Silver Lining

Take this silver lining

Keep it in 

Your own 

Sweet hands

She hums a lullaby

We are lucky

To see the stars

Through the houses 

And the windows

The light

Makes her skin glow 

Her being vibrate 

She is alive

And if she is alive

So am I

How curious we think

To have suffered 

So many falls 

But still find our way out

Now our days 

Are quiet

We count our blessings

Put them in a row

They shine

Like votive candles 

We take a deep breath

Halfway between night

And day

The silver lining is 

That we are here 

That we can sing 

And savour our words

As long as we have words

Everything will be fine 

She smiles 

And I smile back at her. 

Wednesday

It is Wednesday 

And this is what 

I know

Today we will play with words

Pluck them down 

Like apples from a tree

Juicy and sweet

Not tart

Like deep winter apples

They are rich

Like nectar 

We savour them

Over our tongue

As if in anticipation

For summer fruit 

The blossom leaves returning 

The dust blown away

How curious it is

For the world to turn

She giggles

We have been in this room

For many a year

Finding words

Spilling them like petals

Onto the page

They leave a delicate line

Upon our skin

As if each poem is part of us

Lived

Believed 

Shared 

With a special few 

We are careful who we let in

But welcome those who do

With kindness and light 

Today it is Wednesday

And it is a happy day

Because we can play with words. 

Maze

We are small

Like two frail mice

Curiously prowling

Around the edges of

A maze

We sigh at dead ends

Places with dripping taps

And rusty doors

The orange glow

Of morning 

Edging us on

Trying to entice us into being

A little more impetuous 

The warmth of the sun

Penetrates our skin

Helps us move

Foot over foot

The maze is crude 

But not simple enough

To solve quickly 

Perhaps the pleasure is in 

Exploring 

Not solving 

We look up

The sky is big and blue

We maybe small

Be we are a part of this world

Forever searching 

Forever moving

Forever being us. 

Ghost

I look at her

She is my little ghost

Light as a feather 

On my shoulder

She is always with me

She keeps me alive

Lets me see Wonderland

Her adventures

Full of cream cakes 

And piping hot tea

I would like to ask her

What it is like

To come back

Or never die 

Do you have to believe 

To carry on being

Maybe it's more important

That those you haunt believe 

She giggles 

As if I am realising 

Who she is 

She knows lots of things 

Places them gently in my head 

To play and think 

To sleep and be

She keeps me safe

And makes me want to keep 

Her safe too

My little ghost

Light as a feather

Always on my shoulder. 

Magical Shoes

I look at her tiny feet

Swinging happily

Under the table

She wears shiny black shoes

With silver buckles

Patent leather

Only the best for this little girl

She sings happily to herself 

I think of another girl

One with shiny red slippers

Click them three times

And she could go home

How magical 

How strange

When home is wherever 

Your feet are 

I do not like wearing shoes

I like my toes to feel the ground

And I am already at home

No need for magic

Or spells

Sometimes it would be good

To explore

To feel sand

And water 

To run 

Carefree and young

Along the Yellow Brick Road

Mostly our adventures

Are in our dreams

Or daydreams 

I correct

Would we change shoes

With someone else

Give up all that has been

Sometimes it is a thought

That crosses our mind

Mainly we are old and quiet

Cracking our spines 

Hoping that we can walk

See the skies and the birds

Daily magics 

Small miracles

That is the shoes 

That we wish for.

Curl

She wraps the tips

Of her curls

Around her little fingers

The blonde strands

Flicker in the sunlight 

Splitting the air

Through space and time 

A perfect circle of being 

She was born with

A strong spirit 

Knew how to the play

The game

Solve puzzles

Have adventures

Come to a stage of rest 

A place where words

Are the key

My scars glow

Milky white

In the faint light of the moon 

A mark of my adventures

A sign of life

Which bonds us together

She has scars 

That cannot be seen

But they are in her movements

Perhaps twisting her hair

Never being still 

Is her wound 

I look at her face

It glows 

Perhaps in our world

We are happy 

Content 

Like the curls falling from 

Her brow

We move along

Like a wave coming into the shore.

What we Know

I am not sure if

We know a lot

Or a little

She swings her legs

Sitting on the window sill

The skies are full of snow

What we do know

Is not of much use

To anybody else 

I conclude 

She tuts 

I am not sure if she

Thinks 

I am right or wrong

She is licking the icing sugar

Off of her tiny fingers

I suppose we have seen

And done

Quite a few things

We have watched

And listened

Almost always in silence

Paying due diligence

To what is being told

But inside rebelling

Not wishing to conform 

We are our own spirits 

So perhaps everything we 

Know is obscure 

This she likes

And hops down off her perch

Like a bird

Chasing berries 

What we do know

We have turned into words

What we don't 

We will think about 

If it is golden we will hold it close

If it is dust

We will cast it away

I wonder what today will bring

She dances and sings

Whatever you choose it to be 

As if by magic 

We have filled up the page

With thoughts 

Little glimpses of what we know

And space for what we need to learn. 

