Life Inspired Poetry
My next book will be titled Life Inspired Poetry. It will be a collection of poems inspired by life, anything from nature to marriage and Christmas, I have endless ideas for section titles.
I've made a start by writing about spring, life's annoyances and time.
SPRING AWAKES
Hidden from view daffodils softly sleep, but
Dark days grow lighter as winter wanes,
Beneath chilly soil sleepy daffodils stir,
Their green shoots reaching out for light and pale sunshine,
Stems lengthen as tight green buds grow plumper.
A faint hint of yellow becoming steadity brighter
'Til petals burst from their tight sheaths of captivity.
Unfurling and stretching they reveal nature's perfection.
A multitude of delicate daffodils dancing in a gentle breeze.
Boldly they herald the coming of spring,
A new year of renewed life, freshness,
Hope and the anticipation of warmer summer days to come.
A winter garden has awakened from its silent slumber
Bringing promise of colour, beauty, awe and endless wonder.
THE SPEED OF TIME
A child waits for Christmas, for birthdays,
With eager anticipation,
But time drags.
As age increases so does the speed of time
Our teens pass a little faster,
Our twenties pass too fast,
We're suddenly 30,
Then 40, then 50, then 60, then 70.
We long to hold back time,
To have more time,
But the speed of time travel faster
Until the years flash by consumed by time
80 comes unannounced, unexpected,
For some unwelcome.
We celebrate 90, 100 is honoured.
The speed of time unfettered, forever its own master,
Unbidden, unwanted just moves faster and faster.
HOPE OF A PLEASANT DRIVE
It dawned a glorious day with blue skies and sunshine
A rare treat in a February of relentless rain.
Time to enjoy two miles of driving, untaxing,
With roof down and soft music, so relaxing.
The pretty, narrow and winding road was clear,
But a quick glance in the mirror told differently, I fear.
The grill of a motorised monster I saw
Aggressively glaring back at me, t'was a four by four.
With limpet-like tenacity it hugged my bumper
As we lurched into potholes of infinite number
We snaked between cyclists, but still it was there
Then swerved to miss a bus, but it didn't seem to care.
At last came refuge from my malevolent hanger -on
When I turned into the gateway and relief, it was gone
But peace came too late, with my journey complete
Sunshine and blue skies had turned bittersweet.
A GUSTY DAY IN A SPRING GARDEN
No rain, no sun, just wind, wind with gale force gusts.
The once peaceful magnolia is suddenly driven into a frenzy,
With branches swaying, the huge blossoms seem to dance,
But as suddenly as the gust began so it dies
And peace returns. The magnolia waits, waits alert,
Listening in anticipation for the coming of another gust.
Spreading beneath the tree are flowering clumps of daffodils,
A sea of vibrant yellow at peach and standing tall.
But the next gust sweeps low and without mercy
sends them jostling like shoppers in a crowded street.
As the gust dies again the flowers briefly pause to catch their breath.
But peace is short lived, as another gust hits the garden with force.
The bird feeder on the branch of a tree swings frantically.
there are no birds, once crowded it swings deserted.
But when the gust abates a lone sparrow appears,
A brave opportunist willing to take the chance.
It peacefully feeds alone. then another gust seizes the feeder
sending it swinging violently like a demented metronome.
There's no lasting peace in the gusty spring garden
The gardening shuns it in favour of other pastimes
She must watch and wait for the wind to abate.
Only then can she find peace in her beloved garden.
Peach to relax and enjoy tending her precious plants,
nurturing them to flourish and bloom in the warm summer days to come.
GROWING OLDER
She grows a little older each day from the day she's born.
She's praised for her achievements, 'what a clever girl', they say,
She can sit up now, crawl, walk and talk, 'she's so advanced',
Getting older alone is an achievement, each birthday a big event.
At five she goes to school. But how times flies. She's just had her 18th birthday.
'She's grown up so fast' they say. 'She's grown into a beautiful woman'.
At university she studies hard and has fun with her new friends.
She meets a boy she likes and a serious relationship develops.
One day he proposes and she accepts. They get married.
Now her worries start. They must get on the property ladder.
They save hard, buy their first home, 'such and achievement' people say.
Now there's a mortgage to pay, the bills come flooding in, she gets pregnant.
She reaches management level in her career. 'Well done' everyone says.
With husband and family, she feels fulfilled, but finds life has its worries.
On her fortieth birthday she celebrates with a champagne party, life is good.
But at 50 a few health problems creep in and she wonders if she's getting old.
At 60 she starts to wear glasses and looking in the mirror sees lines on her face
On her 70th birthday she admits she doesn't have the energy she once had.
80 is a shock. How did she get to 80? She doesn't want to be 80.
People say she should be grateful as she's still alive but that's no comfort
She needs new hips and knees, and she now has a hearing aid.
She mourns the passing of her youth. How did it fly by so quickly.
At 90 people congratulate her, say she's remarkable for her age,
Say she's still got her marbles and what and amazing life she's had.
They say life is short and so it is. We must relish each day we have,
Love each other, not miss opportunities, be thankful for our blessings.
The young have no knowledge or understanding in how it feels to be old.
Perhaps that's a good thing as it doesn't cloud their optimism.
They can look forward to the future and expect life to get better.
They will know soon enough what it's like to be old.