Cameo

If I could I would capture your beauty

In fine brush strokes

Paint it on delicate pink porcelain

I would capture the spirit in you

Your youth and wisdom

Your knowing 

I would use fine black brush strokes

So your face would be permanently captured

Remembered for all time

For all who might find you 

And need your company too

Your shining companionship 

Perhaps I would capture your eyes in sky blue

Pair it with red for your rosy cheeks 

Your lips would curve upwards

In that warm smile you have

The reassurance you have given me 

Over the years

Through the trials and tribulations 

The recent happiness and clarity of mind 

All part of the journey we have made

There are no wrinkles or marks on your face

But there is still a sense of story 

The way you hold your chin up 

The resilience in your jaw

Of course I would paint your portrait side on

As if watching you lying down from my spot in the bed

You sitting on the windowsill

How I used to view you 

In darker days

Now I am more used to looking straight ahead

Of greeting you face to face 

Of seeing the magnificence of your smile

Perhaps you have been painted many times

But each painting would be different 

If there is ever a day when I will lose you

I would like a reminder of how much you meant to me

I would treasure your essence 

Pin it on my shirt 

Carry you with me

Proud that I have known you

Got close enough to turn you into a cameo

A treasure to be kept forever.  

Clover

We put the green clover leaf in our pocket

We fondle it as gently as a favourite toy

In the quiet sweetness of half-light

It will bring us luck 

Separate us from our racing dreams

Which feel loud and intrusive

Too much for us to process

So huge and overwhelming 

Stories and colour and light

So vibrant and scary and loud

They could shatter glass

Like a scream 

An unsolved mystery or fate

Something that could make the windows break

Like an uncooked egg falling to the ground

Its contents spilling 

We feel we would have to mend them

Put the pieces back together with glue

Like fixing a jigsaw puzzle

But with more chance of bloodshed and tears

She giggles  

I take in the whirring thoughts

Strong, like heart beats 

I take deep breaths 

And centre myself on the leaf

Feel its fragile edges

The moistness to touch 

Amazed at its temporary freshness

We wonder, when winter comes 

Will there still be bad dreams

And the need for clover leaves

Or will be even stronger still

Able to weather further storms 

We fix tea and cake

A sugary snack and warm amber drink

To see us safely though to morning 

Perhaps when sunlight rises 

And the temperature does too

We will dry out our little clover leaf

Gently place it in a wooden press

And preserve it for luck on all our nights

Now and forever 

I gently caress each little soft leaf 

Certain that morning will come

Happy to have had the magic of half-light

A place to find words

And a moment to feel how lucky we are. 

For Shay's Word Garden 

Last Minute

We link arms and walk down the

Warm concrete street 

The trees fading slightly in the heat

We do not like to be late 

Always on time 

We mustn’t, we mustn’t be late

Alice giggles in memory of the Rabbit Hole

Enjoying being above ground

Walking together 

Taking life at our own pace 

The air is full of chatter and colours

Life, we think in unison

It bumbles along

In happiness, contentement 

A warmth that has long since been lacking 

It is good to enjoy the summer sky

To be awake 

And present 

To rediscover words and books

Tastes of cherries and lightly fried mushrooms 

Both rich and gloopy

Sliding down our tongues

Rubbing on our tastebuds 

Comfortably filling our tummies 

Perhaps we are a little less scared

Of being

Leaving a faint footprint in the sand 

A marker of our existence

Our true self

Which is emerging 

Like a butterfly from a chrysalis 

How we are learning to live

To enjoy the little things

The slow actions which linger

The jolts of excitement 

Which are over in a flash

Leaving us with a beating pulse

An inner rhythm 

A happier song 

Perhaps our becoming was last minute

Perhaps it came when it was needed 

When we were ready 

To welcome it with open arms 

We are glad it did

We are glad of so many things

We will taste every second, every minute 

And cast the pocket watch away 

Cover up the Rabbit Hole with flowers

And skip over the freshly healed land. 

Changing Times

It feels as if times are changing

As if we have opened up

Like a chrysalis

We look up to the sky now

Not at our feet

We wear colour 

Pink and pale blue 

Like clouds 

And toffee sweet thoughts

Smooth colourful beads which soothe our skin

Hearing them click together

On their silver chain 

Make us smile

We like the memory each bead holds

The shifting patterns

As we play them through our fingers 

Memories of a summer holiday

A warm embrace

The ability to enjoy our time

With the ones we love

Perhaps we are more open now

A little wiser 

A little more settled 

Our birthday was an epiphany

And hitting bottom

Scaring ourselves 

With a thundercloud bump

A low which struck us down to the floor 

Rendered us unconscious 

Made our eyes roll

And our face look sunken 

Lost

So unhappy but so distant from ourselves 

That we did not know the feeling at the time

I look at her pale sea blue eyes

Skin so soft and tender 

We will continue to enjoy our changing times

Perhaps even make each day

Better and better

Time after all 

Gets better with age

I hold her hand tight 

And we lose each other in thought and peace. 

