I’ve never been good at ‘counting to 10’ It seems to let the anger brew And stew And just get stronger Perhaps I should wait longer?
But I think even better Is conscious breathing And focussing on metta ‘Loving kindness’ Taught by the Buddhists Have you tried it?
I guess it’ll take time For me to breathe And not to seethe But really if I can see Will it matter, this thing In a year Or will it be forgotten How I got mad And ‘had a cow’
So is it worth it This big stress Or shall I breathe Breathe Breathe Clean up the mess And carry on Laughing and joking
Homeopathy
One of the worlds Most amazing therapies Or what some would call A system of medicine
Others would call it Pseudoscience But don’t mind them
Some, like Hering Set out to explore And loved it so much They created laws
For Hering that was From inside out From above down And latest in, soonest out
Others, like the Tanzanian government Set out to disprove homeopathy too And worked with siegsbert In Dar Es Salaam Who was treating malaria It’s a nightmare to find on a google search But that’s not the point of this verse Tangents I am good at! So they wanted to show It was all smoke and mirrors Do you know What happened next I don’t think it was supposed to be a test But he treated their kids Who’d suffered a long time And the government sat up and listened Then surprises abound Included it on their List of therapies to be found
I suppose my point is When a well intention friend With no offence meant Says ‘placebo for sure Where’s no other way That this thing can work’ There’s no need to get angry Defensive and stuff You can think ‘that’s all you know That’s enough For right now But you never know When one day you’ll ask for more And you may be happy to explore’
I had it one time with a friend That I met, for the first time at a festival When she asked what I did ‘I’m a homeopath’ I said “Oh. Well we won’t get on I work for big pharma” I may paraphrase slightly It could be more likely She said Glaxo Smith Kline The memory fades over time Anyway, get on we did And many years later She asked for a recommendation Of a homeopath close to her She wanted to see one for A health thing of hers
I suggested Jackie McTaggart She went along, she did tell me so And her thyroid issues, they started to go She was a powerful woman Strong and capable She could move mountains If her mind to it she set I wonder if you’d like to take a guess As to the remedy she had Anyone?
It’s not a lot of information I’d never expect to prescribe on just that But whilst we’re here… A remedy to pull out of the hat?
Plutonium nitricum was what she took Have a look in one of the books My favourites are Patricia La Roux And there’s also Magriet too
One time later we got to chatting Filled with gratitude She told me how if I’d gone on Protested and defended This thing that I love She’d never have explored it But because in my stride I took it She happily went and booked in That appointment with Jackie
And now, do you know When someone has a bruise A sneeze, a hangover Guess who comes over With the arnica Nat mur or Nux vomica That’s right My friend who said We’ll never get on Because of what you do I tell as a story, a lesson For you too
So be bold, explain and explore But those slower friends Don’t show them the door For some of us take longer to get it Whereas others are there going Can we neck it?!
They’re all welcome and as my dad says Make up ‘the rich tapestry of life’ Sometimes we all need some strife And arguing with skeptics Mostly isn’t worth it But a few pointed comments I am a fan of sharing Feel free to explore On this topic for more A chat with a skeptic one and two They’re on my blog, anytime for you I think it’s called a recent chat It’s on there, a little way back
Its time to take my leave And say thank you for listening It’s truly amazing This thing that we’re learning I’d not be without it So grateful to be here Sharing and learning Now, back to the compère
Transformation
Transformation Illumination And I pondered How when the butterfly Looks back on the caterpillar It sees not regret But necessary steps In the process
Transformation Illumination An awakening time When people see That money = time Whilst you can be Rich in one Being poor in the other Doesn’t make sense Still sat on the fence?
Time to see That’s there’s so much more So much to see, to do, to explore Time to spend with loved ones Doing, growing, being To visit friends Sit around fires, seeing The flames and the shapes The amazement a changing Thing like a fire creates
Transformation Illumination A time of reality checks And recognising Not all we’re told Is for our benefit Questioning, thinking critically Feels so necessary
Transformation Illumination With it comes pain You’ll never be the Same again Never be the old you But you know you can’t choose To stay still Not learn Not grow The questions are What do you know?
Which way do you want to go? For it’s true There is the head in the sand Approach Go for broke It’s definitely an option Or you can feel The growing pains It’s another way
Transformation Illumination What do you think The dandelion feels As it pushes through the concrete Beneath our feet? Keeps going Up up up Not stopping Because it got tough Then it breaks through And what a view
Well at least I imagine Compared to the underside Of the concrete it was Buried below Sunshine, light, air People stop and stare At this amazing task For this tiny flower And when it gets a shower Of glyphosate I want to blame Mr Gates But there are others Invested in Monstanto and Bayer It wouldn’t be fair to Blame just one player
When it gets a shower Of Round Up Do you think it gives up? It might wither and die But come next year It’ll be here All over again
Transformation Illumination Not giving up When it gets tough Keeping on Keeping on Dance, laugh Sing a song
We have no idea What the future brings But, as we all know now, The bird doesn’t have to sing Because it has a song But because it can Like any man Or womankind too Not giving up When it gets tough
It’s kind of hard out there And times it’s tough in here But remembering the caterpillar’s journey Has helped realign me
Transformation Illumination It’s not always pretty But as I wrote this ditty I hope you found Something to resonate with Something that makes sense To take home today
Play
I’ve something to say All about play And how it is possible We don’t do it enough
Don’t shrug it off Please hear me out For when did you last Belly laugh and shout?
