Words by A Wensley

Last week Someone I love Had a birthday last week. Someone I love  Raised a Standard last week. Someone I love Was unsuccessful last week. Someone I love Was in hospital last week. Someone I love Missed her Mum last week. Someone I love  Wants to be held like last week. Someone I love  Fell silent last week. Someone I love Needs to know they are loved, Don't wait til their funeral,  Last week? A Wensley 12.11.2026

When you feel so tired... You know that line in the Coldplay song, You know the one that goes - "when you feel so tired but you can't sleep" It was written for this moment, The PTSD moment that says - No-one is coming to "Fix you" You have to fix yourself; A line that keeps repeating, in my Life's song. I thought that - "there must be an angel.. "and she's playing with your heart" Was a song I'd love once more, It was a solemn song to me  When school refusal plagued my door, A child of 9 misunderstood Six months of absence, torn Driven in, against my will, one frosty autumn morn. "You are my sunshine" is the worst Of all the greats for me, The opposite of all that's right My world back then was wrong. There's silences only I can hear In every chorus of that song. (Each lyric dipped in honesty Becomes a darker one). A Wensley 10.11.2026 Draft 

The Drove (Walking a/way) In the Autumn of my Motherhood The leaves are turning. Each leaf - a page in my daughter’s story. Soon, the leaves we’ve grown thus far together Will lie fallen beneath our feet As she creates her own path Through the wilderness of our world. As she walks away, ahead of me, along The Drove, For the first time I see a young Shepherdess, no longer my timid sheep. Realisation pierces my bark-shielded heart, arrow-like; Her independence will one day leave me Obsolete. I shiver, My branches hanging bare, Cold, through the childless Winters yet to come. I curl up, under a mossy blanket, foetal, dream… Thriving, not simply surviving; Will her leaves grow with vigour Once out, from the limiting shade of my canopy? Or shrivel, without protection From the unforgivable heat? Will blossom adorn her, Bees swarm to her, Birds nest within her open branches Producing a generation who'll return here too, someday? Perhaps she will find pleasure, solace, In her rich tapestry...

Post-Lunar Eclipse Eclipses remind us that shadows cross our path Transiently; we bear their dark impermanence resiliently - in our time-assured knowledge that the light of love is always there upon and within us - waiting to emerge and shine again from hearts of gold formed of stardust. A Wensley 28.08.2026

Results This is not a results envelope It's a bookmark on page 2026 of your life, The result of a moment in time Marked - By someone who doesn't know you, Only the answers to a set of questions Set to judge you against all others. You, my daughter, are incomparable, And like the brightest star in our sky My world will forever revolve around you, Regardless of the contents of this envelope. So open it and let your spirit shine Because you have achieved so much  To be proud of. A Wensley 20.08.2026 For Rosa                          Picture credit NSPCC

Iridescence I was drawn to stand by the window That day, The day you were making jam, Sugar-crystalled strawberries simmering; 'Going-over' fruit bought by the box For a few pounds. As I leant my tear-stained cheek on the window frame, That day, Distress caught my ear; An intense tapping on glass, A frantic flapping on fabric, A dire need seeking escape.  And in that moment That day, The sky-blue curtain in my hand A flash of iridescence Crossed my line of sight And flew free. I turned, exclaiming my joy, That day, "A dragonfly, a beautiful dragonfly!" You, a diabetic, continued to fill the jars With the warm jam, Translucent in your selflessness. A Wensley 3.08.2026

Mutual Through the heatwave - You stand tall against the burning sun - Xylem coursing - Veins protruding - Leaves drying, falling - Bark cracking - Limbs creaking - Fear exuding - Pheromones screaming - “Hold me!” Senses morphing - Girth holding - Stomata breathing - CO2 absorbing - Oxygen exhaling - Oxygen absorbing - CO2 exhaling - Anxiety lifting - Sky shifting - Rain gifting - Thirst quenching - Mycorrhizal sharing - Roots connecting - And as I walk beside you - Barefoot - Respectful - Allegorical - Transformational - This feels like the very definition of - “Mutual”. A Wensley 27.07.2026 Inspired by the pheromones released by a tree at Othona and a conversation about the origins of the word "Mutual" amongst the poets present at the July Jawbone Workshop.

