THE CORNER 4 WOMEN

Sunday 3 March 2024

CHASING TOMORROW by Becky Hemsley

"CHASING TOMORROW"
by Becky Hemsley 2023

Today I woke and found myself

With less than yesterday

My life was missing things

I had assumed were here to stay

Things that had seemed little

‘Til they left a giant space,

Left an empty silence

And a longing in their place

And I began to understand

That when push came to shove

I longed for what I’d had

When I’d thought that was not enough

I’d always looked ahead

Was always chasing more and more

Growing so complacent

Of the things I once wished for

Running to tomorrow,

To the weekend, to next year

Forgetting I was lucky

For the things already here

And all this made me realise

That my life can’t buy more time

So maybe I should spend my time

Loving this life of mine

And maybe I’ll be grateful

For the little things I’ve got

That seem inconsequential

But which mean an awful lot

So, tonight I’ll thank the stars

Instead of asking them for more

And I will hope to wake with all

The things I’ve thanked them for

‘Cause now I see that my todays

Are filled with time I’ve borrowed

And I shouldn’t sit around and waste them

Chasing my tomorrows

******

Becky Hemsley 2023

Gorgeous artwork by Lucy Campbell

'Chasing Tomorrow' is from my most recent collection: https://a.co/d/c2Frz8s

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Saturday 2 March 2024

THE STORYTELLER by Becky Hemsley

"THE STORYTELLER"
by Becky Hemsley

The pub I was in smelt of wine and cigars

When I saw two old men who were sat by the bar

One was surrounded by laughter and cheers,

The other was sitting alone with his beers

I felt really bad for the man all alone

So I walked up and pulled up a stool of my own

And that’s when I noticed the stuff on the floor

The holdalls and trunks and suitcases galore

“What’s in them?” I asked, and he shrugged with a sigh

“Just things I thought mattered - the things I could buy.”

Then he drank up his drink and whilst shedding a tear

He smiled at me sadly and then disappeared

And nobody noticed...

'cause all he had left

Was the stuff in the boxes, the trunks and the chests

Then I looked to the group where the other man spoke

And they laughed ‘til they cried as he told them a joke

So I took myself over and stood at the back

And noticed he hadn’t got cases or sacks

But the stories he told of the oceans he’d sailed,

The countries he’d seen and the mountains he’d scaled

His stories were epic, his life had been full

Then he tapped on his glass and he said to us all

“It’s time I must go but I’ve loved growing old

And I know I’ll live on through the tales that I’ve told

Please believe when I say that to live is enough

Your life should be measured by memories not stuff.”

Then he rose from his chair and we all shed a tear

As he held up his drink to us...

then disappeared

*****

Becky Hemsley 2020

Artwork created with Bing

'The Storyteller' is from my first book, Talking to the Wild https://a.co/d/egHaAyF

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

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

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

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

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

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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