Sunday, 29 November 2015

Last summer

Last summer
We lived in a yellow tent
Feeding each other
Cheese and salami sandwiches
and kisses

This summer
I write songs about heartbreak
And go running every day
Every time I kiss someone new
I compare their kisses to you

Too soft
Not enough tongue
Too strong
Too much tongue
Too squishy
Weird bitey thing going on
Nice enough
I guess

I should just kiss
That boy who's the complete opposite of you
and accept him
just the way he is

My Daughter (Climate march poem)

I must be young
to be so naive
to think that I can make a difference 
with these words that I speak
I stay up late writing verses
that yearn to be heard
spinning sounds out of silence
weaving peace with my words
knowing the only way I can speak peace
is to be it, breathe it
breathe in - breathe out
remember the zen teacher who taught you
that in every snap of the fingers
there are 65 individual moments
and in every moment
you have a choice

And I choose you
I choose truth
I choose bright blue skies
And baking fresh apple tarts with my daughter 
who's yet to be born
yet two years ago I planted an apple tree
So one day we will have fruit

I want to grow her a garden
I want to build her a house
I want to plant so many trees
that she never has to worry
about the forests disappearing
her hands are small and pink
we watch the sunrise together
I wish I could promise
she will never have to worry about anything
but she will inherit a world that needs healing
with a best before date
that expired before she was even born
and the best I can do
is teach her not to be afraid of the truth

The truth is
I want to promise her the world
I want to stop glaciers from melting
and ocean levels from rising
I want to protect her from floods and droughts
I want to promise everything will be OK
But I can't do it alone
They say it takes an entire village to raise a child
It will take every village, city and country coming together
to raise this daughter to be safe and strong
to create the world that we want to live on

But I can promise her we wont stop trying
I will be there by her side
holding her hand whenever she cries
Singing her songs of courage and hope
and hoping this story has a happy ending
but I don't know that yet

Its up to you and me

Thursday, 12 November 2015

A bread-ful love haiku

He bought me flours
Wholemeal, self-raising and plain
And we fell in loaf

Three haiku about sleep

I apologise
Breaking up is really lame
Did you get some sleep?


I lie awake here
Wondering what sheep count when
They're trying to sleep?


Not a good idea
To sleep on a bicycle
Unless its a tandem