never knows

Where one stands with her

Sunny one day

Stormy the following

Without any hint of regrets

Her shudders are legendary

How many men has she left lying in the dust?

No one  resists her temper

She discards through feelings, cries 

Is deaf to any plea or fear

She simply does not care

Beautiful and peaceful in the morning

Devastation and ruins follow her 

Eternal and ephemeral

She is the ultimate femme fatale

Everyone knows her

Indeed she is a Dangerous Lady, 

She goes by the name of Nature.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved

Simple pleasures

I am a poet with a rooster under my arm

Every day we pace the grounds together 

In company of the dog and the cat

Searching wild orchids growing in the swamp

Not many to report so far

The dog chasing after stones, 

Please don't ask, 

The cat slithering from tree to tree

Making sure one can't see it

But shadowing us it does

It is all rather silly, really 

If Sartre could walk his lobster

I don't see why I shouldn't walk my rooster

My dog and cat all together

Simple pleasures of a simple mind!

Lucette C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved

To never be curious again

To never be curious again

Depart, to never return

In short a death sentence 

Some may seek wisdom 

Not to desire ever again

For desire brings pain

Not to fear again

Is to lose hope

Not to love again

Is to deny happiness

Not to wait again

To realise long term dreams

So many closed doors lead

To that dark corridor

Nirvana has a high price tag

Many wish it, few make it

Better disguise yourself

As the fabled nine lives cat

So you can be curious one more time

But don't forget to count!

Lucette C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved

Pigeons and pigeon

You have pigeons then you have a Pigeon

That one came last Sunday

Taking shelter on the kitchen window sill

From the threatening storm

It was not a large one

Seemed lost cowering there in the corner

It didn't move when I brought some crumbs

I noticed the ring on its leg

It was a prized one, or a rare one

But to me, it was still a pigeon

It has a lovely white ring around its eyes

It seemed tamed but wouldn't let me catch it

It flew on the roof, looking at me shyly.

I went in, it cornered again on the kitchen sill.

The storm came, passed, rumbled away

The pigeon had gone.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved

Descartes was an ass!

Children this is the tale

Of an erroneous philosopher

Stating animals were machines,

Therefore had no souls,  no feelings.

Every day, we passed a huge Clydesdale

You know the kind used for beer cartage

It was lonely in his paddock

But for his owner, making sure

It had enough water and feed

It looked at us indifferently

From the other side of the paddock

Ignoring any treat in the form of apple or carrot

We tried to bribe him with.

One day an Arabian mare 

Became its neighbour in the next paddock

It ignored her too. 

She took to us and our daily treats

As soon as she saw us she would gallop

And greet us, you know how, Don't you ? 

Shake of the head and swish of the tail.

One day while we were dispensing our treat

The earth trembled, we turned around

And believe me, Children

There's nothing more terrifying 

I repeat nothing more terrifying 

Than a mature Clydesdale in a gallop

Charging upon you !

It stopped a bare metre from us 

Stomping his left leg

We stood our ground 

It was looking at the mare 

Crunching her first juicy apple with relish

I happened to have one more in my pocket

Split it into two bits and presented one to him

He sniffed it and turned his head away

I gave it to the mare , he looked on her 

Suddenly seeing the second half in my hand

He pushed it , one does not resist

I dropped the apple

He went to retrieve it , and munched on it

His reaction was of one of surprised delight, 

He looked at me again, searching my hands

Making sure I was not hiding anything 

Then trotted away in disgust.

The following day when we approached 

He crossed directly , waiting for us

When he smelt the apple in my pocket

He stood over me , swishing his tail

Until I gave it to him, 

He didn't appreciate that I offered one 

To the friendly Arabian horse.

But after a few days we could see them 

Waiting together on each side of the fence

For our treat.

What does this tells you?

If an animal shows signs of 

Envy, gluttony and greed 

It demonstrates it is not a  machine, 

That Descartes was an ass! 

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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Wattle magic

Throughout the light drizzle 

The golden wattles light up the forest

Calling us to explore

High halls with blazing chandeliers

Long corridors with tall arches 

Open windows onto fugitive glades

Surrounded by deep mossy carpets 

On which the wallabies rest happily

The tree palace is a welcoming fantasy

Surrounded by low cloudy hills

The setting sun filters through the lacy foliage 

Creating an imaginary lake in the dale

Reflecting the reigning queen of the night sky

Searching in vain for her watery twin

Wondering if she will find it here

In the soothing waft of the wattles

For shapeless possibilities wait around

When the wattles are alight.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved

Why doesn't she call?

