Her Fabrics

27/02/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



My aunt was a sewer

Always fabric strewn about the place

All manner of threads and weaves

From thick denim to delicate lace



She made teddy bears for charity

For children to cuddle tight

When away from family in hospital

And facing their toughest fight



She made jackets for women

Who lived in shelters near and far

When they’d left home without anything

To escape violence under the radar



She made costumes for schools

To clothe their performing arts

From drama ensembles to dancing troupes

Her skill was off the charts



She made blankets for all the babies

Born into our growing family

Not a one was ever forgotten

From Jonathon to Amelie



I wish I were a better sewer

But I never took the time

More interested in sports and games

Or which tree I should climb



But sitting there in her sewing room

Surrounded by fabrics of every hue

I had the urge to pay a homage

And I knew what I must do



Carefully I measured out a square

From every piece than I could find

Some big and some much smaller

But all chosen with a heart that’s kind



I lay them out upon the floor

Arranging them as best I could

Before pinning them together

A task I never imagined I would



I looked up on the internet

How to thread the sewing machine

And after a false start or ten

I felt like the sewing queen



The squares come together

A mammoth task I’d undertaken

But I would not be dissuaded

My plan wouldn’t be forsaken



Finally, I had a quilted blanket

Bigger than my arms would stretch

With seams a little crooked

And no mean price would it fetch



But I would never sell it

It was my reminder of her brilliance

A thousand little pieces

That tested my resilience



Every colour is a piece of her

Every thread a memory I hold dear

Never will she be far from me

With her fabrics always near

In Five Years

26/02/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



In five years, you’ll be 21

In your own place, maybe

Have a partner

Possibly have a degree

Or at least a qualification

And be out in the world.



I wonder what sort of job you’ll have,

Whether it’s a train driver

Like you imagined when you were little,

Or a meteorologist or historian

Like you want to be now

Or something completely different.



It doesn’t really matter what you do

Or who you love

As long as you’re happy

And know that whatever choices you make

I will always be there for you

In five years or in 50 years time.

Across the Street at Number 12

25/02/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation


There’s an old lady across the road,

She lives there on her own.

Her girlfriend passed a few years ago.

They’d been together for twenty-seven years

Ever since she came out to her husband,

And I don’t know how that went down

But I feel like it would have taken guts

To be married for so long

And have kids together

Then decide you not only don’t want to be married

But you want to date people of the same sex!



She’s the sweetest old lady I know,

Almost like a grandma to me.

She’d get me Christmas presents

When I was a little kid

With immaculate wrapping

And bows tied with care

Along with a card written in cursive,

Faintly smelling of her perfume

And maybe a hint on home-made cookies.



Now that I’m an adult, she invites me over

For whiskey sours and platters of cheese,

And conversations about the meaning of life

That last into the wee, small hours,

And Sunday trips in the city

With high tea over-looking the harbour

Eating cucumber sandwiches and chocolates

Before window shopping for all the things

That we can’t afford but wish we could.



Her children live interstate

But they visit when they can –

Christmas,

Easter,

The occasional birthday –

And I know she misses them a lot

So, when they’re not around I visit her

And she tells me about her life,

Full of ups and downs and round abouts

And more love than I could imagine.



She comes from a big family

But all her siblings have now passed away.

She keeps their memories alive

With pictures hanging on the wall

And visiting their resting places

And having one-sided chats with them.

She says she enjoys her chats

As she sits by their graveside,

It being the only time she wins an argument

With any of her sisters.



We’re planning her outfit for Mardi Gras –

She wants it even more outrageous than last.

You wouldn’t think to look at her

As she goes about her daily life

In her pants suits and demure shirts

That when the parade rolls around

She’ll be out there covered in sequins

And adorned in feathers galore,

Rainbow garb from head to toe

And flags of every description.



She’s of the very strong opinion

That life is for the living

And we should take every opportunity

To celebrate our diversity.

She lived too long hiding her true self

And, though she loved her husband dearly,

He wasn’t who she was supposed to be with

And when she met Louise that day

She knew it was now or never.



I think her husband always knew

And he took it very well

Unlike some others in the neighbourhood

Who couldn’t keep their opinions to themselves.

