Do You See Me? – Betty Benny and Rachael Pierre

I am just like you and you are just like me

We are very grateful for this thoughtful and powerful submission from Betty Benny and Rachael Pierre. In this fast-paced age of technology and social-media, we can so often be guilty of judging by appearances. Betty and Rachael are based in Sheffield, share a love of poetry and have a magical way with words. Thank you very much for your kind offering to Voices and our competition.

Do You See Me?

Do you see me?
Do you see the real me?
Not the material things around me.
Not the financial status I have.
Just me. Do you see me?

Do you see me?
Do you see the real me?
Not the mask I wear.
Not the clothes I have on.
Do you see me, do you actually see me?

Please don’t judge me from the way I look.
Please don’t judge from the things I have.
I’m just like you and you are just like me,
we are the same.
Money and material status doesn’t make us any different.

We are all vulnerable little children
inside craving for love and affection.
Peace, love, harmony and appreciation.

Betty Benny and Rachael Pierre, Sheffield

Did you enjoy this poem? Why not visit Maggie’s website at: Maggie’s Centre Nottingham to find out more about their exceptional work and/or make a donation.

Do you have a poem you would like to submit to Voices? Feel free to do so by email at: voicespoetry@outlook.com or via the ‘Contact’ page on this site.

Why Did You Have To Leave Me? – Maralyn Smith

The memories will stay forever

Thank you to Maralyn Smith for her kind submission which deals with the theme of loss. Maralyn is a talented poet from Leicestershire who recently lost a close friend to cancer. She appreciates the excellent work Maggie’s Centre, Nottingham provides for the community and was very keen to support this project. We really appreciate Maralyn taking the time to share her talents.

Why Did You Have To Leave Me?

Why did you have to leave me?
Why did you have to go?
I wish you could explain it to me
As I’d really like to know.

You’ll never know how much I miss you
You’ll never know how much I cry
I wish You could explain to me
Just why you had to die

I miss your hugs and kisses
I miss you every day
Your voice, your humour, your laughter,
In my heart they’ll always stay.

I know I’ll never forget you
You had a big influence on me
But the pain and the suffering are no more
At last your body is free.

Why did you have to leave me?
Why did you have to go?
I’ll love you for the rest of my life
And I just wanted you to know

The memories will stay forever
I’ll try to remember your face
But your image will start to fade I know
As my heart breaks in two and the tears start to flow
And you vanish without trace.

Maralyn Smith, Coalville, Leicestershire

Did you enjoy this poem? Why not visit Maggie’s website at: Maggie’s Centre Nottingham to find out more about their exceptional work and/or make a donation.

Do you have a poem you would like to submit to Voices? Feel free to do so by email at: voicespoetry@outlook.com or via the ‘Contact’ page on this site.

Global Warming – Allan Thomas

the air around us has changed

We are sure you will appreciate this very thoughtful, thought-provoking and topical poem from Allan Thomas about climate change. Allan is a physicist who hails from Teeside, and very kindly decided to enter our competition. Thank you for taking the time to pen this poem Allan which reminds us all of the urgency to respect the environment.

Global Warming

Fifty years ago we thought that that fossil
Fuel was a finite resource which would run out.
That which burns never returns.

Since then improved technology has helped
And enabled us to extend founts of energy !
North Sea oil etc seemed to be an answer.

We now know that gases from coal, gas
And oil have a detrimental affect on the atmosphere
Unfortunately the air around has changed in a profound way!

Greenhouse gases Methane and CO2
Are the villains of the piece and adding more
And more adds more to the flame of global warming.

Recent research points to a maximum tolerable rise
Of 1.5 deg C .More than this will produce catastrophic changes !
Yet this does little to engender a collective response !

Allan Thomas, Teeside

Did you enjoy this poem? Why not visit Maggie’s website at: Maggie’s Centre Nottingham to find out more about their exceptional work and/or make a donation.

Do you have a poem you would like to submit to Voices? Feel free to do so by email at: voicespoetry@outlook.com or via the ‘Contact’ page on this site.

Depression – Maralyn Smith

Help me please, I want my life back

Thankfully more and more people are prepared to speak out about the horrors of depression nowadays, and we hope this excellent submission from Maralyn Smith offers comfort. Maralyn has very kindly provided two submissions to Voices, and this poem will be entered into the competition. Thank you again Maralyn for sharing your eloquent and thoughtful poetry.