She said,  she would call me

I've been waiting for hours

Dreaming the hours away

Long distance relationships are so overrated

Let me tell you, I hate them so much, 

I miss her midnight calls

Why, but why couldn't she be the cat next door

Calling me from the fence?

In one jump we could be frolicking together

Singing the night away

And painting the town red

What fun we would have!

Yes, sure I can hang with the blokes

They are still there

We could have fights, we are good at that

Same old, same old

Why doesn't she call? 

Lucette C. Bailliet

All rights reserved 

In honour of bad poetry day! 

Love you guys

The Zebra affair

I was born to be free

A twist of fate 

Made me a prison habit

I can't hide anywhere

I was born to be free

They stuck me on the ground

To keep safe passage

To anybody crossing 

I was born to be free

Although I live in herds

I've never been domesticated 

I'm now an endangered species

I was born to be free

Kings I never carried

Wars I never wagged 

Still my skin adorns walls 

Lucette C. Bailliet

All rights reserved

On a cold winter night

In the clear mauve sky of a winter evening

Smoke rose from the chimney pot 

No wind disturbed it

It was the beacon guiding me

Walking towards home

Up above a sliver of moon 

Kept me company in the crisp dwindling light

I knew warmth would welcome me

Table set and a warm dinner waiting 

What else can one ask for?

Comforts for a winter night

Start by a roaring fireside

Seated in a cosy armchair 

A book in hands

Some baroque music in the background 

And the world is encompassed

To a few characters on a page.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved

On its way

With just the hint of blue sky

The erratic flight of the first swift

The golden scent  of the wattle

For sure Spring is on its way!

Lucette C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved 

Waterlogged

Month in, month out

Rain, continuous rain

The world is curtained by rain

Bog, swamp and mud

Are no longer words

But avatars of an aqueous world

Ants are on the move to gain

Higher ground and dry terrain

While I trod in gum boots

Squishing the glistening paddocks

With each step sinking

Deeper in that elemental water.

Crowing from the roof of the kennel

The rooster, vows to bring back 

The sun, who has forgotten us

The moon is absent too 

Maybe a tryst between these two

Is a sufficient excuse 

To explain the dubious precipitation .

Unfathomable the rain keeps

To its own relentless schedule

Day and night inexorably,

Month in, month out

Rain, continuous rain

The world is curtained by rain.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved

Escape

I choke inside your malls

The food courts stink 

Of the relents of cheap junk food

I'm out of breath in your  busy streets 

The grey or blue sky is too far

The roaring traffic noise is deafening

One cannot think properly

A walk turns into a cacophony

The town is booming

Holes are filled with metal 

Flowing concrete is poured

From an endless line of beeping trucks

All around new developments 

Are eating at every crumb of space 

Higher always higher

I have only one idea

That keeps me going

Escape to the trees 

The vast paddocks

The swift river

Where the air is fresh

And the galahs can be heard

Home where my heart beats

And my mind is at rest.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved

But a child

What crimes he committed, I ignore

He was tried, found guilty, 

Put in a detention centre 

He was but a child.

He spat at his guards

He was incarcerated 

In a solitary confinement cell

He was but a child.

He was put on suicide watch

A hood on his head

On a restraining chair

He was but a child.

He was beaten, three men to a child

When he should have been safe

Tear-gassed, all videotaped 

He was but a child.

I keep wondering 

How much brute force

Is necessary to curb

The spirit of a child? 

I keep wondering 

How much abuse

Is sufficient to break

The mind of a child?

The system is broken 

There is no doubt about it

When it puts children in detention!

Lucette C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved 

Children denied

Yes, I'm ashamed of myself

With hindsight I was stupid

When I dismissed the charter of children's rights.

I thought it was a joke

A case of political correction gone too far.

What a tragic error!

We, the adults betrayed our children.

In too many places, they are used as labour

For greed knows no borders 

Only cheap labour

In some they are kidnapped and enslaved 

In others they are taught to kill to survive

Or to kill many while dying themselves

For life is not worth living according to their masters.

Here, they are imprisoned, tried and tortured

Kept in isolation cells, tear-gassed, and beaten

Legally, if not in justice

We are happy to ignore their plight

We take high moral ground

They deserve punishment 

Or so we claim denying them rights.

