At first, I only saw the snow

And the sunset reflecting through the trees

That’s why I chose the photo

I love snow

The way it covers everything

Like a clean, white cloth

And even at my age, it still excites me

Like a child

I can almost smell it

Feel the crisp crunch under my feet

The exhilarating chill upon my skin

And feel grateful for the gloves

Protecting my fingers

The beauty of the sunset

And the bare trees against the sky

Paint a perfect picture of winter

At it’s very best

The light in the window beckons

Calling me in to warmth and comfort

But not yet, not quite yet

And then I see it

Stretched across the picture like a scar

The wire

Barbed and cruel

Threatening, disturbing

Saying: Look all you like

But this is not for you

Not for you!

This is a fairly recent one - I went to a writers workshop at Trinity Church (Cheltenham) and one of the things we had to do was take a photo and write either a poem or piece of prose about it.

There are times when I seek oblivion

Only temporary, you understand

Temporary but total

An escape from what life throws at me

An escape from myself

So I lie down

I close my eyes in anticipation

All is dark

All is quiet

But then they come

The dreams

Shouting

Screaming

Invading my head

Shattering my desperately needed peace

Is there no escape?

My life’s so overcrowded

There isn’t room for God

There isn’t time for anything

Just press on – plod, plod, plod

It’s like a never-ending dance

I go round and round and round

I feel as if my feet don’t ever, ever

Touch on solid ground

Sometimes it gets on top of me

I really need to scream

To shout and throw things all around

To let off lots of steam

I try to break out of my prison

I try so hard to be free

But when I stop and look around

I’m still trapped inside of me

Never enough

Inadequate, Unworthy

I can never do enough

Unrighteous and Unlovely

No goodness and no love

Storms

Storms are coming

All around me

Bring me peace

Walk to me

Upon rough waters

Calm my fears

Cost

Not one

Not even one

I won’t see one

Be lost

I know you know

You know how much

How much that really

Cost

Wrong

I thought I knew

Who You were

I was wrong

I thought I knew

Who I was

I was wrong

Are we fooling ourselves ?

Are you really there ?

Can You see everything ?

Do You really care ?

Are You just an illusion

To make us feel okay

Just make believe madness

To keep panic away ?

Are You there and are You real ?

Do you know just how we feel ?

Did You die and rise again ?

Was it us that caused the pain?

When all the troubles of the world

Fill our heads with silent screams

Then you reach for your bottle

And I reach for my dreams

And when it seems our best laid plans

Are ripping at the seams

Once more you reach for your bottle

And I reach for my dreams

Or even when life seems drab and dull

With the same old boring themes

You still reach for your bottle

I still reach for my dreams

But  stop and think of  perfect  love

For us impaled on wooden beams

Time now to throw away your bottle

Time I switched off my dreams