Author: BenDQ

Poem 682 – Signs of Life

/ BenDQ / Leave a comment

Did you know a house can die? It’s true.
Our neighbour died and like a loyal pet,
his house began to pine, the peeling paint
its tears, and spreading weeds its growing grief.
As beams decayed its backbone bent all hunched,
and boarded up, sad eyes began to close.
But even then the faintest pulse remained,
the finest thread of life tied on to hope,
a flicker waiting for resuscitation.
Today that longed for life at last moved in.

Going for an evening walk tonight, we notice that we have new neighbours.
(08.09.25)

© Ben Quant 2025
Photo by Untitled Photo on Unsplash

Poem 681 – Cocktail Maths

/ BenDQ / Leave a comment

Can two and two make five?
Depends on who you ask.
A mathematician? No way!

George Orwell? Ask Big Brother…
A parent? Might seem so.
But me? I’m sure it can.

Mix two congregations
and stir to make a drink
tastier than the sum.

Or start a conversation
between two different lands,
and all will be enriched.

A single flag is good
but I prefer a mashup
of loads of different ones.

It’s been a good day! A joint service to start with, an afternoon conversation with friends from our Conversation Café, and praying for local asylum seekers to end the day.
(07.09.25)

© Ben Quant 2025
Photo by Kobby Mendez on Unsplash

Poem 680 – The Uncommon Newt

/ BenDQ / Leave a comment

A mottled S written upon the ground,
I found you clearing away the fallen leaves
amongst the detritus by the garden fence.

Poised, legs apart, a perfect miniature,
you stood perfectly still with eyes fixed forwards,
a statue carved perhaps from cold hard flint.

Mutually locked in a Medusa stare, we found ourselves
stationary, afraid to make the other start.
I lost and turned. Perhaps you remain there still.

The final throes of summer sent me gardening this afternoon.
(06.09.25)

© Ben Quant 2025
Photo Kristian Peters CC BY-SA 3.0

Poem 679 – A Chinese Moveaway

/ BenDQ / Leave a comment

A few months into university
I’d got used to you being away.
The house was ours again and, during
the working day, just mine. I’d play my music
loudly without the risk of disturbing you
and watch whatever I wanted to at lunch.
Is it wrong to say that it was good?
But Covid called and back you came. And stayed.
Today you put an offer on a house
and I am so, so thrilled for you, I am.
But I find inside that I’m not so ready
to say goodbye. An empty house no longer
seems as liberating as before.
I’m sure that I’ll get used to it, I will,
but today just feels a little sweet and sour.

Change is on the horizon.
(05.09.25)

© Ben Quant 2025
Photo by Erda Estremera on Unsplash

Poems 678 – Action Hero Gospel

/ BenDQ / Leave a comment

Opening the cover marks the start
Of an adventure into the unknown.
Who knows what waits between its sheets?
Entire countries lie within.

Like contour lines the black and white
Align to mark its ups and downs.
The turns and bends we find therein,
Those tricky twists, guide and surprise us.

The pace leaves us breathless in wonder
We struggle to keep up with the action.
Turning the page, we find that Christ
Has roared on to the next horizon.

We started a series of evenings tonight exploring Mark’s Gospel with a group of church-goers and non-church-goers. A great conversation with valuable insights from everyone.
(04.09.25)

© Ben Quant 2025
Photo by Ales Krivec on Unsplash

Poem 676 – Tidal Painting

/ BenDQ / Leave a comment

The tide comes in, its waves
sweeping across the wall,
a swell of colour crashing
to its very boundaries.
Rock pools form, deep puddles
caught in crevices.
Carefree spray transgresses,
marking past its limits.
But as the wash recedes,
the turbulence dies down,
a pristine beach is left
of smooth and even colour.

We’re decorating at the moment, painting walls one at a time around the house. So often it looks a terrible mess until the very last coat is on and dry.
(02.09.25)

© Ben Quant 2025
Photo by Ryan Farid on Unsplash

Poem 675 – Turning

/ BenDQ / Leave a comment

And just like that the shorts have gone away,
the evening dimmed a little earlier.
Dandelions no longer cheer the lawn
now thoughts have turned to autumn.

The summer has been carefully folded up,
and stored in crates of happy memory.
Its carefree days of sun and play will now
only be opened from time to teasing time.

And in the mirror in the store I caught
a passing glimpse of changing seasons,
a hint of what has been, is now, and is
still yet to be, thus turning thoughts to autumn.

The seasons are turning as the schools begin to return.
(01.09.25)

© Ben Quant 2025
Photo by Matt on Unsplash

Poem 674 – The Roses

/ BenDQ / Leave a comment

At the flicks, to watch hot picks,
the battle of the sexes.
Tonight’s rom-com, love come undone,
relationships neglected.

Bunny blended, love has ended
Who will end on top?
Benedict or Olivia,
one will get the chop!

Before too long, I knew I’d got it wrong,
the rabbit evades capture,
as long as it has got the wit,
to avoid Fatal Attraction…

Went to the local Odeon tonight to watch The Roses, the remake of the War of the Roses. It turns out, I’d got my films muddled up, the bunny scene was of course in Fatal Attraction, meaning a hasty rewrite…
(31.08.25)

© Ben Quant 2025
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Poem 673 – The Loft

/ BenDQ / Leave a comment

A day of archaeology in the loft
Peeling back the layers through the years
Past Christmas trees and bags of decorations
Old cardboard boxes kept in case of need

The children’s toys kept for the grandchildren
Memories of precious moments housed in tins
Cards, photos, school books and a wedding dress
Reminders of those now no longer here.

A random iron in a grimy box
A bag of gifts given in Sierra Leone
A stash of trash in need of sorting through
Or treasure trove of objects that we own?

A day spent doing a bit of ‘spring’ cleaning.
(30.08.25)

© Ben Quant 2025
Photo by Trnava University on Unsplash