THE CORNER 4 WOMEN

Friday 26 April 2024

DON'T DESPAIR

"DON'T DESPAIR"
(author unknown)

Sitting at the window of her convent, Sister Barbara opened a letter from home one evening. Inside was a $100 bill her parents had sent. Sister Barbara smiled at the gesture.

As she read the letter by the window, she noticed a shabbily dressed stranger leaning against the lamp post below.

Quickly, she wrote, "Don't despair. - Sister Barbara," on a piece of paper, wrapped the $100 bill in it, got the man's attention, and tossed it out the window to him.

The stranger picked it up, and with a puzzled expression and a tip of his hat, went off down the street.

The next day, Sister Barbara was told that a man was at the Convent door, insisting on seeing her.

She went down and found the stranger waiting. Without a word, he handed her a huge wad of $100 bills.

"What's this?", she asked.

"That's the $8,000 you have coming Sister," he replied.

"Don't Despair paid 80-to-1

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FIELD OF DREAMS by Joanne Boyle

"FIELD OF DREAMS"
by Joanne Boyle

I'll find you in a field of flowers

of purple orange and blue.

Those were your favourite colours

and now they are mine too.

I'll join you in the age you were

before the angels came,

and we will tell our secrets

and be children once again.

I will pick you out a flower

to take back to heaven with you,

and when each petal unfurls

a memory of us will too.

We will hide amongst the scent

of the days we never had.

Tell stories in the sun

that i can take to mum and dad.

And when we both go home

though our world's are far apart.

I'll give our parents the petal

that you left deep in my heart. ******

Joanne Boyle Heartfelt

art by Steffi Krenzek

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Thursday 25 April 2024

Ode on a Grecian Urn By John Keats

"Ode on a Grecian Urn"

By John Keats

Thou still unravish'd bride of quietness,

Thou foster-child of silence and slow time,

Sylvan historian, who canst thus express

A flowery tale more sweetly than our rhyme:

What leaf-fring'd legend haunts about thy shape

Of deities or mortals, or of both,

In Tempe or the dales of Arcady?

What men or gods are these? What maidens loth?

What mad pursuit? What struggle to escape?

What pipes and timbrels? What wild ecstasy?

Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard

Are sweeter; therefore, ye soft pipes, play on;

Not to the sensual ear, but, more endear'd,

Pipe to the spirit ditties of no tone:

Fair youth, beneath the trees, thou canst not leave

Thy song, nor ever can those trees be bare;

Bold Lover, never, never canst thou kiss,

Though winning near the goal yet, do not grieve;

She cannot fade, though thou hast not thy bliss,

For ever wilt thou love, and she be fair!

Ah, happy, happy boughs! that cannot shed

Your leaves, nor ever bid the Spring adieu;

And, happy melodist, unwearied,

For ever piping songs for ever new;

More happy love! more happy, happy love!

For ever warm and still to be enjoy'd,

For ever panting, and for ever young;

All breathing human passion far above,

That leaves a heart high-sorrowful and cloy'd,

A burning forehead, and a parching tongue.

Who are these coming to the sacrifice?

To what green altar, O mysterious priest,

Lead'st thou that heifer lowing at the skies,

And all her silken flanks with garlands drest?

What little town by river or sea shore,

Or mountain-built with peaceful citadel,

Is emptied of this folk, this pious morn?

And, little town, thy streets for evermore

Will silent be; and not a soul to tell

Why thou art desolate, can e'er return.

O Attic shape! Fair attitude! with brede

Of marble men and maidens overwrought,

With forest branches and the trodden weed;

Thou, silent form, dost tease us out of thought

As doth eternity: Cold Pastoral!

When old age shall this generation waste,

Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe

Than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou say'st,

"Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is all

Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know."

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THE MAP OF YOUR LIFE by Tahlia Hunter

"THE MAP OF YOUR LIFE"
by Tahlia Hunter

"Legend says that before you were born,

you were given a map of your life.

This map contained the greatest joys, sorrows,

dreams, heartaches and challenges of your life

and the people you would likely encounter

along each step of the path.

But the second that you enter the world,

it is forgotten.

And for each other person in existence,

they too forget their map.

And though at first, it remains invisible,

through each and every encounter with life,

you attempt to recreate

what you have forgotten

but believe to be true

deep within your soul.

And through challenges,

a voice within you tells you to keep moving forward,

for you are an alchemist,

and though bad things may happen,

you can make good things out of them.

And though life is much like chess,

where once you make a move

you cannot unmake it,

it is never too late

for you to recreate the future

through the present moment,

and in doing so,

rewrite the past.

And through tears,

when people exit your life,

a deep wisdom within you tells you

that this is as it must be,

and that one day, you will be reunited.

And that no matter how unlikely it may seem,

them leaving you occurred

for a higher purpose

beyond what you can presently fathom.

And though they may have had to go,

this was a planned part of your path,

for your journey here is merely temporary

and is a small speck within your entire existence.

And you must remember on the map

that each step is not purely defined

by the action you take in the physical world

but what is happening energetically within you:

healing past trauma and wounds

and finding love, forgiveness and acceptance.

And you may trust during times of stillness or inaction

that the arrow is being pulled backwards

so that it can be pulled forwards.

