DEREK PICKETT

 

 

Surf And Serenity

 

Rough sea come rescue me

bring me back to my satisfied self

I’m looking to you to make a safe harbor for my aching soul

let my troubled mind be out at sea

It’s in my blood and my breeding not to be phased by inclement weather

I am deftly defiant and ready for all that you may hurl and whirl my way

there by your powerful waters I will be ok

Here in the beautiful abyss of the gray foreboding sky

and dark green surly sea

lonesome silence becomes quiet calm serenity

Not a being in sight

I come searching for a dream or direction, some kind of guiding light

let the water wash over me and make it all right

So much time and space here for resolution and reflection

I am rescued by serenity and swirl

I find my coastal connection

lost on land and found at sea

how good it feels to be alone now, here with just me

 

Precious Prize

 

You were beautifully unsophisticated sweetly simple and quietly kind

such people on this planet are virtually impossible to find

You taught us the gifts of hard work, humility, courtesy and education

you showed us endless love, patience and constant dedication

In all those years growing up in our humble home

we did not truly appreciate or see it through our eyes

how much you were a blessing, a glorious gift and a precious prize

 

Lost Analog

 

We never knew how good we had it back there in the day

Picking up the receiver for an appointment, complaint, plan a date

or just for something to say

Now it’s all please download our app, but thanks for calling,

your call is important. we’re all kinda busy answering other calls

and all these other reasons for stalling

Well I miss that welcome and warm greeting that voice of confidence and confirmation

The wisdom and calm, that reassuring salutation

 

And yes it may seem kinda out-dated to want to meet in person or chat on the phone, but truly I think our modern day technology is over-rated and very complicated

Call me old hat and not where it’s at but was it not so simple

to just call someone on the phone and talk to a live person

the communication has diminished and we all get to spend yet more time

trying to make a plan, an appointment or get an answer, just some satisfaction

 

And what about dates will they become remote online or on zoom,

is that what happens next, so we all spend yet more time alone?

Let’s bring back the landline, let’s chat and set up a time and meet and let’s quit texting and toss out the Android and the iPhone

Let’s bring back telephonists, people dedicated to answering the phone

get rid of the messaging and online fog

let’s bring back service, responsiveness and live discussion

let’s bring back the Lost Analog

 

Color Country

 

An old wooden fence and age-old giant trees are the welcome party

to the open meadow of magnificence at the side of the Brazos river

Here happily distant from the commotion of the concrete conurbation

we are gifted with a collage of country color

with painted paint brushes in amongst a flowing field of blue

pinks and purples with splashes of white and yellow

through the green they bellow their sweet presence

abundant flora wild and beautiful

sitting regal and resplendent

Gentle rain to nourish the confluence of creation

Nature’s glorious gift shining out here in the color country

 

 

DEREK PICKETT

 

DEREK PICKETT: Derek was born and raised in a small village in the South East of England. He took an interest in poetry from a young age and was inspired by the great poets of the U.K. and Ireland, including Wordsworth, Heaney and Burns. Derek has travelled extensively in the USA and at one time or another has lived in Arizona, California, Hawaii and New York, as well as Mexico City and São Paulo, Brazil. These days, he lays down his hat in Houston, Texas, where he finds daily inspiration for his work in the multicultural world of the city, and his lifelong love of music, and passion for country dancing. Derek released a book of poetry in 2021 called: Lost in the Dance. He has also had poems published in Irish America, All Your Poems and the Journal of the Texas Author’s Association.