Bekah Halle: Poems

56 · Sep 24

Be(O)k

Bekah Halle Sep 24

Be(O)k

It's okay to
be
Ok.

#names #identify #bekismynickname

56 · Oct 10

screw you

Bekah Halle Oct 10

***** you

***** you, this is who I want to be!
Don't you make me out to be anything
or anyone I am not!
***** you with all your necessities,
your expectations and your strings.
This is me, breaking free fitting not in the slot.
***** you, misogyny!
I am throwing back your cheap ring
and letting the guilt go from its ransom knot.
Goodbye to the false dreams and realities,
Goodbye to the voice that couldn't sing,
And goodbye to the many selves, I am not!

#screwyou

56 · Apr 23

Power of the pen

Bekah Halle Apr 23

Power of the pen

Word wranglers wound up together, in an
Exchange at a hotel.
One said this, others said that...
And many a champas gulped and guzzled in between giggles and gazes, as
The past was pulled, kicking and screaming, into the present.
Was it a gift?
Were past pains put to peace?
Or did it awaken promises long forgotten,
That was once under the authority of the surgeons' scalpel.

Shakespeare once wrote, “The pen is mightier than the sword.”
Solomon, in Proverbs, posed that the power of life and death is in the tongue.
Words create worlds, whether written or spoken: they liberate or load us up.
This power is with us every minute of every day in every hour.
Will I write new words with my weapon whence today?
Will blossoms bloom in your heart or weeds strangle the hope in your womb?

Death always steals the show,
But it is joy that revives it.
Entering within, re-wiring love,
Breathing new life, with new words;
Remembering promises of a powerful and plentiful future.
Declaring death dead and life to be lived.
Declaring love released, and again risking heart-fully.

#powerofthepen

56 · Jun 2

Lazy Sundays

Bekah Halle Jun 2

Lazy Sundays

As I poured my second steamy, frothy coffee,
Pyjamas wrapped, Uggs tapped as I waddled back.
Bed called, not its usual mantra: hide, but confide,
Laid down respectfully, trusting, heeding not to thoughts of lack,
But dreamingly inventing new worlds, opening my heart beyond now, but being very much present.

#lazysundays

55 · Oct 8

waiting

Bekah Halle Oct 8

waiting

Waiting’s heavy yoke; a punishment beareth I cannot,
Unknown steps before me terrify; well-known potholes behind I've trot.
Weighty dreams consume the ego’s choker chain,
Releasing all this right now, trusting there's so much more to gain
Travel to far-off places experiencing life in new ways
Adventure abounds, and destination awaits; confidently claim the future and graciously inhabit new traits.

I have been going through old poems that haven't seen the light of day and giving them room to breathe. Please give feedback.

#waiting

55 · Apr 4

Off the top of my head...

Bekah Halle Apr 4

Off the top of my head...

Off the top of my head,
here are the body idioms that I can recall;
we could go eye for an eye,
or tooth for a tooth over them,
and we'd be neck and neck with all the phrases,
but we'd still fall short recalling them all, I'm sure.

We'd probably get bored,
because it's a tall order.
If it turns into a fight,
you may get sick to the stomach or
fall head over heels about it
and then you'd be really in over your head.

It might be a total, 'no-brainer!'
and I may continue for a little longer to pick your brains,
but you will start pulling your hair out, I'm sure.
I would then suggest a drink to let your hair down,
where you could oblige or tear your hair out in frustration.
We may even split hairs over the peculiarities of every phrase.

Perhaps you'll raise an eyebrow over some,
especially if you wear jeans and a T-shirt for a dinner party,
that will raise eyebrows!
If you're not nosy, then you'll move on,
and I will seal my lips about the subject.

You could then pay lip service to coax me back and sink your teeth into a new round.
But by that stage, all the sayings will be on the tip of my tongue and
I'll just have to face the fact that
there'll always be two-faced people in the world,
no matter how kind you are to include them in this game.

55 · Nov 9

A lady just rode her horse to get coffee…

Bekah Halle Nov 9

A lady just rode her horse to get coffee…

Wow! I just had a flashback,
To the ‘good old days’
When there were no cars
And everyone says,
‘Hello, how are you?'
We’ve streamed ahead so fast:
Hundred miles an hour,
But going nowhere that will last.
And yet, there was a bright spot
This morning, when a lady
Rode her horse right by me,
I stopped at the same cafe,
where I was drinking my coffee.
I was so surprised, I gasped,
And even took a snap.
I needed that, to get me out
Of my nap, and indulgent life choices.

