Poem 389 – Muddy Feet

Jan 8, 2025 / BenDQ / Leave a comment

The postman delivers a set
of new mats for the car,
to stop me from wiping the mud
from my feet on its floor.

These mats all resemble the one
that we’ve put by the door,
to stop us from wiping the mud
from our feet on the floor.

My feet seem to cause so much grief
everywhere that they tour!
There must be a much better way
to keep mud from the floor…

Perhaps I’ll stick mats on my feet
with some string from our drawer?
And with no more contact there’ll be
no more mud on the floor!

I did receive new mats today…
(08.01.25)

© Ben Quant 2025
Photo by Dmitry Ganin on Unsplash

Poem 388 – Farewell

Jan 7, 2025 / BenDQ / Leave a comment

I’ll never forget the day you locked yourself
out of the house. You called for help – I came.
I broke into your bathroom by climbing onto
the garage roof and squeezing through your window.
Briefly, I hooked my belt around the latch,
which threatened to leave me undressed and hanging.

A deep sense of determination was written
on your face, reminding me of Mount
Rushmore, resolute and irresistible,
a pervading positivity that said
‘this can be done, let’s make the most of it’.
Pragmatic stoicism served you well.

But in your eyes I saw hidden emotion.
I saw your caring check of those around you
and presiding pride in friends and family.
You held my eyes, revealed intelligence,
weariness, frustration at all you’d lost,
until the last page was turned and Wordle done.

Setting out the chairs today felt wrong
as one was in your place – a weekly reminder,
as if one’s needed. Soon we’ll say goodbye.
Ever thoughtful, you’ve told us what you want.
Not wearing black, we’ll celebrate as one
a resolute life in story and joyful song.

Over Christmas we lost a long-term member of our weekly lunch at church. We’ll miss her. I met with the family today ahead of the funeral. These verses emerged from our conversation.
(07.01.25)

© Ben Quant 2025
Photo by 🇸🇮 Janko Ferlič on Unsplash

Poem 387 – Wet Trousers

Jan 6, 2025 / BenDQ / Leave a comment

The alarm went off this morning.
Outside it was dark, so dark,
I didn’t want to rise,
but had before I knew it.

I left the car at the garage.
Cycling was cold, so cold,
the tide mark rising up
dull chromatography.

The phone rang in the rain.
The call was hard, so hard.
May God’s peace match the puddles
permeating my pockets.

Once home I peeled the layers.
They’re dripping wet, so wet.
The garage rings, it’s ready –
I put them on again…

I had to take our car to the garage first things for it’s annual service. The snow and ice may have gone, but the weather was miserable. I still feel wet. The good news, however, was that there were no issues with the car at all.
(06.01.25)

© Ben Quant 2025
Photo by Nicola Anderson on Unsplash

Poem 386 – Twelfth Night

Jan 5, 2025 / BenDQ / Leave a comment

Three years on this trot
I’ve written poems today that
Share the same title

A short one today! A busy day with a great service this morning, clearing the house and decorations this afternoon, and friends around tonight to finish the season.
(05.01.25)

Poem 385 – The Christmas River

Jan 4, 2025 / BenDQ / Leave a comment

Who knows what day it is this time of year?
With punctuation gone we wander through
The flowing hours, never changing gear,
And drift with nothing that we need to do.
The burbling moments trickle aimlessly
And wandering in their tide we meditate,
Sometimes parting to find some tributary
To idle in, then join to celebrate.
The space this absence gives is necessary,
Like sea around an island, it gives meaning,
Defining shape, allows us to be merry,
Highlighting that which lies behind the season.
And so with joy we join the angels’ mirth,
For Christ, God’s Son, our Saviour’s born on earth!

I originally got the date wrong when I posted my last poem. When this was pointed out I said ‘who knows what day it is this time of year!’ A good friend promptly threw down a gauntlet and challenged me to write a poem around that theme and he would do the same. Suspecting he would err towards something informal, I thought I’d go the opposite way and dive into the formal rhyming structure and second half twist of a sonnet!
(04.01.25)

© Ben Quant 2025

Poem 384 – Two Worlds

Jan 3, 2025Jan 3, 2025 / BenDQ / Leave a comment

This lazy January morning,
we rise to the golden glow
of the winter sun, as it settles
on curtained window panes.

Descending, we duck down
beneath the glowing gaze,
and enter a monochrome realm,
a kingdom of black and white.

Beyond the kitchen’s heat,
the world divides between
two lawns of white and green
demarked by shadow fall.

Upon the glass retreat
ancient fingers of intricate
silver, etched in frosted
detail, delicate yet harsh.

It is the time of year when the sun can shine but has no heat. The last few days have been drab, overcast and misty keeping some warmth, but today these cleared…
(03.01.25)

Poem 383 – January 2nd

Jan 2, 2025Jan 3, 2025 / BenDQ / Leave a comment

It transpires that January the second,
the day after the day before,
is a day for dealing with odds and ends,
for answering messages, emails and texts,
for finishing jobs and filling out forms,
finalising funerals and foodbank calls,
for sorting out servicing cars and schemes
for redeveloping kitchen floors.
In many ways this day feels like
the day before the day before…

A clear day in the diary has, after a lovely sunny walk, turned into a day of diving into and catching up on admin! It looks like 2025’s to-do list is going to be as endless as 2024s…
(02.01.25)

Poem 382 – This Year

Jan 1, 2025Jan 3, 2025 / BenDQ / Leave a comment

This year I will not leap out of
a plane for charity,
nor scale a tree topped mountain summit
or swim across the sea.

I bet my debut novel still
will probably not get written,
and surely I won’t be packing theatres
with jokes and witticism.

I will not gain a medal or
some gong in the New Year’s Honours,
I plan not to feature in the news
for being some crazed wrong ‘un.

Instead my New Year’s resolution
is simply to see it through,
and on the way to write a poem
every day or two…

This year, other than getting grants for the church redevelopment, I have no special objectives or challenges planned, except the personal challenge of regularly posting poems throughout the year. Can I do one a day throughout 2025?
(01.01.25)

Poem 381 – The Sparrowhawk

Dec 20, 2024Dec 20, 2024 / BenDQ / Leave a comment

We suddenly became aware of
his lonesome presence not far away.
Perfectly still, he perched mere metres
from where we sat behind the glass.
He gazed disdainfully at us through
his alien eyes, dismissing us,
before, with a casual flick of his feathers,
launching himself from the plum tree branch.

We had an unexpected visitor in the garden the other day.
(20.12.24)

Poem 380 – Happiness

Dec 19, 2024Dec 20, 2024 / BenDQ / Leave a comment

The contented sound of bike wheels whirring
The lights remaining green
A slice of toast that’s browned just so
Remembering a dream

Predictive text that gets it right
Recalling someone’s name
A cup of tea that hits the spot
Unwrapping a new game

Holding an audience in my hands
The ridiculous neck of a giraffe
The sound of sparrows playfully squabbling
An innocent toddler’s laugh

A guitar that’s stayed in perfect pitch
Finding the end of the string
This is a list of some my
All time favourite things

Waking up before the alarm
And seeing your face smile
Realising there’s time to look again
And waiting there awhile

When Google reminds me of a memory
I actually want to see
A carefree day that’s spent with you
There’s nowhere I’d rather be

I’ve just finished Harry Baker’s poetry book, ‘Wonderful’. One poem is a list of things that bring him pleasure. Here are some of mine.
(19.12.24)

Ode for the Day

An experiment in poetic doodling

Author: BenDQ