THE CORNER 4 WOMEN: February 2024

Thursday, 29 February 2024

PADINGTON by Joanne Boyle

"PADINGTON"
by Joanne Boyle

As Paddington sat and waited,

for his friend to come to tea.

He looked at the empty chair,

and wondered where she'd be.

He had hoped that she'd remembered,

the date that they had set.

He reminisced about the past,

about things he won't forget.

He had felt so lost without her.

Her smile and sense of humour

He knew she wasn't coming,

but told himself it was a rumour.

He had even brought her handbag,

and in it was his tea.

A slice of bread with marmalade

for the Queen and he.

Paddington looked on sadly,

as he searched deep in his heart

for the memories that they made

so they'd never be apart.

He often came for lunch

and looked across at his 'ma'ams chair

just so he could remember

the day that she sat there.

******

Joanne Boyle

https://www.facebook.com/poeminabottlle

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UNDER PRESSURE by Becky Hemsley

"UNDER PRESSURE"
by Becky Hemsley 2022

Mountains can't rise without earthquakes

And rainbows can't form without rain

A match can't ignite 'til you strike it

'Cause its friction produces the flame

Diamonds are formed under pressure

Stars shine brighter when they explode

And volcanoes can't rise from the ashes

Until cracks are beginning to show

So I know that you feel like you're breaking

That the rain never seems to subside

That your world has been thoroughly shaken

And you're not sure how you will survive

But when all that pressure keeps building

And you find yourself struggling to breathe

Just trust that you're going to get through this

'Cause you are a diamond you see

******

Becky Hemsley 2022

Stunning artwork by @katja.perez via Instagram

'Under Pressure' is from my second collection

https://a.co/d/4JiYzT6

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IS MENOPAUSE A DISABILITY?

NEWS FLASH, NEWS FLASH

"IS MENOPAUSE A DISABILITY?"

(article verified by John A Elliott 2024)

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has sparked controversy with new guidance on menopause in the workplace.

Menopause symptoms can be considered a disability under the Equality Act 2010 if they have a "long-term and substantial impact" on someone's ability to carry out their daily tasks, according to the watchdog. So employers could face legal action if they do not make "reasonable adjustments" for menopausal women.

'More than an employment issue'

Menopause is "stigmatised, under-researched and its symptoms undertreated", thanks to sexism and ageism, said The Observer. But the EHRC guidance risks legitimising those harmful stereotypes.

Most menopausal women's symptoms can be treated "relatively easily and cheaply" through hormone replacement therapy (HRT), said the paper. But only 14% are taking HRT. Many GPs are "reluctant" to prescribe it, and "acute shortages" are also causing problems.

Talking about the struggles of menopause is "always a good thing in breaking the taboo", Dr Louise Newsom, a GP and member of the government's menopause taskforce, told The Telegraph. But ultimately, "this is a healthcare issue more than an employment issue".

Anna van Praagh at the London Evening Standard read the guidance with "horror". It makes the prospect of hiring someone my age "about as attractive as walking headfirst into a lorry", she said.

Made to 'jump through hoops'

Critics have "misread what the EHRC actually says", said Kathleen Stock in The Times. The watchdog is not arguing that menopause counts as a disability, but rather that debilitating symptoms might count as such.

Don't forget that one in 10 women say they have left a job because of the menopause, Eleanor Mills, founder of online platform Noom and former editor of The Sunday Times magazine, told The Telegraph. About 25% of women "really suffer at this point in their lives".

Women are made to "jump through hoops of fire" to get the support they need, broadcaster Narinder Kaur told MailOnline. Menopause isn't a disability, but "it is debilitating". Although the new guidance will not remove the stigma, "it's high time it's recognised".

THIS ARTICLE IS PUBLISHED HERE IN GOOD FAITH FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. PLEASE DO YOUR OWN VERIFICATIONS ABOUT THIS DELICATE SUBJECT

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HER MUM WAS NOW AN ANGEL by Joanne Boyle

"HER MUM WAS NOW AN ANGEL"
by Joanne Boyle

Excitedly she stood there,

staring at the moon,

ever since her Daddy said,

mother's Day would be soon.

She had chosen a little gift,

it was her mums favourite flower.

and Patiently she waited

watching every hour.

She kept looking at the time,

but afraid she'd miss her mum.

Surely if she moved,

then her mum would come.

She walked a little closer,

with her hand behind her back,

and then she saw the shadow,

on a distant track.

Her mum was now an angel,

and excitedly she waved,

caring for the flower,

the Gift she had saved.

Her Mother then got closer,

and kissed her little face.

and together they both danced,

in an enchanting embrace.

Two petals had now fallen.

They laid on the ground.

A gentle reminder

of a memory they had found.

She gave the flower to her Mum,

as she was swept through the air,

but when the child woke up

the flower was still there.

Two petals were missing,

and as she held it tight.

She breathed in its memory,

and whispered "good night."

She then looked out of the window,

and saw the exact same moon.

She knew she'd see her Mum again,

and it would be real soon.