54 · 7d

Transformation

Bekah Halle 7d

Transformation

Little by little,
I am being transformed.

Moment by moment,
They can’t be ignored.

For a long while,
These changes I could not see.

I would look at others,
Comparing them to me.

And all the while,
I was dying on the inside.

It’s happened for so long,
The many tears I have cried.

But now,
There’s less of a fight.

And now,
I have courage in spite.

It’s not for anyone else,
This journey’s for you and me.

This journey is pivotal,
To authentically be.

#transformation

54 · Mar 21

Weigh it in

Bekah Halle Mar 21

Weigh it in

Waiting is complex.
On the surface, it looks like nothing;
A waste.
It’s easy to get distracted,
Thinking of the things one should do.
But when you start to move, and
The routes lead to dead ends...
Wasted.
Cold.
Desolate.
Lonely.
But, then light pierces through,
And there is movement.

54 · May 5

Washing thoughts clean

Bekah Halle May 5

Washing thoughts clean

Can I wash my thoughts clean?
Can I turn them inside out?
Can I transform my thoughts to glean?
Can they be renewed? I pout.

Is that Your work Holy Spirit?
Washing my thoughts? Or am I too mean?
Try other ways, primp and preen?
Am I doomed until I’ve made them seen?

I feel like a child throwing a tantrum,
But an adult, I want to be.
I want to grow like an oak in the garden,
that others come to see.

Will it always be a huff and puff?
Hard work all the way?
Or will there be something I use my gruff,
And transform it into play?

Even now as I put pen to paper,
free my thoughts out to breathe,
The intensity turns into a caper,
And I allow myself a reprieve.

Enjoy this season of transformation,
It will always be your bread.
I am growing in emancipation,
And it will be this way till I’m dead.

But even then, I gain new life,
With You free from the grave.
For death, with you, has no strife,
And believing that makes me brave.

So, I will lift my head again,
And once again, I will breathe in,
I will let my eyes search along the plain,
And go, a smile beaming from within.

#washingthoughtsclean

54 · Oct 3

DiSTILLary

Bekah Halle Oct 3

DiSTILLary

Wandering far in disillusionment,
To the desert of my soul;
Crying out in hoarse bereavement,
But is it time to take off the cloak of mourning?
And ready my voice for a strong testament...

53 · Jun 2

Numbered

Bekah Halle Jun 2

Numbered

You numbered me!
My hair, quirks, looks and glares,
What a great mystery!
Held and aware, even trials you permit as fair.

#numberedthehairsonmyhead

53 · Sep 18

Glass jar

Bekah Halle Sep 18

Glass jar

Stuck, enclosed in a glass jar.
Child-like, naked, incapable;
Round and round in circles, longing to move forward.
Freedom the babe craves, dreaming to be the One who opens the lid.
Observable to the judging onlookers,
Such power was relinquished.

53 · Mar 28

Fragile Selves

Bekah Halle Mar 28

Fragile Selves

Purify us!
So that we burn,
with your glory.
We are fragile selves,
Our egos are weak, so
That we crave our glory.
We hunger, we thirst
For the things of this world,
Purify us!
Burn the distorted lenses,
So that we can truly see,
You!

Fragile Self

52 · 6d

Tiger striped skin

Bekah Halle 6d

Tiger striped skin

The air was thick and hot;
The flies floated atop.
The tall trees, gums, gave
Jaggered shade, tiger stripes
on my skin they made.

#hotair #thisisaustralia

52 · Mar 30

Stripped bare: beauty revealed

Bekah Halle Mar 30

Stripped bare: beauty revealed

Over the years, I’d built myself up;
Propped with awards, opportunities, degrees, and jobs atop of my growing ego: self-reliant, self-determined
And that’s all well and good. Most of us live like this,
Some say we should.

But when disaster happens, as it often does,
We may splutter and curse, or we may choose,
to lean in, to the painful transfiguration that undoes you loose,
That leaves you fragile, undifferentiated and barely there.
But it also brings unexpected delights:
Your frights addressed, and your faith ascends new heights,
And you are rebuilt with new might,

You stand again, but this time propped up with strength unseen.
As I now stand, I know I stand alone, but with a community within,
Solid more, deeper resources help me lift my chin,
Newer insights that remind me that I’m akin,
So, I stand firm, watch and learn.

