Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
Ian Carpenter Counselling and Psychotherapy
Poet's Corner
An Ageing Sailor
Do not despise my form now frail and old,
For age is grace, though flesh may wither thin.
A thirst for life, once wild and uncontrolled,
Still burns beneath this weathered, weary skin.
Days of abundance, memories richly sown,
Where laughter danced, and love’s foundation grew.
A family blossomed, joyfully known,
Though time would bend my frame and dull my view.
Perhaps faint whispers now elude my ear,
Or blurred horizons hide the sights I crave.
A faithful dog may keep the silence near,
While echoes of the sea my thoughts enslave.
Mock if you must; your youth will also wane—
Life’s fleeting tide returns us all to ages pain.
Sailing the Pacific
As the Galapagos Islands sank into shadowed waves,
The earth’s breath softened, dusk embracing the tide.
Stars awoke—Venus, the sentinel, brightly guiding,
Westward into a glittering void of night.
Alone, the seafarer's courage unfolds in whispers:
The main tightly bound, furler rolled, mizen steady.
The vessel glides with the trades, soft and eternal,
While the roaring forties rumble distantly astern.
To sleep, but not to dream; to rest, yet remain vigilant.
A bump, a shift—sails ruffle, the motion whispers.
Awake! What creatures stir from Poseidon's domain?
What tribute does the deep demand under its watchful gaze?
Orion rises, a steadfast companion in the dark.
What chases us—a threat or legacy untold?
Venus flees beneath the waves, leaving Centauri to guide,
As mysteries bloom within the depths of night.
But dawn edges closer, as Scorpio’s sting warns of trials ahead.
Rays of light transform the night to day.
Shearwaters glide as sunlight whispers across the sky,
Greeting the day to quiz the passing shape in their domain.
Flying fish flee, dolphins spring, and orcas smile.
Gannets dive, their practiced grace defying frailty,
As seagulls circle the stranger in their midst,
While a steady wake cuts through the stillness.
Soon, land emerges, and solitude shatters.
The order of man reclaims the helm.
Rules bind where freedom thrived, and Venus no longer guides.
The journey ends; the soul laments.
Hind Jahab 2018 -2023
When wealth is hoarded for personal gain,
Who spares a thought for another’s pain?
When hope is shattered, hearts take flight,
Abandoned by brothers, engulfed by night.
When souls seem foreign, distant, apart,
Who mourns the crushing of fragile hearts?
Dehumanized, we fail to see
The horrors wrought on humanity.
The innocent fall beneath cruel decree,
Little Hind, her family—Uncle, Aunt, and three.
Born guilty, their homeland cursed,
For daring to breathe, their lives reversed.
Trapped in a car, a fleeing band,
A tank’s cold steel gave death its command.
Hatred and fire consumed the air,
Hind and her cousin—left bleeding there.
Two days passed; no help drew near,
The tank loomed close, a symbol of fear.
“Please, come and save me; the tank is near,”
Her cries unanswered, lost in despair.
When Red Cross came, indifferent wrath
Met rescuers upon their path.
Bullets tore through the lifeless night,
Ending her cousin’s desperate fight.
Alone, injured, Hind’s pleas rang clear,
Until a burst of rounds brought silence near.
Used as a ploy, a ruse, a snare,
Left in death’s shadow, none to care.
When compassion fades and voices are still,
It’s easy to slaughter, to maim, to kill.
Better to believe the lies we’re told,
Than confront the shame our hearts withhold.
O Brave Brother
Coming soon