Lauren M. Hancock Poetry and Prose

Tag: blog

  • Poem: Flushed Magnolias – 28/07/21

    Poem: Flushed Magnolias – 28/07/21

    the strength within is something which
    must be seen,
    peel away those layers,
    let us view within,
    the armour, so thickly wrought,
    over years of abuse and mockery,
    self-taught, self-taught.

    darling, it’s time to make that move,
    inhabit a better place,
    wipe away your gloom,
    shine bright unto another day
    and then the next,
    your armour always protects,
    come what may.

    I know, I know, sweetheart,
    that at times it hurts,
    recalling that past behaviour,
    sour-filled words,
    you didn’t speak kindly to yourself,
    you spoke down to your ego,
    denigrated your heart,
    and at times, you tore yourself apart,

    but now, you can reach forth,
    aim for the stars,
    show that strength within that
    came with truth, experience,
    and the strongest of arms.

    know this, darling,
    my sweetheart,
    the yearning
    for more, from life,
    from your world,
    the pain is done,
     
    watch as your kingdom will come,
    truth be told the errors of self-talk
    will come undone,
    and your language will become fluent
    with self-love.

    it’s time to breathe freely,
    no encumbered breaths,
    infant-milky scent,
    from innocence you have grown,
    and into more, a strong woman
    you have become,

    in fact, shed that armour,
    for its strength has become a
    part of you,
    there’s no need for chainmail
    or steel layers
    when life’s become more peaceful,
    beautiful,
    more spiritual
    than a vase of flushed magnolias.

    © 2021 Lauren M. Hancock. All rights reserved.
    Photo by photos_by_ginny from Pexels

    Previous Post: ‘Rows of Rosies’ – 26/07/21

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  • Poem: Rows of Rosies – 26/07/21

    Poem: Rows of Rosies – 26/07/21

    Rows and rows of rosies,
    we bend and sniff,
    achoo,
    we’ve more to fear these days
    than an ancient dreaded plague or flu,

    we link arms,
    ring-a-rosies,
    we hold each other tight,
    we’re here for all
    through thick and thin,
    through harsh morn’ scratchings
    and eerie dead of night.

    The home becomes a zone
    where no fresh soul shall pass,
    each contagion has already been
    unknowingly passed.

    Families isolate,
    quarantine with hope,
    watching loved ones repair themselves,
    immunity must grow,
    it’s the only option they must know.

    Recovery, or treatment
    when possible,
    required if ease of breath abates,
    this playtime of ring-a-rosies
    has been forgotten as of late,
     
    but still we all link arms,
    hold each other tight,
    spin, focus now, less our prior delight,
    for it is with determination,
    solidarity and fight,
    that we will win these battles,
    calm seeps into our nights.   

    © 2021 Lauren M. Hancock. All rights reserved.
    Image by Kate Greenaway in ‘Mother Goose’, sourced from Wikimedia, use under Public Domain

    Previous Post: ‘Perfect Imperfections’ – 24/07/21

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  • Poem: Perfect Imperfections – 24/07/21

    Poem: Perfect Imperfections – 24/07/21

    Desperation doesn’t dance in my lair no more,
    ancient lands where false paradise laid in store,
    I drag my feet, trail my hair,
    catch myself in a transient mirror,
    I stare, lower gaze, then bravely rise,
    continue to stare some more.

    It’s difficult to gaze into ‘imperfections’
    that make myself me,
    my mind calls out with interjections,
    telling myself I’m exactly the way God intended
    me to be,
    self-acceptance,
    understanding,
    it slowly grows like soft moss within,
    flourishing,
    lush,
    promising,
    plush and ever-green.

    The sadness that used to plague,
    the desire, the want, to always change,
    the need to shrink, slim,
    now I raise a hand craftily,
    cock one hip,
    I am cheeky,
    for I know the secret here,
    I became more within,
    image doesn’t always have to fuel
    internal fires,
    in fact,
    focusing out the outer can fuel
    a dangerous inferno,
    an unwanted din.

