top of page
Woman Writing

A woman's journey

poems

A womans journey: Work
Woman

mentally pausing

Flushing hot , flushing cold
Feeling sad , feeling old
Dreaming of a good nights sleep
Losing thoughts I want to keep
Bones are groaning and I’m gaining girth
Tears that fall for all on earth
Happy now - then foulest mood
Wine will solve it - craving food
Not to worry but I will just in case
Wrinkles that burrow into my face
I’ll take a moment it’s just the change
Lots of women know this strange
If I’ve gone through the ticker tape of fertility
Then where is the prize waiting for me?
I’ll tell you where it is as I yet again mop my brow
It’s that I’m sat here ageing
Not everyone gets to now
So I’ll wing it , waft it , rule it
I’ll get a fan and cool it
I’m Mrs wisdom sailing through
This mental pause
Hope it helps you 😀0

Image by Aliyah Jamous

Men-O-Pause

I want to cry...I don’t know why
Whoosh it hit me out of the sky
Whirling hormones flying high
Catch it, squash it under my toes
Troughing now through my nose
Who’s to say I’m on my way and why does it start with
Men...it’s not for them
Have strived all my life for womanhood
Withstood the womb, given my life’s blood
Contracted, birthed, caesared, scarred
To arrive just here, emotions jarred
Waiting for bones to collapse, drying up and saggy paps
I want to cry...I don’t know why

Image by Ümit Bulut

Waiting an age

Age has tethered me here
The mould ascending the wall encircling its prey sums up
My fear, is this my last day?
Will the doorbell ever chime and break the stale air that loiters round
This chair, threadbare arms no longer sumptuous and plump or
Burdened heavy with infant gait, a wandering mind does nought but
Wait........... And wait
The fire once danced and family curled there, laughter and argument
Often flared, cacophony of sound so hollow now
Shadows embrace their empty place there’s a lady in a chair with a
Corrugated face wrinkling and dazed with the knowledge this is it
Ahh there’s the bell Duty Calls
Daughter enters front of house takes her position in the stalls
I’ll dash for the kettle and a bite to eat
“Hello love take the weight off your feet”
A present that fills a gap no time to talk no time to yap
I understand your busy life I once held the title mother and wife
A moment well its better than none so lovely to glance at you
Oh.....she’s gone.

Image by mauro  mora

Duty Calls

I’m just passing through, sorry, far too busy for you
There’s the traffic to take into acccount, there’s a picture waiting for the wall
There’s a trail of footprints running down my hall
The cat’s not been fed and the dog needs to go out
There’s a bill with my name on and hubby’s going to shout
The odd socks are piling up, the washing mountain to climb
The tea won’t make itself, if I only had the time
Then I might sit for a minute and notice you there
And remember that you’re lonely and only want to share
A tiny fraction of my life, amidst the chaos, stress and strife
And you’d be happy just to be for a moment close to me
O now my mobile’s ringing I really have to fly, I didn’t mean to stop this long, lovely to see you, bye!

Learning Toys

Good Day?

Good day?”You say. Yes we just play, looking round you say
“What did you do?”
O nothing as important as you
Went to tots, washed the pots
Nothing as important as you
Fed the ducks, counted trucks, she knows the difference between one and two
Nothing as important as you
Changed her clothes, wiped her nose, painted all those but
Nothing as important as you
Shopped down aisles ten centimetres wide, double buggy hell
Tantrum at till, a really strong will, no I didn’t bribe
I just got flustered, red, could’ve cried
Felt like the item on the ten o’ clock news, sweat rolled off my forehead and bounced off my tatty shoes
But your tea’s on the table and your shirt’s hung upstairs
Now it’s time for bath and bedtime, cuddle and prayers
What did I do all day?
O nothing as important as you I’ll say.