Depression

The void. The darkness. How long does it last?

My normal life seems way back in the past.

I cry, I shout and then I scream.
Is my normal life really just a dream?
How do I cope? What do I do?
No one knows what I’m going through.
My family and friends don’t understand why
I shout and scream and then breakdown and cry.
“Take the tablets”, is what they say,
“You’ll feel better tomorrow or the next day”.
Tomorrow comes and I still feel sad,
I’m starting to think that I’m going mad.
I need some help and I need it quick,
I’m starting to panic and I’m feeling sick.
The family’s come home and they need to be fed,
But I just want to go back to my bed.
At my empty life I ponder, then cry,
I feel so alone I just want to die.
Help me please, I want my life back.
How long does it take to get back on track?

The void? The darkness? How long does it last?
Well, it’s taken some years but it’s now in the past.

Maralyn Smith, Coalville, Leicestershire

Did you enjoy this poem? Why not visit Maggie’s website at: Maggie’s Centre Nottingham to find out more about their exceptional work and/or make a donation.

Do you have a poem you would like to submit to Voices? Feel free to do so by email at: voicespoetry@outlook.com or via the ‘Contact’ page on this site.

Purple Flowers Bloom – Darran Cosgrove

I offer a hand that should be strong

Thank you to Darran Cosgrove for his moving offering to the Voices Poetry Blog and competition. The sight of flowers conjure up a myriad of emotions for us all: loss, romance, grief, happiness, hope… Darran is a student currently residing in Bathgate who ‘enjoys writing whenever he can, mostly on the train or when essays are overdue.’ We are sure you will appreciate his excellent work.

Purple Flowers Bloom

Purple flowers bloom, their sight is succor to our forgotten,

Who’ve aged years before their time, stricken fast by cruel chance.

They battle the body, showing spirit beyond ken.

What drives them I cannot know.

Fear or family, faith?

My own fate is simply to watch. I offer a hand that should be strong,

It shakes with the shame I fear I show.

In their eyes I see resolve, a burning vigor no disease can slow.

They break the grip and stand steady,

They’ll bring me to the garden when I’m ready.

Darran Cosgrove, 21, Bathgate

Did you enjoy this poem? Why not visit Maggie’s website at: Maggie’s Centre Nottingham to find out more about their exceptional work and/or make a donation.

Do you have a poem you would like to submit to Voices? Feel free to do so by email at: voicespoetry@outlook.com or via the ‘Contact’ page on this site.

Cities Are Like Deserts – Tamara Hidal Goisern

the evil remain in the cities or they are dead

What will the world of tomorrow be like? Tamara Hidal Goisern provides very interesting food for thought in ‘Cities are Like Deserts’. Tamara is from Spain and is currently studying English in Edinburgh. She is very passionate about language, literature and poetry. We thank Tamara very much for her vivid and thoughtful contribution to both the competition and the ‘Voices’ poetry blog.

Cities Are Like Deserts

Then, you also have the theme of shopping.
People love shopping. But by internet. Because they live in villages – now everybody lives in villages. There are not many people in the cities. In the news, you can see how everything is turned into ruins. Bus stops, trains, shopping centres… Only the small shops, inns, parks, and some squares and cinemas survive. But there are more and more people on the outskirts every day.

And they also say, there is not enough land for everyone, so we have to come back to the cities. But how do they want us to live there if there is nothing to do anymore? Every day smells worse and worse, and the few people who are still there are crazier and crazier. Old age, stress, suicide, and the ones who leave for the outskirts – cities are like deserts.

Every day grows hotter and hotter, and the communications are failing. There are no more births and no more doctors to attend them.

But here, in the village, is a wonderful life. Even if there are many people, you walk on the paths and all the cows and sheep gather together. Shepherds are not alone anymore, some of them gather together too, and there are lots of women and children who are starting better lives as well. The food each day gets better, the neighbours help each other in the fields, and they exchange the harvest. There are nurseries for kids, the youngest help the eldest and they learn from them, and the eldest, surrounded by youth, feel better.

But everyone is a bit scared of the city. Of course they lived there when they were younger and were forced to go to schools and breathe the toxic air. Here, we have many trees to climb and play in. Much land where animals are free, because the evil remain in the cities or they are dead. Here, for hundreds of years nothing untoward will happen. Okay… yes… small disputes, arguments, some broken marriages, misfortunes – those kind of things – but nothing else…

Tamara Hidal Goisern, Edinburgh

Did you enjoy this poem? Why not visit Maggie’s website at: Maggie’s Centre Nottingham to find out more about their exceptional work and/or make a donation.