    It is what is within that counts,
    am I happy with how I’m feeling,
    that matters most,
    am I confident,
    can I take my world in my stride,
    get up upon that rhetoric in life,
    and ride, ride, windswept, breathless,
    in control,
    ride?

    With maturity came preservation,
    with preservation came self-understanding,
    comprehension, direction,
    I know what truths I am sowing,
    even without the drive to direct in just one direction,
    I know, I know that my heart and mind
    are peaceful together,
    they’re becoming a solved puzzle of
    correct interaction.

    My soul doesn’t call out for acceptance,
    no longer calls out for
    painfully obvious acknowledgement,
    I don’t need the eyes to
    view what I already know,
    that my presence is enough,
    I am enough within this world.

    My heart, once a prison,
    is a cage thrown open,
    the dove is free for escaping,
    but she remains,
    treasured,
    adored,
    she is amazing,
    her own form of perfection,
    in short, she makes it.  

    © 2021 Lauren M. Hancock. All rights reserved.
    Photo by Fuu J on Unsplash

    Previous Post: ‘Luminous’ – 22/07/21

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  • Poem: Luminous – 22/07/21

    Poem: Luminous – 22/07/21

    I am brightness within eyes and
    air between wings,
    rise with me,
    moods heightened,
    how amazing salvation is.

    I have been forgiven and it was
    granted many years before,
    acceptance, realisation,
    have long been in the making,
    my life, my world,
    I now treasure, I adore.

    Acknowledgement of the
    gravity of my former situations,
    I know now how darkly luminous my fate glowed,
    insinuations,
    whilst glowering were heavy eyes
    above my form,
    their unhappy windows,
    but still they watched over me,
    for then, for future tomorrows –

    I had protection from angels,
    from generations of loved ones,
    from heaven above,
    and the benevolent calming God.

    How else could I describe my survival —
    triumphs over tribulations,
    scraped stifling walls for air,
    learned to be humble,
    in reality, I could be away from here,
    six feet under,
    or scattered in pieces,
    what a moment to comprehend,
    how one might shudder.

    I lived under calculated stares,
    by some, I suspect I was abhorred,
    raging thoughts,
    temporary damning thunder,
    they’ve forgotten with time,
    softness beneath me grows,
    a sense of quiet personal power.

    An important being to some, to many?
    Yet to others, a nameless entity,
    and now here I am,
    within the arms of comfortability,
    of safety,
    and most grateful I am,
    gracious in Life’s undertaking,
    because I know,
    I understand,
    I comprehend that my place within this world
    is something to respect,
    for I have been spared from a fate
    potentially dared and wiped,
    into nothingness I would have become,

    obliterated,
    faceless, lost,

    yet here I am,
    saved,
    like a turtledove
    I have returned to the flock.

    I am at one with them,
    I am treasured,
    I am youthful yet I am growing old,
    life is amazing once I’ve accepted it,
    truth be told:

    of its glorious moments
    there are so many forthcoming, past and current,
    of Life’s glorious abundance,
    I am sold.

    © 2021 Lauren M. Hancock. All rights reserved.
    Photo by Monica Turlui from Pexels

    Previous Post: ‘Waltz’ – 20/07/21

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  • Poem: Waltz – 20/07/21

    Poem: Waltz – 20/07/21

    Our feet together,
    they step in time,
    gentle footsteps,
    intertwine,
    yielding memories,
    forthcoming hope,
    endangered circumstance,
    thoughts, hearts, pump, grow.

    I know the understanding I have is
    too right,
    that the assertions made shall
    linger into the night,
    hands held,
    palm to palm,
    they know,
    intuitively speaking,
    they meld,
    we meld,
    complex love disarms,
    its truths it is singing.

