THE CORNER 4 WOMEN

Wednesday 22 May 2024

PIECES by Becky Hemsley

"PIECES"
by Becky Hemsley

I watched her drop the mirror

Saw her face adopt the fear

That she would now be destined

To bad luck for seven years

But she looked at the pieces

There were hundreds, maybe more

And she noticed how they caught the light

In ways they’d not before

The light was bouncing everywhere

All spirited and bright

A hundred little mirrors

Bringing all that light to life

So she picked up all the pieces

Whilst she still had every chance

And she turned her bad luck

Into opportunities to dance

And if you ever watched her

You’d have noticed how she smiled

How she moved and shimmered

Like her soul had come alive

And if you didn’t know her secret

You would not consider

That the glitterball she danced around

Was once a broken mirror

*******

Becky Hemsley 2022

Stunning artwork by @ededperkins on Instagram

'Pieces' is from my second collection

https://a.co/d/5W7gY0x

https://www.facebook.com/talkingtothewild

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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

TELL ME TOMORROW by Becky Hemsley

"TELL ME TOMORROW"
by Becky Hemsley

Don’t wait till I’m gone

And then stand up to speak

About all the things

That you loved about me

Don’t sing all my praises

Through all of your tears

When I am no longer

Beside you to hear

Don’t leave all that love

Like a secret unsaid

But tell me tomorrow

Or right now instead

And I’ll tell you too

Of the things I admire

About who you are

And how much you inspire

I’ll speak from my heart

Whilst you’re still here to know

“You are” not “you were”

Or “it used to be so”

I’ll speak of your light

Whilst you’ll still hear the words

And not leave that love

In the darkness, unheard

So tell me tomorrow

Or right now - don’t wait

Because we don’t know

When it might be too late

Because we don’t know

When our time might be up

And we need to hear - while we are here -

That we’re loved

*****

Becky Hemsley 2024

https://www.facebook.com/talkingtothewild

Beautiful artwork

Akira Kusaka Akira Kusaka Illustration

‘Tell Me Tomorrow’ is a newer poem so it is not in any current collections (but if you like it, you might like ‘Letters from Life’)

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

Tuesday 21 May 2024

A funny and true story about the Queen

"A funny and true story about the Queen" (author unknown)

Around 2005, the Queen and her Personal Protection Officer, Dick Griffin, were walking alone one afternoon in the hills near the Scottish royal castle, Balmoral.

Two tourists approached them, and engaged in conversation. Griffin recalls:

"There were two hikers coming towards us, and the Queen would always stop and say hello.

Follow Royal Family Page

"They were two Americans on a walking holiday.

"It was clear from the moment we stopped that they hadn't recognized the Queen, which was fine.

"The American gentleman was telling the Queen where they came from, where they were going next, and where they'd been in Britain.

"I could see it coming, and sure enough, he said to Her Majesty: 'And where do you live?'

"She replied: 'Well I live in London, but I've got a holiday home just the other side of the hills.'

"He said: 'How long have you been coming up here?'

"She replied: 'I've been coming up here ever since I was a little girl, so over 80 years.'

"You could see the cogs whirring, so he said: 'Well, if you've been coming up here for over 80 years, you must have met the Queen.'

"Quick as a flash, she said: 'I haven't, but Dick here meets her regularly.'

The hiker then asked Griffin what the monarch was like in person.

"Because I was with her a long time, and I knew I could pull her leg, I said: 'Oh, she can be very cantankerous at times, but she's got a lovely sense of humour.'

The next thing I knew, this guy comes round, puts his arm around my shoulder, and before I could see what was happening, he gets his camera, GIVES IT TO THE QUEEN, and says: 'Can you take a picture of the two of us?'

"Then we swapped places, and I TOOK A PICTURE OF THEM WITH THE QUEEN.

"And we never let on, and we waved goodbye.

"Afterwards, Her Majesty said to me: 'I'd love to be a fly on the wall when he shows those photographs to his friends in America, and hopefully someone tells him who I am'."

Rest in Peace Your Majesty

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'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."

*********

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

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