THE CORNER 4 WOMEN

Tuesday 23 January 2024

JULY by Becky Hemsley 2023

"JULY"
by Becky Hemsley 2023

One time I met a girl

Who was a burning ball of light

She glowed with endless energy

From morning through til night

Her skin glittered with freckles

And her hair was plaited gold

And I decided I would like to be

Like her when I grew old

See, every room she entered

Soon became a little brighter

And you’d be warmed right to the soul

Just standing close beside her

She made it feel like summer

Even when the sky looked bleak

And she could thaw your winter

With a kiss upon your cheek

And people asked why I would want

To follow in her glow

And I was always stunned

That they just didn’t seem to know

‘Cause why would I be winter

When I could be warm July?

What a gift to be the sunshine

In another person’s sky

*******

Becky Hemsley 2023

Beautiful artwork by the inimitable Lisa Aisato

'July' is from 'Letters from Life': https://a.co/d/cH2vyRC

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YOU START DYING SLOWLY by Pablo Neruda

"YOU START DYING SLOWLY"
by Pablo Neruda

You start dying slowly ;

if you do not travel,

if you do not read,

If you do not listen to the sounds of life,

If you do not appreciate yourself.

You start dying slowly :

When you kill your self-esteem,

When you do not let others help you.

You start dying slowly ;

If you become a slave of your habits,

Walking everyday on the same paths…

If you do not change your routine,

If you do not wear different colours

Or you do not speak to those you don’t know.

You start dying slowly :

If you avoid to feel passion

And their turbulent emotions;

Those which make your eyes glisten

And your heart beat fast.

You start dying slowly :

If you do not risk what is safe for the uncertain

If you do not go after a dream

If you do not allow yourself

At least once in your lifetime

To run away from sensible advice

Don't let yourself die slowly

Do not forget to be happy!

*****

Pablo Neruda

Chilean poet who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971

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IF THIS DAY HAD BEEN YOUR LAST by Becky Hemsley 2023

"IF THIS DAY HAD BEEN YOUR LAST"
by Becky Hemsley 2023

One time I met a man

Who only had a month to live

And I asked him if he had

Any advice that he could give

He said “I wake each morning

Knowing I am going to die

So each day must remind me

I am blessed to be alive

You see, my life’s on countdown

As each hour is unfurled

I know the clock is ticking

On my time here in this world

But what you’re overlooking

Is that it’s the same for you -

You know that I am dying

But forget that you are too

So make the most of sunshine

And go dancing in the rain

And sing a little louder

When your favourite music plays

Notice nature’s colours,

Savour everything you taste

Stop waiting for tomorrow

‘Cause you’ve got no time to waste

And could you say convincingly

That you’d have no regrets?

If just the next few days or weeks

Were all that you had left?”

And then my breath caught quickly

When he turned to me and asked

“Could you say that you died happy

If this day had been your last?”

*****

Becky Hemsley 2023

Artwork by Nikolay Dubovskoy

From my newest collection here: https://a.co/d/9OU8lGH

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

THE CLOAK by Becky Hemsley 2022

"THE CLOAK"
by Becky Hemsley 2022

It’s almost just a whisper

You can barely hear it there

Like tiny strands of stardust

That are floating on the air

Blink and you will miss it

Like a ghost before your eyes

Sheer and so transparent

It will likely pass you by

Reach out with your fingers

And you’ll hardly feel a thing

As if you’re trying to touch the clouds

And gather them all in

But listen and reach out again,

Take time to look around

And you will see and feel it

And you’ll hear the way it sounds

It echoes in the footsteps

That continue pushing on

It lingers with your words of faith

Long after they are gone

It’s felt in all the strength you have

That helps you hold on tight

To all those threads of courage

That you cling to every night

It’s seen in every rainbow

And in how the day appears

To throw a spear of sunlight

Through your deepest, darkest fears

It’s hiding in plain sight

Though you don’t recognise its face

But you can feel its presence

As it offers you embrace

So let it wrap around you

Like an almost weightless cloak

And you’ll feel a little lighter

Now you’ve dressed yourself in hope

******

Becky Hemsley 2022

Beautiful artwork by Olya Yatsenko

Instagram page here: https://www.instagram.com/artist.olarty

‘The Cloak’ is from my second book:

https://a.co/d/drVfOuR

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

Sunday 21 January 2024

THERE'S A GIRL by Becky Hemsley 2022

"THERE'S A GIRL"
by Becky Hemsley 2022

Remember the days when you couldn’t stop singing,

Dancing and dressing up, laughing and grinning?

