A memorable facet of our trip to sample the culture of Thailand were our visits to the outdoor night markets. One particular small market we visited was an eye-opening experience to say the least. 

~~~~~~

FLASH FICTION 

AGGREGATION OF AGGRESSION

by John Yeo

  I had received some highly desirable tickets for a high level Science show at the college theatre. A well known expert in Entomology, Professor Deacon, was to expound his theories of a newly discovered strain of highly intelligent insects.

I was seated at home reading up on the background of extra-terrestrial insect life and I almost forgot the show completely.

I dressed in a hurry and quickly called a taxi to take me to the college theatre. I arranged for the driver to collect me in a couple of hours.

The performance was in full swing and I was soon waiting outside in the foyer during the first half.

At the interval, I made my way to the box office to explain my situation.

Suddenly an overweight man dressed in an evening suit with a large red polka dot tie, pushed his way forward. He had a black moustache, and thick black sideburns, on his moon-shaped face, topped by a shiny hairless head. 

With an extremely loud, aggressive manner, he said.

   ‘She’s next if I come back and anyone’s inside, there will be trouble.’

  He then pointed towards a young lady standing at the back of the queue. The young lady was a teenager, roughly 19 years old, wearing a loud pink blouse and blue torn jeans. She had long blonde, shoulder-length hair, and her face was conspicuous by some bright red lipstick that she had thickly plastered on her mouth.

 I stepped back from the ticket window and glared at him, risking his open, high, alcohol-fueled, aggression.

At this point, the young lady stepped forward and said,

Leave it alone, Dad! You’re upsetting me, please take me home.’

 With that, they both made to leave the theatre which seemed to be full to bursting point. I had almost given up hope of ever getting to the front of the queue when another intimidating aggressive man yelled from behind me in the queue. 

 ‘Are you coming back?’

     There was a scuffle as the man with the polka dot tie turned back and grabbed the questioner by the throat and said, ‘Mind your own bloody business.’

Then he quickly left the theatre with his daughter.

With an embarrassed shrug of his broad shoulders the second man, who had a shaved head and an earring in his left ear. just glared and took his place back in the queue.

Frustratingly there was no movement for ages and by the time the interval was nearly over an usherette appeared.

 l explained the situation to her quoting the Science department and I was instantly shown to a seat for the rest of the performance.

During the second half musing on this frustrating, unnecessary aggression, I wondered if there were mirrors of unnecessary aggressive behaviour such as this in the insect world. Perhaps the difference between a thoughtless, robotic, zombie-like creature and man is accentuated by an unfortunate side effect of egotistic aggression.

A memorable photograph from our Thailand holiday photographs. This was randomly snapped from the window of the taxi we hired for our tour of Phuket. There are a half dozen scooters parked by the side of the highway, with a man seated at a table behind a small notice advertising bikes for hire. The young man wearing a pair of sunglasses, stares intently at his mobile phone, probably surfing the net, seemingly oblivious of the beauty around him.

 Another interesting thing shown in this photo is a notice offering bottles of gasoline for sale at 40 baht a bottle. I’m sure this unlicensed sale of gasoline would never be allowed here in the UK, for health and safety reasons. I imagine there would be a definite fire risk attached. These small roadside type businesses are situated alongside most of the main roads in Thailand, showing a nation with a great entrepreneurial culture. Moving along this interesting picture there is a boat pulled up alongside the motorcycles, it’s not apparent whether this is for hire, but I suspect anything is possible. 

Looking at the trees that are providing much needed shelter from the sun, they are mainly coconut palm trees that grow widely all over the island. We were visiting in February, when the coconuts were just ready to harvest and eat, or ready to drink the tasty milk juice inside. Thai cooking uses a lot of coconut milk in the preparation of their food.

The sparkling clear blue sea in the background, covered in small boats, both fishing and pleasure boats is typical of Thailand’s coastline. The hidden sandy beach, is just visible in this photograph, and there are clearly some bathers visible in the sea. A young lady in three quarter length jeans wearing a bright yellow jumper, gazes out to the sea. She has her thick black hair, typical of Thai women, held in place by an American style baseball cap. A wonderful reflection of life on the beachside in the island of Phuket in Thailand.

