It was operation day today.
It is the way of such things
That everybody says it will be
Okay, and everyone acts
Relaxed. But try as one may,
The truth is, worry is natural,
And no one’s at ease or easily
Pleased until the call is made.
But seeing that her smile at the end
Of the day was enough to make
Him smile in return, now that
was enough for me.
A day spent waiting on a call from the hospital.
(03.07.25)
I’ve known you for a year or so.
But then you turn to look at me,
Your identity is still unclear,
Personality unknown.
What lies behind those searching eyes?
What thoughts are hid, emotions felt?
I can but guess, they dwell obscure,
Kept veiled behind a lack of words.
Until today, that is, for then
I heard your voice. It caught me by
Surprise; you are not who I thought
You were, but now at last you’re heard.
One of the toddlers spoke to me for the first time today. It’s always fascinating to discover how the person it reveals matches up to your expectation.
(25.06.25)
© Ben Quant 2025
Photo by 🇸🇮 Janko Ferlič on Unsplash
An hour of conversation,
That reaches around the globe,
Transcending barriers of language,
And animosity shown.
Taking time to listen,
And talk about our lives,
Comparing holiday plans,
And things that make us thrive
A mutual love of camping,
Shared music of the soul,
A common concern for family,
One humanity unfolds.
Another Friday, another Conversation Café, our informal group for those with English as a second language. Use one of the highlights of my work.
(13.06.25)
© Ben Quant 2025
She’s nearly two. Hiding behind her mother’s legs,
her eyes are like those magnetic links on wooden
trains, repelled when other eyes approach.
She risks a playful peak; it does not last.
Eventually she sees the toys surrounding her.
They call for her attention. She responds,
urgently dragging mum within her wake.
I see my chance and holding out a ball
I sit patiently, waiting for the catch.
She bites, I reel, and slowly draw her in.
Tentative fingers clasp the outstretched bait;
before she knows it’s happened we’re at play.
Toddler Group again today, and my regular quest to overcome their shyness.
(04.06.25)
© Ben Quant 2025
Photo by Clark Young on Unsplash
Rush hour, Monday morning, the crowded Tube,
the regular array of faces, usual places.
The suits eyes down in laptops, youth on phones,
a clutch of builders, bags of tools and coffee. Respectable, routine, their faces reflect
mine as they catch up on the sports pages.
The searing shriek of metal splits the scene,
which sunders, superimposing a previous day.
Arms outstretched their conductor waves his hands. Under his spell the crowd begin to jump,
a victory song that swells in violent time,
until the carriage starts to sway along.
Fearfully I watch, shrinking, isolated,
no badge of loyalty, no strip, no colours.
They are not me, but shuddering between
I see my face reflected in the crowd.
I saw The Crucible on Saturday. That and a TV drama I’ve been watching has got me thinking of crowd mentality and an incident on a train I once experienced.
(20.05.25)
© Ben Quant 2025
Photo by Oleg Sergeichik on Unsplash
Between faith and doubt there lives a tension
that neither pulls towards belief or tugs
towards betrayal. It sits in hesitation.
The story that you tell me calls for action,
begat the growing urge to spring to help,
but something in my bones warns me to hold.
I stand, suspended; caught between the move
to love and the opposing withdrawal of suspicion. I’m trapped, arrested in dissatisfaction.
I’ve had a couple of calls from someone seeking help. They might be genuine, but I find myself hesitating. This sits uneasy with me.
(19.05.25)
The summit of another year’s been won,
a further 365 days done and here,
I sit reflecting on the last of them.
A call from my parents who gave the gift of life.
At times I’m sure they must have wondered why!
A bottle of whiskey and toffees from my son.
He knows me well. I suspect they will be shared.
Facebook greetings from friends old and new
that spread across the growing years and places.
A simple click perhaps, but strangely moving.
A trio of pairs of socks embroidered with bikes
from friends who’ve shared the ups and downs of life.
Discovering cake and conversation can
cut across divides of difference between us.
And finally a ring. A ring to replace the ring
I snapped that I had worn for thirty years.
The ring isn’t really the gift, it’s just the paper
wrapping the second life that I’ve received.
It’s my birthday. It’s been a good one!
(16.05.25)
Like Race Around the World,
we’re traveling through life,
adopting different speeds,
and taking different routes.
Each life that’s lived’s unique,
a one off gift of time,
blending both choice and chance,
making us who we are.
The victory I’ve found
is not in these but those;
in those with whom I’ve travelled,
and those I’ve loved and served.
Tonight Alpha met Race Around the World.
(15.05.25)
© Ben Quant 2025
Photo by Nejc Soklič on Unsplash
Two arms outstretched can
Forge reconciliation
And build new friendships
It’s been a day of working on relationships.
(09.05.25)
© Ben Quant 2025
Too early and perhaps too young, she stands
alone and yet surrounded, hands outstretched.
All my attempts to make a difference fail;
my smiles are insufficient and my games
cannot cut through her tears. Only her carer’s
arms can placate her fears and anchor her.
Once, as a child I lost my way, turned right instead
of left. Before I knew it, I found myself
out by the flat horizonless fenland fields.
Realising what had happened, I backtracked,
quickly returning down the road I’d taken.
The waves of doubt lingered ’till I got home.
An adult now, I sometimes find myself
cast off and at the mercy of the deep.
I’m not the first to sail these waters, nor shall
I be the last. This does not stop the waves.
Aware of rocks, I scan the sea for signs
of you, knowing no peace until I’m home.
Inspired by a child at Toddlers today, who was inconsolable unless she was in her carer’s arms.
(07.05.25)
© Ben Quant 2025
Photo by Ryunosuke Kikuno on Unsplash
Ode for the Day 