Carin Lavery
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POEMS

Poem - Paaaaaaaaa

4/11/2015

0 Comments

 
​Shine on bright star,
Shine on.
Rise up high
To the heavens of your calling.

Sparkle.
Take your glow
To pastures new.
To your second life, eternal.

Your work here is done
kind Sir.
Your gold dust has settled
In hearts and minds
Of many earthly beings.

It's time for you to beam
In your own realm
For yourself
With your own God.

Know that you have loved, well.
Know that you have been loved, deeply.
Know that your patience, kindness and service to others
Has landed
and spread wings 
where you have touched.

Oh darling bright star
Rest. Enjoy, up high.

I shall see you
Looking over me
As you always have.
And smile with endless love and tenderness
For you will never leave me.

Your bright star
With continue to glow
In my heart, my body, my life
and the lives of others.

You have shown me so much
Bright star
It is time for me to spread my wings
And let you go, 
And it's time for you to glow.
0 Comments

Poem - Sudden Death

30/9/2015

0 Comments

 
Where are you?
 
Yesterday you were here
You were vibrant
Normal.  Healthy.  Alert.
 
Where are you?
This morning you were here
Having breakfast
In your normal morning routine.
 
Where are you?
At lunchtime you were here
Before your 2pm daily dog walk
Striding over the Downs.
 
Where are you?
At supper you were here
Before sitting as usual
To watch your evening programs.
 
Where are you?!

At 11pm you were not here.
Now.  Tomorrow. The next day.  Ever.

How? Why?
 
I want to tell you about how much I'm enjoying your book.
I want to see you chomping your breakfast.
I want to see your beautiful marked hands spreading marmalade on your toast.
I want to see the way you gently shake the weatabix out of the packet, slowly, as only you could.
I want to smell you.
I want to see the bush of hair in your nostrils.
I want to see you in bed, lying, as I do, flat on your back with covers up to your chin.
I want to see your flat fingernails on your slow-moving rhythmically calm fingers. 
I want to hear your tread on the landing going to the bathroom.
I want to hear the pressure of your hand on the door handle, identifiable as a finger print.
I want to see your back, standing at the sink, doing the washing up.
I want to watch you clipping your nails.
I want to hear you whisper 'nite nite' as you quietly go to bed.
I want to see you ho into your biscuits with your afternoon cup of tea.
I want to hear you say quietly, gently 'on your bed Oppie' when she comes for a stroke under your hand at the computer.
I want to have our 'non conversation' when I ask how you are, because you are always fine.
I want to hear you say 'pruning the hedges' when I ask what you've been up to.
I want to hear you fill me in on Ma's dog achievements.
I want to see you wince, when I again put 'too much' water in the kettle.
I want to share personal things with you.
I want to experience your stiff upright hug.
I want to hunt for conversation topics that interest you so that we can talk.
I want you. 

Where are you?

I love you.
I know you know but I want to tell you, again.

Where are you?
0 Comments

Poem - Equal Rights. Today.

29/6/2015

0 Comments

 
​Today
 
Today my world changed
A shackle came off my heart.
Despite not being directly affected
My being opened up …
To liberty.  To hope.  To humanity.
 
Today is momentous.
Today my heart is warm
Bubbling with excitement
Brimming with friendship
To all people, who should all be equal.
 
Today surely, the world will grow.
Edgily, imperfectly sometimes; but forward.
We breath a sigh of relief
We smile with twinkling eyes
We hug and see within people
 
Today.  People gay, straight, whatever, whoever
Come together
In a public and legal recognition
Of human rights.  Of liberty.
Of recognition of human connection.
 
Today will never be like yesterday
People of the same gender can EXPECT
To be treated as equal, instead of hope
You are equal.  We are equal. 
Today, I’m proud of the world I live in.
 
What a strong, positive statement when so much in our world is wrong.
Today, a wrong was put right.
Today.
What can be achieved tomorrow?
0 Comments

Poem - Robert

8/4/2015

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Robert
 
You bugger.
You cheeky spirit
Your quip, your lip
Drips like honey
And leaves its trail
A thick blanket of goo
Covering  your thorns
Protecting your impact.
You bugger.
 
Robert
 
You king.
You stubborn lion
You rock of Gibraltar
There.  Definite.  Big.  Grand.
Leaving your trail
 As you swish your four-wheeled tail
In your various chariots
Through the land.
You king.
 
