Do not be sad and miserable
because she has
gone.
Rejoice and be happy
for she has
Lived,
And
Loved.
And in so living
She made you
Who you are
Today,
So give thanks and gratitude,
And know
That you will meet
Once again.

To feel deeply
You must experience
Both intense happiness,
But also acute sadness,
For you cannot have one
Without the other.

With incredible happiness
Comes great highs;
But also great lows,
For you cannot feel one
Without the other.

We are all chosen ones,
But our choices and decisions dictate
Whether we can be saved, or not.
Only by looking in the mirror
Can we truly ascend,
By our words and thoughts and deeds.
Peace to one,
Peace to all.

Stream of consciousness
Residing in the pool of tranquility
Ready to seep into the marrow bones
Of all who dare

The hardest thing of all
During this fight between good and evil,
And yet the most important,
Is standing in your truth,
Holding the line,
Staying strong,
And being true to yourself,
Even when contrary to popular opinion.

A wordsmith sits patently
Sharpening and refining his tools.
He listens and he waits
For the deadly moment,
Knowing exactly when to strike.
He unsheathes his sword,
Pointing expertly towards his prey.
Words of shining steel
Slice through the air
Landing with intent,
Cutting with precision,
Twisting with malice,
Into this bleeding heart
Of mine.

An exceptional poet encapsulates the human condition from their own experience.
But the pain of realising how much you have hurt someone,
How worn out they are because of you,
Is almost too much to bear.

What’s important is Today,
Not what went before,
Or what may happen,
Don’t waste your time on these imposters both.

Living in a world of my own,
Bound in beguiling threads
In an intricately tapestried mind map,
Always thinking,
Rarely living,
Socially isolated,
Socially inept,
A prisoner of my mind,
Falling down never ending rabbit holes
Into boundless oceans of despondency and despair,
Paralysed by confusion,
An assault on the senses,
Suffocating,
Unable to breathe.

A familiar light shines in the distance,
I swim towards it,
Limbs thrashing,
One stroke forward,
Two strokes back,
One stroke forward,
One stroke back,
Two strokes forward,
One stroke back,
Slowly, slowly,
Closer and closer,
Until I reach the life raft and arms of my saviour,
Who never gave up hope of finding me again,
Even in the darkest hours.

Conversation inhibited,
Yet also free of constraint,
Small talk a challenge,
In depth conversation my forte
And interrogation my ally
Bombarding others with quick fire questions,
‘You’re too deep’ it has been said more than once
As I reveal too much once again.

Misunderstanding social cues,
Eye contact a no no,
****** expressions a blur,
Tone of voice a trigger,
Hence emotions a minefield.

Literal listening,
Literal speaking,
Leading to sense of humour bypass,
Don’t waste your innuendos, irony and sarcasm on me,
Direct speaking is what wins the day.

Overwhelming sensory overload,
Confusion,
Misunderstanding,
Mishearing,
Tendency towards negativity,
Introversion,
A war of words
Inside my head
Pouring out my mouth,
Tearing me apart
And those whom I love.

Now working hard to change the script,
To be aware of the impact of deficiencies, defensiveness and quirkiness,
To remain level headed and mindful
As I alternate between tiptoeing and running roughshod
Through the labyrinth of life.

All my life
Living under a cloud of doom and fear and negativity,
Believing I was deficient in some way,
I’d done something really bad,
But knowing not what.

Guilt now in tatters,
Shame no longer around,
Worry retreating,
As I finally discover
All I’m guilty of
Is being

Socially
Inept!

Trees swaying,
Leaves rustling,
Buzzards soaring.
Wind’s delicate caressing touch,
Autumn sun’s warming golden rays
Filtering through the trees
Onto the woodland floor.
Peace and silence reigns
In between birds’ angelic song
Of gratitude and praise
Drawing the day to a close.

Perpetually adrift,
Lost down a myriad of rabbit holes,
Like Rodin’s The Thinker at the Gates of Hell,
That’s exactly where the devil wants you,
Caught up in your tangled thoughts rather than living life in the here and now,
Overwhelming emotions,
Mental confusion,
Hysteria,
Feeling like there’s
No
Way
Out....

Stop!
Breathe!
Slow down your pitch,
Lower your tone of voice,
Hand your worries to God,
Ask Him to relieve you of your burden and light your way,
Consciously choose the path of joy and love
Over fear
Time after time after time...

We the sleepy are waking up,
Noticing what’s behind the veil
That’s kept us from our one true being,
Prepare yourself for change afoot,
Seek redemption in our Lord Almighty,
Pray with all your might,
And light the way for those who are willing and ready.

Despite the devil’s best attempts
To drag me down rabbit holes and muddle my thinking,
Or drown me in the lake of despondency and despair,
I’m still standing.
And not only that,
Full of tenacity, hope and courage,
And with God on my side
I won’t just survive,
But thrive.

When life’s a challenge
And all feels lost,
No hope in sight,
No clear direction,
There’s only one thing to do,
And that’s pray to God Almighty,
For He has your back
And will comfort and guide you,
If only you let Him.
🙏🏻

Whatever you say about me,
Whether you judge me,
Or condemn me,
I really don’t care.

I may choose to wear green with blue,
Or pink with red,
And a large straw hat.
Don a posh dress to the shops,
Or T-shirt and jeans to the opera.
I may sing in the street,
And dance in the rain.
I may stay up all night,
And sleep all day.
Work from bed in pyjamas,
Or take the day off
And swim in the sea.
I may laugh at your anger,
And cry at your humour.
Be assertive and strong,
Or bossy and proud,
Take a stand for what I believe,
Or simply let things pass me by.
I may be single and sexually active,
Or marry and abstain,
Or switch between the two.
I may be the life and soul of the party,
Or people watch from the fringe.
I may chat ten to the dozen,
Or say nothing at all.
I may spend time in your company,
Or decline for my own.
I may stay...
Or I may walk away.

It’s my life,
My choices,
My desire,
To do and be who I want day by day,
And which I choose is fine by me.

So whatever you say about me,
However you judge or condemn,
I simply don’t care!
For I’m Unapologetically
Me.

No more a scrap of a girl
Retreating in her shell,
No more a Cinderella
Not invited to the ball,
No more a lady in waiting
Hiding in the wings,
For I have cast off my cloak of shame and despair,
And I stand here now
As a fully fledged 51 year old
Beautiful,
****,
Sassy
Woman
💃

Is that me?
Is that really me?
That girl in the photo?
The one standing in her power,
Wrapped in chiffon and little else,
Looking confidently towards the future,
With her hands on her hips
And a glint in her eye,
Assertive,
Sassy,
****.
Yes.
That’s
Me!

In the midst of a sudden storm
One night a year ago,
Whilst solitary camping
In ancient woodland
With wise majestic oaks,
From seemingly nowhere
A poem flowed from within,
Unleashing a torrent of words.
387 published poems later,
Releasing bridled feelings,
Unveiling past experiences,
Encapsulating deep seated pain and hidden anguish,
My healing journey continues,
With inner strength, courage, compassion
And a 180 degree turn
Towards my dreams
And my future.

An oyster starts off as pure and innocent,
Until an irritating parasite, wheedles it’s way in,
Instead of succumbing,
The mollusk covers it in layers and layers of elegant nacre,
Transforming it into something magical and beautiful and priceless,
One of nature’s miracles,
A strong iridescent unique pearl.

We must do the same,
Cover our failings and our insecurities and our sins
In layers and layers of kindness and compassion and forgiveness,
Till we too blossom and shine bright,
Becoming priceless in all our glory.