******

Joanne Boyle

https://www.facebook.com/poeminabottlle

https://tc4women.nicheebookcollections.com/NEWSLETTER-EBOOK-LIBRARY-SIGNUP.html

art by Steffi Krenzek

AUTISM by Joanne Boyle

"AUTISM"
by Joanne Boyle

All alone with his thoughts

he had dreams and fears.

His world overcome

by the noise in his ears.

The touch of a cloth

unfamiliar to his skin.

A battle of emotions

felt from within.

An anxious feeling

with his twiddling thumb.

The sound of music

is the banging drum.

A crowd of people

takes his breathe right away.

A routine is needed

for him every day.

The smell of cut grass

or of yeast on his bread

is enough to set fireworks

off in his head.

The colour of his food

or the way that it's cut

can send him in turmoil

right from his gut.

The most loveable boy

In his world of his own,

teaching others around him

about the unknown.

******

Joanne Boyle

https://www.facebook.com/poeminabottlle

https://tc4women.nicheebookcollections.com/NEWSLETTER-EBOOK-LIBRARY-SIGNUP.html

art by Steffi Krenzek

LEAP YEAR by Becky Hemsley 2024

"LEAP YEAR"
Becky Hemsley 2024

Today won’t be here next year

Or for two years after that

And we’ll be waiting almost

Half a decade ‘til it’s back

It’s only here ‘til midnight

So we don’t have long at all

Before it leaves like Cinderella

Running from the ball

And then it will be years before

We see it rise again

Before we say hello once more

Like some long-distance friend

And so, perhaps its rarity

Should give us cause to pause:

How much will things have changed for us

The next time this day dawns?

And when it comes around again

I wonder, will we see

That we are in the place in life

We hoped that we would be?

Or will we end up wishing

That four years ago that day

We hadn’t been afraid to chase

The dreams we longed to chase?

Yes, maybe it’s a Thursday

Just like any other week

That passes by then slips and fades

Into a dreamless sleep

But maybe it’s a day for wishing,

Dreaming whilst you wake

And maybe it’s the time

To take those leaps you long to take

*****

Becky Hemsley 2024

https://www.facebook.com/talkingtothewild

Gorgeous artwork by Akira Kusaka Illustration

This is called ‘Leap Year’ and will not even be relevant come tomorrow - not until four years from today. But I think that’s what makes this day pretty powerful actually

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Wednesday, 28 February 2024

THE WILLOW CATS by Margaret Widdemer

"THE WILLOW CATS"

by Margaret Widdemer

They call them pussy-willows,

But there's no cat to see

Except the little furry toes

That stick out on the tree:

I think that very long ago,

When I was just born new,

There must have been whole pussy-cats

Where just the toes stick through----

And every Spring it worries me,

I cannot ever find

Those willow-cats that ran away

And left their toes behind!

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Art by Rose Mary Berlin

LOOK AROUND by Becky Hemsley

"LOOK AROUND"
by Becky Hemsley

People in myths pay no mind to the prince

Who was changed from a frog with just kisses

And none of them balk at the trees that can talk

And don’t doubt that the stars can grant wishes

They think very little of speaking to mirrors

That answer them back from the wall

They sing with the dryads and drink with the giants

Who tower one hundred feet tall

They do not imagine the fairies and dragons

‘Cause those things are already there

With captured princesses whose extra-long tresses

Mean people can climb up their hair

Yes, all of these creatures with fairy-tale features

Don’t notice the magic they make

So they overlook half of what’s in their book

‘Cause it’s part of the plot every day

And maybe we too are so blind to our view

‘Cause it’s one that we know very well

And so we don’t stop and don’t listen to what

Kinds of stories our world has to tell

The stories of trees as they’re shedding their leaves

Just to welcome them back come the spring

And the way we all stay – how we don’t float away

From this great ball of rock as it spins

The stories of skies full of water and fires

With the power to flood and ignite

The mountains, volcanoes, the rare double rainbows

The phases of moon every night

And once long ago, we would never have known

That we’d one day explain it somehow

We’d have marvelled at more, we’d have stared with such awe

And perhaps we should do the same now

Because without seeing and knowing, believing,

We’d say it’s a tale in a book

Yet there’s wonder abound in the world – all around

We just keep forgetting to look

*****

Becky Hemsley 2023

Artwork by @Paula Belle Flores

'Look Around' is from 'Letters from Life' https://a.co/d/1R5VZfo

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GROWING MEANS CHANGING by Becky Hemsley

"GROWING MEANS CHANGING"
by Becky Hemsley 2023

Sometimes people tell us

“you’ve changed”.

And I believe the best response to that is

“I hope so.”

Because we are supposed to learn and experience things in life, and they

are supposed to help us grow. And growing means changing.

No-one tells a tree ‘you’ve changed’

when its leaves start turning orange or its blossoms start to grow.

They take photographs of it.

They write poetry about it.

They paint pictures of it.

They celebrate its growth, and they document its changes.

Yes, when a tree changes, people do not question it.

They see its beauty

and they turn it into art.

*****

Becky Hemsley 2023

Stunning artwork by Olga Cuttell at Oladesign

This one is from 'Letters from Life': https://a.co/d/1p7OWcx

https://tc4women.nicheebookcollections.com/NEWSLETTER-EBOOK-LIBRARY-SIGNUP.html