Having passed the rock
A hard place fills my vision
Not sure what to do…
Juggling with tricky decisions
(15.01.26)
© Ben Quant 2026
Photo by Jonathan Simcoe on Unsplash
Author: BenDQ
Poem 761 – The Cultural Pot
The circling critics mass with clicking keys,
headlines angrily declaring that,
the multicultural culinary dish is dead.
They clearly haven’t tried our bubble and squeak.
Today a Brit, a Turk and a Kuwaiti worked
together, serving food to English neighbours.
Their dishes? Cuisine cooked from diverse cultures,
a blend of ingredients derived from different nations.
And as they did they shared from a common pot
of love and conversation. Send them home?
If we did, we’d find we’re left with silence, vacant
plates and empty hearts; a menu of empty lines.
I had a lovely afternoon today working at our foodbank with two volunteers both of whom have come from our Conversation Cafe for those who speak English and a second language.
(14.01.26)
© Ben Quant 2026
Poem 760 – Residents
A tall gentleman pacing around in circuits,
A woman being wheeled past, who smiles and waves,
A book of Dad jokes, sometimes inappropriate,
A carer noticing the unnoticed,
The groaning of a ghost in an upstairs corridor,
A visitor, uncertain of where to go,
Loved ones, and those who can see beyond their years,
A manager who makes this home a home.
A snapshot from today.
(13.01.26)
Poem 759 – Settling Accounts
No headspace, heart space, creativity,
My debt has been called in. Today I’m done.
The bills have all been paid, I’m overdrawn,
But interest is paid in by the rising sun.
Today’s one of those days when life takes up all my capacity.
(12.01.26)
© Ben Quant 2026
Photo by Museums Victoria on Unsplash
Poem 758 – Ode to 4′33″
The conductor lifts his baton
The audience falls silent
.
.
.
.
.
A stifled cough
.
.
.
.
.
Rapturous applause!
My head is full of other matters today, and empty when it came to writing. Got me thinking about a poetic version of John Cage’s silent orchestral piece.
(11.01.26)
© Ben Quant 2026
Photo by Kristina Flour on Unsplash
Poem 757 – Today
Some days we do amazing things:
mend broken hearts, help those in need,
and make the world a better place.
Some days I reach that perfect note,
and find a satisfying rhyme or
fly faster or further on my bike.
Today is not that day.
Today I tarried in my bed,
then read a book and tidied up,
and finally did some shopping.
Enjoyed a mundane day today when nothing exceptional happened. Sometimes that is perfect.
(10.01.26)
© Ben Quant 2026
Photo by Blaz Photo on Unsplash
Poem 756 – The Way
Amidst the chaos there lies a line.
It weaves a way, a golden thread
of grace, not chalk or string, through life’s
varied and unpredictable maze.
A fragile thing, at first it seems
too fine, invisible and prone,
and yet, persistent, it somehow snakes
through life’s ragged ups and downs.
A golden thread that is not precious,
that rolls up its well worn sleeves,
knows life in all its care and messiness,
that dares to tread the dangerous street.
It does not force, or bend, or break,
it simply finds a way for feet to trace
when eyes are dark, imagination
spent. This path is known as love.
It’s been a week of trying to find a way through some tricky pastoral situations.
(09.01.26)
© Ben Quant 2026
Photo by Vasilica Ciocan on Unsplash
Poem 755 – Storm Goretti
Water sloshes from the sky like ocean waves
Crashing recklessly over the pavements,
Whilst rivers run, white rapids down the roads,
Tumbling torrents full of energy.
Crashing recklessly over the pavements,
Flushing the world within its hungry wake,
The storm’s a torrent full of energy,
A hungry deluge devouring the darkened sky.
Flushing the world within its hungry wake,
The urgent raindrops drum incessantly,
A hungry deluge devouring the darkened sky
Whilst sunshine hides its light in guilty shame.
The urgent raindrops drum incessantly
As rivers run, white rapids down the roads.
The sunshine hides its light in guilty shame
Whilst water sloshes from the sky in waves.
I enjoyed writing the pantoum a couple of days ago, and so thought I’d try another on this rainy day.
(08.01.26)
© Ben Quant 2026
Photo by Kostiantyn Li on Unsplash
Poem 754 – Some Days
Other things matter
Poetry must stand aside
Until tomorrow
A poetic placeholder.
(07.01.26)
© Ben Quant 2026
Photo by Jill Heyer on Unsplash
Poem 753 – Enough?
There’s tension in knowing
The battery is full
Which should be enough
But it’s cold outside
And the gap between
Mileage and miles
Is closing and closing
In front of your eyes
As muscles are tensing
Suspense keeps on growing
But you keep on going
As warnings start glowing
Until…
…ahh
With great satisfaction
You glide to a stop
You made it okay
Just ten miles on the clock.
A long day’s driving the EV the cold. Took a calculated gamble and didn’t stop to charge.
(06.01.26)
© Ben Quant 2026
Photo by Joshua Fernandez on Unsplash
Ode for the Day 