Robert
 
You lover.
Of life, of love, of heart, of song
Of Janey.  Such deep love.
For your darling, your torch.
You’ve left your trail.
In your friends’ hearts
With deep grooves
Full of you, for ever.
You lover.
 
Robert
 
You gentle spirit
You breeze, you cloud
Floating through life
Touching gently down
Sugar dusting your trail
As you reinvent
And start again
A child in a toyshop.
You gentle spirit.
 
Robert
 
You bumble bee of life
For today, not tomorrow
Humming along, happy as can be
Picking up new pollens to try
Not aware of your trail
Such energy, directed forward
Never back
Singing your own song
You bumble bee of life.
 
Robert
 
You friend of such heart
Your truth shone through
Safe.  Real.  An open ear, a watchful eye.
Your gentle presence
Your trail of smiles
Your wine in hand
Your laugh singing out
You friend of such heart.
 
Robert
 
You rest, in peace
No more pain to fight
No more fear and regret to face
No more sadness at leaving
You’ve left your trail. With us.
You were alive, so alive
In every way, in every day
You always will be, in OUR lives
You rest.  In peace. 
 
Robert.
 
Thank you Robert.  For your life.  Your cheek.  Your love.  Your heart.  Your vibrance.  Your courage.  Your fight.  Your depth.  Your laugh.  Your fun.  Your welcoming.  Your strength.  Your truth.  
 
Thank you for sharing you and making such an impact.  In your life. ​
0 Comments

Poem - A Special Guest

24/12/2014

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​Father Christmas is coming to stay
With Rudolph and his jingling sleigh
The reindeer can bed down in the hay
But where will Mr Christmas stay?

He can’t sleep on his bulging sack
With presents digging in to his poor old back
And up the chimney will bring a sneezing attack
We’d never hear the end of the flack.

I’ve heard that Mr Christmas likes a drop
And that it’s guaranteed to make him stop
And rest, around his worldly hop
Maybe being tipsy will help him flop.

Oh dear, this really is a tricky riddle
We’ll just have to pop quickly down to Lidyl
To lace Father C’s midnight nibble
And get him right royally tiddled.

When he’s suffering the effects of our ware
He won’t have a worry or a care
Where he lays his soft white hair
Or whose bed it is that he can share.

In fact, it’s when he’s wobbly and lolloping
And finished all his Christmas frolicking
That we can gently make sure he drops in
To his very own Christmas stocking.

Yes, it’s here that he can snore aloud
With his body cocooned and his head still proud
Dangling off the chimney round
And where on Boxing Day morn he can be found.

That’s where Mr Christmas can stay
And he will never ever get away
From his stocking cocoon.  By the way?
Did I tell you Father Christmas is coming, TO STAY!
0 Comments

Poem - Freedom

12/6/2012

0 Comments

 
Freedom is here
It has descended and enveloped itself
Around my body
Like a soft blanket.
Within my bones,
It trickles and pulses through.
My life source of being.

I have been freed
Layers have been stripped off
Like onion leaves
Pain and learning has ripped through me
Leaving its scorched virginal soil after the fire.
Underneath is baby skin
Soft and not abrased
And unlike previously
It won’t be lost, because I’m free, because I’m me.

I feel free
I laugh from mirth not nervousness
Or when I do, I catch myself
And take over, from within, once more.
There’s no stress, tension or taut rope
Instead there’s a wide grin
Now when my body and mind yet again collide
My soul is open and is no longer shrivelled.

My feelings are free
They are deep, strong and true
No longer do I care what people think of me
Because I know I am OK, I measure up.
I own my feelings, I’m not living someone else’s life
It is mine.  I’m no longer caught by the spider’s web
Of serving and living for another
I am me.  I can see.  I can be.  I am free.
0 Comments

Poem - Jess

6/7/2011

0 Comments

 
Ah, Jess you’re the best
With your auburn hair with curls at the end
Your dazzling smile and shining braces correcting the bend
In your beautiful teeth – an aid you’ve been temporarily lent;
Your natural beauty was meant.
Ah, Jess you’re the best.

