Darling Buds Of May

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This is not a poetry reading, but a wonderful song by Brian Ferry using the words of Shakespeare.  Something I remember from the 80′s.  I posted this video on here back in November when I first started this blog, I didn’t have many visitors then.  I think I got two likes for the post!!  As we are still in May and all the blossom is bursting out, I thought it would be an appropriate moment for a repost.  I hope you enjoy those familiar words in the form of a song!

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Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date;
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm’d;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature’s changing course, untrimm’d;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

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By Shakespeare – of course!

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To see this at it’s best watch it in full screen.  Feel free to float away on summer dreams!!

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Picture This gives life to thee

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My Empty Shoes

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I see you
staring down at my empty shoes
where your boys feet should be
running
dancing
and living

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I know what you are thinking
You’re going over
all the things you taught me
All the times you said
don’t do that – but always do this
to be safe
so nothing would steal me from you

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You’re sifting through
all the anxieties gone
what frightened you most
what may bring me to harm
Of the times you told me
not to speak to strangers
not to linger too long
on my way to school
And to always
look left
and right
before my feet touched the road

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I kept the money safe
as you told me
in my wallet
in the back pocket of my jeans
I was nearly there
The list in my hand
of bread
milk
and ice lollies for us all

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And I did
look left
and to my right
I thought it was safe
once my feet hit the crossing
Thought the car was coming slow
Thought they saw me
in my bright red sweatshirt
Thought they’d stop

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And now
all you have
is my empty room
my lonely toys
my hollow clothes
my empty shoes
And hate
circles you
every morning
and through the night
all because of her

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You think she’s an evil woman
who drank herself numb
to get in her car
to kill a young life
And that her sentence
for her crime
was a joke
You think she got away
as free as a bird

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I wish you could see her
like I can

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You may still choose to hate
for all she has taken
But you would know
she will never be free
of the sunny afternoon
when her and I
crashed together

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She stares into space
just like you

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I don’t know her thoughts
because I don’t know her
like my mother
But I do know
her family – hardly speak to her
Her friends – she has no friends
And she tells her psychiatrist
at every appointment
that she drinks
even more now
because
I’ll always be in her mind

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You think it’s all been a waste
all those things you told me
And all those times you worried
when I was sick
when I cried with child despair
And each time I got well
you felt you’d won the battle
raised me up
new again
made everything better

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But that’s what mothers do
throughout this great earth
loving
worrying
sighing with relief
mending all the broken things

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It’s just a such a pity
I never got to say
thanks mum – for trying
Because – that is all we have

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For a little boy I used to know

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If you find this a little sad, make sure to watch the video in the previous post – it may lighten the mood!

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Picture Fascination – Deviantart

Broken

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Reviews

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This is just a note, to let you all know I can now be found at Pinterest!

If you are interested in reading my reviews, or finding what books, films and even more music I’m into, then please visit my page to read all about it here.
I’ve also added a link in the sidebar that will take you to my Pinterest account.

I have included a board called Blog Posts.  In there you will find various posts, mainly WordPress blogs that I wanted to recommend.  I will be adding to that board on a regular basis, so keep your eye on it, you may find one of your own included very soon!

I’ve only just set up the account a few days ago, so I will be adding more very soon!

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Phenomenal Woman – Maya Angelou

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Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I’m telling lies.
I say,
It’s in the reach of my arms,
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

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I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It’s the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.

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Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

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Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can’t touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them,
They say they still can’t see.
I say,
It’s in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

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Now you understand
Just why my head’s not bowed.
I don’t shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing,
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It’s in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need for my care.
’Cause I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

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I’m amazed at the confidence of this poem!  I don’t consider myself not to be a confident woman, but it would never have occurred to me to write a poem in this way.  And if it had crossed my mind, I probably would have dismissed the idea as self important.  And yet when I read it, or hear it spoken – I love it!   I guess the words of this poem must reveal something lacking in my confidence.  Poetry in one way or another can be so revealing!

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A few days ago when I was out shopping, some of the lines of this poem went through my mind.  Inwardly it made me smile, and I’m sure I walked on that pavement just a little more cheerful!

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And if the guys are feeling a little left out in this phenomenal moment – here’s one inspired by Maya Angelou’s poem, called Phenomenal Man, and it’s really very good!

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And even a song has been made from this wonderful poem.  So here’s a couple of videos from the ones I discovered.

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Maya Angelou
Click picture for website

Here are some other phenomenal women!

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Picture In my universe where storms run – Deviantart

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Return To Myself

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Tonight I watched the sun melt
fall into the sea and wash away
The beauty in that sky
meant nothing to me at all
I was tired
of so many painful hours
of dark days
watery eyes
and tear stained cheeks

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This unwelcome story
how will it end?
And where is the memory
of when it began?

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What day was it
when everything changed?
When the right to be cheerful
was no longer granted

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When the morning comes
the dark will be present still
as dark as the days before
senseless moments
will play games within
jumbled
mixed up
spinning in slow backward circles
as my mind trips lightly over itself
again and again
over and over
and all before me there is
nothing

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I will run as fast as I can
because that’s all I know
my familiar friend
my hideous buddy
my mocking dark day pal

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I’ll run until my breath is extinguished
outsmarting my chasing dragon
of shadows
decades past
of the deepest black night

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Nothing follows behind me
but still I run
to find freedom
to dig for gold
from under those elusive rainbows

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But always
I run alone
just me running from I

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Drained
hollow
numb
a plain empty jar

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It’s time to lay down my fears
leave my senses to rest
For I’ve run too much
too hard
too long

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Time to tell the dragon
his time is up
acknowledge the empty space
that lingers behind me
and be grateful for being alone

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I will sit and wait for that sun
revel in the beauty of the sky
resurrect all those things
that have long been dead to me

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Wait for the light inside
for the radiance to be felt
to be seen
be understood
and once again become my friend

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Slow
but sure
I return to myself

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Don’t worry – I’ve not been losing my mind recently! This was a poem originally written a few years ago by writing down a few random sentences, just to see what came out without giving too much thought to what I was writing.  Some of the lines were interesting, but I wasn’t sure if it was really leading anywhere. After about ten or more random sentences I could see that it was about me suffering depression. So I worked on it as a poem about being in that struggle, finally coming out of it.

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I had a long spell of depression from the age of 13 to 17, and another short burst when I was in my 30′s. Both times it was sparked by events in my life that were oppressive to me, things I felt I couldn’t escape from at the time. But as dark as it was, there was a way out, and a way to break the dreadful habit forming dark thoughts too. I don’t suffer from it now, although I’m not fooled by the apparent freedom. As much as I tackled it head on, and succeeded in understanding how to be free of it, I’m always aware it could creep back when I least expect it. Depression is like a green snake in green grass – you don’t always see it coming!

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It’s an interesting exercise writing random thoughts, kind of poetry therapy, and helps sometimes to clarify where I have been in my life, and where I am now.  My poem To Find The Lost Girl was originally written in random sentences, and that was about me today.

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It’s a bit of a surprise to discover what comes out with these random writings.  And I guess it’s a bit like doodling with words!  I‘ve been wondering if anyone else does this kind of thing – or is it just me?

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Pictures Sunset 
and Sunrise