THE CORNER 4 WOMEN

Saturday 10 February 2024

When it comes to grief, remember this by Becky Hemsley

"When it comes to grief, remember this" by Becky Hemsley

You have not broken a bone.

There is no default treatment,

no cure,

no timeline

for your healing.

You cannot strap your heart to the heart next to it

and hope that it mends itself.

You cannot wrap it in a cast

and protect it from further breaking.

You cannot rest it for weeks or months.

You cannot rely on your other heart

like you might a leg or an arm.

You have not broken a bone.

And yet, like a broken bone, your heart will always now have a vulnerable spot. A bruise, a burn, a scar.

And just as your arm can still ache after breaking

when it has been holding too much for too long,

so your heart may ache.

When it has been holding too much.

For too long.

But just as your once-broken arm can still hold things and your once-broken leg can still dance,

so your heart will learn to carry you forward.

Even when it aches.

******

Becky Hemsley 2023

Stunning artwork by Amanda Cass

From When I Am Gone

https://a.co/d/1xV2Ngz

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I HOPE by Joanne Boyle

"I HOPE"
by Joanne Boyle

I wrote you out a birthday card.

I filled it full of love.

I used my tears to seal It,

then I addressed it to above.

I put it in a pillar box, and

I hope it finds it's way,

but just in case it doesn't,

this is what I want to say.

I hope you are wearing a pretty dress,

that the angels helped you choose,

and upon your dainty feet,

you wear the matching shoes.

I hope you sit upon a cloud,

with your family on your mind,

catching all the memories,

the ones you left behind.

I hope you are wrapped in love,

from every angels wing,

and when you close your eyes,

it's us you hear sing.

I hope you hear the tune,

to your birthday song,

and join us in our memories,

before you were ever gone.

Joanne Boyle

https://www.facebook.com/poeminabottlle

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Art by Steffi Krenzek

I AM YOUR HABOUR by Becky Hemsley

"I AM YOUR HABOUR"
by Becky Hemsley

I am your harbour

And you are my sea

For I am your safe place

And you are my free

Teaching me love

I had not known before

With still many depths

That I’m yet to explore

Your waves and their power

All fill me with wonder

And keep me afloat

When I think I’ll go under

Some days you’ll break

And you’ll billow and crash

And some days you’ll ripple

A soft, gentle splash

You’re a constantly moving

Continuous flow

And when it’s relentless

I want you to know

Whenever your tide

Has grown tired of its ebb

Sail back to the harbour

And there you can rest

For I am your harbour

And you are my sea

I am part of you

And you are part of me

And there’s layers and depths

That I never had known

Until I had two oceans

All of my own

*****

For my boys

Becky Hemsley 2020 https://www.facebook.com/talkingtothewild

Stunning artwork by the immensely talented Lucy Campbell

This poem is from my first collection.

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THE CARPENTER AND THE GREEDY FARMER

"THE CARPENTER AND THE GREEDY FARMER" (author unknown)

One day, a carpenter's goose which had laid six eggs died. The carpenter took the eggs to his neighbour, a farmer and said.

"My goose died and she had laid six eggs. Now, if you give the eggs to your broody hen, she would sit on them and they would hatch after about thirty days. If all the eggs hatch, you will have two of the goslings, and the other four will be mine".

The farmer looked at him incredulously and said.

"Oh, no... if all six goslings hatched, they will be shared equally between the two of us. I'll get three, and you'll get three".

The carpenter paused for a moment, then with no other choice, he agreed. He gave the eggs to the farmer and left.

One month later, the carpenter returned to the farmer and said.

"I believe that all the eggs have hatched by now. So can I get my three goslings?".

However, the farmer scrunched up his face and said.

"I'm sorry, none hatched! It turned out that all the eggs were bad. I already threw them away".

The carpenter did not look happy to hear that. He left immediately afterwards.

The following morning, the farmer heard a knock at his gate. When he opened the gate, he saw an old man dressed in an old black coat. He had a long white beard and wore a hat. He spoke in a hoarse voice.

