Icarus

My wings aren’ t real.
They’re made with
cloth, feathers and beeswax.
They were only temporary
to escape life’s labyrinth’s.
But oh, i do so love the feeling
of the wind, how it sings
through my hair.
I’ve forgotten the world below
its challenges and lessons.
I go higher and higher,
the fierceness of the sun
drips hot wax upon my skin.
I fall like a bird with clamped wings,
through cloud and rain
and drop into the ocean,
tossing and turning in endless waves.
All that i avoided before me,
and i regret through my woe
that i didn’t wait for real wings
to grow.
Weighted by my insincerity
i sink
and drown in my grief.

Laura Berry (Napowrimo Day 30 – 2024)

Incandescent

There´s a hazy film over my eyes.
The edges are fuzzy.
But sometimes i see a clear, crisp
edge of light.
And i feel alive again. I am present
and the moment feels real.
And i realise what i am missing,
the radiance of it all.
The crystal emotions.
The rays of light.
The ring of truth.
Then overwhelm clouds my vision
once more,
awaiting the courage
to see it all.

Laura Berry (Napowrimo Day 29 – 2024)

I want to break free

I want to break free like the moss covering the patio
Under an overcast sky, the air is cold,
wrapped in a winter holding on.
My cat is content lapping water in the rain.
The garden chairs are too wet to rest on,
but the lilac is so inviting with its drooping purple bells.
I stand in the doorway and smell sweet earth.
The solar light won´t be glowing till dusk
and not for long as the cloud blocks the sun.
But for a moment it will invite me out again,
in the rain, where the scents are more heady,
and i can breathe in spring once more.

Laura Berry (Napowrimo Day 27 – 2024)

Acceptable Grief

It´s sad that for many of us we feel our grief is unacceptable. But grief is pain, a loss, a void where love never came. An absence of love. And we should all be loved. A personal moment. It´s with you and God. A reaching out for something better, that this can´t be all there is. The courage to delve into the hole and clutch the light that draws you up into a more beautiful and whole place so that your cup starts overflowing with love. And you care about yourself enough, that you are willing to do the work, and let the tears stream down your face. You know its for your best interest. Your grief my dear is no one else´s business.

Laura Berry (Napowrimo Day 26 – 2024)

Do you Lie?

If someone will judge me for the truth
then a lie might slip between my teeth.
Or maybe I’ll sugarcoat it and dip it in honey
then it won’t sound so nasty.
Or what if I just avoid it,
‘the weather is nice, oh! I best be going.’
Maybe I look at the ceiling and bite my tongue.
I might put on an invisibility cloak
and pretend I’m not there.
Or I claim what I am about to say
came from someone else,
‘a wise man once told me.’
when really it’s me.
I’ll do anything at times to stop the
pity, embarrassment, anger and blame.
Maybe that’s why I prefer nature,
the trees know all my secrets.

Laura Berry (Napowrimo Day 25 – 2024)

Beautiful Earth

How beautiful the earth is still,
despite the wars, the industrial sprawl,
the highways and the cars for all.
There is still a starling singing in the branch,
and fields of flowers and wavering grass,
and the mountain tops whose views will last.
The earth is still a beautiful place,
hold hope in your heart and love on your face.

Laura Berry (Napowrimo Day 24 – 2024)

The Invisible Woman

If I were invisible what would I do?
Would I slide into secret meetings,
or into forbidden places,
ancient tombs or hidden bases.
No, I think i’d probably be content
sitting peacefully in the forest
without the prodding and poking
of human fingers,
where I can breathe and love lingers.

Laura Berry (Napowrimo Day 23 – 2024)

Doubt and Trust

Doubt argued with trust
“Well how do I know that’s true?” Doubt said.
“Have they done it before?” Replied trust.
“No, but there’s a first for everything” Doubt reasoned.
“Have they been real with you?” Trust asked.
“Yes, up until now…” Doubt said solemnly.
“And do they care about you?” Trust continued.
“Yes they seem to, but it could be a disguise.” Doubt worried.
“Well, they have given you no reason to doubt them.” Trust reassured.
“But…” Said doubt.
“No buts. You want to doubt so you don’t get hurt like before.” Trust said compassionately.
Doubt cried.
Trust gave doubt a hug.
” You might get hurt again, but you’ll always have me to cry on.” Trust smiled.

Laura Berry (Napowrimo Day 22 – 2024)

The Green Lady

Green is the ladies dress,
that is stitched with green thread,
dipped in poison,
whose mere touch stings.
Green are the daggers in her eyes,
whose blades are pointed at you
from all sides.
Green is the cloak she hides in
while green words
slide off her green tongue
and slap you coldly in the face.
Green are her fingers,
up to green mischief,
weaving traps and tripwires.
And if they don’t make you fall
then green is her silence,
a deathly gas that
cuts you from air.
Green is the ladies dress
that flows in jealousy,
without a care.

Laura Berry (Napowrimo Day 21 – 2024)

Blackout

When the miners strike
the lights go out.
And if you didn’t have a torch,
you’d feel your way along the walls.
And if the moon was turned away
then you’d walk your feet
through pitch and coal,
not quite sure where you were going
but hoping it was home.
And the dark wrapped around you,
you couldn’t see your toes.
The terror of the night
would seep into your bones.
Then you spot a small light,
a candle in the window,
lit by a loved one,
guiding you to the door,
to safety once more.

Laura Berry (Napowrimo Day 20 – 2024)