The journey continues: new horizons await.

#strippedbare #beautyrevealed

52 · Oct 1

In due course

Bekah Halle Oct 1

In due course

I’ve fought hard to get back to work,
But the real work I needed to do,
Was tend to the grief, deep inside.
There’s no job description for this role,
But there are tasks to complete.
Strategising won’t help,
But being brave will keep,
And giving in to just being there…
With the pain,
With the numbness, and grief;
the overwhelming ache,
For new life to come.

52 · Jul 11

Move & Groove…Always

Bekah Halle Jul 11

Move & Groove…Always

I've got to protect myself
from myself -
sometimes.
get up and move
and groove -
always.

#moveandgroove

52 · Jul 27

"The work"

Bekah Halle Jul 27

"The work"

Line for line,
I write my thoughts down,
Scripting my inner
Monologue.

Thought by thought
I turn them over
My motivations and intentions;
My driving dialogue.

I poke, I ****,
Scrutinise and summarise.
I leave them and walk away
And then I catalogue.

I cry out on the inside:
Why can't it just come easy
But that's perfectionism
The *****, I want to flog!

This road doesn't grow thin,
But gets deeper within.
Or is it like a diamond,
Compressed within in the smog?

#thework #poetry

51 · Oct 25

song and dance

Bekah Halle Oct 25

song and dance

put the song on and dance,
let your hair down
throw your arms up
and dance. Feel the vibrations,
sensations revurberating,
through the trance
of life's circumstances.
Romance pulsates in the dance.

50 · Sep 12

But Yours

Bekah Halle Sep 12

But Yours

What are our lives for? But to reveal our maker,
If we try too hard, we end up highlighting the faker.
Taken off path and into uncertainty, we copy
Others to fit in and minimise the ill feelings of being a nobody.
But it's not too late; turn back around and seek,
Another vision; your authentic self, even if she is meek.
For, one day she will grow tall; into herself once more,
She will be stronger, as she releases the angst from her ankles and pain from her core.
Masterpieces take time, discovery and delight,
Open your eyes and welcome new sight.
The path may not be what you dreamed - but it may be better;
Sweeter, freer, costlier.
But Yours.

49 · May 7

My Transformer

Bekah Halle May 7

My Transformer

You make all things new!
What was lost, damaged, and of no value,
can be transformed.
Little by little,
Breath by breath,
Choice by choice.
Drop by drop,
fills a pond.
You are faithful;
My transformer.

49 · Jul 26

Turn up the volume

Bekah Halle Jul 26

Turn up the volume

Life is but a whisper,
The volume is built in the heart,
Long before it enters the mouth, and
Henceforth carried by the atmosphere.

49 · Jul 29

To Haiku

Bekah Halle Jul 29

To Haiku

To Haiku or not,
We wrangle words for a sport,
No need to stop short.

#tohaiku

48 · May 8

under a spell?

Bekah Halle May 8

under a spell?

Are we all under a spell?
One spell or another?
Spell of another?
Spell of money?
Spell of fame or
Milk and honey?
Spell of drugs, alcohol,
Shame?
**** or the drudgery
of the day-to-day?
Light spells? Dark spells?
Spells that sell
A different life.
But we only have one life,
This one, right here, right now.
Live it!

#underaspell

48 · May 28

Mirrored Doors

Bekah Halle May 28

Mirrored Doors

I've just got mirrored doors
On my cupboard,
They open my room up far and wide;
Once a shoe cupboard,
My room was small and dingey,
now it's light and open.
Very far from stingy.
But now I can see, more…
All of me,
All that I do,
And say.
I want to take off
Those mirrored doors,
And hide where I can't be
Exposed.

#mirroreddoors

48 · Nov 4

Barren landscapes

Bekah Halle Nov 4

Barren landscapes

Your eyes paint a barren landscapes,
But yet, I cannot look away.
They draw me in, deeper
In a more familiar way.
Maybe it's because
I see my soul in there,
Or maybe, just maybe,
It's because they free me
To not care.

48 · 5d

A naked night brought no respite

Bekah Halle 5d

A naked night brought no respite

Night hung in the heat.
Naked sleep offered no relief.
Even as morning creeps
rain tries to poke holes in the heavy air,
but only a ‘dust devil’ is accomplished!

#naked #tired #hot #humid #notamalestrom

47 · Sep 26

love

Bekah Halle Sep 26

love

Larks of joy sound,
Use the key and unlock thee,
My heart of love resounds
That you would hear my call and see.

