Artist’s Context – Poetry
Through poetry I can express myself without feeling insecure and without judgement

Exceptional You
You’re a standout amongst a crowd
Too different, introverted, or loud
Too tall or short, too fat or skinny
Too ugly, plain, or pretty

I’m proud you stick to your guns
Not alive just to hit home runs
This game needs you to participate
Not strive to over compensate

So don’t change that perfect unique
As means to divert adverse critique
And distort, disguise or improvise
To whom we don’t relate or recognize

Babe you’re one hell of a kind
My favorite style of design
A glorious brand of individual
Exceptionally… exceptional

Baby Bumps
I toss, I turn
You kick and rumble
I’m stretched, I’m tight
My brain’s a jumble

I heave, I ache
You flourish and thrive
A 9 month journey
Growth overdrive

I lament, I laugh
On this bumpy road
An emotional bomb
In mode to explode

Then I breathe, I feel
This potential inside
My body is a weapon
And Mother Nature my guide

After the flood
The rain did not stop
So she treaded water
Exhausted
Still the rain did not stop
Until flood had enveloped her
Devoured her
Overwhelmed her
And still the rain did not stop
So she trod on
Legs kicking, arms flapping
Grasping at every opportunity
To feel safe again

Eventually those waters did
subside gradually
As was ultimately expected
Though she was weary
Though the remaining debris was
Divided ruins
She got back up
Weighted with trepidation
Left to re evaluate
To navigate the residual
And contemplate the opportunity
Of a cleaner slate

Growing Pains
I’ve never really understood
How to light up firewood
And when it comes to barbecue
I think I’ll leave that up to you

As for sleeping in a tent
Don’t count on getting my consent
To live without technology
Is a place I’d rather not to be

I’d struggle to survive outdoors
In places where the dirt are floors
With all the creepy crawly things
And biting critters bearing wings

When the heat is overbearing
When there’s filth on what I’m wearing
When my legs are bleeding sores
I just don’t get the great outdoors

It appears we’re raising a generation
Out of touch with an appreciation
To find joyful solace in simple pursuits
Over cheap consumer substitutes
 
Let’s strive to provide opportunity
To grow resilience, instinct, creativity
So our children live their childhood
And real happiness is understood

The Great Unknown
Yesterday I thought I knew
Everything there was to know
I was certain of most everything
Who I am and where I’d go

Today I feel confused
Because those answers aren’t so clear
The questions sound all foggy
Like there’s static in my ears

That doesn’t mean I’m giving up
I must alter my perspective
I’ve learnt all things are bound to change
Unless you view them retrospective

Tomorrow is not set in stone
This I know now to be true
Leaves a space for life’s surprises
And new adventures to pursue

Lost in thought
Caught up in a moment
Lost far away in space
I allow my mind to wonder
Let inner thoughts escape
My eyes are closed, silence rings
Then suddenly I’m floating
I’m falling hard and fast
I don’t know where I’m going
My heart starts palpitating
Shit scared I try to scream
But silence is on speaker mode
So I try to swim upstream
The current pulls me further out
My arms are weights of lead
I fear that I might drown
But I fight back hard instead
I make it to the surface
Washed up upon a beach
Then I hear you call my name
And see reality within reach

The Fight
Statistics tell me that my chances are slim
Of making it through to the bitter end…
Without pain, without suffering, or grief
Without anguish, hope, or disbelief

But despite those odds we have a light within
And your faith to overcome will likely depend
On determination, self esteem, and grit
On motivation, your drive, never to quit

Because doing just that is what living really is
Not some backseat ride into ignorant bliss
Though the outcome is uncertain with all you do right
Find strength in the knowledge you chose fight over flight

Island
They say no-one is an island
I have heard that phrase before
Surrounded by community
As would waves roll into shore

We’re all connected in a way
That we can’t always perceive
How our behaviour can affect
Impressions that we may leave

Your confidence and character
Only carry you so far
As some drown in their circumstance
Stranded solo where they are

They say no-one is an island
But loneliness is a curse
Where isolation manifests
And communities disperse

There is a take home message here
To start a revolution
Reaching out to those around you
Who suffer destitution

They say no-one is an island
This is simply misunderstood
All islands attach to the world
And our world… our neighbourhood

Life gets in the way
Sometimes life gets in the way
You’ve taken bites too oversized
So you try to chew it down
And your swallow’s compromised

Because you tuned into your gut
It growled for so much more
When your head said I’m contented
Was a theory you ignored

You filled days with all this doing
Holding tight onto possessions
But there’s something in just being
To pursue liberty over obsession

Next time life gets in the way
Try keeping those feet grounded
It will feed your need for inner peace
For an existence lived well rounded