Hiding in my mind
Pen scratching in the silence,
vibrations lift, pulsate through my body,
torpedoing into my brain
Hiding in my mind
words emerge in silent formation -
see what becomes of them
one word stitched on top of another
to capture that child’s undiminished self belief
Morning sun
Morning
sun like
lemon treacle, sweet and
sour on the tongue, the warm taste of
sunbeams
The night wind woman
The night wind woman arrives in a cloud of
fragrance, of lavender and jasmine, gauzy
skirts swirling around her legs as she twirls round
scattering her thoughts.
The silver light of the full moon falls, glowing
on the page where words spout from the pen too fast
to get them all down. New inspiration from
the night wind woman.
Perceptions
She pulled on the jeans, smoothed the fabric over her hips – turned to look in the unforgiving mirror. They fitted like a second skin. Suddenly, the fitting room lights didn’t seem so glaring – they took on a rosier glow.
Nothing had changed in those few moments, but she felt slimmer, more confident.
A different person was reflected there.
Seeing or Not Seeing
by
Do I see only what I want to see?
Do I look beyond the perfect mask?
Do I delve below the surface?
The space of challenge
is tossed and turned on the sea of life,
a lighthouse on a stormy shore,
under the north star.
Seeing or not seeing?
Just a physical phenomenon?
Is there some line of dark light in a meeting of minds?
Find the dark core
where dragons and whirlpools live,
where fireflies play in a midnight forest,
where nothing is cast in stone.
Where silence is tangible,
where the unseen is seen.
The circular current will overwhelm
gain power over the reluctant and sceptical
yet reveal a journey
holding promises and hope
by Carol Simpson
The Journey
Flowing down from the cold icecaps
over rocks, down waterfalls
the cold takes my breath away.
Flowing freely, cleanly, crisply
creating eddies and whirlpools where
the circular current will overwhelm.
Invisible emotions and feelings
become all too visible on my face.
Light it up with hope and joy
like a rainbow on a cloudy day.
And hope and joy
gain power over the reluctant and the sceptical.
Trying to find the way
in uncharted territory
stop and savour each experience,
don’t miss a moment.
Each turn in the road reveals
things I may miss
yet reveal a journey.
Water flows free
to flush the stagnant pond,
bringing light and life.
Breathe deeply, conscious of the moment.
Allow space to grow, space and time
holding promises and hope.
Mulberries
The bees buzzed in the wisteria
next to the veranda –
she could smell its sweet scent,
as she ran up the red cement stairs, feeling the burning heat on her bare soles.
Her t-shirt clung damply to her body, her face beaded with sweat.
Her hands and mouth were stained with the juice
of the fruit she had been picking. She had eaten
almost as many mulberries as she had put into the basket,
and yet her mouth watered
at the thought of the treat in store after lunch –
freshly picked mulberries with cream and sugar.
Freshly picked mulberries with cream and sugar.
At the thought of the treat in store after lunch
her mouth watered.
Almost as many mulberries as she had put into the basket
of the fruit she had been picking, she had eaten.
Her hands and mouth were stained with the juice.
Her t-shirt clung damply to her body, her face beaded with sweat
as she ran up the red cement stairs, feeling the burning heat on her bare soles.
She could smell its sweet scent
next to the veranda –
the bees buzzed in the wisteria.
Reflection
The clock hanging on the wall
marks time
as the pendulum swings
back and forth, marking time -
your time, your space.
Be still
and let go, of the
busy bustle, enjoy
the peace, enjoy the
quiet, listen to the water
dripping into the deep pool,
soothing your turbulent emotions.
Be still
and enjoy the
peace, the quiet, the space
Give yourself time for reflection
Still time
Sound loop
Some thoughts just won’t
stop. Round and round a never-
ending merry-go-round. Over and
over some thoughts go, looping
endlessly like a record
stuck in a groove. One
thought gets bogged
down in one place, holding me helplessly chained, holding me
endlessly, helplessly in its thrall. Stuck,
stuck, stuck. It doesn’t travel,
it is stuck in the mud
of my mind, its wheels churning
helplessly, endlessly. It can’t
get going in the slippery
mud. New thoughts are bred
from the old. The new thoughts can
flow along new lines, towards
hope and healing, away from
the endless, helpless
churning of the stuck
idea. Thoughts give birth to more
thoughts, nebulous hard-to-
grasp ideas. Grasp those
thoughts, write them down,
make them concrete,
make them present, till
there is a series
of interconnected thoughts,
interconnected thoughts and ideas
that make a poem.
In the Silence
A nameless longing for something more
something to fulfil me – make my life complete
Why put my life on hold -
why deny myself
while I wait for something more?
Caught up in the longing,
reaching towards the sunrise
towards life and living
In the silence I listen to my heart-beat
I reach towards the dawn, towards living
where life is fresh and new
In the silence I hear my heart beat,
the sound of my breathing
In the silence I let go
caught up in the yearning and the wanting
In the silence I listen and allow myself to be
(100 words)
Grounded
Keep us grounded,
barefoot like playful children
feeling the mud squelch
no pretence, no pretensions
Barefoot like playful children,
closely entwined with nature
no pretence, no pretensions
keeping in touch with ourselves
Closely entwined with nature
feel grounded with the earth
Keeping in touch with ourselves,
touching the earth, living close to it
Feel grounded with the earth
feeling the mud squelch
touching the earth, living close to it
Keep us grounded