Playing is so many things To different people But I wonder If you create more ‘sheeple’ By keeping them busy Worried about What to buy next Where to go out
Imagine if there was time To sit and play And not to say No, not today Today there’s work I need to do Tomorrow, or tomorrow Then I’ll be there Or perhaps the weekend Without a care
We’ve got so serious So grown up It’s time to get out there And say WTF Are we doing Living without playing? It’s surely insane Innit? As my friend Tilda would say
She’s delightfully Spanish cockney And has the most amazing And slightly filthy sounding laugh Always a glint in her eye In her beautiful face One of those folk Who would always make space Or get on a magic bus To a far flung city To play out and be brilliant With great periodicity
There are those Who simply make you feel better By just being around you Make you feel playful Joyful Make you feel like you If you have one of those people Doesn’t have to be hundreds One is just perfect Then tell them How brilliant they are That they make you feel That you want to play And be silly again
For that’s a gift I’m very sure And if we have enough of it We can turn frowns upside down Into beaming smiles And nourish ourselves As we walk the miles
For younger it feels we will not get But playing, we mustn’t forget As the quote goes ‘We don’t stop playing because we get old We get old because we stop playing’ It’s more than just a saying
I think we need to listen up Go play out, forget the nip and tuck For it was Roald Dahl who said “A person who has good thoughts Cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose And a crooked mouth And a double chin And stick-out teeth, But if you have good thoughts They will shine out of your face Like sunbeams And you will always look lovely.”
I think playing is similar Play lots and you face will beam With a grin Like a sunbeam And wrinkles forgotten It may even be You get out your bottom
Of course it goes without saying That this isn’t ordinary playing But there’s nothing more hip Than a great skinny dip With some wonderful women That’ll get you singing And laughing a lot Just getting that bod Down to the water I think you ought to.
Insanity
It feels like insanity We can’t kiss our elderly Who made it through wars But now we have masks Aprons and gloves To go to visit Those that we love
I hear you, I know There’s a virus about But having done the tests That say you can still Go play out
But contact Human touch For the dying We have to refuse What is all this lying?
Put me in A bed in a room No contact for years With relatives that love you I’d soon be going gaga Wouldn’t you?
I cannot imagine How it is to not feel their skin Against yours To see them walk Out of the doors Without a kiss How did we miss This moment of sanity
And, perhaps more importantly How can we get it back Start to unpack This web of lies The government denies Says the measures work But against which test?
They’re like a safety vest That doesn’t really perform Put it on And you’ll need to do Other things too Perhaps starting first Don’t go out Don’t get in the line of action For that may show The vest isn’t working
For you can still die Trussed up and dependent And having to wear the vest Every day You never know Who might show Up and try to kill you
And an unseen threat More terrible yet Than something you can see Watch out - is it you, is it me? To be constantly afraid Will weaken our system Is it vanity? As we try to create super-humanity?
Humans that will never die Go on to fight everything Or leave to the skies For it seems Those invested in dreams Of flying to Mars Or seeing the stars Are also those keen to eradicate Our humanity Our ability To wait For self gratification Or instant sensation
And is it true That those who will profit That it could be a strange fit That one and the other Are entwined like lovers That our need That our greed For certainty Is what’s being exploited But ultimately Our humanity
Slow Rebellion
Errant brambles Pavement weeds Plants rebelling The constant manicuring
People speaking Community seeking Challenging the mainstream The perpetual daydream
Billboards screaming You need this Get that watch This perfume from whale piss Will make you so sexy
Sheep queuing To line up Get me the latest Hook me up
How the high and mighty Must laugh As they drive folk on towards a heart attack
McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut Gimmie gimmie don’t look At the ingredients Quick just stuff it in
Like the fast fashion Piling into wardrobes No idea how To pay for any of this stuff
Not just the cost at the till But those who are made ill From working every hour God sends For us to go out and spend spend spend
Those in the sweat shops That’s who I mean Sewing all hours Fixing the seams
On all the cheap clothes Bags, tops and coats So that we can make savings I’ve got misgivings
This might not be the way to go Aren’t all the best things Just a bit slow? Handmade and mended
Least said, soonest mended So I’ll not go on and on But you see The cost is so much more Than the price
On the ticket Go check it I’m sure you’ll find What I’m speaking about Isn’t just for the rhyme
So rebel where you can Like the flowers in the cracks Beat The Man At his own game
As you start to notice It’s never the same I wish you well Those under the spell
And one day you may wake up We can all choose Individual styles that say I am me
Without the fast fashion The tops and the hat The accessories and all the tat We can be us
Uniquely and notice All of the beauty That comes from stopping Being sucked in To the marketing spin
With love for slow fashion And mending, Em x
Getting in
Getting in It really is the strangest thing It’s always hard to get in We know what’s on the other side But that doesn’t make it easier to slide One foot at a time A little deeper each time
And then the swearing As you launch in Remembering a long out breath That helps me each time As I get closer to feeling divine
It takes me a few moments more To not to hurt, to implore Myself to keep breathing But what a feeling A gift To have this
This presence, this present Of the river To be a witness to the kingfishers flight To see the herons, or kites tonight
Or even standing getting in Whilst the ducks swim up What a win! It really is such a gift
To see, to be witness to all this And realising every time You thought you couldn’t But it’s all fine
And as you swim The water changes You change Alchemy in its purest form
Never the same getting out As you were when you went in What a gift To experience all this
The call of the river
Waking Tired eyes Grey skies To go or not That is the question The only one But… The call of the river Is strong