Love

We Go Together

We Go Together


Gingersnaps and Yorkshire tea

Syrup sponge and custard

Jacobs’s crackers Dairy lea

Hot dogs, onions, mustard


Jersey royals dripping butter

Peas to mash and mix

Disarronno over ice

Almond Bakewell fix


Roast beef and Yorkshire pud

Ham and Piccalilli

Fish and chips out by the sea

Eccles cakes with Caerphilly


Yin and Yang, toast with Jam

Jessie’s favourite muffins with ham

Quiche Lorraine my party piece

Those biscuits is it nice or niece?


All these things are other halves

They stick together like the moon and stars

Like all my favourites listed above

You’re my mustard, piccalilli.

 My life, my love

Cheering Crowd

Fix It

Fix It


I’m like everyone’s fixer, I’m the one they all choose

Where’s my coat, Where’s my bag, where d’you put them, Where’s my shoes?

I never get chance to sit still or listen to Radio 4

Anymore

Just running round, must look like a clown

Nothing else on her mind but being busy with me and my daily slog

I’ve not even time if I wanted to. To jog

In fairness though I get out with the dog

They must think I’m an also ran

Shut up; get on with all our scran

You’ve given him my Michael Jordan favourite socks

They set alarms to go off and keep snoozing endlessly on phones not clocks

My life revolves around what’s on their plate

What’s coming out for tea Mum?

Can you wait a minute mate?

My husbands never stopped working

He likes that kind of responsibility

I see him some times in front of me

We mostly speak on the phone

If I was a seal kit though I’d never be alone

I’m not moaning about my loved ones though I’d go to the ends of the earth

I feel like I’ve walked it there actually from the minute I gave birth

My little blessings, not so little now

I’ll keep running round til its empty nest

I’m only good for one thing

Taking care of them, just thought I’d get it off my chest

Woman in Pain

Ode to the womb

Who let it out? Flooding after primary drought

Cramping my style, pain all the while

Fainting and weary before anyone came near me

Worry of what could arrive after bodies collide

Sick twist of fate always anxious because you were late

Then longing for you not to come

Not for the first time since you had begun

 A bane in a way that changed my life

Seven years waiting to be fulfilled wife

Specialist’s irony that new life would improve

But oh no, you didn’t change cycle stayed stubborn, unmoved

Then precious jewels did come from your swell

After all the infertile years of hell

You calmed for an interim time

Eventually after tablets and treatments and coils

The surgeon equipped would you foil

And now I sit empty of tomb that was killing my time

I won’t miss you, this freedom’s sublime

Hospital

Dotting the I's

Hospital bed with a fetching aluminium head
Easily lead, sign on dotted line
Waiving any fine, your choice you can decline
Meat on a slab, tests off to lab
Walk down this line, arriving on time
Scrubbing, dressed up, gloves on
Cocktail in a cup
Injection and numb, ooh can’t feel my bum
Pina Colada sends me to sleep
I waken, Drip.......Drip
Pain and dry lip
Swallow, no can’t do
Tube in that’s good won’t need the loo
Press and release
Wow, bit of peace......

Tiny Feet

Flippant

This was an  anguish to difficult to share
We both of us knew it, we tried not to care
Our love was enough to see us through
Forget all the pain; there’d be no likeness of you
People all wondering when they’re to hear
The news of tiny feet pattering, raise a glass and three cheers
You try to be flippant
Fob them all off
Other priorities, a life and a job
Deep down you’re heartsick, you ache and you grieve
Every month hoping, then the question why? Why not conceive?
Sharing doesn’t help with people who don’t know
The path you haven’t chosen and how far you have to go

Woman in Black Swimsuit

Shine

I see you; it’s your job to look divine

How you do it, do you starve? Take tablets, are you healthy?

It’s your business and not really mine

But the picture for other women out there

Is this how you should be?

Its young girls and the pressure of all this, that often worries me

Real women have no air brush, and they hide in case you should see

The etching upon their body, the map of its toil and its battle wounds

The Spanx holding skin in and the hiking up of the volumous dunes

Show women the real and the honest

Set a guideline to simply be you

The people that matter won’t care less

They will love you for just being true

I have bits I don’t show and some wobble but I own it, they’re all part of me

Leave the perils of pressure and peer groups

Remember to feel good in your skin

Most important if no-one has told you

Your beauty... it comes from within…..