21 I watch with tenderness  as you rub your thumb over it's patina; A two inch silver penknife With two small blades, one pointless, And a pair of tiny scissors. I watch the hard edges of your demeanour soften, Your heart stop in your mouth, And the shine in your eyes glisten with a dawning dew, As you prise each sacred part open Revealing memories of your 21st, Colin, and the fire it had survived. It was lost, presumed forever, 5 years ago, around the time you'd moved,  (been moved enough to move in with me), 21 years our age gap,  21, the number on our door. Finding this special fragment of your memory Beneath my own today, Buried under papers I'd not moved since our move, Held a mirror to our future, through our shared patina, Two hearts cosmically punctured by two small blades. A Wensley 14.07.2026 (Our 7th Barrington-anniversary)

Sunset over Tesco Express (3) It's the end.  Another hottest day hangs in the sky, As our definitive, great red ball of fire Motions to the moon Passing it's solar-powered baton -  To illuminate our discrepancies Before dropping below the horizon. Under the PM's priority radar, The cost-of-living-crisis-poor Crawl out, from their debt-ridden homes, Blink at the apocalyptic sky, And forage for food In the aisles of our local Tesco Express, where,  Just like the barcodes Of the yellow ticket items In the reduced section,  The thin white and the thin black line up together, Praying to the retail gods For the dawn of common sense...  While Starmer steps aside From making headline news For someone 'more sensational'. A Wensley 15.06.2023/Re-worked 23.06.2026

My body is an ecosystem My body is an ecosystem You do not need to scratch the surface to find me,  my heart is on my sleeve. You do not need to embrace me with the arms of consumerism, bathe me in expensive perfumes, Or cover me with synthetic fibres**, I have no lust for the proliferation of man-made,  in the name of fast fashion,  I'm more impressed that you love the Earth, for me. Me: My surface beaming with inner joy, naturally, Moles and freckles out there for all to see, Hair in places others frown with pencilled lines upon, query, Ecosystems in every pore, Sure, Delicate as a flower Yet strong as strong can be, Yes, Me. Mightier with Nature be, Ecologically, chemical-free, Knock down the doors that banish thee, From the norms of society, Wash yes but not persistently, Save water, yes, and energy, Flush with pride, it's not insanitary  To give your pee some company Before it all goes out to sea Treated, yes, oh definitely! Aye and there's the rub, The chemical...

Screenshot: Nomophobia (Winging it) Agape our collective chick-mouths loll as big-tech feeds us another tasty worm Bite-sized Reels that wriggle and writhe between synapse and sigh-naps Algorithm after algorithm  burrowing with peristalsis-loco-parentis-motion  Deep into our conscious-soil effecting Worm-holes in our Evolutionary Involuntary reflex-motions Our life-force reduced to that of excreta You used to embody such motions Those that should naturally Always be in attendance Attuned Agape To our One Sacred Mother  Who stands on the edge of her fragile nest Winging it Spork in hand (the one without the phone surgically attached camera primed ready to snap  every First this and that  for her socials Memories to share Content to consume over and over again…)  “Here comes the aeroplane!”  Glazed eyes Don't Look Up  Such is the lure Of the Endless Feed A. Wensley Selected by Jawbone for publication in Issue 3 of The Jawbone Journal - Out July 2026...

Whiskers   My wetsuit clings to my body, mermaid-scale-like, Core-selkie assimilating, I enter the clear waters off St Martin’s - I thought I'd feel cold, but this second skin’s absorbing my sensory fears, Maybe this is how they feel when they enter the water too? Their heads bob to the surface like curiosity-corks At ours doing likewise, As my daughters peer at our new-found pod from our Isles of Scilly rib.   My mask on securely I lower my face into the turquoise-blue, Where Neptune’s other-worldly wonders Open out their depths to greet me, like his Salacia.  Herein waves a vast, beautiful kelp-green shimmering forest. The mask feels alien now, like an octopus With suckers over my nose and mouth.   A tube with which to breathe above the surface from below, bubbles - "Don't suck the water in" the instructor reminds us, "Keep your head above the water and gradually descend"; It is in this descent that freedom resides...

Examinations Everything has been building to this day - Self-expectations, to cope, weigh heavy, And as you enter the room The light stings your bleary eyes, The smell of cleaning products dominates, The clock ticks too loudly,  “You may start now”. Papers rustle And pen-lids click and drop like thunder Onto hard shiny tables With metal legs that squeak and scrape Just like the chair legs As your classmates fidget Taking your eyes’ and ears’ attention, You aim to sit still But feel the tags and seams from your clothes Sinking into your skin, The windows cast reflections on every surface Which make you wonder - Are the clouds shaped like that because… That cereal I had is still in my teeth, I'll just clear that then I'll be settled, I feel thirsty But if I drink I'll need the loo And I can't be going now, or later, And anyway what if I lose my train of thought?  I must focus…  Yes I must focus… But what if I… That smell is rank! Can you stop rustling your papers please? ...