    We are not borne of wind
    nor shore,
    we do not trail the sand of
    distant moors,
    we enlist the capacity of a
    united front,
    our waltz is independent of others,
    desperate need will not depart.

    So, I cling to you,
    and you latch onto me,
    holding us together,
    our pieces join so lovingly,
    there is little to say further
    on the matter,
    the county knows our hearts’ patterns
    by now,
    we are wild circumstance and longing,
    our youthful love
    steals the show.

    So, quieten down now,
    these wild-footed, sweeping beats,
    gentle taps now,
    our sweet soft melody,
    our beat, our rhythm,
    our precious time,
    taken in as our developmental style,
    we shall remain together,
    despite all paraded before us,
    protests spoken all the while,
    our bond is special,
    it reassures us.

    Who knew we’d be present, together,
    after all this time?
    Ached through much,
    years of frenzied dance,
    yet remaining palm to palm,
    an intricate understanding,
    a gentle touch,
    our voices now,
    we sing in rich key,
    beautiful duet —
    an honourable melody.

    Richness of understanding,
    how well you know me,
    our interactions are made with
    the smoothest of ease,
    our version of love blossoms,
    like wildflowers, it grows with speed,
    some don’t understand us,
    but we’ve nothing to prove,
    it’s our land,
    our world of in-between,
    that we inhabit and waltz through
    with joy, so freely.

    © 2021 Lauren M. Hancock. All rights reserved.
    Photo by Andrew from Pexels

    Previous Post: ‘Battlefield’ – 20/07/21

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  • Poem: Battlefield – 19/07/21

    Poem: Battlefield – 19/07/21

    As I sit in my rocking chair
    I ponder to myself,
    what is there to contemplate or even know,
    how should I proceed in life,
    these stumbling blocks keep coming,
    they are rife,
    and they trash my days and hours,
    slitting them open like warm butter
    attacked with a knife.

    Eyes within, they glower,
    witnesses who think they know me more than me,
    so much better,
    they glance upon with mediocrity in their eyes,
    pity begins to flower.

    I cannot help myself,
    despairing feelings overwhelm,
    they irritate and sadden me all
    at the same time,
    emotions coagulate,
    they brew inside of me,
    whilst the others watch on freely,
    I’m ashamed in this moment
    to be such a sensitive entity.

    Because usually, generally,
    I am adamant,
    I do not let damp sadness get the
    better of me,
    and yet
    here I am,
    looking out upon myself,
    like a sad sack of sand on the pavement,
    where is my power,
    my strident ability to rise above
    this ailment?

    Still, I sit,
    rock and rock away,
    mechanically, forward and back,
    whiling away the day,
    and eventually, the aches and groans internally
    might fade away,
    there’s no room for brightness but
    at least the clouds have maybe cleared
    for the day.

    And perhaps this is all a mere moment which will
    pass away,
    the gloom will leave this room,
    this mental space, cavity, prison, I’ve assumed,
    soon I will take the reins
    and ride forward, tossing my mane here and there,
    astride will I ride into battle
    without a single care.

    And then I will pre-empt the almighty force
    that beckons and crawls to me
    making me feel so unassured,
    I will become belligerent toward the pain,
    I will hunt it down,
    I will triumph above,
    sadness squeals in vain,
    how about that,
    I tell the witnesses,
    as I dismount my beast,
    evermore the battlefields with my
    courage and valiant honour
    are stained,
    I have allowed them to see
    the true me.
     
    © 2021 Lauren M. Hancock. All rights reserved.
    Photo from Pexels

    Previous Post: ‘Away Without Leave’ – 18/07/21

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  • Poem: Away Without Leave – 18/07/21

    Poem: Away Without Leave – 18/07/21

    I am currently away without leave,
    taken steps to walk from progress
    so I can be there, to care
    for the ones I used to revolt against,
    those who love me with every inch
    no matter past sadness,
    but pray tell I do digress,
    I need to be here,
    not unavailable, but present,
    my presence used to be far, far less.

