Children dance on the station platform
So happy to be together
They are going back to school, at last

It’s falling apart
Because it couldn’t hold together any longer

Lies leak in time
And castles built on dishonesty
Will succumb to the tides
Of truth and justice

These times
Of exploitation
Will pass

And their perpetrators
Will be remembered
Not for the power they once wielded
But for their shame

This empty page
Does not mean
An empty heart
Or an empty life

It just means
That on this day
At this time
I cannot find a way
To put my emotions
Into words

And so
I will see the empty page
As an empty space
Waiting to become filled
With fresh creativity

And I will not mind waiting
Because as I do
I can carry on
Living my life
Just as it is

I have been grappling
With a serious problem

Unable to decide
Which way to go
Or what to do

I have been torn

Should I
Shouldn’t I

And everyone I ask
Looks back to me
For the answer
For ultimately
It is I
Who has to decide

And eventually
Having travelled down
Many paths
And explored all options
I have chosen my route

I put myself to work
Hard
Undistracted
Focussing all my energy
Until
After the hours
I look up
And I look down
And find  I can’t see properly

My vision is blurring
And I am in the company
Of a migraine

It is time to stop
Close my eyes
In a quiet dark place
Until my brain
Has finished its process

Until the stress
Has worked its way through my brain
And drifted beyond my body
Into the ether

And I can
Gather my thoughts
And return
To a calmer
Quieter
More sustainable
Rhythm

Close your eyes
Remember yourself
Ten or fifteen years back

You were different then
Life was different
Does it feel connected
To now?
Do you feel connected to then?

We can live
Many lifetimes
In the space of just one
If we put our minds to it

We can weave
A rich patchwork
Of experiences and learning
Expressing
Who we are
If we dare to challenge
Our circumstances

Thank you for this day
For the air that we breathed
For the conversations we have had
For the hug that we shared

Thank you for this day
For the purring of my cats
For the blowing of the wind
For the wildness of the sea

Thank you for this day
For the beating of our hearts
For the smiles that we shared
And the love that we felt

Thank you for this day
For the work that was done
For the food that was cooked
And the wine that was shared

Thank you for this day
For the night is pressing in
And the stars start to shimmer
And we settle down to sleep

140 strokes
To reach the far side
140 strokes to return
Beneath me
Deep water
Above me
Blue sky
Seagulls, clouds


This is swimming
At ‘The ray’
Natural low tide lagoon

I start this day
By swimming right across
And swimming back again
Mindful
That the tide is rising
Imperceptibly

I will not relax
Until I reach
My starting point
Safe
Secure
Back on the sand
Heading home
Because I am out of the safety zone
In the great ocean
Communing with an entity
That possesses great fathoms
Of power

I feel alive
Excited
To make my return
To claim my reward
The first coffee of the day
And hot buttered toast

Such simple experiences
Have profound meaning
To me