Two Poems by Margaret Holbrook

Just Visiting

     -- Lyrics taken from 'Moonlight in Vermont,' written by John Blackburn and Karl Sassendorf

State of green mountains,
of few sycamores whose leaves
look like pennies when they fall.
Sugar Maple, that does it.
Colors of gold, yellow, vibrant red
fall down, a carpet
beneath your feet.
And do you hear the warbling of a Meadowlark?
Probably not.
There are none.
You will hear the Hermit Thrush,
perhaps the Meadowlark visited, once?
Maybe John and Karl
were listening then.
Caught the evening summer breeze
saw the 'Moonlight in Vermont."



A Dozen Tortoise Thoughts

A tortoise emerges;
any sense threatened and
he will retire into his shell.

All his time is steadily
moving on, Lento.  One hundred years
a few blinks of a leather-cased eye.

Once, on the Galapagos Islands,
George, the oldest known tortoise
was the only one of his kind.

If you look at the rings
on a tortoise shell, you
can estimate its age.

A tortoise is a friend for life.
Even keen DITers should
not be tasked to drill
into the shell or paint
a name over the sepia markings.

Tortoise tongues are pink,
soft and fleshy; but they
will not lick you as a sign
of endearment.
They are unlike cat and dogs
in this respect.

As a treat, and very occasionally,
a small amount of
strawberry jam
will be enjoyed.

Do you like to dance?
Most animals are musical,
tortoise are no exception.

In the summer, enclose
a spot on the lawn.  A place
where dandelions and clover
grow is preferred.
A tortoise must bask and eat.

If conditions are right,
absolutely; you might get
eggs.  Take them inside,
keeping their position exact.
A warm airing cupboard is
a perfect incubator.
The likelihood of young
reptiles is very low.

Be a chum to your tortoise.
They enjoy a little chuckle and
will extend their nexk
at its offer.

Do not hibernate your friends.
Keep him with you, by the fireside.

Margaret Holbrook is a writer of plays, poetry and fiction.  She lives in Cheshire, UK and has had her work published in several anthologies, most recently Schooldays published by Paper Swans Press, and in the following magazines, Orbis, SLO, The Dawntreader, The Journal, The SHOp, Reflections, Areopagus, the caterpillar, and online in, The Poetry Shed and Napalm and Novocaine.  Her first poetry collection, Hobby Horses Will Dance was published in 2014.  Margaret leads the Creative Writing Workshop for Chapel Arts in Chapel en le Frith, Derbyshire.