"LOOK AROUND" by Becky Hemsley

"LOOK AROUND"
by Becky Hemsley

People in myths pay no mind to the prince

Who was changed from a frog with just kisses

And none of them balk at the trees that can talk

And don’t doubt that the stars can grant wishes

They think very little of speaking to mirrors

That answer them back from the wall

They sing with the dryads and drink with the giants

Who tower one hundred feet tall

They do not imagine the fairies and dragons

‘Cause those things are already there

With captured princesses whose extra-long tresses

Mean people can climb up their hair

Yes, all of these creatures with fairy-tale features

Don’t notice the magic they make

So they overlook half of what’s in their book

‘Cause it’s part of the plot every day

And maybe we too are so blind to our view

‘Cause it’s one that we know very well

And so we don’t stop and don’t listen to what

Kinds of stories our world has to tell

The stories of trees as they’re shedding their leaves

Just to welcome them back come the spring

And the way we all stay – how we don’t float away

From this great ball of rock as it spins

The stories of skies full of water and fires

With the power to flood and ignite

The mountains, volcanoes, the rare double rainbows

The phases of moon every night

And once long ago, we would never have known

That we’d one day explain it somehow

We’d have marvelled at more, we’d have stared with such awe

And perhaps we should do the same now

Because without seeing and knowing, believing,

We’d say it’s a tale in a book

Yet there’s wonder abound in the world – all around

We just keep forgetting to look

*****

Becky Hemsley 2023

https://www.facebook.com/talkingtothewild

Beautiful artwork by Lynne Bellchamber Fine Art

'Look Around' is from 'Letters from Life' https://a.co/d/1R5VZfo

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"THE LETTER BE" by Becky Hemsley

"THE LETTER BE"
by Becky Hemsley

Let her be confident

Let her be brave

Let her know beauty

Is more than her face

Let her be strong

Let her know her own mind

And for the most part

Let life be too kind

But when it’s not -

When the days feel tough

Let her know she’s

Bolstered fiercely by love

Let her keep dreaming

Awake or asleep

Let her know feelings

Do not make her weak

So let her be gentle

Compassionate too

But let her be bold

In her quest for the truth

Let the world listen

Whenever she speaks

Let her move mountains

And dance at their peaks

Let her catch galaxies,

Comets and stars

Let her ride moonbeams

Like rockets to Mars

No matter her stature

Let her stand tall

And most important

And vital of all

Let her be happy

And know her own worth

Know that sometimes

She must put herself first

And let her be proud,

Be determined and free

To be anything

That she chooses to be

******

Becky Hemsley 2022

https://www.facebook.com/talkingtothewild

Gorgeous artwork by LuciaVerdejostudio

‘The Letter Be’ is a poem I wrote for my niece. It's from my second book

https://a.co/d/3hrCwAa

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"THE FOOD HAD ALL GONE" by Anna Richards

"THE FOOD HAD ALL GONE"
by Anna Richards

They ran to the groceries, they filled up their carts,

They emptied the Tops and Price Chopper and Walmart,

They panicked and fought and then panicked some more,

Then they rushed to their homes and they locked all the doors.

The food will be gone! The milk eggs and cheese!

The yogurt! The apples! The green beans and peas!

The stores have run out, now what will we do?

They’ll be starving and looting and nothing to do!

Then they paused, and they listened a moment or two.

And they did hear a sound, rising over the fear,

It started out far, then began to grow near.

But this sound wasn’t sad, nor was it new,

The farms were still doing what farms always do.

The food was still coming, though they’d emptied the shelves,

The farms kept it coming, though they struggled themselves,

Though the cities had forgotten from where their food came,

The farms made them food every day, just the same.

Through weather and critics and markets that fall,

The farms kept on farming in spite of it all.

They farmed without thank yous.

They farmed without praise.

They farmed on the hottest and coldest of days.

They’d bought all the food, yet the next day came more,

And the people thought of something they hadn’t before.

Maybe food, they thought, doesn’t come from a store.

Maybe farmers, perhaps, mean a little bit more.