For Adrienne It's one of those end of an era days So I'd just like to say... Thanks for the shelters, The encouragement to be helpers. The high times, The low times, You got us through them all times. The camaraderie  The cakes, the tea, But most of all the sincerity... Because you put the meaning in the word Support, The oil that runs the cogs in the machine, that's what you've always taught. From Environment and Property, Economic and Community Infrastructure, and Facilities, Scientific Services, Trading Standards And Children and Families - We thankyou,  And wish you, All the very best. A.Wensley 27.03.2026

No longer a kids party This is no longer a kids party No jelly and ice cream here, No towers of fairy cakes Topped with a cherry No, fawning a smile, insincere. I made a mistake with the doughnuts They make you fat it would appear, No takers for cake No chocolate intake No, let's all just get out of here. This is no longer a kids party The pop's fallen flat oh oh dear, You can't win 'em all Have Vegan food? Ball... Yes, plant-based food here comes in spheres. I made a big spread with cool fillings Sandwiches quartered, for real! BBQ chicken wings Lots of fun tasty beige things It went down well, so-so, surreal... Because this is no longer a kids party The talk's not of fun vibes I feel, For these young adults Have their own minds, their own cults, Quit Mum, no nostalgic ideal! A Wensley 19.03.2026

Why do birds sing? Why do birds sing? What is there to sing about? If the world were to end tomorrow - What's the point in singing? You tell me birds sing for a mate Not for ethereal reasons Merely to procreate. I hate to think it's that simple. Who died and made you God anyway? A Wensley 7.03.2026 From a Mary Oliver prompt - 3 questions you'd ask of nature, Jawbone workshop, Othona Recording of birds from that day:  Birdsong at Othona

Ode to a daffodil Your slender stalks march  silently              into                    Spring All trumpets blazing! Declaring brighter days ahead Like a jazz break Punctuating a misty blues LP. You are as yellow as the yolk, Rising like the sun, On my morning toast - And just as nourishing. A Wensley 7.03.26 Othona, Burton Bradstock

The Lyricals** of Lady’s Combe  A dramatisation of recollections of Ralph Hoyte's tale to us poets of when he was visited by the lady of the well, in Lady Combe, near Dowsborough on the Quantocks; the reason for us all being in this room now, here together at Words in Watchet as The Quantock Poets. Written in the poetic style of 'Christabel Released' - in tribute to Ralph for his support on our group's poetic journey. Voice 1 (Angela, narrator and Voice 3 - the Lady) Here we find the poet walking Retracing steps his fellows talking Descending through these green surrounds Whortleberries, blush-blue the grounds. ‘tween sessile oaks the snakes do writhe Bearing witness sleek and lithe His mind it wanders as mists hang low Dewy, wet, scene set? We go… Further, deeper to the well Hark what’s that? Ssh time will tell… Voice 2 (Ralph) Here I find the lady whispering Mists do hide her sultry glistening A slant of light through trickling glade Finds my face awash with shade (3)...

Grow, Growing, Grown Your small hand in mine I walked you to school daily, gaily, Bright red cardigan, grey pinafore Shiny black shoes and white socks. Your time to grow. In a navy blazer paired with a grey pleated skirt (Max 10cm above the knee), I sent you off to secondary House tie, blue blouse and grey socks Growing, growing, gone. You get to wear a short skirt now With a denim jacket  and any top you fancy. Your hands are still small But they're holding someone else's. A Wensley 26.02.2026

Leader I'm wondering who made you Leader, You who had the patriarchal balls to say "I don't think I've ever seen you smile" When a woman asked for justice, for the sexually abused. I'm wondering who made you Leader, You who had the ice-cold dominance to call a Mother A "domestic terrorist", "no angel", When a woman loved thy neighbour, to death. I'm wondering who made you Leader, You who had the conclusive transparency to say It was your staff who were at fault,  When a woman, and her husband, were racially abused. I wonder who'll make you Leader, I wonder who'll make you Leader. A Wensley 8.02.2026