Poetry Shared

This will be my last post. I promised a last poem. I wrote 'Vase' as part of my OU A215 course poetry, with the theme of life. It is my best to date and my favourite...

Vase

Lilies dropping pollen;
Like blood stains
On white sheets.

Gerberas wilting faces
Shrivelling up
Like dead leaves.

Dehydrated they drink
The vase of tap water
Like a drip.

To any reading my blog - I thank you...

With very best wishes,

Ali

SAD

I have decided I may wish to take a break from writing. A break from blogging...

I threw a stone in the sea. It said "I wish I had never..........". But writing is my outlet. It helps me and now there is nothing left. I know many writers experience this. I have poems rejected, stories and magazine submissions collected in the 'no folder'. I have tried... I have succeeded but in the wrong publishing avenue (that's one to forget).

I will share one last poem later. There are more, but I think I will save them just for now. A lot of my work was helped along by the wonderful Open University course I took in Creative Writing. A love of haiku is something I will take from that - something new that I had never tried. I still love reading poetry. Once a poet - always...

On the theme of SAD - Seasonal Affective Disorder of which I am a sufferer...SAD Symptom Information. I have a Lumie alarm clock which has a light that wakes me, Boots even stock them now, here is their Lumie Website. I can highly recommend it, especially when the clocks change. These darker days of impending Autumn are drawing in. I shall bake, I shall tidy the garden, I shall walk through rustling leaves and I shall still dream.

I wanted to share a blog that I have followed for a while. It can be sad, it can be uplifting but Ella is a genius in cooking all things. I read yesterday that sadness has hit and her dear partner is suffering a rare form of cancer. This lymphoma is rare. As I have lost a family member to the disease and know others that have been touched by it, I can say please follow their story. Ella is a writer - a cookery writer. She is witty and warms up Winter days even if you have these sort of days in the Summer.

Her latest post on Eating With My Fingers is so sad - but also very inspiring and hopeful. I wish her all the luck and her wonderful man a full recovery.

Life can be cruel. We can deal with it.

Lost in Summer

I haven't been able to write much of late. I am still waiting for the right words.
Instead I thought I'd share a few photos on here...

Nothing beats the view on walking alone

Amazing sky at Newlands Corner

Visiting my very favourite place - the beach. Been here a lot lately for the sea air. This picture captured many years ago - remains the best.

Same beach different shot - taken this year.

Some beautiful roses I bought myself when feeling sad. I always do this. These were unusual - coloured like rhubarb and custard - the photo doesn't do them justice.

***

Spotted at a theme park, in one of their garden areas whilst waiting at a ride.

Just so Beautiful

Confetti Rose

June is for roses... a little late in blooming this year but now on full show in English gardens.

This is the first rose in our garden, which sheds petals, like confetti under its boughs.
A poem is born...

Confetti Rose

Naturally fall
blanket grass pink,
for a girl.

Rose petals like
confetti thrown,
for a bride.

Sharing Old Memories

Bank holidays always are a bit of a loose end for me... So thought I'd share some old memories.

Today we went for a walk and saw one of these. This is one I captured a while ago - I did not have my camera in time today... The blue is quite vibrant in the real.

Today I finished off my final OU assignment. I have been at a loss as to what to put on my blog of late, as my head has been filled with academia ;) So as usual I will be reviewing how the garden is faring and getting back to my more creative writing.

Sadly my camellia did not do well after wet and windy Spring weather. Although it had twelve buds, all of them either dropped off, or disappeared (likely blown away). So found this from a year or two ago when it did bloom to show it in flower. Maybe next year...

Some flowers from the past, looking forward to sitting in the garden (hopefully) now my studying is finished. The garden will be my new haunt rather than hunched over my books and laptop.

Pretty daughter's dahlias

Fuchias are so beautiful - courtesy of my Dad - the grower. If I remember rightly, the actual species of this one sounds very much like my name...

Cornflower Blue and Lavender Too

I've got the May blues. In my garden that is...cornflowers, bluebells, forget-me-nots and wild-flower.

Looking round the garden at all the hues of blue, reminded me of a nursery rhyme I once loved.  But can't now remember all the words. I had a book of rhymes, again where it is I have no idea. I remember it's pictures and it's pages that I glossed over through my childhood. This is the first line;

'Lavender's blue, dilly dilly, lavender's green'

But no it's not blue or green. Lavender is purple blue, lilac and white in the garden centres and I'm sure I've seen a pinkie purple one too.

