Once I believed in all I was told,
Magic was real, its truth so bold.
Then came a voice, cold and near—
Santa Claus? The Tooth Fairy?
"That stuff... no way," it sneered in my ear.

What? Not true?
My mind, a tempest, not knowing what to do.
So what else is false, what else must I doubt?
Tell me, tell me, what’s the truth, all laid out?

“Well, all that’s hollow, empty and gray,
The rest? It’s all just smoke and play.”
Years passed, and I walked this land,
Where magic lay buried beneath the sand.

But then, a moment—sharp and clear—
I saw the fool I had been, year after year.
It was time to shuffle the cards once more,
Yet still the fool, I remained at my core.

Chasing a butterfly, so swift, so bright,
But now I must grapple with a deeper fight—
The bitter truth, the lesson to grasp:
Vomiting out the apple, at last.

finger-painting walls,
soft whispers guard fragile light,
hope flickers within.

brushstrokes of my trust,
boundaries bloom like wild fields,
strength begins to grow.

abstract shadows fade,
in colors, I find my voice,
the self stands aglow.

Wondering around the
City,
A thought comes to
Mind,
Could it be you
That my eyes
Find?

Did I read you're
Poem?
Feel the emotional pain,
Then like two
Stranger's
Walk past each other
In the poring
Rain

I woke to find
Everything packed away—
Carpets rolled up,
Bare floorboards
Revealed for the first time.

No one around,
My footsteps made
A strange
Sound

Then Gran came in.
"Your mummy and daddy
Aren't getting along."
This truth,
I learned too late,
Kept from me
Until this morning.

A day my mind
Will never forget,
A secret now
Unfolded.

We traveled to the new town,
My face
Wore
A
Frown.

The door slammed shut
Too quickly,
A bad case
Of homesickness.
What was severed
Now crystallized.

Now,
I never fail
To remember
Every
Detail.

The Optimist

I wish that I could purchase
A paper of good news
Which didn’t love misfortune
Or laugh when people lose
Which didn’t sneak and pry
Or celebrate a lie
Or gossip, steal and scandal
Then revel while we cry

This new paper’s called The Optimist
And you don’t need to buy it
The first issue is free you see
So you will want to try it
‘What is all this?’ the people say
They look slightly bemused
The happiness inside has made them stop
And they’re confused

It’s been a long time since they paused
To think and look around
And see the joy and beauty
Just waiting to be found
Not in the shops or on the box
This joy is something new
Or old that they’d forgotten
But now recognise as true

They hardly dare believe
As they delve inside again
But the stories are all true
And nothing’s awful or profane

Two sisters reunited
After fifty years apart!
A boy who saved a stranger
And that is just the start

Of all the good that’s happened
And your heart’s about to burst
Because people can surprise you
When you don’t expect the worst
The hunger and the vanity
Are swiftly set aside
As something more important grows
Where bitterness resides

And The Optimist begins
So slowly, it’s effect
The hearts and minds of all begin
To thaw and to collect
The sun begins to shine
Like it never has before
And people start to wish and pray
For peace instead of war

And although this paper’s fiction
It may pay to recognise
The Optimist cannot exist
If we don’t open up our eyes

Never let them tell you
You can’t run before the wind
Believing the impossible
Is how it all begins
Never let them tell you
Time is better spent in earning
Believing false priorities
Can leave life’s lessons burning
Never let them tell you
Love just isn’t worth the tears
The pain of your regrets
Creates more suffering than fears
Never let them tell you
What you feel inside is wrong
It’s less about who’s facts are right
Than whether you belong
Never let them tell you
That to live in nature’s grace
Is wasting precious time
When time is all that they misplace
Never let them tell you
That opinions matter most
Empty promises and words
Will leave you hungry as a ghost
Never let them tell you
You can never win the race
When they deny they dared to try
And ended in last place
Never let them tell you
There’s no meaning in the stars
That peace is just a dream
And dreams are better kept in jars
Encompass all and find the jewel
Revealing your true self
Never hide it, let it shine
For they can never steal your wealth