    I have relearned the role of
    family amid this chaos,
    upsets, Life’s bad news,
    over years together when my
    desire to stay home faltered,
    when I needed to be
    belligerent to others,
    now those days have all but
    faded away,
    love grown and nurtured,
    here I am,
    I will stay,
    give back
    for it’s the least
    I can do,
    promise their needs will be
    attended to,
    it’s not about my former
    wreckages now.

    Gently, I will lace the new
    understanding of family
    and closeness and inherent need
    and trust,
    being here, breathing there,
    even in silence
    company is a must,
    spread my opening wings around
    their hearts,
    stop the chance of bruising
    through my chrysalis,
    boy, am I wondering
    will this ever be enough,
    as repayment?
    This tender notion of love versus love.

    I am away without leave,
    I have taken the time,
    a step away from requirements,
    daily life now starts to sway,
    we are in our vortex where
    time learns to stand still,
    and we can appreciate one another’s
    company again,
    adoringly drink our fill.
    For, time is fleeting,
    Life seems to know that drill.

    © 2021 Lauren M. Hancock. All rights reserved.
    Image by Terri Cnudde from Pixabay

    Previous Post: ‘Seasonal Affective’ – 17/07/21

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  • Poem: Seasonal Affective – 17/07/21

    Poem: Seasonal Affective – 17/07/21

    Today’s been a struggle
    I must openly admit,
    not feeling seasonal affective,
    but rather seasonally dejected,
    my mind, it swims with sadness,
    amiss is my prowess, my brightness gone,
    my ability to deal with
    rejection or silence
    when reaching forth to others
    with smiles or hopeful song.

    I know the root cause,
    the depletion of my nightly dose,
    and also the lacking of ample sleep
    which my body and mind are
    craving the most,
    my ability to combat little things,
    my lacking in ability to cope,
    why can’t I be like others,
    or simply possess the usual
    resilience of myself?

    I know I must sleep,
    I know I must practice self-care,
    but how can I lay my head
    down to rest
    when I am unable to
    stop my mind ticking,
    from working in a manner where
    every ounce of energy is sapped?

    My energy stores refuse to replenish themselves,
    I should knock myself on the head,
    and tell myself
    enough is enough,
    you need the former amount,
    don’t be stubborn,
    reinstate your medication dose!

    © 2021 Lauren M. Hancock. All rights reserved.
    Photo by Pixabay on Pexels

    Previous Post: Sunshine Blogger Award! – 16/07/21

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  • Sunshine Blogger Award! – 16/07/21

    Sunshine Blogger Award! – 16/07/21

    Lovely Grace of Grace of the Sun recently nominated me for the Sunshine Blogger Award, and I thank her kindly for her wonderful nomination. This is the second blogger award she’s put me forth for, and I am so grateful for this. The Sunshine Blogger Award is an award shared by bloggers to other bloggers who help spread creativity and positivity! Grace’s work covers many topics and has many bright, positive and thoughtful facets to the content she shares with us all daily. On her blog, she shares her point of view, and what brings her joy. Please check out her page Grace of the Sun to experience her positivity, joy and sparkle today.

    Rules:

    • Thank the blogger who nominated you and link back to their blog.
    • Answer the 11 questions sent by the person who nominated you.
    • Nominate 11 new bloggers to receive the award and write them 11 new questions.
    • List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo in your post and/or your blog.