Cuckooville

Where did you go, Little Cricket
Did you fall down the Rabbit Hole again
Or are you happy here with me in cuckooville
Music sways in the wind
Touches our ears 
As the wind blows in from the sea
We are no longer furious or annoyed 
We are happy
Sat in our library at home 
All the worlds within 
Ready to be explored and savoured
Our pencil drags over paper 
Washing away our sadness
The bad things which 
Made us unhinged 
A raging bitch goddess 
She giggles in delight
Happy and free
Her hands elegantly wrapped 
Around mine 
We watch each other in awe
Two as one 
The cows graze in the field 
Busy at their work
We watch them from the window
High in the fields beyond 
Sometimes we wish we could
Touch the grass
It looks soft and verdant
Like recently washed hair
Bouncy and soft
Sometimes you can smell the grass
Wafting in on the breeze 
Through the open window
We welcome it politely 
As we take tea 
And relax 
After another fine day 
Full of adventures and love 
It feels like we are no longer hostage
To our addictions 
More human than robot
No longer a puppet in our downfall
As the sun fades
We will sweep the floor with the wooden broom
It will make a fine noise
Like walking on crispy leaves 
We are happy here
In our difference, the people we have become
The home we have found 
This sense of being
This cuckooville. 

For Shay's Word Garden

Zigzag

We sing in trembling voices

Zigzagging through melodies 

Connected in mind and body 

A sweet tune 

Played in the summer sun 

Voices soft as silk 

Hands intwined like branches

Or soft rose petals

Falling to the ground 

Drowsy and content 

Happy that they have bloomed

And fallen 

Used their time well

An old crow flies overhead

We pay it no heed

We wish for blue-tits and robins 

The crows are too much like prophets

Dark and over-bearing 

Spreading messages in our head

Ones we care not to listen to any more 

Now our road is forged 

In moon dreams 

Colours and stars 

Lifting our prayers 

Gently into the sky 

Sometimes they are answered 

Sometimes they linger in the air

Full, like rain clouds 

The sun warms our skin

We smell of strawberries and cedar wood 

Rich scents that coat our days 

As lingering as perfume 

Warming and comforting 

Part in nature

Part in our home 

Worn and earthy 

A place where we can be and dream 

Wrap our arms around each other 

And say all is well

A warm embrace between 

Two friendly souls

Wrapped all together and safe.  

Small Things

We began living again 

By doing small things

Staying awake in the daytime

Going for a walk 

Seeing the trees and clouds

The sun peeking out 

Trying to warm us up 

Eating ripe strawberries 

In the afternoons

Sitting in our chair

Taking tea in the morning 

Giggling with excitement 

With the feeling that 

We are finally moving forward 

Or at least are not hurting ourselves 

Or others

Growing up 

We conclude 

With a smile

Small things lead to bigger things 

And we are changing 

Evolving 

Learning from our misadventures

It was not long ago that

We were standing on the ledge

Ready to jump 

But one shock

One terror 

Made us take a step back 

Back onto the roof

Down the steps and with a click 

And a snap

Back into our room 

Where the work began 

Making up a comfortable bed

Learning to be awake

Tolerating the noise of life

The sound of other people being 

The sound of being sober

And fully awake 

I take her hand in mine

Neither of us shake any more

And our skin is soft and cared for 

Not left because it was too painful 

To remember

And so the small things are our building blocks

But they are doorways and windows

Not solid brick walls 

They make us stronger

More certain 

And we gradually open them up

To the world. 

Elegy

I look in the mirror

Feel sad for the face 

That I have lost

Long since burnt away

I do not remember a time without scars

This is my face now 

I try to accept

Smile

But it is hard 

Normally I do not look at it

But I feel it

The ridges under my fingertips

When I wash 

Or the sun and the rain 

Bouncing off the taut skin

Not absorbing 

Into the stitched up skin 

I look at her face

How smooth and soft

Young it is

Full of hope 

I hope she remains without 

A mark of her adventures

Written on her skin

Or in her soul

Perhaps like me it is a time 

We cannot forget because 

It is written on us

In us

It is our story

Unique and special 

Perhaps we wouldn’t change 

Our adventures

As if erasing the past would erase

Who we are now 

Who we are settling into being

Seeing the flowers and cards

Smiling not weeping 

Feeling something 

Not nothingness 

Like the burning 

Which floated us off into an oblivion of pain

We have lost a great deal 

But now we are filling in the gaps 

Accepting our face

Our battered body 

And we are reaching peace

An acceptance

A doorway into happier days.