#love

46 · Aug 26

Death and all its ghosts

Bekah Halle Aug 26

Death and all its ghosts

Death hath befallen us
Of a patient and kind
Resident, curious
She often quietly sat, her mind
Observing, empathising, harmonious.
She now leaves behind
Her memories; ghosts of good times?

46 · Jul 14

Untitled*

Bekah Halle Jul 14

Untitled*

Have you ever felt unsafe in your own skin?
If you haven’t, I don’t even know where to begin.
To get you to fathom,
The deep and lonely chasm.
When you speak,
Sounding only like a squeak,
Yet rattles around in the dark,
Trying to find the harbour with Your mark.

45 · Oct 21

Shimmering

Bekah Halle Oct 21

Shimmering

Opportunity after opportunity
some could say leads to discontinuity
or spontaneity?
Can it lead to deity?
Frailty surely will come
But we can spark that with
originality?
Frivolity can be a gateway,
To birthing new possibility.
Imagine the ingenuity!

45 · Oct 4

pearls draped lavishly

Bekah Halle Oct 4

pearls draped lavishly

I was not born of this time,
The 1920s are more me.
The swinging, the fast feet bopping over mine,
Maybe not the cigarettes, but G&T's,
Most certainly. My curls break line
and make chaos look magical glee.
I'd wear pearls draped lavishly fine,
And I'd stay up til early.

#pearls #1920

44 · Jul 2

Just be there for it…

Bekah Halle Jul 2

Just be there for it…

Sitting in the Aged Care Pastoral Care room,
Drinking a warm milky tea and eating a Monte Carlo.
There are beeps outside from staff going in and out of ‘secure’ rooms,
The hum of the dishwasher in the kitchen nearby,
Gentle clanging of knives and forks being sorted,
Staff chatter going in and out of Residents’ rooms.
Life in an Aged Care Center.
Taking in this precious moment; I am here,
I'll never have this moment again,
A moment I've been working towards for years through study and practicum.
I am a spiritual carer!
Walking alongside the life-full residents;
Their crinkly, sagging skin, lines that tell a thousand stories
Of love, loss, despair, and hope for repair
oscillating between the past lives and future selves
Some are only just here for the minute.
So much they can teach me,
And like my younger self eager to learn,
I listen hopefully.

44 · Jul 23

Eye Muscle King

Bekah Halle Jul 23

Eye Muscle King

The king of eye muscle surgery
reins
Although my eye wound weeps
and complains,
He has helped me see one
Therefore, I cannot be glum
So I'll kick my heels up and count my gains.

#eyesurgery

44 · Nov 9

The Fall

Bekah Halle Nov 9

The Fall

At church this morning,
As we were saying
The Lord's Prayer
There was a thump and a crash,
Then the drums went boom, boom, boom
The congregation gasped,
The drummer collapsed: and fell.
It was both shocking and devastating,
He embodied the mystery of life and the fall,
But thankfully
There was a Doctor in the house;
Heaven on Earth!
Allayleuya!

42 · Nov 12

one year on

Bekah Halle Nov 12

one year on

my birthday song
was sung by the birds this morn,
they greeted me
with kisses from Heaven.
their gleeful singalong
bounced me out of bed headlong,
a spring in my step,
despite being age-strong,
I look forward
to celebrations all day long.
grateful to be alive
to witness this very day!

one year on

42 · Nov 1

Cutting through the BS

Bekah Halle Nov 1

Cutting through the BS

BS, BS everywhere no authenticity to be found,
We all put up facades that ultimately **** us around.
Why do we kid ourselves,
Hiding our true selves,
Because the reality is too painful? so we bury our heads in the sand,
Rather than investing in self-care.

#*******

41 · 1d

Lighten up

Bekah Halle 1d

Lighten up

These are the best days of our lives, or
Are there better days to come?
No more sorrow, no more pain, so much more to gain,
When we trust in the rising Son,
Now, smile. Joy thrives;
Saved lives, new creations, in time with the eternal drum.

#lightenup

40 · Sep 21

My Magnificent Friend

Bekah Halle Sep 21

My Magnificent Friend

How can I be so incredulous about things
Such as Lord, you are my magnificent
Friend, the first one whom I commune
With, because You are the One
who goes forth conquers my foes
and silences the salacious snake
That lies and dies, yet tries all over again,
How obsequious; my dear friend,
There are but a billion other things, yet You Are!