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"THE SKY" by Becky Hemsley

"THE SKY"
by Becky Hemsley

He asked of me why it was raining

He asked was it tears from the sky

And I replied yes

That this was the case

That even the heavens can cry

He asked of me what was the thunder

He said it was hurting his ears

And I told him that sometimes

Even the clouds

Need to scream so that somebody hears

He asked of me what was the wind

And why was it whirling and swirling around

So I explained

Even the sky takes deep breaths

When it’s trying to calm itself down

Yet often, we keep our tears secret

And we swallow our own cries for help

And we think that it’s weak

To be catching our breath

So we don’t let our struggles be felt

And yet, if the clouds never emptied

If the sky never screamed through the storm

It would sit growing darker

And darker until

It was simply no use to us all

So throw all your fears to the wind dear

And toss all your tears to the clouds

And you will discover

The infinite power

The heavens hold over the ground

See, it’s normal and natural to struggle

And it’s healthy and human to cry

And if anyone questions

Your power my darling

Just tell them it’s matched by the sky

*****

Becky Hemsley 2022

https://www.facebook.com/talkingtothewild

Beautiful artwork by Bev Jozwiak

‘The Sky’ is the last poem in my second collection

https://a.co/d/5yL72E7

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"JUST TWO ITSY BITSY AAA BATERIES"

"JUST TWO ITSY BITSY AAA BATERIES"

(author unknown)

Last weekend I saw something at The Gun Show that sparked my interest. I was looking for a little something different for my wife Dana. What I came across was a 100,000-volt, pocket/purse-sized Taser.

The effects of the Taser were supposed to be short lived, with no long term adverse affect on your assailant, allowing her adequate time to retreat to safety...??

WAY TOO COOL! Long story short, I bought the device and brought it home.. I loaded two AAA batteries in the darn thing and pushed the button. Nothing! I was disappointed I learned, however, that if I pushed the button and pressed it against a metal surface at the same time, I'd get the blue arc of electricity darting back and forth between the prongs.

AWESOME!!! Unfortunately, I have yet to explain to Dana what that burn spot is on the face of her microwave.

Okay, so I was home alone with this new toy, thinking to myself that it couldn't be all that bad with only two AAA batteries, right?

There I sat in my recliner, my cat Leo looking on intently (trusting little soul) while I was reading the directions and thinking that I really needed to try this thing out on a flesh & blood moving target.

I must admit I thought about zapping Leo (for a fraction of a second) and then thought better of it. He is such a sweet cat. But, if I was going to give this thing to my wife to protect herself against a mugger, I did want some assurance that it would work as advertised.

Am I wrong?

So, there I sat in a pair of shorts and a singlet with my reading glasses perched delicately on the bridge of my nose, directions in one hand, and Tazer in another.

The directions said that:

a one-second burst would shock and disorient your assailant;

a two-second burst was supposed to cause muscle spasms and a major loss of bodily control; and

a three-second burst would purportedly make your assailant flop on the ground like a fish out of water.

Any burst longer than three seconds would be wasting the batteries.

All the while I'm looking at this little device measuring about 5" long, less than 3/4 inch in circumference (loaded with two itsy, bitsy AAA batteries); pretty cute really, and thinking to myself, 'no possible way!'

What happened next is almost beyond description, but I'll do my best.

I'm sitting there alone, the cat looking on with his head cocked to one side so as to say, 'Don't do it stupid,' reasoning that a one second burst from such a tiny lil ole thing couldn't hurt all that bad.. I decided to give myself a one second burst just for heck of it.

I touched the prongs to my naked thigh, pushed the button, and...

HOLY MOTHER OF GOD. WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION. WHAT THE... !!!

I'm pretty sure Hulk Hogan ran in through the side door, picked me up in the recliner, then body slammed us both on the carpet, over and over and over again. I vaguely recall waking up on my side in the foetal position, with tears in my eyes, body soaking wet, both nipples on fire, testicles nowhere to be found, with my left arm tucked under my body in the oddest position, and tingling in my legs! The cat was making meowing sounds I had never heard before, clinging to a picture frame hanging above the fireplace, obviously in an attempt to avoid getting slammed by my body flopping all over the living room.

Note:

If you ever feel compelled to 'mug' yourself with a Taser,

one note of caution:

There is NO such thing as a one second burst when you zap yourself! You will not let go of that thing until it is dislodged from your hand by a violent thrashing about on the floor!

A three second burst would be considered conservative!

A minute or so later (I can't be sure, as time was a relative thing at that point), I collected my wits (what little I had left), sat up and surveyed the landscape.

