when i'm gone by Chris Stapleton ft. Lauren Daigle

 

Creedence Clearwater Revival: Have You Ever Seen The Rain?

 

Someone told me long ago
There's a calm before the storm
I know, it's been comin' for some time

When it's over, so they say
It will rain a sunny day
I know, shinin' down like water

I wanna know, have you ever seen the rain?
I wanna know, have you ever seen the rain
Comin' down on a sunny day?

Yesterday and days before
Sun is cold and rain is hard
I know, been that way for all my time

And forever, on it goes
Through the circle, fast and slow
I know, it can't stop, I wonder

I wanna know, have you ever seen the rain?
I wanna know, have you ever seen the rain
Comin' down on a sunny day?

Yeah

I wanna know, have you ever seen the rain?
I wanna know, have you ever seen the rain
Comin' down on a sunny day?

Reflections

 

People can please or disappoint,

In time you realize, it’s down to you,

How you choose to interpret words,

Or the things that others do.

Sometimes our thoughts and opinions,

Are just a reflection of what we know,

We too, project our own experiences,

In the way our feelings flow.

It is seldom we intend to hurt another,

Although doubts are often cast,

Whether words or actions are deliberate,

Or born from experiences of the past.

If we can be present with an open heart,

giving each communication time and care,

We can interact without overthinking,

Allowing a chance to just be there.

With every connection our views are shaped,

Finding meaning in both joy and pain,

But by withholding judgement and suspicion,

Understanding and empathy we can attain ..

C.E. Coombes

Art by Bina S

Source: Serendipity Corner on Facebook

And off she flew

 

They built her cage when she was small

Though no one called it one at all

No iron bars, no lock, no key

Just whispered rules of who to be

Be sweet. Be still. Don’t speak too loud

Don’t be the one who leaves the crowd

Be what they need. Do what is right

Fold up your wings. Take up less light

And so she learned to dim her flame

To answer to a borrowed name

To tuck her wildest dreams away

And live the life they said she may

She grew, but still she feared those bars

And watched through them at distant stars

She dreamed of fields, of open sky

She was a bird afraid to fly

Until one day, now fully grown

She touched a bar she’d always known

Her fingers passed straight through the air

She turned - and found no prison there

Because the bars she’d sat behind

Were only iron in her mind

Expectations dressed as truth

They’d handed to her in her youth

And suddenly she understood:

She’d stayed because they said she should

The cage she’d lived in all those years

Was built of other people’s fears

So she stood tall and stepped outside

Unfurled the wings she used to hide

Took a breath and said goodbye

Found the fields and open sky

Found the distant stars she’d seen

Once upon a distant dream

Shed the bars she thought she knew

Spread her wings…

And off she flew

*****

Note from Becky:

I wrote this brand new poem as an homage to Breathe last month (because it was 5 years since I first shared it) It's a sort-of update; where 'she' finds solace and freedom and space to breathe, by realising the same things about expectations and whispered rules as she does in the original poem.

Becky Hemsley 2026

Artwork by Jorm Sangsorn

Source: Becky Hemsley Poetry on Facebook

Sometimes I Think of You

 

Sometimes I Think of You

Sometimes I think of you
in the passing days and changes,
on special days like today,
and through the seasons of my life.

Memories are liquid.
Nothing changes what was.
I wipe away the feelings
and move on with the changes.

Now I only have
the faded memories—
of when we were young
and reckless,
doing young and reckless things.

We lost our bond
somewhere along the years,
but never the memories
of the time we shared.

And sometimes, on your birthday,
I think of you again—
of who we were back then,
and smile at the moments
that still remain.

By Me

ai art by Me with Chatgpt

Happy Heavenly Birthday Macie

Letting Go

 

Letting Go

We must let go
Of those hurtful things,
That burn and hiss
And bite and sting

That hurt the heart
And clip our wings,
Where we can't fly
And we can't sing

I think it's time
To turn the page,
Turn to the light
And quiet the rage

Forgive the slights
We cannot change,
And spread our wings
To escape this cage.

by Jimmy Osborne

ai art by me

Beyond the Gate

 

Beyond the Gate

The gate opens slowly,
the rusty metal creaking softly.

Beyond it lies
the life you long for.

An anxious feeling makes your
chest rise and fall
like waves in the sea.

You hesitate, afraid,
your eyes wide.

The dying leaves rustle
in the crisp Autumn breeze.
The cold air lifts your chin,
and somewhere in the distance,
the branches whisper ---

Come and see.

But your bones feel stiff.
Your eyes cannot focus.
You dare to dream
of life truly lived,
yet you're unable to move.

You feel the tug
at your feet.

You turn.

You run like the wind.

Once again,
fear pulls you back into its arms.

By Debbie

ai art by me