February
Today is leap day, the most mysterious of days
It comes and goes like smoke in a blaze
I best not waste it, this new found time
Or perhaps I'll spend all day trying to rhyme
Would you rather permanently smell like a goat
Or only laugh in a frighteningly high note?
Would you rather travel only through skipping
Or have your underwear always ripping?
Today I sat still for a while
Rain and song blended into a smile
It was a day peppered with meaningful morsels
Wrapped up in weather that was really quite awful
I like those days where at first look
Nothing much happens beyond the rain and a book
But upon reflection, 'twas a day well spent
And what's even better, it didn't cost a cent
Take me back to those three crazy weeks
Where I scaled so much more than those towering peaks
The laughter, the fitness, I want to go back
To chuck on the boots and make my own track
It's the people that made it, what a sight we were
Trying to navigate each mountain spur
Those three weeks I'll carry wherever I go
I think that they've changed me more than I know
Doing a bomb in the water is a marvellous skill
Some do it to wet onlookers, some for the thrill
Grab hold of both knees for a classical splash
Throw a flip in or two, but mind the whiplash
Try a staple, a manu, even a belly flop
Don't be surprised if you're unable to stop
Summertime is perfect, but why stop there
Grab fellow enthusiasts and do it all year
The kindest person I'll ever know
She fills my life with a graceful glow
Fiercely loyal she protects her own
So humble and always quick to atone
She laughs freely with a kind of childlike joy
And she'll go as far as she wants because life is her toy
For us a storm brings fear and pain
But she's out there dancing in the rain
A sleep-in at last, well that felt weird
I'm rested yet so unprepared
The day comes to me rather than I to it
I'm sluggish and scrambled and short on wit
I ingest my cereal with unusual force
Which I would wholeheartedly not endorse
Much better, alright I'm ready to go
I'm actually still tired but they'll never know
A sombre day of smiling sadness
Because the last few weeks, through all the madness
I'd found something, a connectedness
A group that I'm really going to miss
I'm homeward bound but I'm leaving home
A place of peace where kind people roam
The goodbyes were too short, I should have said so much more
We walk backwards toward a distant shore
Ah yes, the half marathon just to top it all off
We guzzled our breakfasts like pigs at a trough
Then before we knew it, it was BANG, good luck!
Those first few k's always suck
Slowly a breathing beat emerges
A pattern of thought swirls and surges
It's nice to return from those dark places
To a cheering crowd of friendly faces
Insults were flying and bare butts were shown
As the two boats lined up with the wind a'blowin'
The wager was set, losing would come at the price
Of cleaning the other boat's poo buckets that night
Our start wasn't great, and the wind died down
For a while there those poo buckets were looking extra brown
But in the end we smashed the other boat to smithereens
Then left a few extra presents for the other boat to clean
Finally a gust, we've been rowing too long
The wind had been absent but is now blowing strong
The call comes to jibe and our yacht turns on a dime
We are all having one hell of a time
For dinner we anchor and hop on to shore
It is one of those evenings that warms you to the core
Skimming stones, strumming tunes, just generally thriving
Then early to bed with a new day arriving
The black canvas sparkles with white speckled paint
I breathe it all in, without restraint
The boat rocks gently to the tug of the tides
We lie still, listening to what the universe confides
This has to be it, this is life without noise
It's uncluttered and carries a purpose and poise
Nights like these, though they slip away fast
Make me feel so deeply linked to the past
Feet squelching we trudge, amid piercing cries
Shaking fists at the moon for our sandpaper thighs
Like penguins we waddle, on through the grey
'Til the chafe feels like fire ants swarming their prey
No need for a path, we're too tired to care
Stumbling over roots, we hope we are drawing near
Oh chafe you rascal, you've ruined my day
And that is all that I have to say
Here's a funny joke, go tramping even if there is potential
For 25cm of rain in a day, which borders on torrential
But wait the joke gets funnier, say no when they offered you tents
It's Summer right? Taking a couple of fly's would make more sense
But were there gale force winds you ask, oh yes we had them too
So all in all, when huddled in a storm, there were choices we were beginning to rue
There is no punchline to this joke, so not really a joke at all
Just a rather miserable night where we really dropped the ball
Our band of 13 set forth on our tramp
Thinking only of adventure and where we might camp
Day one kicked off with quite a buzz
When wasp nest dodging had us all in a fuzz
Such a pointless creature, back off me right now
Get back in your hole or I'll give you a POW!
Just kidding, please don't hurt me, we're good
But I still might step on you because I really should
Soft oranges and greens emerge from the grey
Birds ruffle feathers and start saying g'day
It's a celebration as light filters through
The chance to begin, a new challenge to chew
Uncertainty to clarity the morning stirs my soul
Plants arc their spine, hastily stretching for their goal
I observe, yet I belong, no different in a way
The stream trickles on as the birds start to play
They gave us three carrots, three apples, three flapjacks and scroggin
Whoever decided these portions deserves a good floggin'
They should be forced to sing Nickleback
In their birthday suit, on top of a yak
Then made to watch every Shortland St show
In chronological order, then backwards in slowmo
Or maybe I'm being a little bit rude
I'm learning to really treasure my food
Constructing a proper bush hut is harder than it looks
When you're out there all alone without guidance from the books
Think carefully about the corners, don't choose a dodgy log
Else you'll end up eating sticks that night, you're a human not a dog
Chuck on the roof, a door mat, hell even a window pane
Jump on in to your sleeping bag and hope to God it doesn't rain
It all sounds good on paper but I'm starting to fret
It looks flawless by daylight but I haven't slept in it yet
Trees grow higher when their roots connect with others
They sway, shoulder to shoulder like brothers
Their fingertips ache for the touch of the sun
Swaying, stretching together as one
Beneath them a stream cuts a leisurely path
It tickles their roots making the trees shudder and laugh
Their presence is powerful, so alive and so still
Protection is also our duty to fulfil
Poems can be hard to write
I fear I could be up all night
This daily poem business has caught a snag
The internet speed has encountered lag
I stared at a page for over an hour
Stopping only to snack and to have a hot shower
I'm writing poems on poems, I've hit rock bottom
I would mention the day's events, but I forgot 'em
Oh hot chocolate, shut the front door
Your suffocating sweetness leaves me gasping for more
I like coming home to you when I've had a big day
I like how you listen when I have something to say
What is the secret to your magic, the beat that makes you tick
Whatever it is I know I need to get some in me quick
Grab a glass and down it before it is too late
The water must boil, hot chocolate, for now I must wait