THE CORNER 4 WOMEN

Tuesday, 21 May 2024

I'LL SEE YOU TOMORROW DEAR by Joanne Boyle

"I'LL SEE YOU TOMORROW DEAR"
by Joanne Boyle

She ran to meet her grandma,

Picking flowers on her way.

Hanging on to memories.

The ones from yesterday.

Always when the clock struck

and on the 11th chime,

She relived the same moment

and travelled back in time.

A time when she remembered

her grandma was still here.

A time without confusion,

when everything was clear.

Passers by would see her chatting,

at the bottom of the lane.

They looked at her with pity.

Time and time again.

She always came back happy

and the flowers were all gone.

Her days were full of love

and her heart played out a song.

Then one day those passing by

Couldn't help but hear,

The voice of an elderly lady,

Saying "I'll see you tomorrow dear."

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Author Joanne Boyle Heartfelt

art by Steffi Krenzek

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

STRONG by Becky Hemsley

"STRONG"
by Becky Hemsley 2023

They asked me if she was strong.

And I said yes.

I said yes without hesitation.

Because I’d seen her pick her heavy heart up off the floor, even when it weighed a ton.

Because I’d watched her claw her way back from rock bottom, even when it was a steep and treacherous climb.

Because I’d seen her lift herself up and drag herself through life, even when she was tired and weary to her bones.

Because I’d watched her persevere, persist and press on even when she was carrying the weight of her world on her shoulders.

And they told me I’d misunderstood.

They meant how strong was she physically?

How much could she hold in her hands and carry in her arms?

But it was not me who had misunderstood true strength. It was them.

Because they hadn’t realised that

all too often,

the heaviest things we hold

and the biggest weights we carry

are the things that can’t be seen.

******

Becky Hemsley 2023

https://www.facebook.com/talkingtothewild

Beautiful artwork by Angela Kennedy Art

'Strong' is from my fourth collection 'Letters from Life': https://a.co/d/9XrZH5W

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 SUNFLOWER

"THE SUNFLOWER"
(author unknown)

“Last night I bought a sunflower to put on the windshield of someone I’m smitten with.

After some consideration, I decided not to since we had only been on one date, the night previous. Don’t want to come off too strong, right?

Anyway, I grabbed the flower on my way out this morning with the intention to give it to someone on my way to work so it didn’t die alone.

What happened next has left me changed in ways I don’t even have words for yet.

While I was sitting and drinking my morning joe at the coffee shop (which I typically take to go), I saw a woman reading something with tears quietly and quickly sliding down her pale face.

It was like there was a magnet in the sunflower that was being drawn to her, because I knew in that moment she was who I was going to give the sunflower to; she was who I had to give it to.

When I got to her table I said, ‘Hey, pardon me. I have this sunflower that I was hoping to give to someone special and that someone I had in mind didn’t work out, but I can feel that you’re special too, so I want you to have it.’

Before I could even hand her the sunflower, this complete stranger flew into my arms with tears flowing, and gratitude spewing, as if I was someone she once loved, and lost.

It’s what she said next that I’m still trying to grip.

She was crying because her fiancé had died the week before, just months before they were going to get married.

On their first date, he brought her a sunflower and from then on, got her sunflowers, never roses, because she was the light of his life.

Today, through me, he was able to show her that she’ll always be the light of his life and how we as humans have a message to carry that goes far beyond words.

I’m shaken, awakened, and feeling raw.

You never know how much a simple gesture of giving someone a $5 flower will change their life, as well as yours. Life is about giving and being of service to others.

I challenge you all to find a way to make someone else’s life just a little bit brighter today and be of service. You never know the impact you could have.”

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

I MADE A PROMISE TO MYSELF by Tahlia Hunter

"I MADE A PROMISE TO MYSELF"
by Tahlia Hunter

“Each person has their own dictionary

that has been formed over time

by the stories that were told to them when they were young,

as each second of each day,

we are always writing invisible letters to others

through the words we speak aloud

and those that we speak through our hearts.

And so, the world is filled with people who cannot see how beautiful they are

as they have never been told so

by people who themselves have never been told that they are beautiful.

And so I made a promise to myself:

that I would choose carefully the words within my dictionary

that defined me,

and the stories I chose to retell,

and strive to let no one who entered my life

leave it without feeling better about themselves.”

********

Words by Tahlia Hunter

https://www.facebook.com/TahliaHunterBlog

Artwork by Catrin Welz-Stein

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 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 Daniel 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐅𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧

"𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 Daniel 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐅𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧" (author unknown)

Daniel had been a fisherman all his life, just like his father and grandfather before him. He knew the sea like the back of his hand and had spent countless hours waiting for the perfect catch. But Daniel was different from the other fishermen in his village. While they would often return empty-handed, frustrated and defeated, Daniel would always come back with a smile on his face and a story to tell.

