THE CORNER 4 WOMEN

Monday 25 September 2023

EMBERS AND KEYS

"EMBERS AND KEYS"
(author Becky Hemsley)

When I am older

I might not remember

I might get confused

And I might lose my temper

And there may be times

When I don’t know your name

Because it’s been trapped,

Locked away in my brain

And though it will hurt

To think I could forget you

Offer me smiles,

Hold my hand if I’ll let you

And talk of adventures

We had long ago

Show me the photos

Of people I know

Play music we’ve danced to

And songs we have sung

Read me the books I read

When I was young

‘Cause your voice and your words

Might just be the key

That opens the door -

That unlocks it for me

And maybe the music

Will spark tiny embers

Of memories dormant

And I will remember

Your name and your face

And the words to our song

The times and the places

To which I’ve belonged

And it might last moments

Or minutes or more

As the fire sheds light

Through the crack in the door

But when the door closes

And gone are the flames

When you are once more

A stranger again

Just know you’ll have stirred something

Deep down inside

Something familiar

That I recognise

Something that’s real

That’s not stored in my head

But right at the core

Of my heart space instead

Something that’s stirred

By your smiles and your stories

The touch of your hand

And the songs you sing for me

And though I’ll have no words to tell you

Just trust

That deep down inside

I’ll remember

I’m loved

*******

Becky Hemsley 2022

Image created with Dall-E

Today is World Alzheimer's Day. A disease that is consistently one of the leading causes of death here in the UK

and one that is often referred to (along with other forms of dementia) as 'the long goodbye'.

Sending so much love, peace and compassion to anyone dealing with this - either directly or whilst caring for a loved one. Be kind to yourself.

This poem is called Embers and Keys and is in the book 'Letters from Life' https://a.co/d/17LrMHG

Brought to you by https://thecorner4women.com together with our sister website http://www.nicheebookcollections.com and our growing e-book library available FREE, through our Newsletter sign up page here:-

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HOW ARE YOU by Becky Hemsley

"HOW ARE YOU"
(author Becky Hemsley

“What time will you get in tonight?

Text me when you’re home

Be careful if you’re driving

Or if you’re out alone

Shout me if you need me

Or call me anytime

Hey, remember when we did that thing

And laughed until we cried?

Take a coat, it’s raining

Or shelter here with me

Let’s watch your favourite movie

I’ve made your favourite tea

I saw this and I thought of you

It really made me smile

Just checking in, I hope you’re well

I know it’s been a while

Have some fun at school today

But wear your hat - it’s cold

And look the road’s got busy now

So here’s my hand to hold”

We always hear and say these things

But rarely do we see

They’re just lots of little ways

Of saying what we really mean

See, if you listen carefully,

You’ll hear them everywhere -

All the messages of “I love you”

“You’re important” and “I care”

******

Becky Hemsley 2021

Artwork created with Dall.E

'How are you?' is from my second collection - What the Wild Replied

https://amzn.eu/d/6NrikFd

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Sunday 24 September 2023

WHEN by Becky Hemsley

"WHEN"
(author Becky Hemsley)

When did we all lose the thrill

Of running full-speed down a hill

Of marvelling at daffodils

Until the sun went down?

When did we stop spending days

On grassy verges weaving braids

Of plaited, fragile daisy chains

Until we’d made a crown?

When did we begin to lose

The urge to skip and race and move

‘Til we had scuffed our favourite shoes

All in the name of fun?

When was it that we forgot

Predicting ‘loves me, loves me not’

With flowers from a wild plot

That grew beneath the sun?

And when did we begin to miss

The chance to stop and make a wish

With dandelions clocks we’d picked

That grew beneath our feet?

Well I for one do not believe

That we forgot how all that feels

But life at some point took the wheel

And freedom took back seat

It seems that it got left behind

And buried ‘neath the daily grind

But it’s still there for us to find

At any time we want

So climb a hill then run back down

Weave yourself a daisy crown

Then blow your wishes to the clouds

Because life’s too short

to stop

******

Becky Hemsley 2023

Artwork created with Dall.E

'When' is part of my most recent collection

https://a.co/d/5tiaf9c

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Afterparty by Becky Hemsley

Afterparty (author Becky Hemsley)

I held a party the other week and grief came.

