Concealed in the chaos of the day
That starts as soon as I wake
Drowned out by a thousand forms of fear
That whirl in gusts inside my head
Buried beneath the insistent pull
Of expectation and self limitation
Trapped underneath the veneer of okay
Pressure to succeed goals to be met
Overwhelmed by thoughts of past mistakes
And burning questions about the future
The scripts running on an endless loop
Locked deep down under a burden of what if
And the consequences of choice
Decisions too easy or too hard to make
Existing outside of time and space
Small slices of surprise seep into the present
Instants of peace and calm brief then gone
Unremarked before vanishing into nothing
Spinning softly to an unknown melody
Silent notes of joy underpinning the clamour
I whisper into the darkness help me
And then a wave of gratitude sweeps
Through me with the remembering
The pause to draw myself into the now
Unfettered by was or will be simply being
Breathing slowly in and out in and out
Glancing at the glimmers then noticing
Them with all their glory shining out
Gratitude for my first conscious breath
Taken in harmony with the new morning
Dancing light on the bedroom curtains
That heralds a beautiful sunny day
The smell of my morning coffee
The comforting taste of the first sip
All that anchors me in this place and time
Keeps me grounded and I need that
Memories of happy times with family
Come also to comfort me when
I feel their loss in my life at this time
The laughter of my grandchildren
Observing them grow and learn as I
Watched my children but without the stress
I get to love a version of them over again
And I reflect that when all is said and done
These sweet slivers of hope bring serenity
And I know I have been truly blessed
Nov 21, 2025
Nov 21, 2025 at 6:27 PM UTC
Untethered
Today I don’t feel like talking
Go away and leave me alone
Don’t even think about calling me
I will refuse to answer the phone
Please don’t make any demands
I find it so hard to say no
It breaks me up if I can’t please
I need the approval to show
People can be so exhausting
Their clamouring I can’t bear
They drain my social battery
And I have no energy to spare
My front door is locked and bolted
The rest of the world can’t get in
I can’t deal with all of the chaos
It puts my head into a spin
No one to question my actions
No one to give unwanted advice
A wall to keep out all emotion
Why would I even think twice
In this agony of silence
I have lost the power of speech
Disconnected from humanity
All help is beyond my reach
I am lost inside my own mind
My only guide is my self doubt
This maze has become my prison
The exit is not my way out
Untethered from your reality
Now I am drowning not waving
Voices screaming inside my head
They tell me I’m not worth saving
And yet deep down in my core
Hides a desperate need to survive
If only I had some strength left
Maybe I’d fight to stay alive
Sep 27, 2024
Sep 27, 2024 at 2:48 PM UTC
Glimmers - those tiny moments in each day that bring joy, peace, happiness or gratitude.
Moments frozen in time and space that sometimes seem to last forever but are less than a heartbeat.
The first conscious breath in the morning, filling my lungs and being thankful for the life I live.
The joyful glimpse of sunlight on the curtains promising a beautiful day.
The smell of my morning cup of coffee anticipating with a smile the first luxurious sip as I snuggle back under the duvet for a while feeling at peace.
The crunch of buttery toast salty and warm exciting the taste buds.
The sound of the sea as the waves ebb and flow across the sand of the beach.
The bubbling of the brook across the pebbles under the bridge as I stand admiring the beauty of the land.
The soft tapping of rain on the window soothing it calms my racing brain.
The laughter of my grandchildren; their presence a reminder of when my own children were small but life was too hurried to appreciate their innocence and growing. A love revisited and felt all over again.
The first brush stroke on the canvas a new painting begun an expression of colour and light unfurling.
The first word of a poem on the page a signal to the subconscious; I don’t know where this journey will end.
A liquid gold sunset fading into peach and lilac across the hills.
The glimmers : the unexplained small miracles; the moments of magic that leave me feeling at one with my world.