Ceremony

The bells ring out

As if in ceremony 

A sweet sound 

Ringing out in the ashen skies

Like whispering voices

Soothing and sure 

There is a hasty mix

Of city and nature 

We miss the spires

But like to know

We are never far from shells 

And sand 

The waves lapping our feet 

In the airy breeze 

Gentle as the speech we have

One to another 

In the still of the night 

When another day has passed 

In quiet peace

We are so thankful not to be 

Dragged down by toxic thoughts

Toxic actions 

Things that cheated us

Of minutes

Hours

And years 

A dark force that wanted us dead

Now we are as free as tigers

Wandering the plains 

Content as mouths

Warmed from fresh bread

Eaten warm out of the oven 

The sun falls 

The night-time sky is peppered with stars

We look through the curtains

See The Plough 

And other constellations we cannot quite name

We linger over the crescent moon

Say a silent prayer

Our special, new ceremony 

A celebration of all that is 

And all that might be ahead. 

For Shay's Word Garden 

https://fireblossom-wordgarden.blogspot.com/2024/07/word-garden-word-list-richard-wilbur.html

Embrace

I cross the summer air

Hold her hand in an embrace

A garland of pearls

Woven around her wrist

Shining and sweet

No more puzzles from 

The Mock Turtle 

All trips and falls vanishing 

Into the night

We fall heavy on our beds

After a day well spent 

A mist floating us off into dreams

Like a cloud of buttercream 

And cake 

We enjoy the reveries of time

Speak each others names

Softly on our tongues 

Like prayers

Laugh and tip our heads back

Hair floating down her shoulders

Long and soft

Bright as crystals 

Shining in the sun 

A moment of perfection 

Although we no longer worship

At the altar of perfection 

Rather the peace of contentment

Of just right 

It feels as if we are building our world

Strong walls

Open doors

Big windows 

Eyes no longer blurring

In half life

I enjoy these moments of embrace

This connection to the world

It feels solid

Like concrete under our feet 

Real and true

Like a chiming bell clear and sweet

And pretty 

Singing over the miles. 

Old Into New

It started in Autumn 

Almost twenty years ago

A pear sitting in a bowl

Reproaching me 

I was new to words then

Alice wasn’t with me 

I was lost and angry

Searching for something

To occupy my hands

My mind 

To say something

Anything 

How quickly the years tumbled on

Through troubles 

Sadness and pain

Into the growing peacefulness of now

Would I change the journey 

If I did the story might change

The words may not have followed 

A pattern 

It is all a process

Of learning 

(In words and life)

Playing 

Daring 

Sharing 

So two lines turned to twelve

Then twelve lines turned to twenty-four

Sometimes more 

When my head was a puzzle

Ruined by powder and dust 

The words still stayed 

Gave me an anchor 

But they were not good words

Words I would not be happy with now

But I will keep them

As a record

A diary

Now it feels as if I am searching for light

For her gentle hand 

Resting in mine

Guiding me 

Giving me focus 

So the pear no longer reproaches us

The bowl is full of fresh, new, fruit 

Strawberries and berries 

A joy to devour 

We smile 

So happy we found each other 

And the world of words

It gave us. 

Friendship

I look into her bright blue eyes

My ever faithful companion and friend

How many adventures have we weathered 

Quite a few she giggles 

We are glad that we are now home

Making a home

Nesting

Just like we made our friendship 

It takes work 

To lift ourselves up from the dark place

To keep going 

To make things better 

But, my, how much is it worth it

To find the light 

To make a home

To fill it with colour and life

And we do live now 

Not just exist 

We are happy with the friends we have 

Our beautiful sister 

Our poetry friends

People who have stood by us 

Through the peaks and troughs

Waiting with me for the page to turn

For a new beginning

An awakening 

They wished it before me

But I am catching up

Listening to their wishes 

Of hope and love 

Their hope for me to have something better

A life worth living 

We embrace each day

Find our simple pleasures

I smile at her as she sits upon her seat

Legs swinging 

Enjoying the first cup of tea of the day 

Sweet and warm

It fills our tummy with a glow

Another small sunshine inside us

How we wish we could have grown 

A little sooner 

But this is the path we have 

And for that we are truly thankful 

Thankful for my friendships 

The gentleness and kindness of people who care. 

For 'What’s Going On'

Candy

We sip tea from a fine porcelain mug

The mug is pink and feels warm 

Full of tasty clouds 

Sweet as cupcakes

Eaten at the table on a rainy day 

The candy is unwrapped

The sugar devoured

We giggle and sparkle with energy 

Spin in circles in our thoughts

No longer chasing Rabbit

Or falling down holes

Wonderland is a place to be remembered

Not a place to call home

This is home 

And we did not have to click our heels

Three times to find it

We had to build it 

With all the love and care

We remembered from long ago

It is not a replica of a place or time

It is something new

Something that belongs to us

Something we have had to build 

For ourselves 

That we have built it ourselves

Feels more rewarding 

Our home is no longer a secret

The memories of bad things are included

But we are slowly wiping them away 

Packing them up in bags

And floating them off to sea 

We are glad we have our foundations 

That our soul was not completely destroyed 

Perhaps the path to this place

Was exactly what it should have been 

Full or errors but also triumphs 

A work of art in progress

So we listen to the whispers inside 

Keep going 

You are doing well

And the tiny steps forward 

Are as sweet as candy

Dissolving on our tongue. 

