Hard Times

We all hit times when it's difficult to keep going.

When we do we have a Choice:

We can let it get to us, we can falter, lose our step, lose our Self.

OR

We can stand against the threat. We can believe we have what it takes to get through.

We can believe in our Self.

It can be that we need encouragement to choose the second option.

I wrote the poem below last night for a little self-motivation, a reminder to Self of who I am and what I can do.

May it remind you too, whenever you need it to.

With my love attached.

I Will Stand

I will stand against the rain,

Beneath the clouds,

In the face of thunder.

I will not bow

To the lightning strike

Though it set fire to my soul.

I will not shelter from the storm

Though it rage through the branches of the elm

And through my heart.

I will lift my head

And drink the rain,

Let the cool flow of it

Coat my throat,

Let the sound of thunder

Echo through the stone,

Let the wind shout its secrets

To my bones.

I will lift my head.

I will stand against the rain.

Louise

A Bird for the Future

The last day of AEDM. Like any anticipated period of time, this month promised to be long, reached the halfway mark and sped to its end like a runner sprinting his final lap.
For my last offering I have illustrated a short poem I wrote a while ago as a poetry workshop exercise, so it is nice to make use of it in another group setting, so to speak.



Here is the poem:

An Unknown Bird

The future threw a flash of colour past my window
Like an unknown bird caught in sudden flight
And finding my own wings, I rose and followed,
Forgetful of the day I'd planned -
A new one in my sight.

I feel this is appropriate for today for two reasons.
Firstly, those few snowflakes that fell around my visiting fox yesterday increased overnight changing my plans for today. This is the scene outside as I write. I know lots of you have snow too.

The second reason is this: this blog was still new when we began AEDM so now the month is over what will this blog become? The future is full of promise so please do stick around (like snow) and see what's still to come!
This month has been great. Thank you to everyone who has visited me here and offered such encouragement. Thank you to Leah for stretching me so much at the beginning of my art journey.
Let's follow that unknown bird into the future together!
love,
Louise

Poems and Pictures

I've missed a few days, but have not been idle! So below are 4 offerings from ADEM days 6-9.
Day 6 brought a droplet poem:

Stormclouds

The slate tiles that we generally call clouds
roof in the sky, but provide
no shelter from the storm they herald.

Day 7, a face:

Day 8, another poem written on the train on my way home from work in London. Due to disruptions I spent longer travelling than I did working yesterday. Glad I had a poem to write!

Train Home

As the cramped carriage hurtles homeward
how can you tell
if the man whose knees mirror yours
has a tender tongue or a harsh hand?

How can you tell
if the woman whose eyes hide behind dark orbs
nurses open wounds, carries secrets
or basks in a moment of serenity?

Today, day 9, I have painted a tulip with watercolour crayons:

Hope you like these. X

Autumn - Where My Poems Spring From!!

I have discovered L.L. Barkat's On In And Around Mondays writing link and it reminded me of where my poetry sprang from.
As a teenager I wrote anguished poetry, as certain souls do. Then I grew out of it for a while. Four years ago I grew back into it (much of it still anguished, but not always). I ventured back via Autumn leaves - my first poem then swirled with the colours of Autumn, weaved into a royal rug of red and golden hues. Since then the weather and the seasons have been a strong element in my verse.
 But today's offering is in keeping with where I am around this Monday (yesterday). I write this looking out at my Autumn garden, here in Essex, England.

          The Autumn Garden

The rain is light, but unhurried as if wishing
To be somewhere else entirely.
Drops catch on the four webs
Which drape the iron fence,
shimmering.

The bare patch in the yard
Where the summer's swimming pool
Stripped the grass from the earth
Is sprouting again, green heads
Like lost friends returning.

A squirrel, settled migrant, interloper,
Tight-ropes the bough of the cherry
Severing leaves. A blue tit
Emerges from a drainage gap
In the brick wall.

Beneath the misplaced gum, stones
Mark tiny graves where the children
Buried platys and guppies
From our tank after disease
Swept through.

The rosemary bush in the southern bed
Lifts the upturned triangle of its branches
In welcome, but the rain
Still reluctant, ungenial,
Peters out...

So now you know where I am as I send out my posts.
If you write poetry, what was your springboard? Was it the weather, a season, a mood, a drama in your life? Do share the story.
And remember to check out the other poems and seasonal writings linked to L.L. Barkat's link above.

Moody rainfalls

Thursdays have been the days for blogging, but yesterday - my fourth Thursday - life got in the way. Life has a habit of being lived even when we would rather press the pause button. It was a hard day, a sit in the car in a layby and cry day.
Today is a different day and life is still playing. Jesus encourages us to let each day take care of itself. I find that incredibly hard to do. Yesterday and tomorrow clamour for my attention. But there is something reassuring in knowing that today is only ever one day long and the only day I can ever really deal with. Very often more than that is just too much.
Yesterday the sun was shining, but it didn't help me with my day. Today it is raining and that is helping because it fits my mood better which again is reassuring. Like the heavens are telling me it's ok to cry. The sun seems to stand in defiance of sadness; the rain embraces it. I like the dark glint to the day when it rains. I like the coolness. I like the smell that rises from the grass and leaves as they dampen and saturate.

The steady drizzle of English rain quietens my spirit; when we are blessed with a downpour I marvel at the amount of water that is suddenly torrenting down the street.
I love the rain. So today is the better for it.