I run through the streets in the dark of the night, 
A black hoodie, sharp trainers, a knife for the fight
No morals or goodness left in my soul
Others money , phones,  wallets,  my only goal.

Smoking and drinking, not school do I care
I live on the streets, do ought for a dare
A vandal , graffiti, the life of a villian 
My future is bars, held in a cold prison 

My childhood was taken,...

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Woken up Rudely by a wide awake kid 

Her iPad starts blaring , that one that you hid,

It’s 5 in the morning , but she wants to play,

But you’ve hardly slept, not ready for the day ,

You’ve been up all night , on the edge of her bed,

While she sleeps so soundly, sweet dreams in her head,

8 comes round it’s time to get up and go, 

But now she is ‘ tired ‘she’...

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What if those cells collide
what if the world beats to a different rhythm
What if our path is forked
What direction will we take
What if we have no choice
for the first time in our lives

What if things go smoothly
What if then we're three
What if it gets hard at times
What if we do our best
What if something 
we never thought was in us
well, what if it suits us

What if there's a n...

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I miss the way you make brews too weak,
Served up with endless biscuits,
I miss the way the room goes quiet,
When we howl with childish laughter,

I miss stealing words,
Between cries of our children,
Time standing still,
As we ramble through weeks again,
I miss lifting each other up,
Plotting schemes for the future,

'Thank goodness for videocalling'
I say it, it's true,
But oh, how...

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I may not have so many dreams as I once had,
Some have been taken
Some have collapsed.
Some blew away
Some would not stay
Some started well, then turned bad.

But 
There's a precious few that I can never lose, they go too deep, 
I'd still have them till my very end, even if I forget how to sleep.

I dream that I would never cause another harm
I dream that I will always try my best
I d...

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I am everything in my children's lives;
There is scarce little that they have
That doesn't come direct from me.
And sometimes this makes me proud
That I could be enough,
But more often not:
The first and usual thing I think
Is how I have let them down,
That I am all they have got.

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When I had children
My life became theirs
Creating their joys
Removing their cares
Being the ground 
On which they can stand
Sharing their path
Holding their hand.

And I set out with dreams
That our lives would be good
When it broke at the seams
I did all that I could
And as I faced down our demons
And I set them to flee
I thought of protecting them
Not of damaging me.

Once you...

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There is no greater possession than life.  
No greater prize than life.
What greater gift have we received than life? 
Life in the moment, and in all its moments.

More than money 
let me be certain that I spend this life well and wisely.
Whatever bargains I may make 
let me not under-rate the coin with which I barter, precious seconds.
But give me wisdom to know the folly 
of treating l...

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I wish I never had to sleep
A vigil I would gladly keep
About your bed.

I'd watch you breathing out and in
Your eyelids gently fluttering
As if you dreamt.

You will not always be so close
That I can watch you in repose
Life takes such speed.

And now it is I most regret
The frailty that makes us forget
Moments like these.

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There's testosterone in the air tonight
My teenage son is spoiling for a fight
He relentlessly practices with his fists
Goading me and poking me, he never quits
In socks or trainers he measures up
The endless tale of the old dog and the young pup
With youth and vigour, optimism and cheek
He probes my guard telling me I'm fat and weak
And when we struggle and grip
When my back aches and my...

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Straddling a life between town and country,

I remember you once stood on a snake.

You never saw it as we were shouting,

Until you moved and it slithered away.

Once you walked into a concrete column,

As I told you to hurry and catch up.

But you were focused and a little solemn,

Just searching for green anoles close up.

So many times you fell into a pond,

And I had to pull...

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I see the opening of your mind's eye, 

glittering like a starry sky. 

Asking yourself, how high? 

The iron will that says, I try. 

Go my darling, you'll fly. 

Full of joy, I cry. 

The apple of your father's  eye.

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I found a picture of you in my arms,

Sleeping securely, safe from harm,

As you knew it, anyway.

Your trust for me was complete,

You wanted for nothing

And thought of my love only

As often as a bird thinks of sky.

You didn’t yet know people

Can go away or even die.

I know how things changed,

But I can’t bear to think of it.

I picture you now, with your love

...

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A colouring book becomes Facebook.
A tweet isn’t the sound from a bird.
Mobile devices hold us hostage
to high definition
when ambitions are blurred.
Light up trainers become stilettos
that shush insecurities
and tightly crush toes
,flashing in the strobe lights
of newly found adventure,
that makes us drunk on
possibilities and hope.
But dazzled by choice,
dazed by possibility,
we be...

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Switch off the TV’s

Cover their ears

Wrap them in cotton wool

Drink all their tears

Drown them in fairy tales

Sing them sweet songs

Take them to places

The bad don’t belong

Bathe them in sunshine

Shower them with love

Serve them their childhood

Wearing kid gloves.

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I sang my teenage son to sleep last night
for my benefit,
bathing in his confidence

he enjoyed my song
I love his music
but cannot play it

I remembered when we used to talk about 'Next Baby'
and then didn't
seems half my stupid life ago

♪ ♪ ♪

we used to toss whole crusts
to the geese at the water park,
to watch them play 'geese rugby'
under softly ...

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I am the oldest of four girls,

And four girls can be a crowd.

Time alone with Mother was the stuff of wishes.

One  morning I awoke early and realized:

My sisters are still asleep!

There was a faint rattle of cutlery.

And Mummy is down in the kitchen by herself!

I slithered out of bed and crept down the stairs

Masterfully negotiating the squeaks

Hardly believi...

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