HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE - A POEM

 I haven't brought down any poetry books from the shelf in a while. I had a few quiet moments yesterday, drinking a cup of coffee, working on a blog post. I happened to look up and there they were, beckoning me to take one down. I chose "Talking to the Wild" by Becky Hemsley. Next to Mary Oliver, she is one of my favorites. It was a good hour before I got back to blogging, reading these lovely poems took over. 

You tell me that I'm childish

Seeing magic in the world

That there's no room for enchantment

On this scientific earth

You give me explanations

And you hand me charts and graphs

For you say there can't be magic

In the company of fact

But I'll argue that there's magic

In a new-born baby's cry

And in how that baby heard

Its mother's heart beat from inside.

I'll tell you that it's magic 

How a butterfly exists

That there's something most spellbinding

About metamorphosis

There's magic in the differences 

Between each flake of snow

And in people finding footprints 

From a million years ago

I'll tell you that it's magic

How the tides move with the moon

And how the sun can split a raindrop

Into seven different hues

It's magic how a spider 

Weaves a complex fragile web

And how all the words of years of songs

Are stored inside our heads

But you'll tell me there's no magic

For this all can be explained

Yet, to me, there's magic dancing 

In the workings of our brains

See, the danger is our knowledge

Means there's little awe to spare

But if we stop looking for magic

Then we'll never see it there.

~Magic by Becky Hemsley~

My photo was taken in Manassas (Virginia), and is an old one from 2009. We decided to treat ourselves to breakfast at Bob Evans after running a few errands. As we were leaving the restaurant, we looked up at the sky and this was what we saw. I don't think I have seen a sky like it since, and I look up all the time. This was special enough to make both our mouths drop open. It was glorious! Straight out of the camera taken with a little point-and-shoot.

Wishing you all a great Sunday.

A POEM

Another long one but worth the read I think.

You stand and face the mirror

And you magnify your flaws

You focus on the features

That are so uniquely yours

But their uniqueness doesn't matter

For they simply don't conform

To the criteria of beauty

They've convinced you is the norm

They make believe that beauty

Doesn't go beneath your skin

That you simply can't be pretty

If you have a crooked grin

They say your eyes can't be too small

Your nose can't be too big

That your lips must be just right

Not over full and not too thin

They say your ears must not stick out

Your hair can't be too wild

Only those with tick-box beauty

May be physically admired

But those obsessed by beauty

Are the ones who can't be free

Because they're limited by what

Somebody else says they should be

So next time you face the mirror

And you smile your crooked grin

Remember beauty's just a tower

That society's trapped you in

And you think you can't escape

Because you think there is no key

But you simply need to re-define

The walls of your beauty

by

Becky Hemlsey from her book 

Talking to the Wild - The Bedtime Stories We Never Knew We Needed

Poem: The Tower

Preface: "What is a beautiful face without a beautiful soul?"

Page 27

Becky is wise beyond her years. 

Becky Hemsley is an author I discovered last year and am so happy I did because when reading her poetry, I find myself saying, "Wow!" Becky lives in Leicestershire, UK, with her husband, two boys and their dog. She was formerly a primary school teacher for 15 years but now writes full-time and has written four collections. The first - entitled 'Talking to the Wild', which features the poem 'Breathe'. Also, another book now which is a follow on, 'What the Wild Replied. I treated myself to these two books. She also has two further regular collections, and one of loss and grief poetry, as well as three children's books, one of which is an illustrated version of 'Breathe', which I have also shared here, and a children's book of the poem 'Starlight'. She is drawn to, and moved by, nature and its consistencies with human emotion (this I can attest to). In her words, "I often think the phrase 'human nature' is a good one to describe my thought process when writing. I aim to make a difference with words by helping people realize they are not alone."  She really is an amazing poet!

SHE HEARD…

And she stopped…

and she heard what the trees 

said to her,

and she sat there for hours

not wanting to leave.