And when love seems to evade you,

you may be reminded of the fact

that you are your own soulmate

before you are someone else's.

And it matters not who exits or enters your life,

for you are your own home,

and on a deeper energetic level,

all are one, as all are connected.

And though you may regret past steps you have taken,

you cannot fault yourself

for getting lost in life

when you had forgotten the map.

But you may trust that you will slowly acquire it

through each experience

and that you will eventually find your way.

And all will make sense in the end,

once you reach the other side.”

*****

Words by Tahlia Hunter

https://www.facebook.com/TahliaHunterBlog

More articles by Su DeNyme (our resident writer) & John A Elliott are available: https://www.nicheebookcollections.com/TC4W/ARTICLES.html

Artwork by Elisabeth on Earth

WHEN YOU FINALLY SING TOGETHER by Tahlia Hunter

"WHEN YOU FINALLY SING TOGETHER"
by Tahlia Hunter

"Each person in existence,

has their own song that they sing.

For some people you meet,

your songs will blend beautifully together,

while other times,

they will not,

for your souls carry a different resonance

and though you may try to sing in harmony

or in unison,

it is not possible.

And it is not that your song

or their song

is more beautiful,

but simply that they are out of tune with one another,

and there are others with voices

that would blend more beautifully with yours.

And though some songs may fade from your life,

it does not matter,

for you are the main melody,

and others are merely the accompaniment in your life,

just as you are the accompaniment in theirs.

And so, you may continue singing your song,

trusting that it will draw towards you

the people who are singing songs

that will harmonise with yours.

For there is always someone out there

who will match your song,

and when you finally sing together,

you will sing as one.”

*****

Words by Tahlia Hunter

https://www.facebook.com/TahliaHunterBlog

https://tc4women.nicheebookcollections.com/NEWSLETTER-EBOOK-LIBRARY-SIGNUP.html We now have over 1700 e-books on our library shelves for your reading pleasure, so do come along and check us out.

More articles by Su DeNyme (our resident writer) & John A Elliott are available here: https://www.nicheebookcollections.com/TC4W/ARTICLES.html

Artwork by Lucy Campbell

ALIVE by Becky Hemsley

"ALIVE"
by Becky Hemsley

I know there may have been times in your life when you’ve

stopped dancing, stopped singing, stopped being yourself

because someone was watching you. Judging you.

And you are not the only one to feel this way. But I can’t help thinking that we’ve got it all wrong.

We’ve been taught that we must only be ourselves if it suits other people.

We must only sing if it sounds pleasing to those listening.

We must only dance if it looks good to onlookers.

But we are so wrong.

The birds sing - not because we might listen -

but simply with the joy of being alive.

And the trees dance in the wind - not because it looks good for us -

but because they are alive. Living in the moment. Whatever the moment may bring.

So sing as loud as you wish

and dance as much as you like.

You do not exist for the enjoyment of others.

You exist to be alive.

Properly, fully, beautifully alive.

******

Becky Hemsley 2023

Beautiful artwork by Maria Magdalena Oosthuizen

'Alive' is from "Letters from Life' https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CHL9MZC1...

https://tc4women.nicheebookcollections.com/NEWSLETTER-EBOOK-LIBRARY-SIGNUP.html We now have over 1700 e-books on our library shelves for your reading pleasure, so do come along and check us out.

More articles by Su DeNyme (our resident writer) & John A Elliott are available here: https://www.nicheebookcollections.com/TC4W/ARTICLES.html

THE BUTTERFLY by Joanne Boyle

"THE BUTTERFLY"
by Joanne Boyle

One day there was a Caterpillar

it felt so lost and alone.

When she saw the other Caterpillars

she would hide behind a stone.

For some reason this pretty Caterpillar

thought she did not belong, and

no matter how many times she was told

that what she thought was wrong.

She was still afraid of being taunted

like she had been before.

In her world of make believe

she would go off to explore.

Then this pretty Caterpillar

heard a voice from nearby.

She opened up her eyes and

saw another Caterpillar cry.

She asked it why it cried

as she wiped tears from its face.

It told her that it constantly

felt it was out of place.

From one Caterpillar to another

she just couldn't understand.

"you are so beautiful and vibrant,

you are what God had planned"

The Caterpillar then stopped crying

but as they went to hug.

The girl realised it was her reflection

and she felt her heartstrings tug.

She then opened up her mind

to see a brighter world and

she looked for the nearest twig

a place in which she curled.

She transformed into a butterfly,

so beautiful and free.

She said to the other butterfly's

"oh wow, look at me"

She had spent so long believing

in something that wasn't true.

When she just needed reminding,

"beauty is inside of you"

***** I wrote this poem over a year ago for a young girl who was suffering with low self esteem.

Joanne Boyle Heartfelt

art by Steffi Krenzek

https://tc4women.nicheebookcollections.com/NEWSLETTER-EBOOK-LIBRARY-SIGNUP.html We now have over 1700 e-books on our library shelves for your reading pleasure, so do come along and check us out.

More articles by Su DeNyme (our resident writer) & John A Elliott are available here: https://www.nicheebookcollections.com/TC4W/ARTICLES.html