#thingsicannotfathom #myineptness

40 · Aug 19

plenty

Bekah Halle Aug 19

plenty

After walking in the lightly misty rain,
I fall back into bed
and think; "thank God for my home,
warm bed, clothes, and
delicious food to eat...."
but then my mind turns to all
who have not,
all who slept out in that rain,
all who don't know when they will
ever feel safe again.
What can I do about that?!
The need for action stirs.

40 · Sep 7

Kingdom of God

Bekah Halle Sep 7

Kingdom of God

When I look around the church,
The Kingdom is finally here
On Earth; all people of colour, nationalities,
Ages, shapes and sizes;
gender, sexuality and (re)marriage.…
in their tribes…{alone and together},
Worshipping; glory!
This begs the question: why are we required to focus on the priest?

39 · Sep 27

Lean in, more deeply

Bekah Halle Sep 27

Lean in, more deeply

Lean in, more deeply,
When your instinct is to pull back (retreat/run).
Suspend your doubt,
When survival kicks in.
This path is known (well-trodden), and
It always ends with (in) love.

35 · Jul 18

Lovingly

Bekah Halle Jul 18

Lovingly

Life is not a race,
To be run, but grace.
To be lived and embraced.
Savoured.
Satisfied.
Looked back on,
Cherished.
However long, or short,
However hard, and things re-taught,
Life is to be lived; completely,
Reflectively,
Lovingly.

34 · Oct 25

Real self

Bekah Halle Oct 25

Real self

Forgets, frail and frozen,
Where hath your warmth but gone?
Fall back into the arms of love,
Peace, trust and hope; the one to whom your life is sworn.

Gadgets and gizmos; the testimonials to technological triumph,
Are great at numbing reality
and distracting you from life.
From feeling, from crying and hoping...
Placebos try to lull you but inevitably
lead to more strife.

Debt, disconnection and ultimately desolation,
Not the promised life,
But the meaningless; that will cut
Your soul with an eternal knife.

Wake up sleepy from your sewer slumber,
Reach inside, not to the devices, but to your heart,
Tis your lifeblood of existence,
And nurture all cells and selves till death you part.

Arise and shine;
Reflect His glory.
Leach back from the lure of the labyrinth of darkness.
Tis the season to live out your story.

31 · Nov 4

The race that stops the Nation

Bekah Halle Nov 4

The race that stops the Nation

Glued, we’ll stop and sit
And watch that race capture our Nation.
We admire the breed, stamina and steed
Both mare and filly together.

We may get dressed up,
Even if we’re not there trackside.
Big-brimmed hat or bunched boutique,
Mini skirt or pant-suit joined
With man on hip wearing a top hat.
We whistle and cheer,
Throw our hands in the air
As the horse rounds the bend.

We feel so close to the action
That we’re all bopping up and down
As if we’re the ones striding,
But it's the TAB that's riding us!

When we all bet on our favourite horse;
The pink and yellow stripes,
Got me, I’ll smile and swallow
The next glass of champagne, or sparkling Chardonnay,
because we’re in Australia,
Far outside that region.

I remember grinning,
As I claimed my winnings -
gold coins and sipping sparkling cider,
And declared: yeah, I picked that rider!

#melbournecup

29 · Oct 26

Looking back

Bekah Halle Oct 26

Looking back

when I look back, I'll see,
the steps I took to become me.

28 · 3d

Life of paradoxes

Bekah Halle 3d

Life of paradoxes

There is a
Time to learn
Time to make mistakes
Time to cry
Time to **** up
Time to make bread
Time to read
Time to love
Time to be hurt, and a
Time to hurt –
Time to apologise, and a
Time to forgive.
Time to respond, rather than react
Time to rethink
Time to drink coffee
Time to let the dawn of new promises wash over me
Time, rebirthed and reclaimed,
The most precious commodity.
But sometimes there's no time at all.
Oh, how we mistake its insignificance by drowning ourselves in unhealthy times.

#lifeofparadoxes

0 · 47s

poetry has opened up my world

Bekah Halle 47s

poetry has opened up my world

who knew
ten years ago
writing to process trauma
would
make my heart
and mind stronger
and open my world
to new ideas, people and order,
even make me live longer?!

It's surely made me wonder,
observe, admire and sonder
in many a world
where I'd like to yonder
and ponder
new ways to phrase
my inner yearnings
and sift out foolish fodder.

— The End —