
LITTLE BOXES – Tie it up in little boxes with a ribbon and a bow
Tuck it all away inside, so nothing is on show
What to do with all the trauma creeping through my brain
Without support, where can I stuff down this amount of pain? READ MORE
STARING AT WALLS – A sense of numbness resides in my brain.
protecting me from the constant, repeating pain
of losing not a loved one but someone I treasure
whose help and support have been words I could measure READ MORE
#ME TOO –
Can’t read
Can’t write
No rest
Hard fight
Can’t hear
Feel fear
All alone
No one there … READ MORE
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH – Jagged boulders tumbling down
the mountainside on me
I stand poised for the impact
when I really ought to flee … READ MORE
HANDS OFF – Today the sky is black as coal
My mind has crawled inside a hole
He took away my heart and soul
Please, lock him up with no parole … READ MORE
PRETENCE – It’s tough pretending to be okay
when I’m absolutely not
I find myself smiling and chatting away
to stop others sensing the rot … READ MORE
MY SUCCESS – I thought I was never good enough
At least, that’s what I was told
Just when I thought I’d be a-okay
And my life would be paved with gold … READ MORE
Climbing the Ladder – Drowning in anguish sucked the life out of me
I expressed my personal agony for all to see
I was travelling through the days full of tragedy
Not getting where I really wanted to be … READ MORE
BEDLAM – An ear to listen, a hand to hold
My story’s been told a hundred-fold
About my abuse, about my pain
And my mental health that f—s with my brain … READ MORE
The day will put down roots on my shoulders tonight
These past vacant hours disappeared
Into dense, heavy clouds above me
Exhaustion sets in, and my muscles are taught
Like the strings of an old, dusty Stradivarius
Playing a lullaby to aid my slumber … READ MORE
I thought I might be on the road to healing
Well, it’s about time, too, they say
Questioning me with persistence
As I died a little more that day … READ MORE
Scarred –
Tramlines embedded
permanent reminders
in soft, yielding flesh
disguising the pain of existence … READ MORE
Rage –
How do I shield my mind, my darling
from the wrath, I have towards myself
or the tongue, as sharp as a blade
that spits bitter words with every breath? … READ MORE
Perish – I hide between layers of darkness and grime
The soot-black air rasping through my lungs
among the smoke and ash
There I find my home … READ MORE
Rage screams out in silenced moments
Beating in her shattered heart
Muted words tell of her truths
Ripped her childhood years apart … READ MORE
Reality she feigns so well
Till the closet doors slam shut
A sureness of the truth becomes
A feeling from the gut … READ MORE
Searching For Tomorrow – You may think me rather sombre as I write my feelings out
I concur they’re somewhat dark, as well you’ll know
Do you understand my pain, and why I try to hide my face?
My shame lives on from very long ago … READ MORE
Passage of Time – Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock, tick
The metronome ticks the minutes away
Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock, tick
It regularly beats without a delay … READ MORE
I know the sun is shining, and the blossom in full bloom
But an air of deep depression permeates this room
The ‘black dog’, Churchill called it; I can understand just why
It’s by no means unfamiliar; a common passer-by … READ MORE
BRITTLE – I wish I could tell you I was different then
That I was happy, content, just a child
But even in those early growing years
I knew something was brittle … READ MORE
Dissociative Healing
The past came back to haunt me yesterdayI thought I was over all thatIt suddenly came flooding backWhen opposite my counsellor, I satI cried a…
Keep readingPlease Be Careful Where You Tread
This is barely a poem; more of a ditty, so I hope you will excuse its simplicity. Despite spending the afternoon with a friend, I’ve…
Keep readingThe Shadow
I see a shadow in the mirror that I barely recognise But a stranger in my room? No, I think not But then, could I…
Keep readingFragments
I will show you fragments of me myself us hesitantly if you are kind and have patience to listen and trust ~~~ I will open…
Keep readingCoffee and Cake
I wanted to share this poem in dedication to my dear friend, Jenna, who I’ve known for over thirty years. I worked as a home…
Keep readingA Pot of Tea
I went and had a pot of teaAnd sitting there were Mum and meWith toast and orange marmaladeJust like Mum had always made It felt…
Keep readingDear Val, I Miss You So
A poem I had fun writing a few years ago. It should be read in the style of the English poet, Pam Ayres.
Keep reading