Christmas Eve Miracle
Merry Christmas to me!
Tonight
In the wee hours of the mellow moon
That shines like a keyhole to Heaven
I have a belly once more that 'knows'
Its God-given design -
To receive my food
And de-construct it
With purpose unparalleled
Re-constructing those elements
That nurture my physical body
Leaving my brain, my 'soul'
Free
To thrive in their own esoteric sph...
Thursday 27th December 2018 2:01 pm
The Day Elvis Died I Cried
The day Elvis died
I cried.
I woke up early for the forecast.
Rain or no rain - time - density -
Made a huge difference
In the activity of our Craft Shop
Especially over the lunch hour.
My mind was already clicking
With plans to cope.
The twins were still fast asleep.
My husband droned quietly beside me.
A sonorous voice intoned:
'We interrupt this pro...
Thursday 22nd November 2018 2:15 pm
My Dad Said
My Dad said, shaking his head,
'Ah, Cynthia, I have to admit
You never make the same mistake twice.
But' - stroking his nose with eloquent fingers -
'You do seem to have an unlimited supply
Of originals!'
Friday 16th November 2018 5:07 pm
Chemotherapy
As near as I can figure it
Chemotherapy
Is a whole lot of little 'bugs'
Sent coursing through your body
To find and devour
Other little 'bugs'
Already eating you up alive
Indiscriminately
Or mostly so.
Directed, yes, these 'chemo' soldiers,
But given free rein
To use their own judgement
In the 'divide and conquer' campaign.
There must be collateral damag...
Thursday 1st November 2018 5:10 pm
MIND
Sometimes, I'd like to give my MIND
A good slap right up side the head.
I really would.
It thinks it exists in capital letters -
The boss of everything!
Well – it isn't.
There are many systems inside me
Governed by inherent programming
Not commanded by MIND.
Well, I'll allow 'Attitude', of course
A major factor in everything -
But not superior status.
Of c...
Monday 15th October 2018 5:42 pm
How Do Girls Pee?
I was visiting Mum for a week.
Always a delight for candid chat
Over a few quiet days
And the diverse 'drop-ins'
We both enjoyed so much.
.
One afternoon a favourite cousin called by
For coffee and cake.
In his fifties now – a fine looking chap
With the same twisted grin
I liked so well from childhood.
After some general conversation
He set down his cup
...Friday 28th September 2018 4:25 pm
Never trust a lover who .....
Never trust a lover who
in the throes of passion calls you 'Baby' or 'Babe' -
that generic name for a partner
whose body is generic too.
It simply means - in an unguarded moment -
your lover might call you something else
for someone else
which would not be cool.
In fairness, such caution could mark
a certain empathy for the other person's psyche.
But, more like...
Friday 14th September 2018 4:48 pm
I Wonder If
I wonder if spirit is the word invented
to umbrella our human probing
into the mysteries of life itself:
first life/creation - the very essence of living -
surely in itself an act of constant creating.
How bold to state that an Idea IS a Fact!
But, then, how logical is it
to insist that 'Fact is only Idea' -
as favoured in lofty terms
not so esoteric as you might ...
Wednesday 5th September 2018 10:40 am
Good Old Plain Porridge
Oh!
There's nothing like a dish
of good, old, plain porridge
for breakfast -
hot spoonfuls dropping thickly
from pot to bowl
lovingly dressed
with cold, creamy milk
and brown sugar
a dribble of runny honey
and a dollop of real butter
some assorted nuts
handful of raisins
just a sprinkle of shredded coconut
and cinnamon dashed over the top -
all stirre...
Sunday 26th August 2018 2:17 pm
Fifth Birthday
The twins were two weeks short
of five years old,
already dancing with delight
at thoughts of the little party
to be held on their special day.
'Hey, Ducklings,
Big birthday coming up.
Any thoughts about what you'd like
from Mummy and Daddy?'
They were savvy kids.
I was not nervous
to ask such a bold question.
Cyanne screwed up her face intently,
'...
Wednesday 22nd August 2018 3:13 pm
Not Beyond Reason
Reason is the ability to think
to sort - to compare
to qualify - to justify
to judge.
Reason is not the power to mystify
to mortify or control:
it stands aloof of mind games.
But Reason
never masters Feelings
festering in the subconscious
dark and poisonous -
a monster swinging a scythe
ready to slice anything
or anyone
daring to challenge
the p...