What Pegman Saw – 

Collateral Peace

by John Yeo

‘

‘Thou shalt not kill:’ Intoned the priest.

‘Father!’
A small clear voice interjected from the congregation. ‘What about the weapons of killing stored in the cloisters?’
There was a sudden stunned silence as the venerable priest continued preaching, regardless of this uncalled for interruption.
‘Father do these cannon not signify a breach of the sacred teaching constituting a manifest hypocrisy?’
There was a loud ripple of voices drowning the flow of the sermon.
Then another voice loudly exclaimed. ‘Indeed Father: Cannon are indiscriminately fired at anyone, threatening, killing and maiming.’
The priest raised his hands to silence this diversion from his teaching, after a brief period of quiet, he replied.
‘The cannon are used to emphasise our strength and are a simple deterrent. Should they ever be fired any collateral killing would be the work of the cannon balls. There would be no blood on our hands or our conscience.’

150 Words, on Riga Cathedral in Latvia, written for whatpegmansaw.com . A weekly photo prompt on WordPress based on images from the chosen location.

Sent from my iPad

Today is the final day of the 2019 April PAD Challenge, but come back tomorrow for the first Wednesday Poetry Prompt of May and stay for Poetic Form Fridays, the next WD Poetic Form Challenge, and so much more!

It’s time for our fifth (and final) Two for Tuesday prompt of the month! Pick one prompt or use both…your choice!

Write a stop poem.
Write a don’t stop poem.

Tuesday 30th April 2019

DAY THIRTY

Robert Lee Brewers Poem a Day Challenge

STOP THE HUNGER
by John Yeo

The pangs were gnawing away inside
As we hungered for days gone by.
The biggest casualty was our pride.

The life force of rain has been denied
We couldn’t stop them however we try,
The pangs were gnawing away inside

Our food supply now long gone we hide
Our principles begging for food we belie
The biggest casualty was our pride.

Hope with charity and kindness beside
As the children and our elders began to die
The pangs were gnawing away inside.

Finally our bodies racked with pain we cried.
Out for mercy from the blue sunlit sky
The biggest casualty was our pride.

Our senses were dulled when food finally arrived.
The torrid sun baked the soil bone dry
The pangs were gnawing away inside.
The biggest casualty was our pride.

© John Yeo ~ All rights reserved

WHEN I GROW UP AGAIN
by John Yeo today’s prompt, take the phrase “(blank) Again,” replace the blank with a word or phrase, make the new phrase the title of your poem, and then write your poem. Possible titles include: “Here We Go Again,” “On the Road Again,” “Stumped on What to Write Again,” and “Doing the Wrong Thing Again.”

Monday 29th April 2019

DAY TWENTY-NINE

Robert Lee Brewers Poem a Day Challenge

WHEN I GROW UP AGAIN
by John Yeo

When I grow up I want to be free
Off all the things that are holding me back.
When I grow up I want to be really me.

I’ll be branching out, growing strong like a tree,
Removing the shackles to get right on track,
When I grow up I want to be free.

I’ll quickly dispose of childish immaturity
Reaching upwards to grasp all I lack,
When I grow up I want to be really me.

My mind will be reaching for my destiny
Shaking off sad thinking and step back.
When I grow up I want to be free.

I know there can be no guarantee
That my ambition will just attack,
When I grow up I want to be really me.

I will change my life and become carefree
Pushing to my goal without drawback
When I grow up I want to be free
When I grow up I want to be really me.
 
© Written by John Yeo ~ All rights reserved

For today’s prompt, write a remix poem. That is, remix one of your poems from earlier in the month. There are many ways to do this. Turn a free verse poem into a traditional form (using lines from the original poem). Or use erasure to cut down a long poem into a short one. Or expand a short poem into a longer version. Get creative with it.

28th April 2019

DAY TWENTY-EIGHT

Robert Lee Brewers Poem a Day Challenge

COMPLETE EXHAUSTION
by John Yeo

A dash of yellow and black
Signalled the cheetahs approach.
Flashing across the plain.
Driven by hunger for blood.