Lucette C. Bailliet

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Victory

So it' s official the wreckers 

Are back in power

Already they've turned

The crick to the spinning machine

Oh what lovely lies we are to hear

They are so creative, you know

In their dialectics; So many levels

Of obfuscation to hide their real aim:

Destroy the system

They'll divide and crash

Any minority they can identify

By demonising it.

Not one of them is genuine

They are all corrupt liars

All deserve to be deported

Oh wait, we are talking

Of course of Oz

Oh, what a sad state of affairs.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved 

What's for lunch?

Another massacre news met us 

Early this morning

My first question was:

How many dead?

Seventy or about

Was the answer.

And that was it

We've become desensitised 

The shock factor has disappeared

People are killing people

It does not matter where

It does not matter who

It does not matter why

We know the victims are innocent 

And the perpetrators are killers

It is that simple 

Another sad statistical update 

We all feel sorry 

For the victims and their families

There is so much we can take on

The media is out of puff

Can't get to frenzy any longer 

The state of emergency has been declared

Enough is enough

What matters mostly is:

What's for lunch ?

Lucette C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved

I miss her

How much I miss her,

Our marathon reading sessions,

Our unending analytical discussions

Of such and such character

Such and such plot

Late into the nights

Accompanied by untold cups of tea

Her zany points of view

Her irrelevant sense of humour 

Taught me so much

On the phone, after hi, 

How was your day?

The usual question is

What are you reading? 

Any thing enticing ? 

Of course we still discuss

Time is of the essence

Her life is busy

Ten minutes at most

Are sufficient from cover to cover

I miss my reading companion

My darling daughter.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved

Paris en novembre

Impressions de Paris en novembre

La nuit tombe 

Les lampadaires s'allument

Les pas se hâtent et résonnent 

Sur le bitume des trottoirs mouillés 

Promenant les chiens du quartier 

Autour des arbres grillagés 

Les volets des rez-de-chaussée se ferment

Aux autres étages les rideaux sont tirés 

Les femmes rentrent des courses avec leur cabas

Les enfants reviennent avec le pain dans les bras

Les dernières feuilles s'écrasent sur le sol

Les voitures tournent autour cherchant à se garer

Coups de Klaxons indignés 

Qui couvrent les jurons de rigueur

Le vent rabat le crachin ,

Les feux des voitures balaient les rues,

Tout est gris, tout brille

Le brouillard monte

La magie du non visible s'étale 

Le monde perd de sa définition

Même le bruit des voitures est amorti

Les passants frissonnent , 

Tendent leur volonté de rentrer

Secouent leurs parapluie

Les chiens s'ébrouent et éclaboussent leurs maîtres 

Des bonsoirs réticents s'échangent 

En attendant l'ascenseur 

Une fois les portes ouvertes

Les locataires s'engouffrent

Le silence retombe morne 

Après l'heure de pointe

Le crachin imperturbable continue 

Sur les baies la buée s'insinue 

Frimaire s'installe.

Octobre 2004

Lucette C. Bailliet

All rights reserved

Love

Luminescent it is

Oblivious of others

Velleity is its nature 

Eternal, if true,  it can be.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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Does not matter

Does not matter

How many are killed

Their blood is red.

Does not matter

The reason why

Their blood is red.

Does not matter

What race they are

Their blood is red.

Does not matter

What religion they follow

Their blood is red.

Does not matter

What place they are from

Their blood is red.

Does not matter

What sex they are

Their blood is red.

Does not matter

How deprived they are

Their blood is red.

Does not matter 

How old they are

Their blood is red.

All life matters

We are all humans

Red is our blood. 

Lucette C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved

Round of seasons

Summer came, turned a parkland

Into parched paddocks,

A scorching Autumn

Bullied them into dust bowls,

A wet Winter magicked them back

To a mossy swamp ,

More rain on its way

And glades we shall have.

The round of seasons 

Is in full swing, boots are in,

Splashing , squelching, sloshing 

A added bonus to walking and running

As far as the dog is concerned ,

It knows a dry spot on the carpet

In front of the roaring wood stove.

Somehow the cat preferences

The top of the book case

Delights in a blazing fireplace

Listening to the rain on the roof.

Can't do a thing outside

A book to read, a film to watch

Thus the hours are spent

On a comfy sofa, might as well 

Enjoy Winter at its best!

