Life after limb loss

‘I want to walk again’ they say
‘I haven’t walked in 40 days’
And this is the goal I’ll help them achieve
But it’s not as easy as they might believe
They’re in grieving
Numb - denial - and bargaining
‘It’ll all be okay
on the day
I walk again’
They’ve lost so much
Butchered
Now first I teach them to touch
To clutch
To poke and ****
I know it feels odd
Got to desensitise
It’s sensitive but try
Press into the scar line
Scar tissue can’t be allowed to entwine
Keep it subtle
It’s brutal
‘What’ll happen if I don’t?’
‘I can’t cope’
‘It doesn’t feel very nice’
Inside i’m thinking
Please heed my advice
In time
They’ll need to cope with pressure like a vice
I hope
we make it that far
‘Bla bla bla’
‘How can I drive my car
with only one leg’
‘I just want to walk and drive’ they beg.
We start at the start
Long way to go before we get that far.
I have such admiration
For the shear determination
they show
Can’t imagine even loosing a toe
Whether to trauma, cancer or disease
Limb loss below or above the knee
Come to me
It’s my profession
But my confession
Is I really care
I really will be there for them
Any way I know how
We’ll plough through the technicalities
Gait training
Draining their energy
Learning to use a prosthesis
But there’s more to this
I want to teach you more
Than how to get up off the floor
There’s life after limb loss
Only they know the cost
I’ll be there for you
I swear to you
I’ll truly care for you.

Tied to you by gravitational force
Bound together soaring through outer space
Your core the axel of my spinning course
Your darkness brightened by my sunlit face
Ever close by as we journey through time
Yet out of my reach so I feel alone
Your surface a vision ever sublime
The life you hold makes my barren land groan
Ever close, ever distant, never stilled
My path keeps only half of me on view
The face you see lit leaves another chilled
Dark mysterious face hidden from you
This part of me you shall not ever see
And so you shall never have all of me

I long to know your hidden mystery
My deep blue oceans ever yearn for you
Entwined we wrote all of our history
And all the while this deep desire grew
In perfect harmony we ever glide
I will forever pull you in my love
You stay away from me, we can’t collide
Or else destroy all you see from above
From there you see life, abundance and grace
Closeness would reveal darker things unknown
Distance protects me from shameful disgrace
On my lands fear and foul hatred are grown
To you I shall always appear unmarred
You’ll only ever know my fake facade

Crouching low
Suffocating
Searching skies
For liberation
A bird flies by
Speaks freedom to his soul
Awakened, revived
He emerged from dark hole

Sweet melody
Resuscitating
Reverberates
Incapacitating
Lost all inhibition
To rhythms sweet sound
Heated submission
To quaking ground

Fused with tune
All consuming
Embodying song
Willingly subduing
Beautifully enchanting
Like a puppet on tempo strings
Physically romancing
With every word she sings

Intensely absorbed
Deeply connecting
Harmonious movements
Captivating
Waves of sound take control
With redeeming release
Music takes hold
Bringing sweet inner peace

He escapes the rush
Surrendering
To pounding tones
That send him in
Unwavering
To a beautiful trance
Never faltering
In movement and dance

Angles and shapes
Mesmerising
His body contorts
Melody inspiring
His physical form
Symbiotic with sound
Seamless motion performed
As if floating above ground

See his spirit fly
Unrestrained
Lifted high
Without refrain
Floats above towering cityscape
No longer in it’s bind
In music finding his escape
Leaving it’s troubles behind

Do angels tread on this earthly ground?
Not bound by laws
of gravity
Nor flawed
by earthly depravity
Can they slip in and out of view
Is it true?
Do they give permission
To our limited vision
And interact with a fortunate few
I hope they do

Some would see coincidence
But ‘happen chance’ could be providence
Incidentally
What would you believe
We might never know
They might come and go
Wings of glory
aren’t always on show
Do they sing like in the stories
Do they sometimes glow?
I hope so

Who knows

Painting

Some things of which you should all be aware,
Should you decide to paint the hall corridor and stairs,
Once you paint that first stroke that's it you can't stop,
And it's a very long... Long long way to the top,
If you choose a colour that's lighter than before
Then expect to do not one coat not two or three... But four!!
When using a roller don't go over what you've done,
It will pull it all right back off and you'll be back to square one!
when the walls are evenly covered and you think it really is done,
Remember that the glossing is even more fun,
Never believe what it says on the tin,
It will drip... It won't dry...and  One one coat is too thin!!
And at last when your finished... That's when you'll see,
That there's some touching up to do where someone spilt their tea!!!

Your pounding tail
and clattering paws
Sound like an earthquake
on laminate floors
When you’re bounding around
And jumping with glee
One imagines the force
Of storming stampede
My heart fills with joy
When we cuddle and play
There’s no match to dog greetings
On a rough and tough day!

Mum...
Words are simply powerless to portray,
All the things that I would like to say,
The voice in my soul that cannot be heard,
The one I know you hear when I've not said a word,
Your faith in me gives me strength none could drain,
A super power that's got me through all my days,
From many I have felt the sting of betrayal,
But you help me to heal and your love never fails,
The roles that you've played would fill verse after verse,
My teacher, my friend, my advisor, my nurse.
You have been both my anchor and my sail,
So my feet touch the ground while I live my fairy tale.
So what is it that I want you to know?,
What is it that I'm trying to show?,
From a depth that's deeper than my words can find,
I love you with a love of a special kind! ***

Thank you ***