Friends...

Easy love...

There is no easier love

Than that for what you held inside

A part of you for nine months

So much a part of your being

That when you become two

You would still know them

Their smell, their presence

By the feel of their aura

Even when they have gone

And become bigger than you

Giving Thanks...

Where I come from 

This is a day for giving thanks

Families gather for food

Turkey and pumpkin pie

And maybe to argue over politics

The schools and shops are closed

Making children grateful easy

I haven't lived there for so long

I often forget the day

Until it has passed me by

Reminded that I failed to call

And mark the day as expecteed

But do you not understand

I don't need one day to give thanks

I am grateful every day

For the sun that rises

For being able to try again

To be a better version of me

And without a doubt

For the love that holds me here

Image by Constance Kowalik from Pixabay 

Rising with the sun...

In a family of night owls, two larks greeted the sun

Father and daughter sharing the morning chorus

What adventures await while all about slumber

A boat on the lake, mist low upon the water

Pulling in the lines set the night before

Catfish the prize for the effort, we'll eat well tonight

Here's a quiet cove where he teaches her to fish

She watches how he sets the weights and hook

How the bait is strung, how to hold for casting

He swears and laughs as the whole rod is thrown

She knows that these moments are precious

Time stands still briefly where she has him alone

Too soon they make for the dock and the others

She will dog his heels while he cleans the catch

A few more moments where she chatters nonstop

Until the crowd pull him away again...

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay 

The sea called to me...

The sea called to me in my melancholy

Come to me, I will heal you

The waves will soothe your soul

The wind will blow your sadness away

Salt air will sharpen your senses

The seals are basking on the beach

Sand made red as they bring new life

Pups scattered among the adults

White pelts testament to their youth

What cares do their lives hold

Beyond the abundance of fish

And a good spot to stretch out on

The sea reminds how simple life can be

If we learn to navigate its tides

The ebb and flow of fortune and feeling

That are the measure of our short time here

Maybe I can fly...

Freedom called me out

Step onto the ledge

Spread your arms and leap

The birds are waiting for you

The clouds will hold you up

You will soar above it all

Just a little step into the air

And you will be free

The truth as always hurts

Freedom cannot be found

Flying from the 7th floor

Image by Catharina77 from Pixabay 

Do you see me?

Did you really see me

I was hiding in plain sight

Smoke and mirrors in words

Misdirections and deflections

To make you look away

Focus on the distraction

Just enough of the truth

So your disappointment

Didn't break my heart

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Missing you...

I miss you so much today

My tears are always there

Just waiting for a chance

To slide free and travel

Leaving a salty rivulet

On a face that disguises

The hole left unfillable

By your journey onwards

I would not wish you back

To suffer again in vain

I wish you joy in the light

Of the Summerlands

Where you spend the days

Fishing with your son

Fragile

like the finest glass

or porcelain

or eggshells

or ancient parchment

a thin veneer

a glaze that hides the danger

paint or enamel

decorative and deceptive

a perception of strength

a hint of robustness

a lie shrouding truth

that takes just a word

or a look

or silence

to knock me down

push me back

break me in pieces

I am lost again

falling not flying

doubt and fear

grasping at me

to hold me in the dark

so much effort

keeping the light on

Image by Krzysztof Kamil from Pixabay 

My spine and I...

We are old friends

My spine and me

So vital to movement

So fragile too

What it can do today

Is no promise for tomorrow

Tempermental thing

Just like me

Image by Moshe Harosh from Pixabay 

Walking in November...

The sun stays low in the sky

Winding down towards the shortest day

Leaves of gold and brown carpet the path

Or cling desperately to branches

Awaiting their turn to pirouette

A final flourish in the dance of life

Our boots kick and crunch through them

A soft musty smell rises up

Like our favourite chair at Grandma's

We know that time is short

And the colour won't last long

So we turn our faces to the lowering sun

Thankful that we are here to see it

Chips on Friday...

We have those favourite things

Always bring us comfort

A milestone has been met

A marker of time completed

 A fry-up on a Sunday morning

A cuppa after a long walk

Chocolate at any time

And chips for tea on Friday

Image by StockSnap from Pixabay 

Wishes...

We all want different things

Things we don't have

Things we think we need

Things to improve our life

Things to make us happy

Or make us feel better

We wish for these things

We send them out into the air

Star light star bright wishes

Make a wish birthday candles

Pennies in a water fountain

Or floating dandelion seeds

Image by Kranich17 from Pixabay 

The bank of Us...

