Groundhog Day

Get up, wash your face, get dressed.
A sigh, a cuppa, then on your way.
At your desk you're already stressed
And every day's like Groundhog Day.

You crave improvements in your life
That's how you dream your days away
But what's a day without some strife?
You're sick and tired of Groundhog Day.

Life's a panoply of colour -
A rich variety that never fades.
But Groundhog Days are truly duller
They have no scope for nuanced shades.

Time to begin a change tomorrow
It's all in your hands - no other way.
I'll be your companion in your sorrow
My heart and soul both pine away.

And so the next day you get up...
Look in the mirror at yourself, and smile.
You feel different about yourself within.
You haven't wept now for quite a while -
Now that must be worth a euphoric grin!

Black Lake Park

Near the white walls of the Kazan Kremlin
There used to be a lake, they say.
But after the rule of the great Red gremlin
The lake just vanished clear away.

White swans among its reeds once sailed
And children loved to romp and play.
In winter, kids shimmied and bobtailed
On darting skates on frosty days.

Not a seagull swoops o'erhead now
Nor lands on that once-golden perch.
The only bird here now's the ravenous crow
Cawing for food, with a lugubrious lurch.

Take a look for yourself... and recall...
Don't let such things happen, there's too much to lose.
Something worthwhile is a right for us all
In each of our lives, yes - and no matter whose.