Lucette C. Bailliet

All rights reserved 

HMS Australia

HMS Australia is adrift

Heading from the rough waters

Of a turbulent election

Towards a blustering maelstrom 

The senate will be scurrilous 

At best, antagonistic at worst

The captain has lost control 

Instead of clearing the deck

The double dissolution brought disarray 

Rebellion is strife, the knives are out

The worst mutineers are back onboard

With revenge most in mind

The weeks to come will see bloodshed 

Money spent generously during the campaign 

Seemingly smoothed the waters

But now the deep currents of unrest

Sweep the ship away without a tiller 

Australian parliament has lost its compass.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved

Stasis

My mind is in stasis

Like the fog outside

Suspended and opaque

Seemingly immobile

Time has paused

Powerful in itself

Hiding in its whiteness 

Blindness is on par

Hearing takes the relay

The world is muted 

Absence has no shape

Distance stretches into anxiety 

My heart is heavy

Like a clock it beats eternity 

Emptiness responds loudly

No sense, no reason

Neither hope nor wishes

Breath in, breath out

The fog morphed into mist

Turning into a tedious light

Worse or better

I do not mind or care

It's that kind of day.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved

#BREXIT

I

I never thought

That the day would come

When demagoguery would take over democracy 

I never thought that 

I would see the day

When Albion the proud

Would rock the boat

So #Brexit it is,

When is English to be taken off

The official European languages list ?

As soon as possible I say!

II

So #Brexit it is,

You wish to exit on your own terms,

Europe says no need to wait

The door is open, 

Walk out and quickly shut it .

 EU is tired of the unending 

Dragging of feet

For the not so United Kingdom

Since joining Europe

Never played fair

Kept its own currency

Was miffed that the legal system

It forced on three quarters of the world

Was dismissed without a single regret

That its vote counted for one voice

And not the usual four it pulls

That is democracy, my dear!

III

When you allow demagogues 

In your party to be heard

Beware of the result

Watch out for the three words slogans:

Stop the immigration

Trickle down effect

Cut the taxes 

(Of the rich)

Reclaim our country 

Open for business 

 Plan we have

(No details though)

Secure the borders

Keep them out!

The list is long

Seemingly solving every problem

Appealing by its simplicity 

You know you have to be careful

For who you are voting

For surprising as it may seem

Your vote is counting 

That is the rule

So Oz beware 

Next weekend is your turn.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved

WUP day for peace on earth

Peace be like rain

Persistent and continuous

Flooding all the world

Haiku for WUP day for peace on earth

Lucette C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved

Where is it safe?

They are coming

Destroying your lives

Armed with religion

For God is on their side.

They kill on sight.

To escape

You must find shelter

East, west, north, south 

It doesn't matter

Keep walking.

Getting away to safety

There must be a way

You have to flee anew

Again and again

For there is no respite.

It can't be worse

Let's go to the end of the earth

Take a boat to the last continent

People are made hateful

They're afraid of you

Nobody wants you.

Huge mistake,

Manus welcomes you:

Here lose all hope,

You entering this camp,

Lies, maltreatment

Torture and death await you

You feared for your life

Now fear for your Soul.

Lucette C. Bailliet

All rights reserved

The green slippers

Falling asleep on the settee

By the fireside 

The dog by my side

A book in my hands

on a Sunday evening

Why,  but why did Sylvia Plath

Wear green slippers?

It woke me up 

So strong the lime colour was

I understand the red slippers 

Worn by Dorothy

Of the wizard of Oz fame

But why would Sylvia Plath

Wear green ones?

Such are the vagaries of one's brain

Death is always coming in colour

Can't explain why

But so it is in the most fluorescent hues

One can imagine 

She is not a discreet lady.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved 

The eagle

I

From the top of the yellow box

The eagle of death

Spreads its wings

Its feeding frenzy

Driving it relentlessly 

Passing to and fro

In an ever decreasing  circle

Slowly above our heads

Its silent flight in the late winter afternoon

Carried by the thermal currents

Is portent of ominous danger

Even the playful dog,

Has noticed the moving shadow

Circling up above, centred around us

And frozen on the spot, 

Awaits the inevitable 

When suddenly it recovers movement

And shoots horizontally like an arrow

Across the paddock 

Taking shelter under the copse of grey box

The eagle veering away in frustration 

In search of an easier prey.

