This is a story of a boy
Which may be a little sad
At the tender age of only eight
Alexander sadly lost his dad
He grew to be a dashing man
And married in twelve sixty one
To Margaret, the daughter of a king
Who tried to bully his in law son
He wanted recognised as an overlord
But Alexander directly refused
Margarets dad did not kick off
But surely his ego was bruised
In twelve sixty two
Alex claimed he owned some land
The Western Isles belonged to him
He decided to take a stand
King Haakon of Norway disputed his claim
And set sail to true form
Alexander prayed for more time
And Haakon was caught in a storm
He died after falling ill
And Alex pressed his case
Haakon's succession to the throne
Did not keep Haakon's pace

(C) Julie Murphy 2015

Am a lass fae Govan
There a wiz born n breid
When a wiz wee a wiz playing tig oan the *****
N a split ma poor wee heid

Fae Glesga tae Fife
Wiz where we went
Tae a flat in Methil
That ma maw goat fur rent

Tae skool a went like
A scaredey cat, a didny know wit ti expect
Second year it the high skool
Wiz a bit eh a pain in the neck

Home eckie wiz the class
A waaaanted it tae be fun
Skool went well n a started wurk
Tull a wiz cooking a bun

Am a mammy eh 3 noo
Bit wit kin a say?
A replaced the telly
Nae mare tumbles in the hay

Ma weans are getting big fast
Aw gawn ti skool their self
But if a dont shake ma *** now
A might get left oan the shelf

I fed you, clothed you
Kept you warm
I kept you safe from
The day you were born

I tried to protect you
The best that I could
I love you in every way
Just like a mother should

The world is a bad place
I want to wrap you up in cotton wool
Keep you away frm the bad things in life
And everything else that is cruel

I cant wrap you up or
Protect you forever
I want you to make mistakes
And learn its better to be a giver

I want you to be happy
With confidence in all you do
I want you to believe in yourself
The way that I believe in you

I want you to grow up
Be popular and be yourself
I want you to follow your dreams
And live in perfect health

I want your knight in shining armour
To knock you off your feet
To love you faithfully forever
And be what makes his heart beat

I want you to know that
No matter what life throws your way
Unconditionally I'll always love you
Even after my dying day

Even then I will be your angel
Try to guard you from the bad
For now I'll be your best friend
Your confidiant your mum and dad

Copyright Julie Murphy 2013

All I really want in life
Is to go back to my normal self
To be the person I used to be
Without the worry of my mental health

Im gonna share a secret with you
More of a sorta confession
My self worth and sanity
Has been stolen by depression

It started with staying in
Not wanting to socialize
Isolated from family and friends
Yet they were quick to critisize

I wanted to do things my way
I felt better on my own
I missed important appointments
I wished I had a clone

I stopped sleeping at night
Which of course, only made me worse
I sunk deeper into depression
And into tears I would burst

Lack of sleep took over
My head was buried in the sand
Things went from bad to worse
And there was no one
To hold my hand

People stopped calling me
Their visits then no more
They saw the empty space
In the heart my
Sleeve once wore

Im still trying to get better
Its easier with each new day
I was too proud, to ask for help
Its not an easy thing to say

Im feeling good about myself today
As I wrote this to share with you
To try help you understand
Depression is more than feeling blue

The next person you hear of with this
Could be someone close to your heart
How do you think they would feel
If someone tore them apart?

(C) Julie Murphy

She stares at the clock while shaking
He might not like what shes making
She checks last nights bruise is hidden
Not answering his call is forbidden
She does everything he tells her to do
If she doesnt he beats her black and blue
She believes she deserves what he gives her and the fault is all her own
He wouldnt have had to punch her
If only she picked up the phone
She hears footsteps in the hallway
And she knows he's almost there
She stands to greet him in the doorway
And pretends that she still cares
There's a tiny stain on the carpet
And she cowers on the floor
He doesn't know if shes breathing
As paramedics knock on the door
She lays in bed in the hospital
Unable to see what he's done
Hes sorry, and she forgives him
But she buys herself a gun
When he wont eat what she's making
Instead of cowering and shaking
She protects herself with the trigger
And puts a bullet in his brain
She'll spend a lifetime in prison
But he will never beat her again

Copyright Julie Murphy 2018

Staring at the stained glass
lost in thought
I think about life
and all the things I've been taught
Something catches my eye
and I turn around
I see a broken woman
who barely made a sound
She's on her knees
with her hands clasped tight
praying to her god
for a bed for the night
With no home to go to
and no one to care
she asks her god
'Why am I here'
As a tear streaks her face
she stands to her feet
she asks for a sign
before she goes back to the street
As the sun sets
a ray of light blinds my eye
I knew instantly
I have to go say hi
she tells me her story
and how she became broken
something stirred inside me
mothering instinct had awoken
bathed and fed
I showed her, her room
she wrapped her arms around me
and said 'Thank you to the moon
He answered my prayers
as I was losing faith
He works in mysterious ways
and hes kept me safe'
With her faith restored
she heads back to church
she takes a pew
and whispers 'Thank you very much'

(C) Julie Murphy 2016