Coffee & Cake

Posted on by estlh

Writing poetry can be a funny business. Inspiration can come from all sorts of places, and often a few lines will come to me when I am in the middle of doing something entirely unconnected to writing. This is why I am never more than a few feet from a notebook, and if one cannot be reached then the voice recorder on my phone comes in useful. At night I make sure my notebook is on the bedside table open on a blank page so if inspiration strikes in the night I can jot it down without turning on the light, (and just hope I can interpret the scrawl in the morning!) When it comes to actually sitting down and writing one of my favourite places to do this is in a coffee shop. With a sweet treat and a hot drink I can sit and write to my hearts content. And when the words are not flowing I can people watch and let my imagination tell me the stories of those around me. At times I will write something from scratch, but often I will use one of my notebooks or voice notes as a starting point. But just because I originally wrote a few lines or phrases inspired by X or Y, that does not mean the poem I actually write has anything to do with X or Y. It is not at all uncommon for the poem I end up with to have very little to do with what I was inspired by in the first place, and for the poem I write to comes as a bit of a surprise. Often something innocuous and unextraordinary can lead to a deeply personal poem. Poetry can sometimes feel a bit like opening myself up and letting my bare soul fall on the page, which is why not everything I write gets shared!

Coffee and cake, paper and pen

Thoughts pouring out of my head once again

Into the light of the stark black and white

No longer hidden from my own sight.

Forced to acknowledge what I would ignore

I knew this would happen – it’s happened before

I try to write fiction, to make myself smile

But unpleasant truths escape all the while

Sat in my seat watching people unwind

While I pour out the disquiet of my mind

And yet though this poem was not my intent

The words express all that inside me is pent

Releasing the tension, unwinding the coil

Freeing the ire that within my head boils

And so by the time I at last drain my cup

Unburdened, I pack up my pen and stand up.

Show me again

Posted on by estlh

Show me again the tree beneath whose boughs we one time laid
While dappled sunshine warmed our skin and daring plans were made
Sit with me once again beneath the knarled and ancient limbs
And reminisce those sunny hours until the daylight dims

Show me again the river wide upon whose banks we lay
While summers breeze blew over us and we whiled the day away
Lie with me once again among the luscious burn side grass
And hand in mine gaze heavenward to watch the white clouds pass

Show me again the tenderness which caught for you my heart
The gentle touch and whispered words your true love did impart
Hold me once more in loving arms, my head against your chest
And marvel with me at how our life most truly has been blest.

The Quiet Place

Posted on by estlh

Is it just me or does life seem to have gotten SO busy. There seems to be an endless flow of distractions and intrusions that hinder me. Recently I have been reading a book called The ruthless elimination of hurry. (Ok, I confess; listening to – I’m far too busy to sit down with a book!) The book itself is an easy read, but it asks some challenging questions about our modern lifestyle. Written by John Mark Comer, an American pastor, it is written very much from a Christian perspective but there is lots in it to speak to anyone living their life in our crazy, busy, noisy, nonstop, often overwhelming world. The chapter I read (listened to) this week is all about silence and solitude, something that few of us get enough of! After discussing it in our small group I was inspired to write this poem.

In the silence
In the stillness
Of the quiet place
I will seek you
Come towards you
Turn to me your face

I am ready
To hear from you
Speak your truth to me
I will listen
To hear from you
Words so Fatherly

In the silence
In the stillness
Of the quiet place
I will meet you
Be at peace there
Rest in your embrace

Secrets

Posted on by estlh

I generally don’t like keeping secrets. Thankfully most of the secrets I keep revolve around birthday presents, surprise parties and the like, so are short lived. They are also the good kind of secret, the kind that you want to tell because you know the reaction will be positive.

But sometimes the knowledge we keep hidden is heavy to bear and we want to lighten the load by sharing it. Much has been written about how keeping secrets can be bad for our health. Occasionally however, the secrets that we keep are not ours to share.

I wish you had not told me that
I did not want to know
But now that I possess the truth
I cannot let it go
My heart cried out ‘this cannot be,
It can’t, it must be lies
But from your face I knew at once –
I read it in your eyes

That scene now stuck in my mind’s eye
never to be erased,
Delivered to me such a shock
It left me feeling dazed
The Nightmare that now plagues my sleep
And interrupts my rest
Have been my night-time company
Since to me you confessed

And all the while the shame of it
That should be yours not mine
Now Haunts my every waking hour
As if by your design
You have made me your companion
In knowledge of this deed
And I can never now forget
I never will be freed

I would I could just run away
The dread of it to flee
But no matter where I go
The truth will follow me.
For all around is tainted now
My illusions undone
The world is a less pleasant place
Your cloud obscures my sun.