One day, a young boy from the village asked Daniel, "How do you do it? How do you always manage to catch fish when no one else can?" Daniel looked at the boy with a wise gaze and said, "My boy, it's not about the fish. It's about the wait. It's about the patience."

Daniel told the boy about the times he had spent hours, even days, waiting for the right moment to cast his line. He told him about the times he had gone home empty-handed, but never empty-hearted. He explained that patience was not just about waiting, but about understanding the rhythms of nature, the tides, the winds, and the creatures that lived in the sea.

The boy was fascinated by Daniel's stories and decided to join him on his next fishing trip. As they set out to sea, Daniel taught the boy the art of patience. They waited for hours, watching the sun rise and set, watching the seagulls fly overhead, and listening to the waves crash against the shore.

And then, just as the boy was about to give up, Daniel's line started to tug. He pulled in a beautiful fish, its scales shimmering in the sunlight. The boy was amazed and asked Daniel, "How did you know it was the right moment?" Daniel smiled and said, "I didn't know. I just waited. And the sea, she provided."

From that day on, the boy joined Daniel on every fishing trip, learning the value of patience and the rewards that come with it. And Daniel continued to fish, always returning with a smile on his face and a story to tell, inspiring generations to come.

𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐀𝐋 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘- Patience is not just a virtue, but a way of life. It's about understanding the natural order of things and trusting that the right moment will come. With patience, we can achieve great things and find joy in the simplest of moments.

********* image by DALL-E (AI) 2024

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

LITTLE FALLEN STARS by Joanne Boyle

"LITTLE FALLEN STARS"
by Joanne Boyle

Some stars had fallen from heaven.

They were big, shiny and gold,

and with each one I picked up

there was a story to be told.

The first one was a whisper

sent from heavens friends.

It said "thank you for the memories and

I pray that your heart mends."

The second was from the ladies,

Mother's, sisters and all.

It said they were heavens nurses

and they were happy with their call.

Then we had the male ones,

including our Fathers and our Brothers.

They were there to fix the wings

that had fallen from the others.

The story from the children

just broke my heart in two.

Until they told me about the clouds

that brought them down to you.

After I listened to the stories,

the stars just disappeared.

I saw the sky was blue again

as the darkness had now cleared.

********

Author 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

IF MY LIFE WAS A SONG by Becky Hemsley

"IF MY LIFE WAS A SONG"
by Becky Hemsley

If my life was a song

Then I wonder who’d listen

Who’d fall in love

With the music I’d written?

Who’d sing my notes

At the top of their lungs?

Be moved by the melody

They had just sung?

Who’d hate the chorus -

The words on repeat?

Who’d feel my rhythm

And dance to the beat?

Who’d want to alter

My pitch and my tone?

Who’d only listen

In secret, alone?

If our lives are all songs

Then perhaps we should listen

More closely to what

Other people have written

And we’ll hear the pitch

Of their highs and their lows

The change as the music

Gets faster then slows

We’ll learn all their words

And we’ll know when to sing

And when to be quiet

And not say a thing

We’ll know all their rhymes

And repeated refrains

We’ll listen to them

And they might do the same

They might learn the lyrics

And chords to our track

And when we sing our song

Then they might sing it back

And right at the moment

They echo our words

We’ll realise just how much

We need to be heard

Becky Hemsley 2023 https://www.facebook.com/talkingtothewild

Artwork by Daniela Prezioso Einwaller

This is the opening poem in my collection 'Letters from Life' https://amzn.eu/d/53gondL

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 WAY PEOPLE VIEW YOU

"THE WAY PEOPLE VIEW YOU" (author unknown)

Sometimes I think about the different characters I play in everybody’s story.

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I’m a terrible person in some people's narratives and a Godsend in others.

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And none of it has anything to do with the person I truly am.

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The lens that others view you through is coloured by their upbringing, beliefs, and individual experiences.

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Some people see your bright personality as endearing and others see it as annoying.

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Some people think you’re weak and emotional and others feel safe to be themselves around you.

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Some people think you’re rude and selfish and others respect the way you stand up for yourself.

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Some people admire the way you take pride in the way you look and others think you’re conceited.

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And none of it has to do with who you truly are as a person.

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What you have to understand is that you have no authority over how people view you so never try to control the way others see you because the only thing that truly matters when the dust settles down at the end of the day is what you genuinely see in yourself.

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