II

The eagle of death

Spreads again its wings

Searching for a new ticket

Barely satiated 

By its previous catch

An old cancerous body

Clutched away from

The stunned surgeon hands 

In a theatre operation 

Hospitals are always

A good hunting ground

Against the all devouring hunger

Needing to be consistently fed

Eternally demanding at its core.

III

The shadow of the eagle of death

Hovers above the gory scene

Of its latest bloody heist

Having scored aplenty

Through the innate insanity

Born of man made faith

Joined with the ultimate killing machine

In a moment of blind crazed furore

For once the ever starving winged creature

Does not feel the corrosive hunger pangs

Contently spreads its wings to return

To its high eyrie, sated for the present.

IV

With every feed

The beast grows in girth

Its wingspan spreads over lands

Ravaged by wars, the list is endless

The culling increases on a daily basis 

Still famished the eagle's shadow

Darkens the sky of the neighbouring countries 

No death ever satisfies its ravenous appetite 

It's always looking for more 

More deaths, more destruction

The bigger, the better

The eagle of death endlessly 

In ever decreasing circles

Targets new victims.

How I like a good change of seasons

Oh! how I like

A  good change of seasons!

From sparse paddocks

Hot windy Summer came

And we had scorched dusty ones

Oh! how I like

A  good change of seasons!

Gentle Autumn slowly walked in

Turned them back

To a green luxurious parkland

Oh! how I like

A  good change of seasons!

Brash winter just arrived

Boots are splashing in a flooding swamp

All within three days

Oh!, how I like

A  good change of seasons!

I wonder

What will Spring bring us this year?

Oh how I like

A  good change of seasons!

Lucette C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved

Introduction

Let me introduce myself :

Not a cent to my name,

I'm not worthless 

For I  sing love, cry death

Glorify war or peace 

Mind you, on demand

I  exhilarate senseless wealth

For what other reason 

Does it have to accumulate 

If not to bring joy and happiness?

To abhor poverty is a virtue,

I  laud nobility of mind

As much as I decry cowards,

Drink to your health

As easily as put a curse on you,

I laugh to your face

I'm versatile like that

I'll meet your desire, wishes

Like a mirror

I'll reflect your dreams

For I am a poet.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved

The sky is empty

It  is weird, it is strange

It is bizarre, really

I can't explain it,

The sky is empty today

The world has lost its magic

I don't know what is missing

Just that something is,

The high clouds are there,

The sky is that pale winter blue

The sun is shining 

Still the sky is empty

The soft golden light

Defines with sharpness

The fences, trees with a scalpel edge

Everything is in focus

Even the air is crisp and light in its iciness 

The missing je ne sais quoi 

Is weighty by its absence

I still wonder why is the sky empty?

Lucette C. Bailliet

All rights reserved

Emergency

Life in the bush

Tumbling from one emergency

To another to contain

No time to relax mentally

There's always a need to fix this 

Need to clean that

Ingenuity is the mother rule

For the shops and hardware 

Are too far to hop in the car

And just zoom to it

Even the drive can be dangerous

Track overflowed 

Hidden obstacles in the way

Erosion is so bad

That the track can disappear

In a blink

Priorities need to be reassessed

On a daily basis

No kidding

A swim or drown situation

Feels like it anyway.

Lucette C.Bailliet

All rights reserved 

Eternel feminin

Eternel Feminin 

Oh, she is a tease,

She plays you like a virtuoso 

You come bringing her a gift

She pretends not to be interested

Despondent you turn around 

She stops you, 

Head proudly defiant

What's wrong with you?

She seems to ask

You walk with her

She plays coy

You insist, she disappears

She's crossed the road

Keeps nonchalantly level with you

She smiles daring you

To follow her

She turns her head towards you

Her smile invites you

The world is lighter, brighter.

The car slows down,

She opens the door,

Alight the car

She waves to you,

Her mouth spells "tomorrow "

And she's gone.