Saturday 18th August 2018 11:08 am
So There! #2
One blurt of temper and a hurt friend
Smashing the fun of playing together.
Regret pinching like a stone in the belly
'Sorry. Sorry!' But not said.
And still – still –
The jutting chin hand on hip
An insolent pitch of pelvis
'So there!'
Which feels really good
And awful at the same time.
It makes you think of mirrors -
Your reflection looking back at y...
Tuesday 10th July 2018 8:02 pm
So There!
'Your brain is dead!' said the imp in my head.
'Pshaw!' scoffed I with bravery sly.
'You can't fool me. I don't agree.
Maybe muddled – with heat befuddled
But keen to chat at the drop of a hat.
So there!'
And it laughed, the imp, and said, 'I'll get you.
Line me some lines, strong and true.'
So I got right up to make a brew
To brush my hair with thoughts askew
...Saturday 7th July 2018 5:30 pm
Obfuscate
'I fell asleep unexpectedly
Draped across my bed
A release of wakefulness suddenly essential.
I did not sleep long but very deeply.
My eyes flipped open
My whole self aware
Before the bridge to Mind was closed -
My brain beetling away in my subconscious.
And with neon clarity it left this word:
'OBFUSCATE'.
'What! Give me a break!
What!
I - I - sort of kn...
Sunday 17th June 2018 2:46 pm
Never! Never!! Ever!!!
'Never!
Never!!
Ever!!!', said Grandma,
'Stand behind a horse
Out of its line of vision
Close to its hooves!
Lean over the rain barrel
To slurp a drink
No matter how high the water level!
Go across the pasture
Into the pine woods
At twilight!
Poke a hornet's nest
With a stick
Even if it looks empty!
Disturb a pile of dried n...
Thursday 14th June 2018 2:48 pm
Love
Your tongue
is a lackey of the brain
and simply quacks.
But your eyes
reflect the soul
which cannot lie.
Intimacy
is in the look
not the sound
and transcends
even touch.
Love
crosses space
and time -
a truth
without dimensions.
Saturday 9th June 2018 2:50 pm
Written in the Stars
'If you had married me
We would have a chain of motels
Across the country - and be rich.'
'If you had married me
You would be Dean of a university
A noted poet - and be rich.'
'If you had married me
You would be a great singer
In demand around the world - and be rich.'
The total zilch value of 'If's'!
But, because I married Daddy
I have Esther, Cyanne,
...Friday 18th May 2018 2:18 pm
May God Grant Me
May God grant me the gift:
To lay my head upon my bed
and slip my mind to sleep;
To find upon the morrow
a refreshing realignment
of thought and deed;
To greet the day
with pleasure in all things;
And a sane desire
to think clearly.
May God grant me sight
to lift my eyes upon this world
of unceasing life and beauty;
And sound -
the symphony of the ...
Saturday 12th May 2018 4:15 pm
One Word
Ah – Poetry!
Random reflections
Harnessed into language.
Communion of heart and head
With oneself
To distil the Soul, the Mind
Into finest thought.
Words
Seeking to understand
Creation.
But surely – honestly – mostly -
To capture
The wonder of 'ME'!
Never before made -
Never to be repeated.
But - if ME -then YOU, too.
US!
It must so follo...
Tuesday 1st May 2018 10:08 pm
Words
Words
Purr and coo.
They kiss and snicker.
They lick, they lap.
They bite and snap.
They kick like hell
For the best position
Of their exposition
In the thought
On the line
Of your erudition.
Yours!
Your brain!
Machine of inflection
Reflection
Deflection.
Words!
A petition for grace
A plea for value.
Words!
Loving – lyrical -
Damaging ...
Friday 6th April 2018 4:25 pm
Torn Apart in Mind and Heart
For anyone
Briefly or lengthily
Exposed to the ravages
Of natural disasters:
Hurricanes
Floods
Fires
Eruptions
Famine
Pestilence
Disease -
Or, worse
To the ravages of War
Deliberately
Coldly
Ruthlessly inflicted
One man upon another
Upon women and children
Killing
Maiming
Laying waste all shelter
And sustenance.
Daily destruct...
Friday 30th March 2018 5:45 pm
Book on Charity Shelf
I shopped yesterday at my local Tesco's
Bulky cupboard back-ups
Because I had a lift home.
I left the guys to pack
Cans and cartons and bottles
Because they are particular
If not downright anal.
