For the next few weeks I'm only going to post once a week on a Saturday rather than twice a week.
In our Write Poetry zoom group Sara-Jane introduced us to poems that had strong emotions and an element of urgency. Here are my poems from the three exercises we were given.
The persistence of why
Why is the sky blue?
Why does the moon move
in the night sky?
Why aren’t the stars out tonight?
Why do the clouds hide the sun?
Why do I have to get up?
Why do I have to clean my teeth?
Why do I have to eat green vegetables?
Why do I need to wash?
Why do I have to go to bed
when it’s still daylight?
Why can’t I roll in the mud
like the dog does?
Why can’t I jump in the puddles
like the raindrops do?
Why can’t I swim in the sea
when the waves are high
and crashing on the beach?
Why do you always answer
‘because I said so’?
Sometime Never
Make the time,
take the time to rest,
to dream of future hope.
Don’t say sometime I’ll take the time
to dream and rest
as sometime never comes.
Take the time to take notice
of what you’ve done,
of where you’ve grown,
of where you’ve come from,
of where you are now.
Ignore the social pressure of
‘you’re not enough’.
It’s not true.
You are enough.
You are you, in all your beauty
and your imperfection.
So, take the time, make the time
as sometime never comes.
Not Invisible
I am standing here
Can you not see me?
I am here in front of you
Surely you can see me.
I am standing here
a sixteen not an eight
Quite large really, almost plus size
not a catwalk stick insect.
I am standing here looking
at the shelves, choosing
a flavour of yoghurt
but you step between.
I am standing here.
Can you not see me?
Pushing your trolley
into me while I’m standing here.
I may not be dressed in purple
or wearing a red hat. I’m not
so old that I’ve withered
to a ghost of my former self.
I am standing here,
standing right in front of you,
surely you can see me.
I am not invisible.
Thanks for joining me today
Bernice
