Tag Archives: Worldly Winds

Philomena

17 Monday Jun 2019

Posted by in Poetry

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This is dedicated to Philomena Lynott. Go well lovely lady.

I wrote this poem in 2016.  I contacted Philomena and asked if it would be alright for me to use ‘Parris’  as the title to my third anthology, as a tribute to her son Philip Parris Lynott.

Phil Lynott as a poet, musician, and singer had a profound impact in my teenage years. The words, music, and mythology intertwined with my complicated and troubled adolescence, getting me through some tough and heartbreaking years.

When I had finished the anthology I sent it to her for her approval. I was really nervous and hoped she would like it. She contacted me to say she loved it. I was both elated and relieved.

Such a beautiful and inspirational lady, I am so glad we had a connection and I got to meet you. You will always be remembered, loved, and an inspiration to us all.

 

Philomena

 

She stepped into the world

in an ill-fitting skin,

and fashioned a coat of shame,

woven with silks gossamer thin,

dip dyed with hues of blame.

 

Buttoned up with mismatched memories,

with her pockets full of dreams,

hemmed in, hemmed up, Portofino cuff,

stitched up by a seamstress’s seam.

One day she said, enough is enough!

 

and slipped off that coat infame,

she had grown right in to the ill-fitting skin,

so she crafted herself an new name.

Finally freed from her widow’s weeds,

she called to the Dakinis within.

 

The moon and the sun in a syzygy dance,

to the tune of the neap tide seas,

coronate crown of abalone shell,

with a cloak of Etesian breeze,

she plucked the lightning out of the skies,

 

and collected her juvenile tears,

forging an armour from Hadesian hell,

annealed in Elysian fields,

protector of Phthinoporon souls.

She learned to wear her life well.

 

Philomena by Alexandra Carr-Malcolm

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Rainbow Fin

22 Friday Sep 2017

Posted by in childhood, Childhood Memories, Children's poetry, Poetry

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I had a fish called Rainbow,

the ugliest you’ve seen,

he was almost transparent,

showing heart, and spine, and spleen.

 

He seemed to live forever,

a hoopla prize, most fair,

he grew quite big and chunky,

and swam without a care.

 

He wasn’t a rare beauty,

neither rainbow,  nor a jewel,

but my little girl’s heart loved him,

he was strange, and bold, and cool!

 

He swam around in circles,

gliding through his castle scene,

and he didn’t seem to mind much,

when neglect turned his bowl green.

 

Then, one day, to my distraught cries,

and my childhood at an end,

I found him quite lopsided,

my poorly rainbow friend.

 

He’d lasted ‘til his teen years,

it was a sad old day,

when I said a few old holy words,

and flushed him clean away.

 

Goodbye! my quirky rainbow friend,

I loved you ‘til the last,

‘tis fondly I remember thee,

you remind me of my past.

 

© Rainbow Fin 10.01.2012

by Alexandra Carr-Malcolm

fish bowl (Photo credit: Dean McCoy Photography)

fish bowl

 

Bedknobs

03 Monday Apr 2017

Posted by in Childhood Memories, NaPoWriMo17, Poetry

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Perched one on each post,

their shifting shadows,

creeping ever closer,

along the plucked camberwick bedspread.

Four Carrion eyes –

catching my breath,

the silence before the scream,

breaks the precocious dream.

 

 

Bedknobs – March 2017

by Alexandra Carr-Malcolm

Picture credit: https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/441493569708322678/

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Happy 2014

08 Wednesday Jan 2014

Posted by in Poetry

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Wishing everybody a health and happiness for 2014.

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Thank you for your support, visits, likes and comments throughout 2013. I feel very lucky to have such kind and generous visitors to my site. I hope to be a little bit more active with my poetry in 2014, and look forward to your comments and kind feedback.

Review of 2013

2013 was a very productive and creative year for me. I was lucky enough to have poetry published by Dagda Publishing in two anthologies –

Western Haiku, and

Threads

I also released my first anthology, Tipping Sheep (the right way).

I took part in the open mic session for the ‘Off the shelf’ event held in the Sheffield Winter Gardens. It was a cold but fun day with many fabulously talented poets sharing their work.

What 2014 has in store?

