Tennyson

14th August 2020

Well, I got just a tad bored with regaling you, my lovely readers' with tales of our adventures in Cornwall, wonderful though it was. 

So today I'm going to give you a poem. This piece was  shortlisted for a competition a few years ago and I haven't looked at it since.

 

Hopefully, I'll read it at the London Writer's Salon Open Mic tonight, but for now it's for you:

Tennyson

There you sit,

Sandwiched,

 between Rumi and Wittgenstein 

- among others,

your beauty esteemed, cherished  

 my precious jewel.

I lift you down from the shelf,

 reverently, unhurriedly,

my fingers,

Caress your soft leather cover

 Age Worn, flaky,

your Tattered spine

Faded over time,

Steadily trace gold leaf letters.

Your pages- flimsy, delicate

Reveal your antiquity

An old traveller,

A long life,

One hundred and forty four years.

You came to me in 1982.

Written inside, in black ink

With cursive style,

“Mary Louisa Legg,

 with best wishes from N.S.H,

 Christmas 1892”

One instant recorded, 

one person’s history

I love that!

Lent, loved, loaned again

How many homes

 have you graced?

How many absorbed 

your wise words?

I put you to my lips 

 Breathe in your lovers,

Warm companionship

Contented moments

Captured, 

 in Comfortable chairs

I remember cosy evenings

Snuggled under blankets

 with teenage daughters,

Reading, for maybe

 the fifth time,

 the May Queen

a family favourite still.

You continue to be, for me

A treat for my spirit

                                                  

 

6th August

20th July  - Monday

Today, to get to Gebe Beach we had to go through the beautiful village of Mawnan Smith. 

Angel of the North

10th April 2019

Poem A Day in April -Day 10

Have missed writing a poem a day for April this last week.

Couldn't work out how to get to my blog . I was being asked for a password which I vdidn't remember.

This morning , not sure what happened, but I'm in!

Angel Of The North

Perched on this hill reaching for the sky

Seen for miles around, standing so high,

You are a sign of unity and togetherness

Strong and tall, For mighty Northeast

Yet also,

A beacon of warmth 

Throwing open your arms of welcome.

Out Of The Darkness

Day 5: 5th day, 5th poem.
Easter Day


 

Out of the Darkness

We get up early, before the sun,
Bold, loving - striking out to where
We'd watched Joseph and Nicodemus.
Gather spices, fresh clothes,
Ointments to anoint His body
We walk together.
 Tears - a balm for the union of our sorrow.
Wailing we comfort each other with stories,
Personal, painful.
We ponder - who will roll the stone away?
And then,
The sun rises
Reaching the place, we stop.
Looking , without understanding ,
who has done this thing?
The tomb - empty.
Confused we stand.
Do not fear , they say.
Out of darkness - the Light ...He is Risen...
And joy ,  hope returns.
He is alive...
He is alive...
He is alive...

The Ninth Hour

Day 4: 

4th April, 4th poem

Written yesterday-Good Friday:

The Ninth Hour

Caught up in the swollen mass,

 that surges, like a river  

overspilling its banks. 

I am elbowed,

jostled , pushed, shoved,

Through dusty streets, 

The frenzied multitude,

Ringing in my ears,

I look up .

Can I see Him?

For an eternal brief moment, we are chained in a look

His eyes wedded to mine - heart embracing heart.

He staggers

I squeeze through, bumped and kicked.

I look up

Can I see Him?

Innocence before me

I take my white linen cloth

To his face-disfigured, bruised 

Blood, sweat, soak into that veil.

my treasure.

Soldiers drag me away.

I cannot watch ,

His body - cut, wounded , battered,

Struggles up the slope

staggers-falls , staggers again.

All stop. The summit.

I look up,

Can I see Him?

The place of skulls

Nailed, hung, spared nothing.

Arms open wide in embrace.

The lamb on his throne.

It is the ninth hour.

We are expecting lots of busy-ness during the next two weeks so I will have difficulty writing for the blog and keeping up with the challenge. I do intend, however to give it a shot, even if what I post isn't as good or finished as I'd like. So carry on supporting and spreading and we'll see this through together.

Today:

Did you know?

Total Lunar Eclipse or "Blood Moon", is on April 4, 2015 and will be visible in most of North America, South America, Asia and parts of Australia.