She wasn’t invited but she came anyway - barged her way in through the door and settled down like she was here to stay.

And then she introduced me to the friends she’d brought with her - Anger. Fear. Frustration. Guilt. Hopelessness.

And they sang in the loudest voices, took up space in every corner of the room and spoke over anyone else that tried to talk.

They made it messy and loud and uncomfortable.

But finally, they left.

And long afterwards, when I was all alone,

I realised there was still someone here.

Quietly clearing up after the rest.

I asked who she was and she told me, “Love.”

And I assumed that’s why she looked familiar - because I had met her before.

“Or perhaps,” she said, “it’s because I’ve been here the whole time.”

And I was confused then because I hadn’t seen her all evening.

But when I looked more closely,

when I looked into her eyes,

I realised quietly that she had been here.

All the time.

She’d just been dressed as grief.

*****

Becky Hemsley 2023

Image created with Dall-E

Sometimes it helps to remember that underneath our grief, there is love. It was there before, it’s there now and it will still be there afterwards.

Love endures like nothing else can.

‘Afterparty’ is from the book When I Am Gone

https://a.co/d/35WJcRh

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CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE

CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE (author unknown)

YES INDEED CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL BORN IN 1930's, 1940's, 50's, 60's, 70's and Early 80's !!! First, you survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they carried us. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a tin, and didn't get tested for diabetes. Then after that trauma, your baby cots were covered with bright coloured lead-based paints. You had no childproof lids on medicine ..medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when you rode your bikes, you had no helmets, not to mention, the risks you took hitch-hiking .. As children, you would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags. Riding in the back of a van - loose - was always great fun. You drank water from the garden hosepipe and NOT from a bottle. You shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this. You ate cakes, white bread and real butter and drank pop with sugar in it, but you weren't overweight because......

YOU WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!!

You would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the street lights came on. No one was able to reach you all day. And you were OK. You would spend hours building your go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out you forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, you learned to solve the problem . You did not have Play stations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, no video tape movies, no surround sound, no mobile phones, no text messaging, no personal computers, no Internet or Internet chat rooms..........

YOU HAD FRIENDS and you went outside and found them! You fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents you played with worms(well most boys did) and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever. You made up games with sticks and tennis balls and although you were told it would happen, you did not poke out any eyes. You rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just yelled for them! Local teams had try outs and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!! The idea of a parent bailing you out if you broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law! This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever! The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. You had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and you learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL! And YOU are one of them!

CONGRATULATIONS! You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated our lives for our own good. And while you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave their parents were

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LIVING WITH THEM

LIVING WITH THEM (author Cody Bret)

Quite a few people think that living as a couple is always sunshine and rainbows, but this is the real reality.

Living with the person you love is not what everyone thinks it is.

You don’t wake up every morning to have breakfast together in bed every time the sun rises.

You don't always cuddle in bed together until you fall sleep peacefully every night.

Its not always having the house perfectly clean and having a home cooked meal at the end of each day.

Living with the person you love is arguing over the simplest of things, like who forgot to take out the trash or who's turn is it to do the dishes.

Or who spent "X" amount of money on something that wasn't a necessity.

And the list goes on....

But despite everything.....

At the end of the day you expect to go home to that special person every single day because you know they love and care about you more than words can describe.

It's about laughing together until you cry.

Its about cooking dinner together and talking about your life goals with each other.

It's about.... if one of you had a terrible day at work, your partner decides to sit next to you, hugs you and tells you that everything will be perfectly fine.

Living with the person you love isn't always easy but it's also having a love that many people spend all their lives looking for.

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Saturday 23 September 2023

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

Emanuele Grandi's moving poem

dedicated to our four-legged friends.

