Wishbone

Day: 14

Prompt: ‘Wishbone’

My Poem:

We pull it apart.

I get the bigger half,

but I don’t know what to wish for.

I stopped praying nightly

when the lists became too long.

I’d start by saying

I wanted my grandparents to be happy,

then an hour later I’d be asking God to help me

with homelessness, loneliness and every refugee.

Now being the wisher

ever once in a roast dinner,

having to choose just one wish from a list,

feels like too much pressure.

After the afterlife

Day: 13

Prompt: ‘After the afterlife’

My Poem:

“So it’s true, what they say,

You can have too much of a good thing.

Paradise by night,

Paradise by day,

I’m tired of these same songs the angels always sing.”

“I tried to warn you”, retorts the devil,

“An eternity of anything can be a hell of sorts”.

“I did think reincarnation was a good idea,

But it’s too late now to change I fear”.

“We won’t call it a change, we’re just expanding our range”.

Up God leapt,

“That’s it! A next step!

We’ll give them heaven, they bloody deserve it,

Then off they go, to another new planet.

In this new chapter of their ‘ever after’,

They’ll be free from the boredom of forever,

And surrounded by laughter”.

I’m worried about her

Day: 10

Prompt: ‘I’m worried about her’

My Poem:

I worried about her

For 10 years, on and off,

But mainly on.

I worried

From strokes to falls to gall stones

I worried

Between visits and during them.

I worried

About zimmer frames and wheelchairs,

Hearing aids, glasses and slippers,

The question of care homes and how to curl hair.

I worried

About her dentures and dementia

And independence.

I worried

For ten years that every visit

Might be the last.

I worried

About trip hazards,

Dosset pots, glaucoma and commodes.

And then it finally happened.

I’d do those ten years again if I could,

But now I don’t have to worry.

Paradox

Day: 9

Prompt: ‘Paradox’

My Poem:

Simultaneously seen and unseen

Who I’ve been, what I should be.

I stand here, feet on solid ground

But for you I’m just a dream.

Before I’ve said a sound

You’re looking at future me –

A married, pregnant fantasy

Which you wait for, expectantly.

Pick a card, any card

But when you choose mine

Don’t have an open mind.

Choose my suit to suit your needs

And a number which makes you comfortable.

Because I’m unable

To tell you who I am like you can.

My voice will always come second

To your reactive reckoning

Your prejudice is perfunctory,

Involuntary, but damaging.

Why should I have to

Come out of a lie that you created?

You painted over my canvas

With water-based acrylic norms

And when I stripped away your misconceptions

With white spirit and courage

You had the audacity to respond with rage.

But I wasn’t a liar.

I wasn’t concealing myself.

You covered me up

And made me the denier.

Tessellation

Day: 8

Prompt: ‘Tessellation‘

My Poem:

Part 1:

Translation

I lie in my bed,

My eight-year-old legs

Up in the air,

And notice for the first time

How if I move one foot

Half way up the other

That the heel of my right

Slides seamlessly

Into the arch of the left.

Upon closer inspection,

If my move my toes in the same direction

I can do the same with them.

My thumbs fit together too (!)

I stand in front of my mirror

My 13 year old arms

Hanging down by my side.

With my palms facing forwards

The kink of my elbow

Is perfectly echoed

By the wax and wane of my waist.

It feels secretive

Discovering my body was made for itself.

Part 2:

Image

Part 3:

Reflection

We do not tessellate.

Partially,

the curve of your tummy

in the small of my back,

but not completely.

You were not created for me,

I do not exist for you.

However,

I can’t help but allow my whole

to twist,

not slot,

into yours.

The plies of a rope

interwoven by passion.

(L)on(e)ly

Day: 6

Prompt: ‘(L)on(e)ly’

My Poem:

LONELINESS – Perfect for beginner gardeners

A lethal vine

That takes root in

Your subconscious.

This pernicious plant

May struggle to grow

In overcrowded environments.

However, once settled it

Can be extremely hardy.

Able to withstand a lot of neglect.

THE ANTIDOTE:

This parasitic creeper

May seem tricky to exterminate

But a simple

“I thought of you when -“

“‘- reminded me of you”

“Where were you?”

Or a

Hold of the hand

Stroke of the hair

The correct amount

Of milk and sugar

Even after all these months.

Here’s What I Remember:

Day: 5

Prompt: ‘Here’s what I remember:’

My Poem:

Here’s what I remember, officer:

I’ll tell it once, and one time only,

So please don’t interrupt me.

It wasn’t my fault, you see-

Oi, don’t scoff!

I know you must get this a lot,

But I’m honestly not guilty.

Ok, yes, I admit I was nude.

But only because I’d been wearing a jumpsuit,

I’m actually a bit of a prude.

You see, I’m not as adept

At following instructions these days,

My lefts are right and my rights are left.

So how was I to know?

I thought I was laying low in the restroom,

Not taking a poo in a B&Q showroom.