Empty Nest - John Carré Buchanan

And now they've gone.
Where the stairs thundered,
silence.
Where guitars or music blared,
quiet.
The chatter at the table,
gone.
Excited voices through ceilings,
hushed.
The summons from the kitchen
not needed.
The slammed door,
the morning rush,
the toilet flush,
stilled.
I sit and wonder
the cacophony of
twenty one years
gone.

John Carré Buchanan

Den - Adam Clayton

we built a bunker together
using pegs, ormer shells and sheets
it withstood some rainy weather
and kept us our heads from the heat

we summoned a furry demon
collected his dreams in a hat
plugged our ears ‘gainst his sermon
and scared away the neighbour’s cat

feeling protected and safe there
we gave up on our weekend plans
went only far as the kitchen
to get apples and cakes and flans

no matter the sun went down then
we fell straight to sleep in our den
peace pervaded; we were both brave
in this makeshift cotton-shell cave

Adam Clayton

Song Of The Christmas Turkey - Richard Fleming

We have grown fat, my friends and I,
and although some birdbrains say
these gifts of food Men bring us
must be treated with suspicion,
this I doubt.
I feed on corn aplenty and rejoice,
grow plumply satisfied and portly stout.
My fellows fast become inflated too:
such fine birds with no work at all to do.

I call the doubters paranoid and mock
their pessimistic attitudes and gloom.
Another feast arrives, I gulp it down
then gobble thankful sounds
and strut about.
We grow each day more pillowy and sleek.
Our future is assured, our species blessed.
This is the life, I think, no need to fear:
December is the season of Good Cheer.

Richard Fleming

SAT.NATIVITY - Richard Fleming

Once, Three Wise Men went on a quest
to seek and find the Christ-Child, blessed,
they took with them the new “must have”,
a camel-friendly, cool Sat.Nav.

A Guiding Star said travel East
and, as its radiance increased,
they harkened to this Bright Informer
and muttered, “Guys, we’re getting warmer!”

But hark! The Sat.Nav disagreed:
due North was what it guaranteed.
So off they trekked on camel-back.
(Alas, they were on the wrong track.)

They’d brought, as gifts, diamonds and fur
(sadly, no Frankincense and Myrrh)
and fancy jewellery, gold-plated,
to clothe the Christ-Child when located.

Instead of East, they galloped North
and that is why these three, henceforth,
the Sat.Nav-trusting Un-wise Men,
were simply never seen again.

Richard Fleming

A Christmas Note - Ian Duquemin

Dear Santa

There's just one thing I ask of you
I do not have a list
My presents, could you share them out
To those you somehow missed
I'm not at all ungrateful
And I hope you understand
But could you just divert your route
And not the one you've planned
I have a friend that says
That she does not believe in you
She doesn't get a single thing
So how can you be true?
It isn't fair you miss her
As she does her best like me
So could you leave a little gift
Beneath her Christmas tree
I know that many get too much
But one would be just fine
And if you haven't brought enough
Then give her one of mine
That's all I ask this Christmas
And I hope you find the way
To bring a little joy to her
This coming Christmas day

Ian Duquemin