Em Colley Poetry
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Page 7

TV


I’m sure it drains me
Numbs me
Dumbs me down
Leaves me feeling tired
And yearning for how
It is to sit around a fire
Watching flames leap ever higher 

Little things make me smile


I like to take a cup of tea
To my man in bed
It’s fair to say it feels a bit special
To do something for someone else
Not just buy a gift from on the shelf

Little things 
Make my heart sing
My dad used to do it everyday
And I’d wake to see
A mug of tea
There in a morning
Beside me

Flowers too
Have the power
To make me smile
For quite a while
Especially ones that are wild
Blowing in the breeze

And hugging trees
They make everything feel better
Or writing a letter
To a distant friend

Little things make me smile
And one of my favourite things
Is to pass them on to someone else
No need to be queens and kings
To feel amazing
Get the daisy chain ready
And crown yourself
I’ll be an Elfen queen
Not even seen
As I pass through the trees


Like wil’o the wisp
Do you remember that one
From so long ago?
It may be lost 
In the depths of time
That happy
Memory of mine.

So teeny little things
Shiny happy people bring
Make a silly song
And sing along

Little things
Make me smile.
​

Scrolling 


​Constantly rolling your thumb 
Down the page
Mind feeling vague
As you scroll on by
Someone else’s news
Their views
On the world 
As they know it

Not that that’s wrong 
Just a different song
To yours
And is there still room
Or does it quieten your noise
Fill the void

This addiction
With technology
You see
It must serve some purpose
For someone
Even if not for us

Follow the money
Is a wonderful phrase
Who profits from you 
Scrolling for days and days

If you want to know purpose
It’s good to see
Whose purse would profit
Then it may be

You uncover what is the point
Of this scrolling
This stress on your thumb joint
Follow the money

Social craving
​

40 likes in an hour
Is this the power
Of dopamine highs?
Kiss self esteem goodbye

What we do for love
For approval, for vanity
This truly is insanity

And that companies have
Harnessed our weaknesses 
Should be no surprise
It’s gone on for all time

Especially with women
“Wear high heels
Make up
It’ll make you feel
Nicer

Because you aren’t enough
Just like that
No, you need more stuff
Lippy, mascara, eye shadow
No, no, it ain’t shallow

It’s for your benefit
You’ll feel better with it all”

So why are we surprised
About filters that change your eyes
And your face, smoothes out the wrinkles
Gets rid of the pimples

Those lines, you earned them
And yes, I’ve heard them
“Everyone wants to be young”
But what if ‘they’ were wrong

The crone, she’s been denied
That archetype I find so fine
I can’t wait for days of wisdom
Grey hair and a cauldron

We don’t all need to stare
With age is great beauty
And we can be snooty
But how amazing to have lived
Though generations
Of changes

Living in a culture that worships youth
Feels back to front today
Show me some proof…
Why younger is better
Filtered and smoother

Instead of real life 
And dopamine highs
What wouldn’t you give
For an honest conversation
Instead of filters and veneer
Getting in the way?

And whilst there’s something fun 
About having a tongue
And puppy ears popping out of your head
I’d love to see real life, 
Wrinkles and grey hair instead.
​

So many jobs

Water the plants
Walk the dogs
Sometimes it feels
There’s so many jobs

Work on cases
Go post remedies
Hoover the carpet
De-flea the pets
Preventatively
​Fortunately!

Clean the kitchen
Anyone else
Feel like they’re on a mission
To catch up? 
To be on top?

Waking up with a list to do
Ah first go poo
Sort the constitution 
That’s a good solution 

Happy days with loads to sort
Does it have to be so busy?
Then go play sport
Get fit, eat well

Anyone else feel
It’s a bit like a hamster wheel?
Out there?
Keep up, go do
Now!

I love my job
And I feel so lucky
If you don’t 
Then I think you’re plucky

Getting up and on it 
With no love for it
Must be harder
So even when I’ve a lot to do
I can go sit in the arbour

It’s my new favourite place to work
Surrounded by flowers
Insects and trees
With a blanket for the breeze 

Working on cases
Writing and learning
How lovely to sit there
Whilst I am earning.

