Words by A Wensley

 Summits I was always described as a shy child at school, Never look you in the eye  Cry at the mere hint of conflict, Or praise. I grew up 'deficient'; misinterpreted, wronged. I felt a fire in me, Gathering fuel from the incidents That shaped me, Lighting a beacon for my self-esteem To warm my walked-over feet on dark nights. So, I set myself a goal To be able to talk,  Particularly in difficult situations;  To be heard  Without breaking down. I climbed that mountain, Up the path called assertiveness, Around the summit of self-expectation And do you know what I found? There's an echo. Because in finding my voice I cupped my hands and shouted to the world "This is me now!" But all that came back to me from others Was the echo of my former self. So I tried again To make my Self heard, Directing rather than shouting my voice  Down the valley of self confidence. And now I grow in the forest of self-reassurance. Oxygen-clear in tone, Whole-hearted in approach; Feelin

 Sunrise over the compost loos Awakening, full-bladdered, I unzip my sleeping bag And the doorway to my tent, Trying to keep all sound To a minimum, As my children lie sleeping Beside me, Conscious but dormant. Unzipping the tent-door  The sunrise greets me, aflame; An orange ball rising Over the compost loos. I rise, slumbering no more, awestruck, Walk towards them And deliver my contribution To a greener world. Deed done I turn skywards to admire your beauty, But you are shrouded in cloud, Your colour muted. There will be no photographs To prove we all did our bit, No badges of honour Or clapping of hands. And as I enter the tent once more Your youthful cheeks lie palid Below the eyelids of your hopelessness, I see your innocence in it all play out. Sleep on dear children, Dream of brighter days, While we piss in buckets And call it sustainability. A Wensley  20.08.2024

  Tide times Sifting shifting shells and sands Flow through toes and coupled hands Kissed lips glisten sea-salt-sprayed Hips writhe pounded wave 'pon wave Like the tide we rise and fall Pure-love-sure, fantasized all.                     A Wensley 6.8.2024 Inspired by a visit to Nanjizal, Cornwall

 Death of a moth  You came from the heavens Through my open door last night, Carefree, to show me how to smile. You came from hell Through cat-paws, as soft as your wings Defying all challenges, to show me resilience. You came with life, To dance around and around our lightbulb Transfixed with an inevitability, to show me death. You came You smiled You died. Everything in-between was life. Your life brought light, to me; I live to fly another day, My wings singed by sadness. A Wensley 10.08.2024 For Michael Higgs RIP