Lucette C. Bailliet

All rights reserved

Bliss

After the rains

On the rocking chair

The dog in my lap

Watching the parched paddocks

Turn into green meadows

By the late afternoon autumnal sun

Blissful moment only broken

By the cry of the wild ducks

Newly returned 

From their summer trip

All the world can pass by

This moment is mine

Unexplained contentment 

Pure Bliss

Soft dappled oblique light

Among the gumtrees

Transform them in an European park

MIALLU is back again.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

All Rights reserved

Suicide note

Tonight will be the night

Tonight I will cease to be

Tonight I will dare

I will prepare myself to bed

And walk in the icy night

Loose myself by the moonlight

In the forest with no shelter

I might fall in a disused mineshaft

I might drown in a deep pond

Exhaustion and cold will drive me 

To the eternal rest

There won't be any nasty business 

Of gas, pills, hanging , trains

Just the natural slowing down

Of one's body functions

The days have no longer any attraction

The sun rays never reach my heart

It's time to say good bye!

Lucette C. Bailliet

All rights reserved

Gossipy gossip

Gossipy gossip

How much we love to hear them

Around a latte in the coffee shop

All girls repeating, making up 

Juicy bits of nonsense

Of course we don't believe one  word

It's just make up believe :

Do you know so and so ?

Yes, of course

So they met on the Internet

No, really?

He just moved in with her

Already?

Brought his cat with him

No, you don't say

Turns out she is allergic to hair cat!

And there is goes, silly stories

Making up urban legends

Juicy gossips make the world go around!

Lucette C. Bailliet

All rights reserved

Alliterative peace

Suddenly a scurrilous sound 

Is heard around the world

The tap, tap petty sound

Of nails hitting the screen

The ribald rumour rears

Its ugly head according 

To Murdoch's gutter press 

A truculent tiny trickle 

Conspires constantly 

To unsettle governments

People perambulatory petitioning 

The world over

Take to the streets

Singing shameless slogans

Soliciting for the same salacious slander

Police forces are overrun 

Denouncing daringly to demand 

Unbelievable untrammelled unthinkable 

Ultimate principle process

In a catastrophic catatonic  cacophony

Only one order occupies

The mob mindless mentality

Oh, for an obvious obscure occasion

That no one can fathom

They are asking for Peace!

Lucette C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved 

Peace is dead

Patriotism is rampant

Everywhere the other 

As the enemy is seen

Conflict is universal 

Even neutrality is suspect

Intervention is the new war:

Solecism for 

Domination 

Exploitation

Anarchy 

Destruction

Lucette C. Bailliet

All rights reserved

More

Environment is crucial

Pollution is everywhere

Air and oceans are sick

Forests are dying

Deserts are spreading 

Still capitalism wants More:

More coal, More gas,

More oil, More wars, 

More lives to exploit, 

More money, More acquisitions 

The shades of Dickens 

Are in turmoil, should have 

Extended his copyright on "more"

A lifetime is too short

More destructions, More rules 

More controls, More police,

More prisons, More torture

There seems no limitation to more

But how is Earth going to take more?

Lucette C. Bailliet

All rights reserved

Marriage

Marriage what a farce 

Two people under one yoke

Enslavement that is 

Marriage what a lie

Material considerations are first

There is never enough

Marriage what an illusion

Best day of your life

How sad if true

Marriage what a dream 

Happy families torn asunder

That is reality

Marriage what an aspiration

Institutionalised prostitution more likely

Sex on tap

Marriage what a sham

For the better and the worst

You'll see the latter surely

Marriage what a trumpery  

First day white finery 

Soiled quickly to last a lifetime

Marriage why bother

Open or close

Fallacy is at your chore.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved

Bird hotel

Let me get my beauty sleep

You silly blackbird

If you want a shady nest with view

When summer comes

No need to trill your displeasure

Bird Hotel is closed until further notice

Some needed renovations are planned

You still have time to catch up

With your friends on their way to the coast

You can't, your wing is broken

Better check the Pine tree Hotel 

You might find a refuge there

The neighbours are noisy, I see

How inconvenient for you

There's a tree hole down there

You might want to stay

But no room service, I'm afraid.

Now be good and let me return to my slumber.