Girl Behind a Curtain

The Quiet Friend

Often she doesn’t have platitudes in abundance to share 
She’s not vocally flourishing, spouting love 
She’s just there 
You once saw her lion heart when she leapt to your defence 
If gossip about you came to her ears she wouldn’t just sit on the fence 
Be sure to notice her and be thankful for the role she has chosen to play 
She’ll hold your hand when you're free falling into your darkest day 
Life doesn’t often churn them out for you , the ones who stand upright showing faith in you til the end 
The road with them may have  pot holes and curving transcend but you’re oh so  lucky to have the quiet friend

Seniors Laughing

Its ok to cringe

Is there anything funnier than embarassment?

Like saying something different than the words you actually meant

Being caught eating chocolate in the middle of Lent


Then there's the exit from the toilet, skirt tucked in your knickers what a view!

It comes close to the other one , toilet paper trailing off your shoe

Watching telly with your parents when the rude bits come alive

No one looking at each other, behind a cushion's the  best place to hide 

The open plan changing rooms there's those who've got nowt to hide

At school running naked through the showers , honestly could have died

Running round playing hockey in those great big grey knickers

Never being on trend in Clarks when everyone else is  wearing Kickers

I like a laugh when someone else does a spectacular face plant though honestly not if theyre hurt

Opening my mouth to speak after fizz and no words just a very loud  burp

Laughing when you're aging apparently adding a little pee

Laughing when you're not supposed to especially disrespectfully

Embarassing noises, a silent one turns out loud or worse an SBD

Wafting away a stink bomb hoping no one knew it was me

Pulling out a tampon or a poo bag trying to pay 

Walking down a hospital ward no one told me  the gown opened  that way

I asked my daughter what makes her the most embarassed 

She said " You Mum every day":)

Palm Reading

Is there anybody there?


A group of us were off to see Mildred, she lives on Viaduct street

She gets predictions, people coming through; you never know who you’re going to meet

We get there and the lights are dim, a crystal ball aglow

She was sitting down her eyes were closed with one of them scarves on that has beads dangling down in a row


My other half said find out the scores

What horses to back at Aintree

Some want to hear from others that have passed

I want to know what’s happening to me

What can she see?

Oh wait a minute now hold hands can we start to assemble

She’s glazing over and her body’s starting to tremble


Tell us Mildred what will delight us and what is coming? What’s the worst?

I’m watching her and waiting, the suspense

I’m fit to burst

Then she goes someone’s here with the letter of G

Is it Gary? Is it Gordon? Is it George?

Everyone’s looking at each other, shaking their heads

Wondering is it a new friendship we’re about to forge?


Next she says I see a woman coming through

Well we’ve all met one of them

It’s someone’s mother come to tell you your partners got a lover

I think his name is Ken

Now we’re all wondering who that could be?

I’m not sure I wanted bad news for a small fee


Then she says there’s bad news for one or two

Bill coming through says you need a new washer

The waters about to break through

The days will get shorter and you’ll be behind closed doors

I’m not happy with that there’ll be endless chores


She’s saying there’s going to be a reckoning

Oh Heck I want to go now; it’s starting to sound threatening

Your uncle says he knows it was you

Well we’re all twitching now

Who does he mean? Me or you?


We left after that her eyes opened up and none of us felt very good

Wondering why we went and whose name was mud?

We went home wondering if our husbands were out

Were they with Ken, what’s that all about?

The price of a washer we were all planning to buy

The days behind locked doors

We all wanted to cry


Anyway it’s all worked out

It was my washer that broke

Thanks very much Bill

You’re a decent kind of bloke

Irene was the one got stuck behind closed doors

Her key broke in the lock

And Stella’s husband, well he’s the one that gave us all a shock


It turns out that George is from Belinda’s family tree

We could all claim that to be honest

I’ve got one three times removed from me

In future I’ll stick to the present

I don’t want to know what’s coming or who’s from the past

Lovely to meet you Mildred

But for visits well that was our last!

bottom of page