Ah, Jess you’re the best
Your brain is so active, it’s way ahead of me,
Your mum and dad and Tom can easily see
Where you’re heading.  A  life full of achievement
Your hungry mind was meant.
Ah, Jess you’re the best.

Ah Jess you’re the best
Your sailing is legendary
In our family.
Continuing the tradition of Mum and Dad’s bent;
Your passion was meant.
Ah, Jess you’re the best.

Jess you’re the best
Your fashion is young
Feminine, fresh and fun
Your petite and fit frame is cool – and elegant.
Your style was meant,
Ah, Jess you’re the best.

Yes Jess you’re the best
With your frown, and fury at times.
I can only find
A surpassed giggle and pride at your womanly vent,
Your strength was meant.
Ah, Jess you’re the best.

But do you know the best of you Jess?
What is really the best?
It’s your softness, your compassion, your thought and your care
Because it’s that that is not meant
But it’s the way you have lent
With free choice.  It’s from you.
You have chosen your truth
Of how you are, with friends, at school and at home.

If your aunt can be so bold
And if you don’t mind being told
You will never ever lose your beauty, mind, passion, your style and your strength
If you continue to be kind and care, and to respect the gifts you’ve been sent.
Ah Jess, you’re the best.

You be true to you; always.  Always speak your mind
Be strong.  Be yourself, and you will find
That you will be OK, you will be safe and be loved
Because it’s all of the above

That makes you, Jess,
The best. ​
0 Comments

Poem - Dig Deep

8/2/2011

0 Comments

 
Dig
 
Beyond the roots of pain
Beyond reaction
Beyond the aggression
Dig Deep. Find your core.
 
Unearth the you
that's not damaged.
Find it. Bring it forward.
Let it fertilise your soul, your scars.
 
Grow strong vibrant healthy
succulent nourishing plants
that consume the wizened fronds
of scar tissue, lying on your surface.
Replace them, help them heal
 
Dig deep.
 
You had these healthy genes before
They're still there!
Shriven and starved of oxygen.
Bring them out
Let them breathe.
Find your strength.
 
Dig.  Dig Deep and unearth.
0 Comments

Poem - David

11/11/2010

0 Comments

 
So who is this ‘David’ I talk about?
With a twinkle in my eye and a smile on my lips
Who is this man that’s made such an impression?
Let me give you some tips.

He’s the man, who, at every sermon
Told a joke that had us waiting in anticipation
Not only for the humour, but to witness how, yet again,
He had weaved the joke in to the sermon message; such creation!

He’s the man who talks of his family, his friends, his childhood
With love and gratitude.
Yet when describing his role in all these stories
Gives himself no latitude.

He’s the man that saw through the carefully veiled words
Prior to my marriage
And true to his calling, advised with a targeted focus
To pre-empt and prevent damage.

He’s the man who places himself at no better than anyone else
Who openly conveys his human frailty
And by so doing, unwittingly conveys to us all
That continuous improvement is a reality.

This is the man who turned me around
From seeing church as a place where ‘you’re told’
To realising, through his acceptance
That it is the place to be at peace, reflect, and find your soul.

This is the man I knew I could count on
To be truthful, frank and take me in
When I needed to trust through my fractured shock
And learn that putting yourself first was not a sin!
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Poem - 'Coming Back To Life'

11/10/2010

0 Comments

 
​You’ve escaped the lions clutches
Claws tearing, teeth snatching, ripping you apart.
You’ve made the break, you’ve broken free
How do you stay away from the jungle’s heart?
 
Fear descends, panic, pain, tension
At the thought of returning to the lion’s den.
Eyes wide open, pre-empting the attack
You don’t want to go back to that space again.
 
Tears cascade down your face
Tension jumps in to your bones.
Please learn the skills of how
To stay in your new-found safe internal home.
 
Your friends all know the real you,
They were shocked to see you dissolve.
They know you as strong, proud and fun
They don’t understand what evolved.
 
Please let them never be in that space
Where they’re told they’re loved but are wrong.
Where they’re bullied, then loved, then slammed down, then held
Where they’re actually not respected all along.
 
Where their life doesn’t exist
And their thoughts are muddled
Where their needs are on hold, where they cannot express
Because their focus is always on ‘the other’.
 