I sauntered on ahead
With my daffodil stems
And a pot of coriander
Not to be trusted to 'the men'.
I pass the shelf of 'charity books' regularly
And I no longer sto...
Saturday 24th March 2018 11:36 am
Rehearsal
We were rehearsing Beethoven
The director and I
For a performance of 'Ah, Perfido!'
A gesture of remarkable confidence
In my ability
Considering the years of recent silence
My limited training on operatic scale
And my 'maturity'.
So I threw myself into Italian study
Like a possessed woman
Texts and tapes -
And suave Italian waiters -
For the practised free...
Friday 23rd March 2018 4:51 pm
The Doctor
I visited a psychiatrist once
Greatly troubled by memories
From childhood.
Dark, debilitating intrusions
That growled and spat
Ripped and shredded
All decency and peace:
Pulses of Hatred
From childhood -
Ghouls in my head
Lying in wait!
He sat behind a huge desk
A small person
Fortressed by this great plank
Covered with papers and pens
Books sta...
Thursday 22nd March 2018 10:13 am
Alpha male
My sister's family is close knit
but very casual, full of pets.
That summer the house dog was an Airedale
A big animal – wiry – intelligent.
Friendly enough but very watchful
Proprietorial even
Of people and premises.
As usual, if visiting, sisters do helpful chores.
One morning I stooped to scoop
Some towels and shoes from the stairs
To carry them up to their c...
Wednesday 21st March 2018 11:24 am
Choking
She came home after three weeks
My lusty first-born daughter
Leaving her sister in further care
To steady a nervous heart.
The weeks in nursery had been fraught:
Rows of babes in baskets keening day and night.
No peace - ever.
No touch of human hand beyond necessity.
The knot of tension in her wee neck
Was like a marble.
My heart hurt for her distress.
I held ...
Tuesday 20th March 2018 11:22 am
The Dive
One hot summer's day
I stroked out from the coral beach
To a high rock in the small bay
With intent to dive
Safely.
The pocked outcrop was easy to climb
From the water surface.
The tide was high
The sea like crystal
Visibility clear.
I raised myself on to the rock
And peered down
Deep to the bottom
As into a glass of water
And could not judge its depth.
...Saturday 17th March 2018 4:12 pm
Tree
To me
In contemplative mind
There is nothing more beautiful
Than a naked tree.
Stripped to bare grace
Twisted and gnarled
Broken and bent
Dark scribbles on the sky
Stretching
Lifting
Fighting upward - outward
The merest twig pulsing
For light -
And the Universe.
Still
Clutching with hungry roots
And thirsty throats
The thick muck
Of ...
Thursday 15th March 2018 11:11 am
Poets and Poetry
Sometimes I sit looking out the window -
Not seeing.
A book on my lap – not reading.
The radio soft with song – not listening.
Or lying upon my pillow - not sleeping.
Just thinking.
Giving my brain free rein
To pursue its peculiar passages.
And this scope often spins into 'Poetry'
That esoteric web of human connection
Through millennia.
What is it exactly? Poe...
Wednesday 14th March 2018 11:57 am
My Mummy Can Do Anything
She tucked the twins into bed
With the sun
Both children tired and ready to rest.
Darkness fell quickly
Warm, fragrant and black.
Night creatures were instantly busy.
Clinking about with pots and pans
She finished evening chores
And made a tasty sandwich
For Daddy's late night return
Weary and hungry.
Suddenly, the faintest call:
'Mummy. Mummy,' plaintively...
Saturday 3rd March 2018 11:48 am
In Praise of Books of Poetry
My beloved books sit
Huddled on shelves - shelves and shelves -
Thick spines thin spines snazzy spines bedraggled spines
Finger-worn with years of turning pages
From school days and formal tuition.
Or glossy new, recently acquired
Slim and shiny from fellow poets
Who share their words on stage or internet
Many - like me – self-published - unchallenged.
From these ...
Tuesday 13th February 2018 3:17 pm
'My Song of God' by Ewan Thomas Holt, Age 11
I think God is a regular person
who is anything
and everything
and nothing
at the same time.
I think 'heaven' is a thing
a place and an idea.
There is no proof.
You can't touch it
see it or hear it.
But dead things may find life again
in a separate world.
I like amazing things:
giant waterfalls and volcanoes
tiny red spiders and seeds
and my f...
Sunday 4th February 2018 12:14 pm
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