· My bent reading glasses were on the top of the TV.

· The recliner was upside down and about 8 feet or so from where it originally was.

· My triceps, right thigh and both nipples were still twitching.

· My face felt like it had been shot up with Novocain, and my bottom lip weighed 88 lbs.

· I had no control over the drooling.

· Apparently I had crapped in my shorts, but was too numb to know for sure, and my sense of smell was gone.

· I saw a faint smoke cloud above my head, which I believe came from my hair.

I'm still looking for my testicles and I'm offering a significant reward for their safe return!

PS: My wife can't stop laughing about my experience, loved the gift and now regularly threatens me with it!

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"THE BEST MARRIAGE ADVICE EVER"

"THE BEST MARRIAGE ADVICE EVER"

(author unknown)

Choose to love each other even in those moments when you struggle to like each other. Love is a commitment, not a feeling.

Always answer the phone when your husband/wife is calling, and when possible, try to keep your phone off when you’re together with your spouse.

Make time together a priority. Budget for a consistent date night. Time is the “currency of relationships,” so consistently invest time in your marriage.

Surround yourself with friends who will strengthen your marriage and remove yourself from people who may tempt you to compromise your character.

Make laughter the soundtrack of your marriage. Share moments of joy, and even in the hard times, find reasons to laugh.

In every argument, remember that there won’t be a “winner” and a “loser.” You are partners in everything, so you’ll either win together or lose together. Work together to find a solution.

Remember that a strong marriage rarely has two strong people at the same time. It’s usually a husband and wife taking turns being strong for each other in the moments when the other feels weak.

Prioritize what happens in the bedroom. It takes more than sex to build a strong marriage, but it’s nearly impossible to build a strong marriage without it!

Remember that marriage isn’t 50-50; divorce is 50-50. Marriage has to be 100-100. It’s not splitting everything in half but both partners giving everything they’ve got!

Give your best to each other, not your leftovers after you’ve given your best to everyone else.

Learn from other people, but don’t feel the need to compare your life or your marriage to anyone else’s. Comparison puts your focus on the wrong person.

Don’t put your marriage on hold while you’re raising your kids, or else you’ll end up with an empty nest and an empty marriage.

Never keep secrets from each other. Secrecy is the enemy of intimacy.

Never lie to each other. Lies break trust, and trust is the foundation of a strong marriage.

When you’ve made a mistake, admit it and humbly seek forgiveness. You should be quick to say, “I was wrong. I’m sorry. Please forgive me.”

When your husband/wife breaks your trust, give them your forgiveness instantly, which will promote healing and create the opportunity for trust to be rebuilt. You should be quick to say, “I love you. I forgive you. Let’s move forward.”

Be patient with each other. Your spouse is always more important than your schedule.

Model the kind of marriage that will make your sons want to grow up to be good husbands and your daughters want to grow up to be good wives.

Never talk badly about your spouse to other people or vent about them online. Protect your spouse at all times and in all places.

Always wear your wedding ring. It will remind you that you’re always connected to your spouse and remind the rest of the world that you’re off limits!

Connect into a community of faith. A good church can make a world of difference in your marriage and family.

Pray together. Every marriage is stronger with God in the middle of it.

When you have to choose between saying nothing or saying something mean to your spouse, say nothing every time!

Never consider divorce as an option. Remember that a “perfect marriage” is just two imperfect people who refuse to give up on each other.

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"ECHOES OF OUR TIME" by Ann Marie

"ECHOES OF OUR TIME"
by Ann Marie

In quiet moments, I hear your voice,

Through poems and stories, you remain my choice.

Reliving days, both bright and brief,

Our short, sweet time is my heart's relief.

Each word I write, each verse I weave,

Keeps your memory, helps me grieve.

Though pain persists since you passed away,

In love’s warm glow, I find my way.

Your laughter lingers in every rhyme,

A cherished relic from our time.

I wouldn’t trade our moments dear,

For in them, you are always near.

Through tears and joy, our story’s told,

In every line, your spirit bold.

Though gone, you live in each refrain,

A testament to love’s sweet pain.

So in these words, I hold you tight,

Through endless days and starry nights.

Forever bound by love’s true art,

Your memory, alive, within my heart.

author Ann Marie

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