Don’t let the hammer slam on your head
And crumble your stable ground.
How can you open up the tangled fronds?
And retain the peace you’ve found
 
How can you do this when you return?
To the life you’ve been in, so jagged and dense.
You’re fearful of what is around you there
Dense foliage, oppressive, dark, silent, tense.
 
How do you stay free and calm?
How do you stay with who you are?
How do you remain happy and light?
How do you mend your scars?
 
..................................................................
 
You don’t go back. Ever.
You stay in the new place you’ve found.
Even though the geography and landmarks might be the same
The people around you are different and sound.
 
You don’t stay with people that damage
You think of yourself, not them
The one act of leaving is hard, I know
But with time, you will rise and be strong again.
 
There will be times where you feel the tension crash in.
Recognise the damage that’s been done.
Look at what’s happening, give yourself a hug
With work, what’s been done to you can be undone.
 
Learn new skills of how to think about yourself
Take time, be patient; the best learning is slow.
Be kind to yourself, don’t worry about mistakes
Just stay on that road, and grow.
 
If you slip, don’t feel inadequate or hopeless
Don’t let your confidence wane
All learning involves mistakes
But, always, get up and continue, again.
 
So what is this language and country that’s foreign
What are the skills you will learn?
They involve self-love, boundaries, assertiveness, respect
All qualities you will learn to discern. 
 
When you next feel threatened, look from inside.
Remain strong and pure.
Face it full on with integral strength
If you stand still, and peaceful, you’ll avoid the lure.
 
It cannot reach you if you remain true to yourself.
It will slip off and not stick.
No matter what anyone says or does
Your mind will give it the flick.
 
If anyone attacks you, breathe slowly and deep
Stay calm, strong and true.
Smile and hold onto yourself
Be you.
 
Keep your mind strong, peaceful and free
Your soul open and huge.
Don’t let it be shrivelled, constricted and small
This is something you will lose.
 
Have no fear of criticism, attack and disapproval
Deflect it like water bouncing off stone.
Respect yourself first, hold on to yourself
Because your soul will have opened, it will have grown.
 
Be you, because it is who you are
Say what you think and feel without being hurt.
Have confidence in your thoughts,
Without being on edge, frightened, alert.
 
Look to your dear friends
They know the real you.
They love you for who you are
Share their respect; for it’s true.
 
Be free, to be the person that shines
Be brave and put your face to the sun.
Show your immense love and strength
Integrity, honour – and fun.
 
You are fine as you are, you are good, you are OK
You don’t have to justify any more.
You can smile, you can give, you can be open and true
You have your feet firmly planted on the floor.
 
Life is so precious, time is so short
Be what is naturally you.
You’ve been given a gift; your life to share
With someone that respects you through and through.
 
Stand up for what you believe in
State your needs with pride.
Look after yourself, first,
And strengthen what’s inside. 
 
Have courage.  Have faith.
Stand strong and tall.
Be who you are with clarity.
And you won’t fall.
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    Life scribbles

    Like paintings, words have the power to connect.  I share my poems here with you in the hope that they benefit others.

    Warning: My poems are about happy and challenging subjects.  Some may be triggering for others.  Please call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or Lifeline on 131114 if you need support. 

    Bearing the information above in mind, please feel free to share referencing © Carin Lavery.

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    Poem - A Blessed Life
    Poem - An Autumn Day
    Poem - A Special Guest
    Poem - Being Carin's Parent
    Poem - Coming Back To Life
    Poem - David
    Poem - Dig Deep
    Poem - Equal Rights. Today.
    Poem - Freedom
    Poem - Jess
    Poem - My Darling
    Poem - My Friends At Jigsaw
    Poem - My Heart
    Poem - No Going Back
    Poem - Paaaaaaa
    Poem - Robert
    Poems
    Poem - Sudden Death
    Poem - Thank You Nature
    Poem - The Carer
    Treasures Of Gold

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  • Home
  • Paintings
    • Original Watercolours
    • Limited Edition Prints
    • Landscapes
    • St Kilda
    • Abstract
    • Life Drawing
    • Animals
    • England
  • Community
    • Community
    • Homelessness or Disadvantagee
    • Refugees
    • Domestic Violence
    • Indigenous Australians
    • Multiple Myeloma
  • Poems
  • About
    • Biography
    • Exhibitions
    • Awards
    • FAQs
  • Contact
    • Subscribe
  • Search