Of course we can't see it here in the UK.

Go This Way

Day 3:

 3rd April 3rd poem.

Was inspired today by a walk along the coast . We took a path from the beach up a pretty winding staircase. Each turn gave a different, yet  interesting view which  made me reflect the path our lives take. Not sure I've done justice to it in this poem.

Go This Way

Go this way, tread these winding steps,

                                    Up this steep slope.

                                                     Stop here, rest,

                                                                      Take in the view,

                                                                                     The castle - almost ruins

                                                                                                     Glory days over.

                                                                                     Carry on up, round that blind  bend,

                                                              See the lake- veiled in mist,  

                                                Joys hidden in shrouded past

            Struggle further,up  towards the peak,

                                                   Breathless,

                                                               The path narrows, stones underfoot slow progress
                                                                                  
                                                                           Turn, see the valley

                                                                                            Deep, dark,

                                                                                 Holding lost moments of gloom.

                                                                                                 But now, for you, up, up, 

                                                                               Crawl on to the summit,

                                                       Lift yourself up,

                        Stand, breathe deep

     Look around,

                                      All before you takes shape

                                                             Holds together.

Woman Caught In Adultery

  I wrote this poem last year and have performed it a few times getting great feedback:

   

Woman Caught in Adultery

They drag me through rugged streets,

Men’s hands grip my arms,

Large fingers press into flesh –pale ,  bare

Their words wild, aggressive, accusing,  

Echo, in the chamber of my brain

While he is free,

I am going to die, Yet, I fear not the dying,

But the pain, how will I bear the pain.

Terror travels with blood through my veins

And he is free,

They throw me down, in the dirt, In front of a man,

My nose forced into the rough ground.

My Foetal shape makes no attempt to rise

The raging rogues  roar, ”she has to die , it is the law”

They get ready, reach for large stones,

 But he is free.

While the one man  sits  still,

Ponders, writes in the dust

Then,  lifts his head,

“ Let the one who is without sin cast the first stone”

His words fall like seeds into my aching heart.

Silence,

One by one rocks thud into the earth. The mob, heads bent, Leave.

Left alone with Him,- I dare to raise myself up

His eyes encounter mine, His look warm , accepting,

He Knows me, all there is.

And me, I know that I,

I am free.

Is

14th July 2016

Looking back again at the beginning posts and it's day two.

I've played a little with the "sort of " poem I wrote for that day. I remember well the feeling of wanting to make the most of every single day and all the minutes it contains .

Is

We shouldn't dally

In the was of before, 

 The past is gone and

We can't change it

Nor dance 

In the will be of the future

 It may never come

For us

But rather - swim 

In the is of now 

Where we can enjoy

The gift of

This present moment.

But just sometimes memories come and play

 with your today.

Such a handsome couple my ma and pa.

And this from 26th May 2015:

Sunday:  Well, it's day two and I've managed to get back to my blog to be able to post again, which is amazing.
Some trivia:
I was trying to get to my writing ( some poetry) but was distracting myself with social media and getting cold into the bargain. My lovely husband then suggested we go for a walk in "the sunshine". Now whilst I could see that the sun was shining it seemed clear to me that the temperature was not reflecting the fact.
I decided to go anyway and if I was still chilly when we came home I could take a hot bath.
The wind didn't encourage me , but I thought, half an hour wouldn't necessarily turn me into a block of ice.
Then everything changed when we found a sheltered spot in the gardens on Herne Bay seafront. Without any breeze at all it didn't take me long to warm up . We spent a good while, "enjoying the sunshine" and  watching the world go by and I was reluctant to leave, even when hubby suggested a "nice cup of tea" back home.
And now I think my creative writing is going to have to wait till Tuesday at the earliest as it's Bank Holiday tomorrow and we plan to be playing at another seaside with some of the grandchildren. We are looking forward to sand in our sandwiches . Let's hope it's as "sunny and warm" as it was today. I will be taking a blanket. It is England, after all, and still only the month of May.
I am now going back to the quiet. Just the two of us this evening. We did have three others here earlier and probably a few will be back tonight, but for now we just enjoy the moment.

Monday:
Well, we've been with the grandchildren. Weather not brilliant but in the woods it was just right. A long walk and a delicious picnic with lots of little events on the way. It just made me think that :

Poem at top

Catch up with you all again soon.