"If you are afraid of having given me few caresses, you should know that I have not forgotten even one.

If you regret having scolded me even once, you should know that I don't even remember it.

If you think you've left me alone for too long, you should know that I've always been waiting for you.

If you are afraid of having spent little time with me, you should know that I, even that little, have enjoyed every moment.

If you think you've played little with me, you should know that I've never counted the times you threw the ball at me.

If you think I've forgotten about your perfume, you should know that even now I'm smelling it in the wind.

If you wanted to be reborn in another life, you should know that I would like to be your puppy in that one too.

If you are convinced that you have some flaws, you should know that for me you have been the perfect one.

If you believe that love can have an end, you should know that in my heart the place of love is infinite.

If you think you have regrets about me, you should know that I would not change a single second of the life I have spent with you.

If you think I no longer hear your voice when you call me, just entrust the sunset breeze with the task of bringing me your words.

If you think I can forget your face, you should know that I wanted to live alone to enjoy your look.

If you think I could have loved someone more than you, you should know that I have loved you more than myself.

If you think I would like a soft sofa, know that with you I would also have slept on the stones.

If you think I wanted more than you gave me, you should know that I've always felt

like the happiest puppy in the world.

If you have ever felt alone, you should know that I have never left my place next to you.

If you think my life has been short, you should know that I wouldn't have wanted to live a minute longer if I hadn't spent it by your side.

If you are afraid that I am no longer near you, know that as soon as you close your eyes I will fall asleep next to you.

If you think you have not made the right decision, you should know that I have always trusted you.

Always.”

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DEPRESSION TIPS

DEPRESSION TIPS (author unknown)

Shower. Not a bath, a shower.

Use water as hot or cold as you like. You don’t even need to wash. Just get in under the water and let it run over you for a while. Sit on the floor if you have to.

Moisturise everything.

Use whatever lotion you like.

Unscented? Supermarket lotion? Fancy 48 hour lotion that makes you smell like a field of wildflowers? Use whatever you want, and use it all over your entire dermis.

Put on clean, comfortable clothes.

Put on your favourite underwear.

Those ridiculous boxers you bought last Christmas with candy cane hearts on the butt? Put them on.

Drink cold water.

Use ice. If you want, add some mint or lemon for an extra boost.

Clean something.

Doesn’t have to be anything big. Organise one drawer of a desk. Wash five dirty dishes. Do a load of laundry. Scrub the bathroom sink.

Blast music.

Listen to something upbeat, lively and loud, something that’s got lots of energy. Sing to it, dance to it, even if you suck at both.

Make food.

Don’t just grab a granola bar to munch. Take the time and make food. Even if it’s ramen. Add something special to it, like a soft boiled egg or some veggies. Prepare food, it tastes way better, and you’ll feel like you accomplished something.

Make something.

Write a short story or a poem, draw a picture, colour a picture, fold origami, crochet or knit, sculpt something out of clay, anything artistic. Even if you don’t think you’re good at it. Create.

Go outside.

Take a walk. Take your shoes and socks off and walk on the grass. Sit down. Ground yourself. Look at the clouds. Smell flowers. Put your hands in the dirt and feel the soil against your skin.

Call someone.

Call a loved one, a friend, a family member, call a chat service if you have no one else to call. Talk to a stranger on the street. Have a conversation and listen to someone’s voice. If you can’t bring yourself to call, text or email or whatever, just have some social interaction with another person. Even if you don’t say much, listen to them. It helps.

Cuddle your pets if you have them/can cuddle them.

Take pictures of them. Talk to them. Tell them how you feel, about your favourite movie, a new game coming out, anything.

May seem small or silly to some, but this list keeps people alive.

*** At your absolute best you won’t be good enough for the wrong people. But at your worst, you’ll still be worth it to the right ones. Remember that. Keep holding on.

*** In case nobody has told you today I love you and you are worth your weight and then some in gold, so be kind to yourself and most of all keep pushing on!!!!

Find something to be grateful for!

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