I would you had not shared with me
The burden that you bore
For now I find this secret binds
Us two, for evermore

Resolutions

Posted on by estlh

Today’s prompt was to write about my resolutions. I don’t tend to make resolutions as I am no good at keeping them so I went in a different direction.

I could resolve to give you the world 
To capture the moon in a jar 
To swim the vast wide ocean 
No journey to you too far 

I could resolve to show you the world 
To offer it all on a plate 
To fetch you your heart's desire 
No obstacle would be too great 

I could resolve to offer the world 
In hope that you'd open your heart 
If I were to offer the heavens 
Would you then play your part? 

I could just resolve to be honest 
To tell you the way that I feel 
To let you know you are Loved 
The truth of my passion reveal 

What then would be your resolution 
Will our futures hence intertwine? 
Or will you resolve to dismay me 
I pray you will not be unkind

Word of the day

Posted on by estlh

Sometimes I write poetry because I am inspired by something. It may be an event, an emotion, something I have seen or somewhere I have been. Sometimes I play around with words and phrases, just enjoying the musicality of the english language. There are plenty of poetry prompts to be found on line and sometimes I like to use these as they can be a bit more of a challenge as they may involve writing about something that I really don’t feel inspired by, but it is these kinds of things that I think help exerecise the poetry part of my brain and, I hope, develop my skill. Today’s inspiration comes from the “Word of the day” on one of the writing sites I visit. The word is burglarious.

 
Creeping through the darkness with burglarious intent
 The band of cunning rogues on their wicked way they went.
 Slinking through the village under cover of the night
 Anyone who saw them there would surely get a fright
  
 This motley crew had just one aim, they would not be deterred
 Tales of wealth and riches to this hamlet them had lured
 And finding that the stories they had heard might just be right 
 Decided that it would be worth their while to try one night
  
 Plans had all been made with care, the details checked so well
 Each knew what they had to do, they knew to never tell.
 Whispers of encouragement between them were exchanged
 If they could pull this off their lives forever would be changed
  
 So upon the place they crept, each one would play their part
 They clambered o’er the wall unseen – made a promising start. 
 But that was when it all went wrong for suddenly the light
 Detecting hidden motion hence shone piercing through the night
 
 “Who goes there?” Called a gruff voice from a window way up high
 “Tell me what you’re doing here, also tell me why?”
 Blinded by the sudden light erratically they ran
 They’d thought the place was empty, whoever was this man?
  
 The bunch were not the smartest, all sense now flew from their heads
 They scattered panicked ‘cross the lawn, trampled the flower beds.
 And then the scrape of metal bolts, the squeak of door flung wide
 The snarling, barking dogs flew out, their quarry they espied
  
 But as they fled, little they knew that worse was yet to come, 
 The man stood fuming at the door and cocked his old shot gun
 Terrified the gang all fled back o’er the wall they went
 Back home to rue the day they had burglarious intent.

Bad Habit

Posted on by estlh

There was a little habit bad
That sought to draw me in
I thought it was no large concern
After all, twas was not a sin

But soon this habit bad did grow
No longer satisfied
I clutched it closer to my heart
I schemed, I hid, I Iied.

And more and more it still would grow
It’s hold on me so strong
And from it’s grasp I would not flee
Though now it did me wrong

In time I could ignore no more
The damage that was done
I had to face the truth of it
That I had come undone

But powerful now it’s hold on me
I could not wrestle free
I struggled long, and strove so hard
Yet still it clung to me

And so I faced my deepest fear
I had to now confess
To let another know I was
Embroiled in such a mess

But judging not, they did console
And reached out helping hands
With love and true compassion helped
me once again to stand

And though this habit bad of mine
Still clutches at my heart
I know I can be free of it
For I have made a start

No longer now alone to strive
Supported I can fight
And with true love to build me up
The hold is not so tight

It may take time, it will take work
But I will overcome
My grateful heart will praise for e’er
The faithful, loving one.