Sep 27, 2024
Sep 27, 2024 at 2:48 PM UTC
The rainbow that sweeps across my sky
Piercing the swirls of luminous grey cloud
The coloured arc that shines radiantly
Through the droplets of falling rain
The calm that seeps in after the tempest
Spreading a sense of peace and serenity
That’s because of you my haven and my harbour
My place of safety from life’s storms
When the flames of my anger
Grow hot and burn fiery red
Your cool breath on my heart
Steadies the raging beat
Juicy oranges you bring me
Fresh and sweetly tasting
Loaded with vitamin C
To help keep me healthy
Warm and softly golden yellow
You are my daily dose of sunshine
Protecting me from the cold
Ensuring I am wrapped in love
My green green grass of home
My place of ease and comfort
It’s no greener on the other side
So I’ll stay here on this side with you
When I feel like singing the blues
Because life has lost its harmony
You are always there for me
Soothing me with your touch
Indigo not blue not violet
But a shade that’s inbetween
Some days I live in the inbetween
Waiting for you in my dreams
Amethyst stones in tones of purple
Bunches of fragrant violets
Gifts for a February birthday
Given and received with love
The rainbow that fades across my sky
Dispelling the swirls of luminous grey cloud
The coloured arc that vanishes
Along with the droplets of autumn rain
No longer do I reap the tempest
For in my head and heart there is peace
Because I found you my haven and my harbour
My place of safety from life’s storms
Sep 27, 2024
Sep 27, 2024 at 2:46 PM UTC
Under her feet the autumn leaves
Crunch brittle and lifeless
Their majesty of russet and gold
Trampled into the soggy clay
The trees now stripped and sorrowful
Reach their branches skyward
In resentful supplication desperate
To recover their lost glory
The drizzle a fine haze over the hills
Slowly seeps into the bones of her
Leaving a damp sheen on her hair
That catches the radiance of the moon
Soft waves of mist roll across the track
Pooling around her ankles
In an eerie dance smooth and subtle
Moving in rhythm with her footsteps
Shadows join the mournful swirl
Cast blackly along her path
Streaks of bleak darkness
Created suddenly by the moonlight
The wind ruffles through her hair
Whispering words of encouragement
Almost as if it would comfort her
Give some solace to her soul
The harvest moon hangs huge and ******
Against the distant horizon
Guardian of the traveller
On her solitary nighttime quest
She trudges along the trail
No thought of glancing behind her
Willingly following where it leads
Through the wood and up into the hills
On the hilltop she stands in the silence
Gazing upwards to the star filled heavens
Her heart is full of wonder
She dare not disturb the woodland spirits
And yet in that heart there is a wish
A wish that remains unspoken
But she prays to the moon and stars
To the forest nymphs that it be granted
She bows her head in gratitude
As the wind caresses her skin
Her heart is joyful in this timeless moment
Knowing that her message has been heard
Sep 12, 2024
Sep 12, 2024 at 6:25 PM UTC
Money why does the concept of money exist
Why did it replace bartering for what you need
Swapping wheat for apples that’s simple and honest
Each person is happy with the result
Money why do we need it at all
It complicates our transactions
Leaves them open to deception and fraud
No one is content with the outcome
Why do we use tokens instead of goods or services
Who decides the worth of the tokens
Why do we jealously hoard and protect our tokens
When they have only a perceived value
Money why do we struggle to accumulate it
To achieve some measure of financial freedom
Only to see it come crashing down
Due to artificial revaluation of the tokens
Money is not the root of all evil it’s greed
The billionaires who want to dominate
To use their hoarded tokens to control
The lives of those they consider less than
Money another illusion of the matrix
Another link in the chain of enslavement
Work because Arbeit macht frei
And it’s all for the common good
Cash is king in my world today
Physical tokens for when digital inevitably fails or is not accepted
An untracked untraced transaction
Not true freedom but enough for now
Sep 6, 2024
Sep 6, 2024 at 5:25 PM UTC
Don’t you dare cross the line
What line see here this line
I am warning you nicely
Crossing it isn’t fine
Don’t you take a step further
You are getting far too close
Any more movement this way
You’ll be treading on my toes
Don’t you take any more inches
That suddenly turn into miles