First, he moved into the spare room

While he looked for a place of his own

And, then, when he eventually found something

It was just around the corner.



He still pops round to do the gardening

Or put up a picture hook

Even though he’s now remarried

With another family to look after.

They all seem to get along

And his new kids love the fact

They’ve had an extra set of parents

And older sisters with whom to share the love.



So, if you’re ever passing by this way

More often than not

You’ll find me hanging out across the road

My own kids playing in the yard

With Faye’s step grandkids,

Which she babysits every other Saturday,

As we sip on whiskey sours

And watch the world go by.

It’s a constant reminder

That family is what you make it

And blood may be thicker than water

But love is the tie that binds.

The Night Shift

24/02/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



I hate it when you work the night shift.

The bed feels empty without you.

I don’t sleep properly not having you near

Though I slept for years on my own.



The kids have had their dinner

And I wonder if you’ll eat at all tonight

Because 6pm might be meal time here

But it’s the beginning of work for you.



I sometimes wish it would rain

So the crims would stay at home.

They’re no different from the rest of us,

They don’t want to be out in a storm.



Life here is dictated by routine,

By 9pm the babies are tucked up in bed,

But I don’t know where you are

Or what you’re having to face.



While I’m cleaning up the house

You’re cleaning vomit out of your car

From the drunk you’ve had to haul in

For picking a fight with a guy twice his size.



It’s just gone midnight but I can’t close my eyes.

You’re only half way through your shift

And I should be sound asleep

But there’s a feeling in my gut that won’t let me.



I will worry about you ‘til you return

And I can hold you safe in my arms.

My dreams are haunted when you’re away

Then I wake feeling like I haven’t slept.



I look at the clock and it’s not quite 3am.

Here, it is quiet and quiet can be

But I know you’re in the thick of it

And I wish you weren’t.



They say it gets easier to handle

But I can’t see how that is.

You are my world, my everything,

And I’d die without you here.



The 6am alarm is going off

But I’m already awake.

I think about hitting snooze

But I’m not sure there’s any point.



The sun is starting to rise now.

I know you’ll be home soon

But this is the time I fear most

Because last call outs are the worst.



But I know you’re in the right place

And you’ll come back to me each time.

I’ll get some restful sleep one day,

I just don’t know when that will be.

Yes

23/02/2021 - Poem a Day Compilation



Yes, I do want to wear a dress

Or, perhaps, a suit.

Maybe a skirt and jacket.

Or trousers and a shirt.



Yes, I do want to get dolled up

With make-up and accessories

But, also, not be bothered with any of it

Just because I can.



Yes, I want to go to the ballet

And clap very politely,

Then yell and scream my lungs out

Watching a football match.



Yes, I’d like to take extension Science

And advanced English, too, you know.

I’d really enjoy a Photography course

And learning Maths as well.



Yes, I’d like to ride motorbikes

Though dirt and mud and sand,

And I’d like to be chauffeured around

As the princess that I am.



Yes, I want to be taken care of

So I don’t have to cook and clean,

But I’m little miss independent, too

And can do this on my own.



Yes, I am full of contradictions,

They’re what make me me.

I don’t need to follow any rules

Just because I am a girl.

Without

22/02/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



I can’t live without air

I would die

Before most songs had finished



I can’t live without water

I would perish

Before the week is out



I can’t live without food

I would succumb

Before the moon has refilled



I can’t live without love

Yet here I am

Perhaps simply existing

The New Kid

21/02/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



Walking into school

Not knowing anyone

Far away from friends

And worried about everything

Because you don’t know

Which teachers are nice

And which kids to stay away from

Or where the best spots are

When you want to sit quietly and read.



Will the librarian be strict

Or let you take an extra book

Every now and then?



Is the sports teacher cool

Or a hard arse

Who only has eyes for the very best?



Will that boys beat me up

If I look at him funny

Or sit in his seat in class?



Is the pretty girl going to laugh

When I talk to her

Or accept me for who I am?



You don’t know what you’re getting

Until you walk through those gates

And the world closes in on you

While you find your feet

And your voice,

And maybe being different

Isn’t different here

And I’ll fit in just fine

Even though I’m the new kid.