THE CORNER 4 WOMEN

Saturday, 13 April 2024

A PET WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU by Joanne Boyle

"A PET WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU"
by Joanne Boyle

Mum bought me another dog today.

I know that its not you.

I couldn't help but cry

and Mum was crying too.

It didn't look at me with love

or want to run and play.

I know that in time though,

it will look at me that way.

When mum put him in my arms,

at first i felt some guilt.

My mind flashed back to you,

sleeping on my quilt.

The little pup then licked me,

and i felt it tickle my hand.

I laughed and looked at Mum,

and she said you'd understand.

I will not forget you Bertie.

"now what shall i call you?

Ill teach you how to play ball,

and lift your paw up too."

Bertie watched from the rainbow bridge.

he barked and wagged his tail.

He was no longer poorly.

No longer old and frail.

He lived on in the memories

and they would never be apart.

A pet will never leave you

without its footprints in your heart.

*****

Joanne Boyle Heartfelt

art by Steffi Krenzek

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#nationalpetday

Friday, 12 April 2024

THE POWER OF ONE by Becky Hemsley

"THE POWER OF ONE"
by Becky Hemsley

One leaf can disrupt a whole army of ants

And can leave them all scared and confused

And it takes just one word, even one from a stranger

To render our self-esteem bruised

It takes just one flick of a switch in a light room

To promptly turn everything black

And it only takes one hand to push us too far

Just one straw to break our camel’s back

It takes just a moment when all is aligned

For the sunshine to blot out the moon

And it takes just one foot to kick us whilst we’re down

Just one sprinkle of salt in the wound

And yet when we think of ourselves as the one

Then we think we’ve no power at all

That we won’t make a difference when this world’s so big

And we feel so incredibly small

But it takes just one leaf to announce spring is coming

One seed for a flower to grow

And it takes just one hand to stop someone from falling

Which might mean far more than you know

It takes just a word to make somebody’s day

Just one switch to turn dark into light

And it takes just one foot to stand up for someone,

Just one sunrise to soften the night

So harness the power of one for yourself

It’s a power you’ve held all along

Yes, I know that you think you can’t change the whole world

But you can change the world for someone

******

Becky Hemsley 2022

Gorgeous image by Saraja's Drawer

'The Power of One' is from the book What the Wild Replied

https://a.co/d/dyQRzqb

TOO LATE by Becky Hemsley

"TOO LATE"
by Becky Hemsley

When we are young, we want to look older.

And when we are old, we want to look younger.

And there is a window in the middle of it all when we’re supposed to look as we wish.

But we waste that time wishing

we were taller or thinner or curvier,

our hair was longer or shinier, curlier,

parts of our body were firmer and perkier

and we’d started to use anti-wrinkle cream earlier.

And by the time we realise we were perfect just as we were,

the window has closed. It is too late.

Too late to realise that all those things never really mattered in the first place.

But it’s never too late to start letting go.

To stop wanting, stop wishing.

It’s never too late to accept yourself.

To look in the mirror and realise that all along, you never needed to look older or younger or anything else.

You just needed to look like you.

*****

Becky Hemsley 2023

Incredible artwork by Lisa Aisato

'Too Late' is from Letters from Life https://amzn.eu/d/gexttTP

START SMALL by Becky Hemsley

"START SMALL"
by Becky Hemsley

Life can feel a little 'big' sometimes. A little overwhelming. Suffocating.

We can feel like we have huge bridges to cross

or giant mountains to move.

And sometimes it seems as if it's a bridge too far and a mountain too high.

But just remember...

No one crosses a bridge without first taking a few steps.

And no one moves a mountain without first moving a few rocks.

Every big job is made up of lots of smaller ones.

Start small.

Small voices create big change if they don't give up.

Small footsteps walk long journeys if they keep going.

And small bricks can build huge towers if there are enough of them.

So start small.

And one day - without realising - you might find that

you're halfway across the bridge

or that you've moved half the mountain.

And you might find that life has become a little 'smaller'. A little less overwhelming.

And you'll be able to stand on that bridge for a moment.

Stand with the mountain for a minute.

And you'll be able to breathe.

******

Becky Hemsley 2023

Stunning artwork by Bettina Baldassari - BettiPigna

From my newest collection

https://a.co/d/huMrluj

I FLOATED INBETWEEN TWO WORLDS by Joanne Boyle

"I FLOATED INBETWEEN TWO WORLDS"
by Joanne Boyle

I heard my mama calling.

I haven't seen her for so long.

My pappa shouts my name

from the cloud he sits upon.

In the distance I saw grandma

holding grandpa's hand.

They hadn't changed a bit

as they stood there hand in hand.

I could feel my body rising.

I felt I was in a dream.

Yet I could hear my children sobbing.

I was somewhere in between.

The angels were getting closer

as the cries now hurt my ears.

I felt a sense of warmth,

as I was wet from fallen tears.

Someone held my hand,

in fact someone held each one,

but still I kept on rising,

whilst they kept holding on.

I could hear so many voices.

Echoes in my head,

and as mama called my name,

I heard the voices around my bed.

I'm not sure if I was dreaming

or where I was meant to be.

I longed to see my Mamma

but I now had a family.

I floated in-between two worlds,

torn between grief and love

and when I opened up my eyes

I had lost the world above.

*****

Joanne Boyle Heartfelt

art by Steffi Krenzek

Tuesday, 9 April 2024

THE CLOAK by Becky Hemsley

"THE CLOAK"
by Becky Hemsley

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 June Leeloo

‘The Cloak’ is from my second book:

https://a.co/d/drVfOuR

Monday, 8 April 2024

PLAY SOME MORE by Joanne Boyle

"PLAY SOME MORE"
by Joanne Boyle

She pressed her ear against

the bedroom door.

She could hear chatting,

saying "play some more."

Her heart began to thump,

from deep in her chest,

as she pushed herself closer

to hear the rest.

She heard her boy laughing,

but was he asleep?

Her eyes then prickled

and she began to weep.

"Rock a bye baby" and

then laughter again

as she heard Charlie say,

"let's play with my train."

Her Mother had sung

that same lullaby

to Charlie, as a baby

when she heard him cry.

He would then look up

and give her a smile

before closing his eyes

but it had been a while.

His Grandma had passed,

four years before

but came back to play

with Charlie once more.

*****

Joanne Boyle Heartfelt

art by Steffi Krenzek