Bridges

How we will get

From here

To there

She asks

I look at the swirling water

The river that runs

Through this town

Well Little Cricket

I think we will 

Have to go over the bridge

She holds my hand

Her fingers

Pulse with electricity

Excitement 

Maybe a little fear

We are both used

To falling 

And will hug the wall

Of the old stone bridge

We will walk 

Step by step

No gaps between us 

We do not know

Quite what is over the bridge

But it is where we 

Have to travel 

A journey we must make

As others have done before us 

Neither of us think

That once we have crossed over

We will have to come back

Perhaps when we do

The sky will be peppered

With stars and milk white moonbeams 

We take a deep breath

Cling firmly to each other

And take our first steps

Over the bridge.

Ribbons

Our scars are no longer

Like chains 

Like birds in flight

They float like ribbons

On our skin 

We no longer feel the need

To hide our face

In veils 

Draw our body in sheets 

The lumps are like beads

A rosary

A reminder

Of all we have been through

Our life

Our being 

Of our survival 

The grounds have shifted

Beneath our feet

Something inside has switched

The shaft of the rabbit hole

Recedes into a glorious

Pink sky

The key is our mantra

Minute by minute

Hour by hour

Day by day

Word by word 

That is the way

She whispers

And I hold her hand

With a deep and soothing sigh. 

Word of the Year

What has been your favourite word

I ask 

As the light fades

I like soft words

She replies 

Like sugar and clouds

Magic and stars

Words that charm

And draw you in 

The sky is pinkish grey

Perhaps it will snow 

That's like 

Spun sugar 

I think 

We wrap the blanket 

Around our shoulders 

It is pink and fluffy

Fine wool

That leaves a trail 

Of fabric

Soft and warm

Like a hug 

Like her favourite words 

For one moment 

All feels well

We are not spinning 

We can sit still now

Enjoy our tea 

And cake 

The best words 

Come to those who wait 

I think

Like a magnet 

They are attracted 

To your soul.

Me and You

I often wonder 

Who is oldest

Me or you

I look at my reflection

In the window

I am grown

Marked by life

Full of lines

Greyness

Pink cheeks

Signs of worry

I turn around and look 

At you

You are forever young

Tumbling blonde hair

Thick as spun sugar

Sparkling blue eyes

Adventure in your soul

We sit in silence for a moment

Unsure of the question

I could be your mother

I say out loud 

But that doesn't feel quite right

In many ways you mother me

She giggles and twirls in glee

Perhaps both of us are unsure

Of what a mother is 

We are both alone

Running through corridors

Eating cake 

And drinking tea

But in being alone

We are together 

Two souls 

Paired and joined

Perhaps it is like sisters 

Or closest friends 

We like that thought 

Very much 

The light fades

Another day closes 

I draw the curtains 

No need to see reflections any more 

We are enough for ourselves

We can dream

Catch words

And play 

One minute adult

One minute child. 

To Begin Again

Every day is a blank page

Waiting to explode

With ink 

And breath

It is funny how time passes

Sometimes slow

But always over too soon

I feel it slip away

Like a receding wave 

Just out of touch 

But whooshing in my ears

Memories 

And possibilities 

Adventures to be had

Battles to be chosen 

This year

We will walk on 

Step by tiny step

It has to be better 

She whispers 

Stand tall

Walk without falling 

Leave the window for rainy days

Step outside when the sun shines

And the air is crisp 

We both sigh

But not in anger or tiredness

It is the ache and yearning 

To begin again.

Music

When we were young

We always carried a song

In our head

It floated us away

From the darkness and the pain

The voices familiar

Like parents

In the absence of parents

Like hope

In the absence of hope

When we heard the singing 

We did not feel alone

We joined in

Followed the rhythm 

And the beat

Perhaps we smiled

Perhaps we laughed

Safe in our bubble

Of sound and belonging 

The words guided us

The sound thrilled us 

Made us want to shout 

Out loud 

Not like the silence 

Painted on our lips 

We are older now 

But we still sing

Follow tunes in our head

As we walk

The repetition stops us falling

The warmth of the noise 

Wraps us up

Like a child 

In a favourite blanket

We will always have music

As long as we can imagine 

We will never forget

The sounds that saved us

Or the ones now

That make life richer.