So whilst I don’t know about you
I hope there are some things to be grateful about too
Whether it’s location
Friends at the work station 
I hope there’s a ray of light
As I say goodnight

Across the miles
I hope your day ends with smiles
With love and even hugs
As you tuck up in bed, snug as a bug

​

Hold the space


It seems strange this world of ours
Unlike any I’ve ever known
So much doesn’t make sense
Seems to actively go against science

And I’ve struggled, I think that’s obvious
With times like these
Not known how to be
It feels insane in many ways
Has my brain in a haze

Then I come back to what is
Not what could be, what should be
And I am calmer
Right now I am here
That much is clear
Even if nothing else is

And what can I do 
When it all feels a bit poo
Maybe step back
From the edge
A little, and just look
Read a book

Stop and think
Have a nice drink
Hot chocolate or chai
And perhaps don’t ask why

Because I’m not sure there really is an answer
Except power and because they can
It might be unpopular to say
I’ve never understood the space race
Perhaps it makes more sense
To me at least, to try fixing 
Where we are here first

Maybe it’s the same in my brain
On viruses and GMO manipulation
I don’t see why it’s such a sensation
Because apart from anything else
If they’d left that one alone
Chances are we wouldn’t be here
In lockdowns around the world

The rug that’s been pulled
From the feet of so many
Those worse affected don’t have money
So I don’t understand
What’s going on in the lands
Around the world

But do I need to?
Did I ever?
It’s not like it’s ever been heaven
But what we make it
So let’s not mistake it
It’s up to us now
In our communities and towns
To make someone smile
To plant a mile
Of flowers

It always comes back to flowers with me
I don’t know why, you see
It’s not like I’m a great gardener
But picking wild flower seeds
With a soul sister in Lewes
Made me feel whole
And I know how
When they sway and they bow
They make me smile

And I see the insects visiting
A whole population
Of hoverfly 
Have flown by
And landed on poppies
Cornflowers and more

Want to see what’s real?
Get out of the door
And sit and chat
To old men in hats
They have much wisdom to share
About being here

I’ve come to think
It’s likely to get more bleak
And heard whispers that this is
A walk in the park 
Compared to what’s to come

But when did anyone
Ever really know
What was going on?
So it’s my realisation
I’ve only one role
To hold the space

To be me as well as I can
Whether in a car or in a van
Which I’d really like
With lots of fairy lights
But that’s a whole different story
For another day

For today to be
Help others, that’s my job
And I love it a whole damn lot
And recognise there never was
The certainty that was ‘sold’ to us

So being, sitting, breathing
Not needing to take notice
Of all the deceiving 
That’s going on
I sing my song

That’s one of grace
Of barefoot walks
On summer days
And taking your top off 
In the rain
It helps wash away the pain

That we get when we attach
To some forgone
Important conclusion
For what are we
Really here to do?
Make life better for me and you?

No one can stop that
So hold the space
With love, with laughter
And with grace.

The joy of being silly
​

There’s a piece of driftwood shaped 
like a willy in my bedroom
I found it on the beach
Whilst we were on holiday 
Sailing in Greece
It sits above a picture
And makes me smile

The other day we found one
That anatomy belonging to the male bum
On the pavement of all places
Right next to my parking place
There’s a big one and a little one too
Right there on the floor
Just like that

My partner thinks we’re silly
That me and my daughter
Are always seeing willies

I don’t think we’re the only ones
I’ve seen much more paraphernalia 
This year just gone
Willies and fannies also

I’m sure Steve wonders how we did fall so
Far from grace
But then he loves seeing the smiles
On our faces

For it brings great delight you see
When a willy shape we see

We found another on the beach this month
It was enormous (really big!!)
Part of the limestone of that jig
And complete with grass for pubic hair
It was the most amazing specimen right there

We even have one in our front door
Hope I’m not quite boring you
With our little obsession 
It’s somewhat immature

But I often think about those things 
Being immature, not willies now
And think how we tell our kids
To grow up, act your age
Is that some kind of cage
We put them in?

For what’s the sin 
To laugh and smile
For a while
Personally I think we should
Harness the inner child
Inside of us
And laugh
Have fun
Be silly…

Truth?

Facts fudged
History rewritten
Truth denied
What else is hidden?
  • About my poems
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