February will see more of my poems appear in two anthologies by Dagda Publishing – Passages, and Ballads (details to follow.)

I am currently working on my second anthology, but it is slow going, trying to juggle work and pull together my poems into a cohesive theme – but I am getting there! Self-publishing was a steep learning curve which I don’t think I will be repeating if I can help it!

New Year’s Resolutions

I’m not really one for making resolutions as I feel if I want to do something enough, I just get on with it! However, this year I have joined the Veganuary campaign, and I am trying to be vegan for a month. It isn’t as hard as I anticipated, (already being a veggie and having an intolerance towards eggs) but I do really miss cheese!

Will I continue to be vegan after January? I doubt it, but I will be far more aware of looking at food labels and being choosier about my diet.

Hopes for 2014

My main concern is my 13 year old dog that is starting to slow down and struggle with Arthritis. I hope to keep him active, happy and pain free for as long as I can.

I am hoping that the economic climate starts to pick up. The downturn has severely impacted upon my work as an interpreter; this means I have to spend more time away from my writing whilst trying to source work. Being a freelance worker is not secure and is unpredictable in this current time of austerity.

I hope to enter more competitions, submit more poems for publishing and have more space and time for writing and blogging.

What I’m currently reading

I was lucky enough to get a few good books as Christmas presents which are on my, ‘to read’ pile.

These include,

Watching the English by Kate Fox

Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer

Women who run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes

What I’m currently listening to

With great sadness I will have to put away my beautiful Tzukettes CD. This has really set a festive spirit in my household, (and in my car) over the holiday period. Judie Tzuke and her talented daughters, Bailey and Tallula, sure know how to make a fab Christmas album 🙂

Santa also bought me the latest Stevie Nicks DVD which I am looking forward to watching when I get the house to myself.

 

I wish you all a happy, healthy and creative 2014!

Alex

😀

The Road Less Travelled

17 Monday Dec 2012

Posted by in Poetry, Publications

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558978_376214779138008_466651278_nOh how exciting!

This is the book in which two of my poems are being published! I feel, ‘proper’, famous!

The details are below, should you wish to purchase the very reasonably priced book! I have been privileged to have a sneak preview and it is a little bit fabulous, with some amazingly talented writers!

The following are details from Dagda Publishing

Well, we are very happy to announce that the print edition of our anthology of new and contemporary poetry “The Road Less Travelled” is now available for purchase through the Lulu.com bookstore: Link here!

The print version costs £3.50 (or local currency equivalent), a very reasonable price for a collection of 38 of the finest poems by contemporary writers about today, and takes 3-5 days to ship (okay, so we miss out on Christmas, but hey – late Christmas present, people).

One last thing. If you do get a copy, please take 10 minutes of your time to bung us back a review on the site you got it from. Cheers!

For Kindle versions the link is,

Amazon UK

Amazon US

 

Shame

27 Tuesday Nov 2012

Posted by in Buddhism, Poetry

≈ 10 Comments

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sad puppy [598]

 

 

 

 

Wear the heavy,

coat of shame,

as blame creeps in,

and calls your name.

 

Feel your face,

hot like the sun,

embarrassment burns,

humiliation!

 

Worldly winds,

are at their play,

pain, blame and shame,

bring infamy.

 

© Shame 27.11.12

By Alexandra Carr-Malcolm

sad puppy [598] (Photo credit: brianjmatis)

 

 

1st Class!!!

30 Saturday Jun 2012

Posted by in Buddhism, Deep Stuff!, Humour, Poetry

≈ 2 Comments

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I’ve bought my ticket,

I’m going 1st Class!

Setting out on this quest,

on this lives long path.

 

My past is a story,

an interesting read,

but I’m leaving my baggage,

of which I don’t need.

 

I look through the window,

recognise all I see,

the Buddha land scenery,

familiar to me.

 

The weather is clement,

worldly winds have calmed,

the passengers valiant,

Dharma Sister’s at alms.

 

I’m enjoying the journey,

no rush to get there;

with guide book in hand,

and the wind in my hair!

 

We stop at the station,

other travellers alight,

we’re sharing this vision,

Enlightenment in sight.

 

©1st Class!! 2012

By Alexandra Carr-Malcolm