We go through life

Borrowing from the future

Using resources we don't have

For a moment's diversion

For distraction from the day to day

The routine that gives order

A structure to passing time

Chores done like dishes or laundry

Bills are paid by wages earned

Doing work that is not loved

To meet the needs of the mundane

So we find things to excite us

Sugar to sweeten reality

Drink to deaden the dissatisfaction

Foods that trigger receptors

That make us believe that we are living more

We play games on screens

 Live through virtual worlds

While muscles lose strength

And bodies atrophy from inaction

Or lose ourselves in addiction

To substances that alter perception

To behaviours that damage our core

So that the lie becomes our truth

Lives are lived in deficit

Our souls are starving

From a scarcity of capital

Investment in our being

A deposit of compassionate care

In our bodies and minds

That makes our future selves secure

Our fullest potential realised

Instead a pale shadow 

Of what was once possible

Melancholy moments...

Sometimes

A sunny day

Has a cloud or two

Brightness dulls

For a moment

Perhaps longer

A song or a scent

Brings a memory

To remind you

Life has changed

And so have you

But it's okay

To remember

And be melancholy

For a moment

Full moon in November...

The chill air swirls around

A shiver as it whispers down collars

But you cannot help but stand

And stare at the glory above

Lady Luna in her magnificence

Staring coldly down at the Earth

When I knew you before...

I wonder what the world was like

When I knew you before

Did we share a cave

Huddle under skins by a fire

Did you teach me to write on papyrus

And the meaning of the heiroglyphs

Did I watch with horror and breaking heart

As the buboes grew under your arms

When I knew you before...

Did we sail together in chains

To a new land of desperation

Did my analytical brain

Know your tender heart

As wonders were built and wars raged

And fragile peace took hold

Did we ever walk hand in hand

To gather flowers and gaze at stars

When I knew you before...

The craft club...

Once a month they gather in a barn

To pause from the every day

They cut and shape and arrange

The things that mean something to them

 While setting the world to rights

Rejoicing in each other's triumphs

And offering hugs for the hard times

Rounded off with a fat slice of cake

Surrender...

There are times

When life crowds in around you

When you can't see a way forward

Or around, or through, over or under

And it seems to stand still...

Surrender...

Sometimes it happens

That it becomes too much to handle

That it may break you apart

Into shattered pieces of yourself

And you feel helpless...

Surrender...

Then there are the days

Or weeks or months or years

Hours or minutes or a lifetime

Of struggle and care and worry

That feels never-ending...

Surrender...

But not and again

The sky clears and the sun shines

A look, a touch, a caring word

Reminds you that you're not alone

A ray of hope breaks through...

Surrender...

Remember who you are...

It's easy to be overwhelmed

By life and all it pressures

Work and bills and responsibilities

That come from being human

In the modern world

But remember who you are

Every atom that has ever existed

Exploded into existence

With the birth of the universe

And coalesced into nebula

And worlds and moons and stars

You are made of stardust

And the power of the universe is yours

We all carry the Divine inside

Remember who you are...

Crisp Autumn days...

The ripeness of Autumn

Nature's flamboyance

Red bleeding to orange

Yellow becomes brown

Air crisp hinting at frost

I love to be alive

Kicking my boots as I go

A kaleidoscope of leaves 

Morning lace...

The city hides behind its veil

Her modest heart subdued

As I walk along muted streets

Brightened by her flamboyant display

Of spiders' lace among the hedges

Your story...

What story do you tell yourself

when you are alone in your head?

Do you tell yourself that it's ok,

you didn't want it anyway,

you aren't really good enough,

or that it wasn't meant for the likes of you?

I wonder what would happen

if you changed your story

to one where you are just perfect

with all your quirky weirdness

and that you deserve to be happy.

Tell yourself a love story.

Gymspiration...

You can see them easily, the so-called winners 

The fit and toned in their designer gear 

Showing off their personal a abilities 

Parading and posing for your admiration 

But the real heroes persevere 

The young girl with ample hip and thigh 

Lycra straining as she concentrates on her moves

Sweat on her face testament to her focus 

Or the old man with his crepe skin sagging 

Combining his cardio and strength routine 

With weights and moves to gain flexibility 

Improvements to his golf swing keeps him going 

Passing clouds...

It's so easy to smile when 

The sun is shining 

And it's warm caress on your face 

Is the joy of living 

But the sun won't always shine 

Clouds will gather 

Tears tracing cheeks like rain 

The days are colourless 

The trick is to have faith 

In spite of the rain 

That the clouds are merely passing 

And the sun is constant 

The Wheel of the Year

It is said the wheel starts here

All Saints Day in modern times

After All Hallows Eve

Samhain

When the veil is thin

And we can reach out 

To touch the other, the beyond

With dread and fascination

Of what we might find 

When we explore the dark

The sun in full retreat

Until it reaches its furthest point

To turn and gather strength again