Well that was before they mocked how you dressed

Said you would never fit in with the rest

Said that your smile was the ugliest thing

Apart from your dancing and when you would sing

So you stopped smiling and changed what you wore

When music plays you do not dance anymore

In case you look silly, in case you look daft

For fear it will dredge up those memories past

For fear that you’ll feel like you used to back then

Embarrassed and worthless again and again

See, you stopped singing loudly then stopped altogether

Stopped being someone that they could remember

But there’s a girl watching, she’s looking to you

Trying to figure out what she should do

Should she stop singing and swallow her voice?

Pick outfits to wear that would not be her choice?

Should she resist urges to get up and dance?

‘Cause sitting there quietly, no one will laugh

But…

Neither will she, she will not know the feeling

Of singing so loudly and dancing so freely

She won’t understand all the power she holds

To do as she chooses and not as she’s told

So warm up your voice and then strike up the band

Pick out your clothes and get ready to dance

And smile as you do so - think of that girl

She’s the one trapped inside you

So do it for her

******

Becky Hemsley 2022

Beautiful digital art by Michael Turrell Artworks

‘There’s a Girl’ is from my second poetry collection here https://a.co/d/ekvTXK9

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A WOMAN WANTED TO TEST HER HUSBAND

"A WOMAN WANTED TO TEST HER HUSBAND"

(author unknown)

Not too long, there was a woman who felt that her husband was being distant and unloving. She wanted to know how her husband would react if she left without telling him where she had gone..

She decided to write him a letter saying she was tired of him and didn't want to live with him anymore. She knew it was petty and perhaps childish, but she needed to know how her husband felt..

And besides, this was more of a prank than a real test, right?...

After writing the letter, she put it on the table in the bedroom and then climbed under the bed to hide until her husband got home. She hoped to hear his outraged response or to see him get upset..

When the husband eventually came back home, he saw letter on the table and read...

After a few moments of silence, he picked up the pen and added something to the letter then he started to get changed, whistling happy tunes and singing and dancing while he did so. He seemed overjoyed rather than crushed and heartbroken..

The woman was shocked and incredibly hurt..

But things only got worst..

As the husband grabbed his phone and dialled a number..

His wife listened from under the bed as he started chatting sweetly to someone..

Husband: hey babe(into the phone)..I'm just getting changed now I'll join you in a bit..as for the other fool, it finally dawned on her that I was cheating on her and she left(laughed)..I was really wronged to have married her, I wish you and me had met earlier. see you soon, honey!

As he hung up and walked out of the room..

After some time, the wife heard the front door open and close..

her husband was gone..

In tears and very upset, she climbed out from under the bed and stumbled over to read what her unfaithful husband had written on the end of her letter..

Through teary eyes, she read....

I COULD SEE YOUR FEET UNDER THE BED YOU IDIOT I'M GOING OUT TO BUY BREAD....

Happy weekend

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I kept searching for my heart by Joanne Boyle

"I kept searching for my heart" by Joanne Boyle

I spent so many days,

weeks just passed me by.

Looking everywhere for you,

always crying "why".

I worried you were lost,

scared you were alone.

I kept ringing up your number,

knowing you weren't home.

I just had this great big hole,

that only you could fill.

I kept searching for my heart,

knowing you had it still.

Then just in a moment,

I remembered giving it to you,

and you weren't lost at all,

because heaven had found you.

Joanne Boyle

https://www.facebook.com/poeminabottlle

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

Art by Steffi Krenzek