Daffodil
You are so brill.
Glistening gold,
Your petals bold.
Standing tall
Your trumpets call
‘Spring is here’
And squirrels cheer.
Yellow troops
Mustered in groups,
Dancing wild,
My eyes beguiled.
Glorious.
Victorious.
Giving glee,
Joyous and free.
Spring is springing.
Winter slips into sweet slumber.
Snowdrops peep out
Telling crocuses to follow.
Sparrows flitter
And chitter their morning sonnets.
Badgers emerge
From their hibernation hideouts.
Frogs lay their eggs.
Ewes will soon be swollen with lambs.
Rebirth is here
Creating new and brighter days.
I sit with comfortable tranquillity,
It feels like a warm blanket
Covering me up and keeping me safe.
I watch the clouds saunter by.
They carry my worries away with them,
I do not need them today,
Just my blanket of snug serenity.
A gothic hamster dressed in black
Crept to my kitchen for a snack,
Dark eye liner and backcombed fur
Hiding in shadows, a sinister blur.
I woke up for a midnight feast
Unaware of this gothic beast.
I made some toast, switched the kettle on,
When I turned to eat it, the toast was gone.
Had I lost the plot? Out of my mind?
I scanned the room and what did I find?
A little gothic hamster quite engrossed,
Dropping crumbs on my floor, scoffing my toast.
I coughed to interrupt him, he stopped and looked my way,
His eyes grew wide, he quivered, and he started to sway.
I crouched down low, smiled at him, whispered all was great
He cried and smudged his eyes, sorry for what he ate.
I dried his tears, cuddled him, told him all was fine,
He could come and visit me any time to dine.
Calorie free chocolate that tastes oh so good,
A cosy log cabin hid away in a wood,
White fluffy snow that sparkles so bright,
Reading a book in soft candlelight,
Snuggling under a warm Christmas fleece,
Meditating quietly with inner peace,
Listening to carols as I close my eyes,
Avoiding temptation of cream and mince pies.
Seeing my daughter’s smile light up the room,
Chatting with friends via Facebook and Zoom.
A real open fire with flames dancing high,
The brightest of stars in a velvet sky.
A cat purring happily on my lap,
Luring me gently into having a nap.
A trampoline session to make me feel groovy,
Then feet up, relax, and chillout with a movie.
The gorgeous Judd Nelson waiting in bed
Covered all over with a marzipan spread.
Gazing up at the sky on Christmas Eve
I wonder if we see the same stars.
I clasp my hands and imagine it’s you,
Squeezing three times to say I love you.
Physically far yet spiritually near,
When I know you’re here I have no fear.
I chat in my mind and know that you hear.
When I lose my way you guide and steer.
I’m never alone, Christmas and beyond.
Your joy, love, and hope comforts my soul.
A lonely poppy in a sea of blooms
You lie in silence in a meadow of tombs.
Leaving behind all your world you held dear
You trudged on to battles with courage and fear.
My freedom now is from your sacrifice.
I pray you’re at peace in a found paradise.
I can never repay all you are due,
I never met you, yet I remember you.
My mind is open, a vast empty vessel.
It’s a wonderful place where thoughts can nestle.
Illusion and facts cohabit side by side
Jostling for space to be my guide.
Delusion can lie to me, sell me it’s truth.
I trust what it spins me, I don’t play the sleuth.
Often it tells me I’m unloved and alone,
No one would mourn at my gravestone.
Illusions can dance in my mind all the time.
They can plunge me to depths or aid me to climb.
They can help me craft a calm tranquil space
To deal with life with kindness and grace.
I’d hide from reality, scared and afraid,
But I looked for my soul, I loved, and I prayed.
Now sorting my thoughts into fiction and fact
I’ve found the peace I always lacked.
There’s an octopus in my oatmeal,
Breakfast has now become quite surreal.
He told me his name is Clive the third
And was dropped in my porridge by a big yellow bird.
He’s small and squidgy, two inches high,
Purple and pink, a bloodshot left eye.
He tells me that he wants to go back,
Turns my porridge inky blue with a panic attack.
I fish him out and give him a hug.
Tentacles grip my thumb tight and snug.
He tells me he’ll love me forever
But if I don’t get him home he’ll kill me however.
I place him gently back in the bowl,
Contemplating his dark squiddy soul.
I fling him upwards into the sky
Hoping that yellow bird will fly by.
If I was a banana
I’d be quite appealing.
I’d zip my yellow suit off
And throw it on the ceiling.
I’d streak around the kitchen
With my pale white flesh on show,
Wiggling my banana butt
Everywhere I go.
Naomi Rettig 