For Shay's Word Garden Poetry List

Wishes

We send wishes 

Curling up into the sky

As we lie in our nesting bed

Eyes half closed 

Lucid dreaming 

We wrap our arms 

Around each other 

As we head to the edge of the land 

The gap between land and sea 

Is a tiny void 

The sea vast and alive

We blink the salt from our eyes

Giggle in excitement 

At the prospect of flight 

Freedom and space

Marvel at the world below us 

Green and blue

And full of flowers and trees

As magical as we can paint it 

We take a deep breath, leap and soar 

We could float and dream 

Forever and ever 

Happy in our thoughts 

Mindful of falls 

But strong in the will 

To stay above the water

To be cocooned in our wishes of goodness

And luck 

The wind is kind to us 

Holds us tightly in its eddies 

And peaks

Although we are lying still 

We can feel movement

In our dream we are loose

Moving without pain 

Without the weight and scars of age 

We keep our eyes half open 

Half closed

So we don’t wake up with a jerk 

A trip and a fall off a pavement 

Or landing with a missed breath on the floor

We savour our wishes 

Our freedom to dream

Enjoy the silence of the morning 

And the rain sliding down the windows 

Welcoming in another day. 

A Dirty Job

We wash the sheets 

It’s a dirty job

But someone has to do it 

It’s not dirty she protests 

It’s about making our world 

More comfortable and sparkling 

We feel as if we are growing 

Becoming something different 

We watch the flowers

Churning around in the water 

Washing away sleepless nights

If only we could have happy dreams 

Peaceful sleep

Live in the daytime

Take cover at night 

The noise upstairs troubles us 

Makes us scared 

Worse than nightmares

Because it’s real 

A threat and an intrusion 

Why do some people 

Feel the need to proclaim their presence

Dominate 

We make our home pretty 

Wish it was a cottage in the forest 

With no one near 

Just flowers and grass

A washing line 

To hang out the clean sheets

So they smell like summer 

We apply balm to our lips 

Drink cool, fresh water

Perhaps today is a turning day

Tomorrow we will have plants 

Three little cacti to make our room breathe 

Each day there has to be a treat 

Simple

Definable 

Something that counts 

We listen to the radio

Type out our words 

A good job

We agree 

Clean and tidy 

Neat and sparse. 

Rain

The tiny raindrops freckle 

The hot cement below

We wake up early

The skies are not yet blue 

The flowers have been watered 

Their loose heads strewn 

On the path that we walk

We step over them

Do not crush them further 

The air is still 

Humid and sticky 

We sit still 

Looking out of the window 

Dreaming and thinking 

Not quite believing how we are changing 

Like the weather 

Finally growing up perhaps 

That would be good

Laughs Alice

She has been old

Ever since she was young

Adventuring and drinking potions

Nibbling on cake 

I am glad she is still with me 

I wonder if there will be a day

When we have to say goodbye 

Her eyes dart to mine

Vivid and blue 

Like the later day skies 

When the rain has cleared

And the mist has risen 

We walk and wonder

Each step moving towards 

Something better 

Perhaps we will be stronger still

When the autumn showers come

Steadier on our feet 

A little older still 

Today we will watch the sky clear 

Tumble out our words

Each day a gift to ourselves

A way of saying thank you. 

Busyness

The lily sits on the shelf

Standing still

Tall and crisp and white

It doesn’t match our thoughts

Which flit and float

Like fish 

Darting and swimming in a pool

Their scales shining 

Like jewellery 

The gentle rain splashing on the water 

Making the ripples swift 

Like the flapping wings of a bird

Taking off 

Alice swings her feet 

Sings happily

Always nearby

A faithful companion 

An anchor to the world

We are feeling calm

Despite the busyness 

In our head

It is good to be busy in the day

Then to be tried at night

And finally sleep 

Conjure up magical dreams 

No longer the dreadful nightmares

Which buried us like

Dust on a coffin

We lie on the freshly laundered sheets

Fresh and fragrant as flowers

It makes us feel cleansed

Renewed  

We read our books 

Write our words

Open up the hidden treasures 

Like opening a treasure chest 

Filling up the hours

Walking forward in tiny steps

Which will all add up to miles

Time passes

In gold and silver minutes

Shiny pennies dropping in a wishing well

We silently whisper our hopes 

That there will forever be 

Busyness 

The sun

And peace

The moon.