The deer was on full alert.
Her ears pricked up in alarm,
Speeding away at full speed
Racing away from danger.

The chase was harsh and savage
As the deer was quickly run down.
She was caught and fell in pain
Overcome with sheer exhaustion.

© Written by John Yeo ~ All rights reserved

COMPLETE HUNGER
by John Yeo

A dash of yellow and black
Signalled the cheetahs approach.
Flashing across the plain.
Driven by hunger for blood.

Age had eroded her power
As her scars painfully showed,
Her hunger drove her forward,
Her approach suddenly slowed.

The deer was on full alert.
Her ears pricked up in alarm,
Speeding away at full speed
Racing away from danger.

The chase was short and fruitless
As the cheetah was overwhelmed
With strength sapping exhaustion
She fell gasping to the ground.

The deer joined the grazing herd;
A once proud predator waited,
The hungry cheetah faded away
Unable to fight; her hunger to allay.

© Written by John Yeo ~ All rights reserved

This is a remix of the poem I wrote on Wednesday 26th April. The prey outwits the predator and gets away. 🙂

Monday 1st April 2019

This is a response to Robert Lee Brewers Poem a day for the month of April 2019.

Day One.

For today’s prompt, write a morning poem. Maybe you’re a morning person, maybe not. Your poem can be about a morning. Or it can be set during the morning. And those who’ve done this before probably already know that I have no problem with you interpreting this as a “mourning poem.”

BIRDSONG

By John Yeo

Dawn breaks on a mist dampy day

Frost fills the air and colours the parkway,

January shadows, loom and recede

Not a sound to shatter the icy mead.

~

Then, a deep-throated sonata from a nearby bush

A fusion of birdsong to break the hush

Rising and falling to colour the morning

A Blackbird song signals a new day dawning.

~

The rich fluty quality, the tuneful sound

Resounds and is heard for miles around

This natural symphony is a beautiful warning,

A territorial stakeout, he is seriously performing.

~

He whistles and warbles sweet sound in profusion,

Smooth trilling notes with a melody in perfect fusion,

My eyes narrow in the cold morning light

To catch sight of the songster before he takes flight.

~

The silence seems melodic and richly outspoken,

Then, the smooth flow of notes is suddenly broken,

A cry of alarm sounds, wings flap with a whir

The Blackbird flies from the danger of feathers or fur.

~

His natural defense against Man, Feline or Hawk,

Against the danger of attack or predatory stalk,

He will surely return when the threat is gone,

Safety beckons and he will take up his song.

~

A melody of love and careful protection

Of his territory, his nest after careful selection.

The beautiful warning resumes, a mass of sound,

Tuneful, melodic with a clarity profound.

~

Lifting my spirits, all danger is past

I return to my allotment and take up my task.

I turn the soil, suddenly with a whir of the wing

A blackbird arrives for food for his offspring.

© Written by John Yeo ~ All rights reserved

I wrote this post for ‘The Quintet’ our church magazine in response to the theme of…Listening.

LISTENING

by John Yeo

Scientists and millions of expectant outer space fans, spend their lives listening for signs of extraterrestrial life. Life that theoretically exists many light years away in the depths of the known and the unknown universes. Nations have invested enormous sums of money and effort to hear a response, so far without success.

There are many types of listening posts all over the world. People gather in churches and places of worship everywhere, seeking solace, searching for signs of the reawakening of a special herald announcing the return of our Saviour. Listening for signs and interpreting ancient texts for guidance, the inner ear is always hungrily searching for answers.

A place of worship of any denomination is a gathering of people congregated to seek the understanding to go forward and prepare for the life to come.

Each and every one of us has an inner ear avidly scrutinising and interpreting every thought that may lead to answers. An inner ear that not only receives information from the outer ear but listens to the incoming waves of empathetic signs and feelings generated by others.

By continuing to listen; having the faith to keep the inner ear concentrated while searching for the message, is surely the true meaning of the words in the spoken message.

‘Have Faith.’

Happy New Year!

28th December 2018 ~ © John Yeo ~ All rights reserved