POETRY

I started writing poetry roughly at the age of 14. Looking back at the poems I used to write, I like to think that my work has evolved and that it reflects the psychological development I experienced while growing up. Thus, I tend to surprise myself when I go back and find gems that I had completely forgotten about. 

I've been a little slow with writing lately (well, at least writing poetry – I've done plenty of academic writing for uni), and I'm hoping to motivate myself by posting my old works here. Scroll down to see what I'm talking about!

THE DAY THAT YOU DIED

The day you died
was like any other.
The sun rays echoed
and rang over the ocean
and wave after wave

climbed higher and higher.

The day you died –
I was within and without,
being, but also seeing

myself through the eyes
of some unknown force

floating somewhere 

in the no-man's land behind me.

The day you died –

It was like any other.
Except that it wasn't. 

The day that you died

was not the worst day of my life

like I thought it would be. 

The day that you died,

I felt fear, I felt pain,

I felt anger and regret.

But most of all, I felt relief.

I imagine that you did too.

The day that you died

we sat, waiting, waiting. 

For what? I don't know.

We waited and waited,

but nothing came of waiting

so we stopped. 

The day that you died

we went into the sun

and I watched my brother run

and dive into the ocean

and emerge

reborn.

The day that you died

the world looked to me

as though painted anew:

New colours.

New contrasts.

New outlines.

The day that you died,

I felt a strangeness in me.

You were in each corner

every crevice

each grain of sand

ray of light

echoing and singing

and I felt

that

you were never as close

to me 

as then.

Posted on 4 October 2017

THE WAVES

For years and years I had the waves

In front of my feet,

And the sounds and sight with them they took,

All seemed far too discreet.

I’ve come to see that it depends on me,

How I wish to see the world.

The waves at the door were ordinary,

The smell of salt always there.

You learn to love that which you’re given

The moment it’s taken away.

It may be gone for weeks, no, years,

Decades, just very long.

The hours the day you return,

Oh I’ve done it before.

You’ll do your best to drown in the smell,

You’ll wrack your brains to spot every shell.

I sat for ages, taking it in,

As wave upon wave

They laughed and played,

And came to life and crept away again.

For years and years I had the waves

In front of my feet,

And the sounds and sight

so very grand

rolled and stumbled

in the heat.

Posted on 29 May 2017

FORGET NOT

Forget not the love

That cannot be held

In the palm of my hand,

Nor in the seas that define the Earth,

Nor in the vastness and immensity

That is

Our universe.

Forget not the love

That cannot be stopped

By the lid of a bottle,

Nor by the closed doors of the home.

Forget not

The love that will suffer

And the love that will rejoice,

The love that will be torn apart,

Yet the love that is wholesome and strong.

This love has no end,

No expectations or limits.

This love will go on

Until the Earth, in its very core,

Implode, gives up, and the universe

Ceases

To exist.

Posted on 03 May 2017

"Everything" is a poem I dedicated to my mum in 2009/2010 when I had moved away to Switzerland. It was to show her that she meant everything to me. Every day I am grateful that I was able to speak to her about my emotions so openly, and that she knew how proud and happy I was to have her in my life. She passed away in July 2011, but she left behind an lasting impression on every single person who crossed her path. 

EVERYTHING

The problems that disappear when you tell me not to worry,

The spark in your eye when you discover something new,

The protection you offer me when I look into your eyes,

The love I feel when you put your arms around me,

The warmth that engulfs me when you come in,

The joy your face speaks of when you smile,

The sense I see when you look concerned,

The wisdom you spread with your voice,

The way you showed me, growing up,

How you guided me, held my hand,

What you said to stop my tears,

All the support you gave me,

The things you taught me,

How you cared for me,

What you gave me,

What you did,

Love.

Posted on 29 March 2017

DID YOU KNOW?

I am the sun, I am the moon,

I am water, fire, earth,

I am stars and I am seas,

Did you know?

I am music, I am art,

I am the beating of your heart,

I am wind and I am clouds,

Did you know?

For who had told, who had spoken

“You are sunlight, have you woken?

You are rain and you are God,

And you glow.”

I am enemy and friend,

I am breaking, yet I mend,

I am life and I am death,

Did you know?

I am Father, I am Son,

I’m the Holy Spirit, come,

I am you and you are me,

We are blind.

I am love and I am hate,

I will give and I will take,

I am Body, I am Soul,

I am Mind.

I am fear and I am pain,

But to me it’s all the same,

Because I’m hope and I believe,

And I know. 

Posted on 03 March 2017