I don't have any lavender out at the moment - too early, but here's some from last year...

Lovely, lovely  lavender
Flower, scent - all parts
To bathe in your beauty,
Essential purity
To heal wounded hearts.

Blossoming Beauty

Blossoming beauty
surrounds, senses spring to life.
The church bell calls time.

April Flowers

Every day the garden is changing. This morning the tulips were all unfurling to reveal their beauty...

There are many variants of primroses too...

I planted bulbs that didn't flower last year. Now I have something coming up in the pot and have no idea what it's going to be (spiky looking leaf bulb as below). That's the beauty of gardening. Self seeding, nature and dormant bulbs appear from nowhere, without any need for nurturing. Nature has it's own mind.

April sun is here for a bit longer. Good for a few days anyhow!

I'm thinking poetry - in my garden

Sore eyes sting with tears.
Hyacinths and daffodils,
flood air with pollen.

Haiku for March

Light pierces curtain
Sun rises red, burning gloom
Birds nesting wake me.

Buds and Blooms

'Sunshine'

Shrubs and trees are waking. Their stems pop buds as the winter sun reminds them it is warming up... hopefully anyhow.

I have taken a few photos on the odd occasion I've managed to get in the garden.

This was the first snowdrop. It really gave me hope.

The rose at the front seems to like the extra compost of my fresh coffee grounds (decaf I hasten to add)!  Not sure whether this works but tried tea bags once and no - that just lands up as dried paper bags. I've never seen this look good once cut back and so hoping for more flowers.

This camellia didn't flower last year. I added lots of extra compost in November and now look... Loads of buds - can't wait to see this in full flower, as only one flower has appeared before on its first year. It's a gorgeous pink if it does come out.

I bought a bunch of flowers for myself a few weeks ago now. These tulips are so unusual. They look a bit like a lion's mane to me. Really pretty variations in colour. They came in a little bunch with some purple tulips and pink roses. Nice and bright.

Snow

Falling white feathers
Delicately free- fall, then 
Somersault to earth.

Haiku for February

Silent like shadows
Clouds grow crystal raindrops
Hailing winter storms.

Books, books and more books... keeping them alive.

I wrote this poem last year. I like to get books from charity shops and also am a supporter of keeping our local libraries. Tradition is important to me and hopefully we can keep it going for generations to follow.

Bedside Table

Library and charity

Upon my bedside table;

Supporting

The community.

Keeping the library

Open for everyone

A British tradition.

Give your books to charity

For others to browse

Through; or buy if they 

Want to.

Recycling words

In paper form 

Before they're extinct.

~

National Libraries Day 2015 see here to support the library.

World Book Day  information at 
http://www.worldbookday.com/about

For great books see Oxfam Bookshops.

Poem for January

Spirit

I am not here

I am dead:

In mind

Not in body,

No head space

Taken too much 

By others cares,

Not intended; ended. 

My intention was

Not this way.

Looking For The Good

After a few weeks of colds (the never ending sniffles), rain, wind and general grey days, it's no wonder the normal January blues are at an all time high. The other day, I decided to look for the good.

*

After heavy rain, came blue sky. Birds seemed to fly more gracefully, darting from tree to tree in the garden. My usual walk to the shops was highlighted by a pink flowering shrub (a camellia, I believe) which I vowed to capture on my phone on the way home, hoping for better light. I found warmth in the coffee shop and the local charity shop. Not just the heating, but kind people who smiled, rather than look the other way. Everyone seemed more chatty about the changeable weather in a heart-warming way. I didn't mind getting wet - my hood sufficed the forgotten brolly (why does it always rain when you have no umbrella ;D and never when you are prepared?!). The dark clouds cleared. The shrub - in the church graveyard was captured (felt a little strange doing this but had to be done... albeit it came out blurred). I apologise for trespassing - as one does!

Beauty lives in nature

I look up to blue skies on my return journey. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day...

Looking For The Good

January
is such a down
turned month to me.

I look around
to find the good -
this is what I see.

Writers and Artists Unite

Respect and peace #JeSuisCharlie. 

I felt compelled to write something. So sad. We stand tall.

~

Writers and Artists Unite

Freedom of voice
Freedom of expression
Freedom of choice
No fight.

Words and pictures
Unite,
Writers and Artists
Unite.

©Ali Newman 2015