Lucette C. Bailliet

All rights reserved

O my muse

Oh my muse, answer me immediately

Please rush over, you are so lazy

Don't worry about your dress

It's your mind I need to plumb

As far as I am concerned

You can tie your hair in a pony tail

It is a shame not to have shown

Gratefulness to all of them

For their generosity

I want you to help me pen

A heart full thank you

To a group of mighty poets 

Residing in the magnificent hall

Of The Significant League

They have opened the glass doors

In answer to a few scratches of my pen

So hurry up, and when walking

Along that well inhabited gallery

Do not hesitate to hail all you meet

By greeting them by their names

To compliment them highly

On the pleasurable honour

They offered me lately

I know your charming words

Will bring a few smiles

Do not forget to be grateful to the inner court:

 Ampat Koshy, Santosh Bakaya, Anna Gabriel Koshy

Reena Prasad, Pramilla Kadun,

All the admin staff, the Autism for Help Village Project Trust

And Authorpress

And offer your sincere congratulations 

To the winners of The Reuel Prizes 2016

Sunila Kamal, Ade Caparas Manilah

Gowri Suresh

Lily Swarn, Vijay Nair

Daipayan  Nair

Lopa Banerjee

Rukhaya MK

For their unique talents shown 

During the relentless poetry drive

That made this April so special

To Vijay Nair, Lily Swarn

Daipayan Nair, Rinzu Susan Rajan ,

Harnidh Kaur

Geethanjali Dilip,

Ananya Chatterjee,

Amit Shankar Saha

Joie Bose

Niladri Ranjit Chakraborty

Shabir Ahmad Mir

Gauri Dixit

Sarala Ram Kamal,

Anindita Bose

Ritamvara Bhattacharya

Sreemathi Ravi

Mallika Bhaumik

Satbir Chadha

Ipsita Ganguli

Kuchibhotla Sarada

Marshall G. Kent Sr.

Dominic Francis

The competition disappeared 

Making friends of us all

Even the judges partook of the fun

Let them know, it is with the ultimate pleasure

That I receive this accolade 

And ask you my muse to thank

All the participants for their offerings

And most importantly their unfailing support

Strength, energy and inspiration

Without it I would not have made it

On your way now and don't let me down!

Lucette C. Bailliet

All rights reserved

Spoof on Moliere's Remerciement au roi

Nonsense

In honour of Edward Lear's birthday

There was this old woman with no man

Thought she was Catwoman

Wore boots, used a whip

Did not have enough grip

Fell face first in a bed pan.

Lucette C. Bailliet

All rights reserved

Mother's Day tribute

It is Mother's Day

I have nothing to say

It is not a happy day

Where you are concerned

You've departed from these shores

Twelve years ago, you're no longer there

Your absence is still unfilled

The umbilical cord has finally been cut

I loved resting my head in your lap

Nowhere can I replace that pillow 

Peaceful refuge , stolen moments

Life had dealt you a poor game

You played the best you could

When success was in your reach

A line struck your name

From the registry of the living

I miss you so much.

Lucette C. Bailliet

All rights reserved

The making

She was terrified of her teacher

So one day she decided to wag

Blissful it turned out to be 

No one to tell her what to do 

Nor to scream she was lazy

She stayed at home

Listening to music

Opened a book, 

As it turned out, of poetry

The words rolled on her mind

She was hooked

All nine and half years that she was

A poet she wanted to be 

It did not work like that

Her people had proper jobs

To do that she had to return to school.

Lucette C. Bailliet

All rights reserved

Poetry oblige

Silence is best

Refuge is found in solitude

Protection is assured

Afraid?

On the contrary I'm happy

No one will disturb me

I can contemplate my success

It is small by all means

Meaningful for me nonetheless

It says I'm a poet

Until now I was free

To laud, to rant, to sing, to cry,

To hate, to love, to deride and decry

It didn't matter

Now downing the poet's robe

New responsibilities I endorse

To help and support

To defend and honour

Duties they are

For poetry oblige.

Lucette C. Bailliet

All rights reserved

 

Writer's block

Is it a curse,

Is it a blessing?

To get writer's block!

A simple nomination

It's all it took

I find refuge 

In my bed cave

Silently lulling myself to sleep

Each mute hour darker

Than the previous one

A  mindless eternity passes

Between each blink of the cursor

Still the night like my mind is still

No progress , no ingress

The day does not bring respite

Only endless distractions

No time to think, to muse

It's the have to time

Evening presses in

Mind is a no man's land

Refuge to my bed cave

A definite déjà vu

No dreams , no words.