"I am a traveller and a farmer who buys different types of poultry birds. I heard you're a farmer too. If you have goslings, I will buy them with a large sum of money".

The farmer smiled and asked.

"How many do you need?"

The old man asked back.

"How many have you got?"

The farmer responded.

"Six"

Then the old man said.

"I need three, and I will pay handsomely for them".

The excited farmer rushed in and brought out three goslings and gave them to the old man. Then, something shocking happened.

The old man took off his hat and began pulling out his fake white beard, revealing his true identity. He wasn't old. Then he said.

"Are you surprised? Well, it's me, your neighbour... the carpenter. You think you're so smart, but you don't know anything! I now have my three goslings. They've been shared equally between the two of us. Goodbye".

Moral Lesson: Don't lie, cheat or try to make a fool of others. People can be smarter than you think.

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Thursday 8 February 2024

A MIRROR OF THE SOUL by Tahlia Hunter

"A MIRROR OF THE SOUL"
by Tahlia Hunter

"And on the days

when you struggle to look at yourself

in the mirror,

as you feel dissatisfied by what you see,

Remember that feeling that something is less beautiful

does not make it so.

That you were born beautiful,

and will die beautiful,

for beauty is no two-dimensional thing,

that can ever be captured by an image,

as it encompasses the soul.

And a single flaw

that you believe that you possess

based on what you have been taught

to believe is beautiful

cannot come close

to reflecting

the entire essence of who you are.

And so, if you ever find yourself

fixating on your appearance

and wishing to change

what cannot be changed,

I would suggest

that you shift your focus

from the beauty without

to the beauty within,

that shines outward

but originates inside,

that remains with you as you age,

and cannot ever be taken from you

when you die.

And change the mirror of the body

to a mirror of the soul."

Words by Tahlia Hunter https://www.facebook.com/TahliaHunterBlog

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

Artwork by Christian Schloe Digital Artwork

THEN I SAW THE RAINBOW by Joanne Boyle

"THEN I SAW THE RAINBOW"
by Joanne Boyle

I strolled along with day light,

my head bowed to my chest.

I was hiding from my tears,

as I set forth on my quest.

I searched my soul for answers,

knowing there was none to find.

I saw my footprints in the soil

as they danced within my mind.

I questioned life and death.

I just couldn't understand,

how one day you were beside me

walking hand in hand.

The wind then turned my tears,

as cold as my heart felt.

I then began to look around me,

as I could smell your Scent.

It is then I saw the rainbow,

ladders to heavens door.

Each of its vibrant colours,

representations of something more.

I knew the colour yellow,

was sent to warm my heart.

The colour green was our favourite,

at Christmas it played its part.

Red and pink made me laugh,

at all the fun times that we had.

I found my tears had now stopped,

I was no longer feeling sad.

It was as though I saw you waving,

you were the colour blue.

Heaven needed another Angel, and

that's why they had chosen you.

Words by Joanne Boyle Photograph by Joanne Boyle

https://www.facebook.com/poeminabottlle

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THE ILLUSION by Tahlia Hunter

"THE ILLUSION"
by Tahlia Hunter

And on the path of self-acceptance,

These twelve illusions you shall shed:

The illusion of being unwanted:

For, in truth, there is no such thing as an unwanted soul.

The illusion of being unlovable:

For your true self is love.

The illusion of unworthiness:

For you are always deserving of love and success.

The illusion of being weird:

For there is no such thing as normal.

The illusion of needing external validation:

For your worth is never dependent on another's approval.

The illusion of being insignificant:

For your presence impacts all of humanity.

The illusion of being powerless:

For within you lies the strength to shape your destiny and influence the world.

The illusion of not being good enough:

For you were born good enough.

The illusion of being a burden:

For your existence is a precious gift, and your contributions add value.

The illusion of being unsuccessful:

For success is subjective, and your path is uniquely yours.

The illusion of being ugly:

Because that label only ever reflects the viewer being incapable of seeing beauty.

And the illusion that aging decreases your value:

For, in truth, you are not a body but a soul.

Words by Tahlia Hunter

https://www.facebook.com/TahliaHunterBlog

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