The Sound of Seagulls

The sound of seagulls stirs me from my sleep

Their haunting cry a strangely sad lament

That speaks of old emotions strong and deep

Bereft with loss, they mourn with voices rent

With flurried wings they settle; vantage high

Their scrabbling claw-feet scratching sloping slate

I sense their presence, hear their plaintive cry

Strong harmonies like river-song in spate

But lying warm in bed I snuggle down

And pull the covers close with no delay

Beyond the curtains sunrise starts to crown

As night gives birth to amber skies of day

I dream of seagulls soaring high above

Protecting me with mournful songs of love… ❤

Dottled and Thrawn…

Dottled and Thrawn...

A million loving moments fill my head 
Remembering my dad from childhood years, 
 But facing new realities instead  
His failing fragile mind prompts blurring tears.  

As vascular dementia takes its toll  
Forgetful blank confusion plays cruel tricks,  
Bewildered absence taunts his stubborn soul  
And thrawn and dottled's not an easy mix! 

 Each tiny blockage works to undermine  
The crumbling bedrock of his memory,   
His world's diminished, harder to define 
 Frustrating future beckons senselessly... 

 And once the day has come when no "Dad"s left 
 We'll simply go on loving, quite bereft... 

PS For the non-Scots speakers of you out there, “Dottled” means in a state of dotage and “Thrawn” means stubborn… 🙂

Soliloquy…

Soliloquy…

Within my screaming mind I hear such noise

Cacophonies reverberate immense

Tempestuous and lacking shape or poise

Staccato sounds unformed make no real sense

My mental maelstrom silences my voice

Prevents my thoughts form clearly in my head

Like tongue-tied mute I struggle, stripped of choice

My larynx flayed, I cry a storm instead…

But in a while my wild brain calms once more

Such quietude replaces strident shout

And settling, soft words soon come to the fore

Caress my tongue and dance so sweetly out

Soliloquies flow gently with such ease

Like ribbons streaming freely in the breeze…

Word of the Day Challenge: Soliloquy

Weekly Smile: 15 Oct 2018

Just Smile…

If I could smile at everyone I see

And try to make the world a better place

I’d do it in a heartbeat, just to be

A nicer member of the human race

To smile is such a simple thing to do

A universal sign of friendliness

And hopefully a smile returns to you

Connection made, anxiety feels less

But modern life’s not always very kind

As cultures clash, suspicion grows to fear

Some only see what they expect to find

And listen to what they’re prepared to hear

So try to be more thoughtful and embrace

The power of a smile upon your face…

My poetic contribution to ‘The Weekly Smile‘ on Trent’s Blog 🙂

I really love the idea of finding things weekly to smile about, so hopefully will be joining in with Trent on a regular basis 🙂

Contradictions…

Contradictions…

I wonder sometimes who is really me

Opposing facets help me face the world

Each element a part identity

Each fold of me so easily unfurled

I feel compelled to fill my active brain

Expand intelligence with vim and verve

Whilst too much stimulation causes pain

And mindful solitude soothes fraying nerves

My wanderlust creates such restless glee

Engaging mind in forward thinking gear

Yet though my heart may long to wander free

It also yearns for home and those held dear

In spite of much confusion in my soul

My many contradictions keep me whole…

Politically Preposterous

Politically Preposterous…

When Trump first ran for President we mocked

Looked forward with amusing disbelief

To watching this crazed narcissist be blocked

From serious high office – such relief!

There’s nothing presidential in his speech

Just cocksure arrogance and whipped-up fear

Our certainty this race would never reach

A final count with Clinton in the rear…

But somewhere down the line we got it wrong

Misjudged the situation to our cost

Trump’s lies obscured the real facts all along

Now truth reveals so many freedoms lost

America has lost the plot for sure

Rise up and vote him out the only cure…

Fandango’s One Word Challenge: Preposterous