    Grace’s Questions

    1. What is your proudest accomplishment?
      Self-publishing my first book. One of my childhood dreams was to be a children’s book author.  
    2. What makes you laugh the most?
      Speaking with and joking around with friends makes me laugh; making witty remarks with them also.
    3. If you met you, would you want to be your friend and why?
      I would want to be my friend because I am open and welcoming, and I feel I have a brightness about my personality.
    4. What do you like most about yourself?
      I like that I am creative, and thoughtful and caring, especially toward the people close to me.
    5. If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
      Pancit, a Filipino rice noodle dish! It is absolutely delicious, and my auntie makes it wonderfully.
    6. If you can be anyone else in the world, who would you be or would you be yourself?
      Even though we can admire another’s life from afar, we do not know the inner workings of their world and mind. Thus, it is difficult to answer if I would like to be someone else. I only inherently know about my life, so I would remain as I am and be myself.
    7. Who is your hero?
      A hero of mine would be my mother. She has been through a lot, especially health-wise as of late, and she always has a positive attitude and resilience about her.
    8. What motivates you most?
      The idea of being heard and understood.
    9. What did you want to be when you were small?
      A children’s book author and in an orchestra.
    10. If you could choose to do anything for a day, what would it be?
      Drink coffee and lounge all day at a dog café that has friendly pooches who will want pats and want to play!
    11. Would you say you are resentful or can you let go of things easily?
      Depending on the circumstance, I can be resentful, but I am learning to be more forgiving and let go of things. Learning to do this does take time.

      These are the questions for my nominees:
    1. How do you deal with regretful situations?
    2. What is a joyous moment for you?
    3. When you’re inspired to write, is it in a frenzy or a controlled manner, how do the words flow onto the page?
    4. What is the most important object in your life, and what significance does it hold for you?
    5. Are you a coffee or a tea person?
    6. What would be your ideal way to enjoy a Sunday?
    7. Name one hobby that you enjoy and why.
    8. Share a treasured memory of yours?
    9. Name a favourite song of yours from a musical.
    10. Would you consider yourself an extrovert or introvert?
    11. And does this affect the way you write for your blog?

    My NOMINEES :

    Previous Post: ‘Be Prepared, Be Prepared’ – 16/07/21
    Previous Post: ‘Adorn’ – 14/07/21
    Previous Post: ‘The Flea Market Contraption’ – 15/07/21

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  • Poem: The Flea Market Contraption – 15/07/21

    Poem: The Flea Market Contraption – 15/07/21

    The flea market presents –
    options – one-of-a-kinds,
    and rip-off pieces,
    poor imitations,
    badly woven threads,
    lurid patterns,
    blatant patent breaches seen,
    and the imaginary,
    the ingenuity,
    and the copies of a land
    in between.

    I peruse the stalls,
    pace back and forth,
    my timid tippy-toes,
    they don’t guide me,
    they don’t lead me,
    I’m unsure of what to
    sample in this flea market
    land I’m in.

    Some ideas are magical,
    well-presented products,
    smartly dressed merchants
    in hide-away stalls,
    others are horrid,
    they hurt my eyes,
    these products, rubbish,
    unworthy of meeting
    hands or eyes.

    Amongst the trash and beauty,
    objects I see,
    I spot a contraption that
    might be for me.
    It is the making of
    cloudy billowy dreams,
    sanctified, certified?
    No, but perfect for I.

    It promises to churn through
    all my ideas,
    promises to rid me of
    encumbering fears
    and will lay away
    any confronting questions
    thrown my way,
    it will replenish my mind
    for many days.

    A mind-clearer,
    a dream-recycler,
    a precious gatherer
    of many mental pictures,
    the imagery within,
    perhaps barely initially seen,
    unclouded, decoded,
    all work done,
    prepared for me!

    But then I wonder
    is this not like a disease?
    Something which eats away,
    erodes at my dreams?
    Erasing me in ways
    I dare not speak,
    by bluntly, superficially
    simplifying me?

    And I cannot have this,
    I must remain complex,
    hard to delve into,
    thoughts difficult to be met,
    and so away with
    this idea,
    this contraption for me,

    I’d rather be convoluted,
    a puzzle unsolved,
    until I’m ready to make
    the pieces fly free.

    © 2021 Lauren M. Hancock. All rights reserved.
    Image by aytuguluturk from Pixabay

    Previous Post: ‘Adorn’ – 14/07/21

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