For, the forest said nothing,

it just let her breathe.

by Becky Hemsley 

I have shared Becky’s poetry on here before. She is an author who lives in Leicestershire, UK, with her husband, two boys and their dog. She was formerly a primary school teacher for 15 years, but now writes full-time and has written four collections. The first - entitled 'Talking to the Wild', which features the poem 'Breathe'. Also, another book now which is a follow on, 'What the Wild Replied. I treated myself to these two books. I can highly recommend them. She also has two further regular collections, and one of loss and grief poetry, as well as three children's books, one of which is an illustrated version of 'Breathe'). She is drawn to, and moved by, nature and its consistencies with human emotion (this I can attest to). In her words, "I often think the phrase 'human nature' is a good one to describe my thought process when writing. I aim to make a difference with words by helping people realize they are not alone."  She really is an amazing poet and sounds like a wonderful human being.

HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE - A POEM

 Another wonderful poem from Becky Hemsley. A long poem, but well worth reading through to the end in my humble opinion.

I learned from my mother 

That women are strong

That life can be difficult 

But we go on.  

She taught to be soft

On those finding life hard 

To help protect those

Who’ve already been scarred

To work when I need to

But otherwise play

That night time’s for dreaming

But so is the day

To be gentle with those

Who are tough on themselves 

To share out my love

But save some for myself

To stand up to those

Who would walk over me

To hold up my head

When I’m down and feel weak 

To only apologise

When I am wrong

To know that there’s always

A place I belong

To trust in my future

And treasure my past

To smash it each time

That the ceiling is glass

To find the lessons

In relationships lost 

Because some things in life

Are not worth what they cost

But what she taught most 

About life and of worth 

Was that it is only 

The best I deserve

And maybe your mother

Has taught you the same 

But if she has not 

Well, then I’m here today

To say that you too

Deserve only the best

To live out the life

That exists in your head 

To find your own strength 

And to dream and stand tall 

To trust you might fly

When you think you could fall 

So never stop dreaming

And never give up

 And trust when I say 

You are worthy of love

What I Learned 

by 

Becky Hemsley

from her book What the Wild Replied

Poems from Human Nature

(The flowers come from photos taken throughout the year at various gardens.)

A POEM

She sat at the back

And they said she was shy

She led from the front 

And they hated her pride

They asked her advice

And then questioned her guidance

They branded her loud

And were shocked by her silence 

When she shared no ambition 

They said it was sad

So she told them her dreams

And they said she was mad

They told her they’d listen

Then covered their ears

And gave her a hug

Whilst they laughed at her fears

And she listened to all of it

Thinking she should 

Be the girl they told her to be

Best as she could

But one day she asked 

What was best for herself

Instead of trying 

To please everyone else 

So she walked to the forest 

And stood with the trees

She heard the wind whisper 

And dance with the leaves

And she spoke to the willow 

The elm and the pine

And she told them what she’d been told

Time after time

She told them she never 

Felt nearly enough 

She was either too little

Or far, far too much

Too loud or too quiet

Too fierce or too weak

Too wise or too foolish 

Too bold or too meek

Then she found a small clearing 

Surrounded by firs

And she stopped and she heard

What the trees said to her

And she sat there for hours

Not wanting to leave

For the forest said nothing…

It just let her breathe

~Breathe by Becky Hemsley~

Becky Hemsley is an author I have only recently discovered and am so happy I did because when reading her poetry, I find myself saying, "Wow!" Becky lives in Leicestershire, UK, with her husband, two boys and their dog. She was formerly a primary school teacher for 15 years, but now writes full-time and has written four collections. The first - entitled 'Talking to the Wild', which features the poem 'Breathe'. Also, another book now which is a follow on, 'What the Wild Replied. I treated myself to these two books. She also has two further regular collections, and one of loss and grief poetry, as well as three children's books, one of which is an illustrated version of 'Breathe'). She is drawn to, and moved by, nature and its consistencies with human emotion (this I can attest to). In her words, "I often think the phrase 'human nature' is a good one to describe my thought process when writing. I aim to make a difference with words by helping people realize they are not alone."  She really is an amazing poet!

The yellow flower is from my archives.  Its name is Goldencup St. John’s wort, botanical name Hypericum patulum.