Do you have a poem you would like to submit to Voices? Feel free to do so by email at: voicespoetry@outlook.com or via the ‘Contact’ page on this site.

When Sleep Descends – Daniel Brady

lose yourself within its charms

We can all relate to this excellent offering from Daniel Brady about the mysterious nature of sleep. Daniel is a passionate writer who loves poetry – and it certainly shows in this elegantly crafted piece. ‘I write for my own benefit, it is a way to communicate for someone who is a little shy like me’ reflects Daniel. Thank you very much for your excellent submission to Voices.

When Sleep Descends

When sleep descends upon your eyes,
and all around the dark conspires,
do not fear what lies in store
when sleep comes tapping at your door,
greet this friend with open arms
and lose yourself within its charms,
race down roads that never bend
and climb up trees that never end,
then rest on clouds that gently glide
and drift above the silent night,
and watch the world go slowly past
for here you are in sleep’s soft grasp.

Daniel Brady, Edinburgh

Did you enjoy this poem? Why not visit Maggie’s website at: Maggie’s Centre Nottingham to find out more about their exceptional work and/or make a donation.

Do you have a poem you would like to submit to Voices? Feel free to do so by email at: voicespoetry@outlook.com or via the ‘Contact’ page on this site.

Him and Her – Arooshi Sambyal

Love games, Aren’t played with rules

Poetry allows us to explore our innermost thoughts and feelings, and Arooshi Sambyal does just this in ‘Him and Her’. For Arooshi, poems are the ‘best way to provide rhythm to your thoughts in a positive way’. One of Arooshi’s main influences is the great poet Rumi from whom she finds much inspiration. We thank you Arooshi for your kind submission to Voices.

Him and Her

Arooshi Sambyal, Jammu and Kashmir, India

Did you enjoy this poem? Why not visit Maggie’s website at: Maggie’s Centre Nottingham to find out more about their exceptional work and/or make a donation.

Do you have a poem you would like to submit to Voices? Feel free to do so by email at: voicespoetry@outlook.com or via the ‘Contact’ page on this site.

The Raptor – David Paynter

be thankful you live in modern times

A deadly prehistoric raptor comes to life in David Paynter’s vivid and haunting poem. David enjoys creating poetry about animals and feels he can envisage the natural world clearly before putting pen to paper. He certainly does a magnificent job in creating a terrifying prehistoric scene and we are sure you will enjoy his excellent work. Thank you David for your kind submission.

The Raptor

high-speed horror:
the quickest carnivore
of the cretaceous
strikes by surprise
before the brontosaurus
can apply its tiny brain
too late. Those terrible teeth
enclose the throat
and the lizard-blood flows, a river
under prehistoric sun!
be thankful you live
in modern times
when such an enemy
is extinct!

David Paynter, aged 35, Whiteley, Hants

Did you enjoy this poem? Why not visit Maggie’s website at: Maggie’s Centre Nottingham to find out more about their exceptional work and/or make a donation.

Do you have a poem you would like to submit to Voices? Feel free to do so by email at: voicespoetry@outlook.com or via the ‘Contact’ page on this site.

My Magnificent Mum – Aaliyah-Louise Montgommery

My mum is so fun she shines like the sun

Mums are very special and we are sure you will enjoy Aaliyah-Louise’s fantastic poem about her magnificent mum! Aaliyah is very passionate about poetry and loves to read and write. Thank you for your excellent submission.

My Magnificent Mum

My mum is so fun
She shines like the sun
Cleaning here, cleaning there,
She cleans everywhere
I love her, she loves me,
All she ever does is clean
She is wonderful as can be,
Cleaning here, cleaning there
She just cleans everywhere
She is strong
She is brave
She is my Magnificent mum.

Aaliyah-Louise Montgommery, aged 10, Essex

Did you enjoy this poem? Why not visit Maggie’s website at: Maggie’s Centre Nottingham to find out more about their exceptional work and/or make a donation.

Do you have a poem you would like to submit to Voices? Feel free to do so by email at: voicespoetry@outlook.com or via the ‘Contact’ page on this site.