Lucette C. Bailliet

All rights reserved

NaPoWriMo 2016

April came, April is gone

Each day a prompt was challenging us 

To push us to unknown places

Exploring light and dark corners of our mind

Mapping new lanes, new circuits

Meeting new names, new friends

Greeting old ones

Leaving messages, tags

Crying, laughing, giggling together

Reading a glut of poems

Writing a trickle of them

It was a swell month

We had a marvellous time

In this creative tank that is TSL

Amazing by its freedom and support 

The excuse was NaPoWriMo 

May is coming, but I won't forget 

Thank you to all,

So proud  of you,  I love you.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved

NaPoWriMo 2016

Nursery rhyme

One, two, three

I play with thee

Four, five, six

There's nothing to fix

Seven, eight, nine

Just be genuine 

Ten, eleven, twelve

Are you afraid to delve ?

What is more innocuous

Than a nursery rhyme

To help a child to count?

So tell me why

You're sobbing on my shoulder

All of a sudden?

One, two, three

I had to flee

Four, five, six

Check the appendix

Seven, eight, nine

It's time to dine

Ten, eleven, twelve

Here is the axe helve.

Lucette C. Bailliet

All rights reserved

TSL , NaPoWriMo 2016

Those words

Those words engraved

On your heart

Call to my soul

I do not hear them

Broken free I have

From the hurtful yoke

You imposed on me 

For so long

Your lies I accepted

I laughed at your betrayals

I didn't understand

The reason why

We never connected

I was your excuse

To torment them

Now you are old and anxious

Your lovers are gone

The ones you betrayed

Those you lied to

You pretend I'll come back

Keep hoping by all means

Lie to yourself if you need

Wear your mask on , 

Let Death be the one to remove it

Truth or lie do not weigh to her 

As long as she gets her man

You may trust her

To wait upon you in that hour.

Lucette C. Bailliet

All rights reserved

Attic

There in a  corner of the attic opened to air

Stood old  battered suitcases with lots of labels

The birds had been there and left their mark

The rusty locks were difficult to open.

Old books with brittle pages

And photo albums filled them

Black and white pictures of strangers

Stared back at me in old fashion clothes.

Whose are they ? I asked

A bankrupt friend who lost everything

Return from prison was his dream

Obviously,  those were his most precious memories

Sadly, he passed away, he committed suicide

Even these were not enough.

Lucette C. Bailliet

All rights reserved

NaPoWriMo 2016

TSL, roseate sonnet

By the bay

Spring low tide

Children did not hide

It is extremely dangerous to venture alone into the bay 

Their pleasurable fun

Fishing in the sun

It is extremely dangerous to venture alone into the bay 

Mum was watching

Safety in the making 

It is extremely dangerous to venture alone into the bay

The tide turned, speed of a galloping mare

Overtook the group

The mum drowned

The children  too disappeared

It is extremely dangerous to venture alone into the bay

For it makes a sad day

The misleading sign!

Lucette C. Bailliet

All rights reserved 

NaPoWrimo 2016

TSL 

Tideling

Lying mirror

Alice, Alice

Did you fall thru the mirror?

At what precise  moment

Did you realise it was lying?

The world inside was different

From the world outside

It was physically an impossibility

It couldn't be all there

The reflected wood seemed 

Somehow so different

Deeper somewhat darker

More tortuous heavier clouds 

Rolled in from nowhere

The mirror image was distorted

Don't forget about the Elves' scrying mirror

It is untruthful to the human

Was that mirror magical then?

It is so easy to believe so

I'm afraid the truth is more mundane

From the  three dimensional frame 

We are living in, 

The mirror catches everything in a plane

Depth is missing to the mirror

Now imagine further reduction 

To the line it would be pretty busy.

If we go in the other direction

We may imagine that with the gain

Of another direction the image

Would be more spacious 

Even going to emptiness

So you were right Alice 

The mirror is lying

Not by design simply

By lack of dimension.

Lucette. C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved

NaPoWrimo 2016

TSL

Tag

Is

poetry still

poetry when written 

from recipe? Counted words

not syllables constraint and limit the 

poetic flow . Only a genius such 

as Hugo can soar and escape these 

traced fetters in a playful model adding twist

to twist to render the challenge more daunting to 

anyone else foolish enough to enter this daft foolhardy scheme

without losing plot or rhythm in order not to bore you

soulful reader to the end of the original script for that is

undeniably the ultimate goal to reach. So reader, time to make 

your mind for you are the judge, don't be shy, 

what is your verdict ? are we guilty or not 

guilty of the unmentionable crime? you should by 

now have a good idea on how

to answer either in the positive 

or the negative the question

first asked in the

beginning of this

strange odd

poem.

Lucette C. Bailliet

All rights reserved

NaPoWrimo 2016

TSL