That makes me uncomfortable
My face has lost all its smiles
Don’t you breach the boundary
Or knock a hole in the wall
I built it up for a reason
It’s solid it won’t fall
Don’t you dare cross the line
The one I’ve drawn right here
If you stay on your side
I’ll have nothing to fear
Don’t you take a step further
Move back go on move back
Don’t you get any nearer
I feel like I’m under attack
Don’t you take any more inches
That I am unwilling to give
I will be always unhappy
And that is no way to live
Don’t you breach the boundary
The one I so carefully set
Keeping right back from the edge
I think is my safest bet
Oh dear you crossed the line
That movement was very slick
Well I’ll redraw the boundary
A well learned coping trick
Sep 3, 2024
Sep 3, 2024 at 7:34 PM UTC
If I could fly in my mind’s eye
I’d dance through the air
And I’d do it with flair
Living my dream or so it seems
I would travel far and wide
I would fly with you at my side
Side by side we would glide
Leave behind this world so rotten
All our cares and woes forgotten
Off we go wings beating slow
Reaching up into the sky
Now we are soaring so high
Flight so proud above the clouds
To the heavens we go
The earth left far below
Into the sun a journey begun
Far across hill and dale
And the sea where ships sail
Oh how we twirl oh how we swirl
Frozen here in time
One moment sublime
Under our wings the air sings
The wind drives us higher
Our souls are on fire
Faster the pace faster we race
Feeling the joy of our flight
We fly onward till night
Time to rest the body knows best
What a day we have seen
What places we’ve been
Oh if I could fly in my minds eye
I’d leave here forever
For the land of never
Sep 3, 2024
Sep 3, 2024 at 7:32 PM UTC
The child hides alone in her room
All snuggled safe and warm
Duvet pulled tight around her
She won’t come to any harm
Quickly as the daytime fades
Her eyes dart around the room
Each corner checked for shadows
That might be lurking in the gloom
At first she spies her bookshelf
Her books are treasured friends
Holding the key to her escape
To a place where heartache ends
The wardrobe tall and wooden
Stands next to the window seat
Where she sits in the moonlight
Tuned in to her heart beat
Often she will shed a tear
For a pain she can’t understand
She will never ask for help
There is no one to take her hand
Blinds are closed now door is shut
She won’t let the outside in
The outside makes her anxious
That’s where her problems begin
The world beyond is hostile
Every sense is on alert
To guard against her nightmare
The fear of getting hurt
This room is her sanctuary
It’s her safest place to be
A haven from all her troubles
The one place she can feel free
The adult she has become
Still needs a place she can hide
A place of calm and comfort
A retreat from what’s outside
A place to bathe in moonlight
That shines down in silver streams
The moon guards all her secrets
As she wanders in her dreams
Sep 3, 2024
Sep 3, 2024 at 7:30 PM UTC
The night is serene and still
The moon a crescent sliver
The darkly deep blue sky
Dotted with silvery stars
Sparkling with icy clarity
Through the closed window
I watch the snow falling
The streetlight reflects ice blue
Twinkling on the fat flakes
As they float feather like
Dancing briefly
Twisting and turning
They are caught by gusts
Of chilly winter wind
The ground is covered now
A coolly smooth surface
Untroubled by human touch
That is yet to come
Foot prints left as boots crunch
Across the frosty expanse
But they are not the first
To break that pristine beauty
Little clawed bird hops
Followed by cat paw prints
Somewhere red will stain the white
Somewhere there is an ending
Here too an end must come
An end to the old year
I wait to hear the midnight bells
That will mark this passage
Between two years
The old and the new
Last year you were still with me
This year you are gone
I feel that pain the pain of loss
I feel my tears salty and warm
Trickling down my cheeks
And I see my heart bleeding
Leaving its own red stain
On the mists of time
Parties there are plenty
Singing of Auld Lang Syne
Glasses raised to cheer in
The start of a new year
A new beginning
A slate wiped clean
The promise that is hope
That this year will the the one
Where all dreams come true
I began the old year with you
I begin the new one without you
I hear an echo from past years
Will this be my new beginning
Will my dreams all come true
Out in the dark may be my answer
Floating with the snowflakes
And sparkling with the stars
Dec 25, 2022
Dec 25, 2022 at 6:22 PM UTC