Tuscan romance

 Tuscan romance

The spring sun is shining, the birds are a’flight,

As we weave our way through the Florentine light.

Filtered by green trees on the side of the road,

Bordered by clear rivers which for centuries have flowed,

We wind our way into the clear mountain air,

With our trusty Vespa to take us there.

Our destination unknown, but we know what awaits,

For in a Tuscan romance, good food and laughter's our fate.

I wrote this poem in mid-2011 while staying in Italy with my then girlfriend, and Italian.

Her family had a holiday house in the seaside town of Viareggio  in Tuscany and one beautiful day we had taken a drive up into the stunning hills and mountains that rise up in the hinterland. We visited a beautiful old church up on a hill surrounded by vineyards, had a delicious lunch and extremely flavourful Chianti (a local red wine) at a small family run restaurant that looked out over the valley. 

What a day in bella Italia!

Have you had any similar traveling experiences that inspired poems? Feel free to post them here if you have.

I couldn't decide to go or not one way

Two paths diverged in a forest one day,

But I couldn’t decide to go or not one way.

I stood at the fork and my mind did sway,

Till the sun did the inevitable and had its say.

So I curled up and down my head I did lay,

Until the morning woke me up with the suns first ray.

I’d hoped for inspiration, a dream of the way,

But nothing was been forthcoming and I was left with the day.

To decide, to decide, but my mind did stray,

So at that fork I did stay, I did stay.

I didn’t take any path or less traveled way.

And that I regret every night and every day.

For to make a decision to go one way,

At least the decision is made, let come what may.

I am not the worlds greatest decision maker (maybe because I am a Gemini if you believe in star signs). I can make big decisions when they have to be made but it is the little ones that stump me; lamb korma or buttered chicken, chocolate mousse or a hot fudge brownie etc.

This poem was obviously inspired by Robert Frost's great 1920s poem 'The Road Not Taken', and was my attempt to deal with this flaw in my character and get through to myself that in reality not making a decision is worse than just making on and enjoying the ride.

What do you think?

And do you have any feedback on the poem? Should the fourth line rather say "Till the sun began to set and had it’s say"? 

Could the eleventh line rather be "I didn’t take any path, I kept the decision at bay,"?

(This poem was posted for the dVerse Poets Pub poetic prompt 'Choice'; Thanks guys! )

 Another form of choice, this needs to be updated but valid.

Why work?

They say that work defines you,

But is that ok by you?

It wasn't ok by me,

Until I thought, maybe it should be.

Buddhists see work as an outlet,

For creativity, innovation, effort.

A rewarding experience that makes life,

Whole, allows you to keep a family and wife.

They say 'If you do a job you love,

You'll never work another day'.

But could this true I wondered?

As all around me advertising thundered.

'You need to work to be able to consume!'

The latest car, house or experience,

An iPod, iPhone, iPad, it all,

But what if, I, don't want to?

What if I want to work not for money,

But for the love of using my skills.

I don't work to kill, myself or others,

I work to bring life, end strife, help mothers.

Everyday I'm blessed to wake,

Because I'm inspired to go to work.

I'm inspired to inspire, and light a fire,

And never work another day, until I retire.

I wrote this poem for the dVerse Poets pub poetics challenge or writing a poem around the theme of work (as you may have guessed!)

I made a decision a number of years ago to never work for money, but rather to always work for something I love and believe in. This has led to work for a number of not-for-profits, environmental/sustainability organisations and now the child focused humanitarian organisation World Vision.

I love it.

I often arrive at work and suddenly think about how lucky I am to be paid to do what I love, and to help others at the same time, whether (hopefully) inspiring youth in New Zealand to be all that they can be, or raising money for our community development work in the Third World.

This poem is written as a spoken word piece so read it out loud and please let me know what you think!