I am a ghost
Do you see me?
I hide in the shadows
I fear you.
My essence is cold
The heart of steel.
Fear rages within me
Drawing me in with its astringent pull.
Fear is my home
I abide there
Like a shadow in the cupboard beneath the stairs
Long lost.
What hope is there
In dispair?
In the cold dead of night I wander
Feeling the kinship of the dark.
Slipping past trees and alleys I taste fragments of life,
A wrapper that once contained chocolate...
Or something sweet
They draw me to them and I inhale that which once was.
What is left for me
But the night?

Nestled in the lush greenery
Graciously she absorbs nature’s beauty
Moments capture a content and present aura
Flowing freely throughout her body
Sensing the sun glistening over her pale skin
Feeling the breeze sweep through her hair...
Instant chills race down her spine
Reminding her she is in her body
Feeling the sensations encompass her being
Quickly she remembers to go within
Compassion running through her blood,  keeping her heart beating
Surrounded by gratitude when she realises how far she has come
One day at a time she treads lightly, tripping and failing it’s all apart of life’s journey
Remaining aware and present,  she relies on her inner strength
Guiding her along this crazy and wild journey
Always staying stay kind and true
One deep breath in she captures this moment to keep
Knowing she can visit there anytime she needs to check in to her heartbeat

The voices are screaming over one another
Each one desperately trying to be heard
Becoming louder and louder; quickly feeling as if she can’t breathe
Standing dazed and afraid, staring blankly ahead
Unable to get a word in, continuing to stay silent
Listening to the chaos overwhelming her mind
Begging for it to all stop, just so she can take a silent deep breath
Caught in an immense spiral, she feels herself losing complete control
Instantly giving into the demands just to have a moment of peace
Her task is complete as the voices fade out into the distance
Sitting in shame, tears begin to stream down her face
Realising she has fallen into this disastrous place
Greeted by the beast sitting with a pronounced smile on his face
Aiming for an escape, slowly learning this is her learning space
The pain is intense radiating through her weakened soul
As the voices become louder once again, tears pouring, she sits and feels through this incredibly vulnerable place
The internal pain buried deep within her soul, feels like a naked flame burning through her skin
Burning through every layer, travelling deeper and deeper creating a tender wound
She focuses on sending love, healing and protection to the inner wound
Gradually the healing begins
Learning day by day to give herself, love, care and affection just like she deserves

I find there are no words for you
or none that on their own will do
your true ways cannot be expressed
whatever things swim through my head
are not enough to say aloud
and so intending what is best
here are my rhymes for you instead

I speak with a rythm
And sometimes in rhyme
I like alliteration
But I'm rarely in time

I wish I didn't stammer
Or fumble my words;
The English language
Is not my preferred

It has it's restrictions
In poem and prose
In emotive expression
And so I have chose

To speak with my body
And not with my tongue
Or sometimes in image
Where feelings belong

My personified shadow,
I call her Renée.
She experienced the malevolency
bestowed upon me
and released through writing poetry.
My nightly tears on the page,
bled crimson,
in unison, she and me.

She, my personal protector;
taught me the freedom,
within expression,
feeling fearless among oppression,
my pages now read dry.
With anxiety and pain held at bay,
I am to be thankful,
to the personified shadow,
I call Renée.

Do we all bleed?
Yes, we all do,
In different forms,
With a simple plead.

As a little child,
We bleed in tears,
With trivial doubts
And unknown fears.

As a writer,
We bleed in words,
Each blank page,
Engraved with inks darker

As a musician,
We bleed in rhythms,
Strumming chords to fathom,
The passion reflected in symphonies.

As a painter,
We bleed in colors,
Reality getting duller,
And canvases conveying brighter ...

We bleed in diverse ways,
For mutual reasons,
To encore unheard, unread, unseen
Piled up emotions...

There is a wonder and beauty in uncertainty,
that sparkling unknown that unfold before us
making each moment precious
for its rarity and inability to repeat.
So, I hope it brings you joy and peace.