January 2025 Collection

Welcome to my first poetry collection of 2025. I hope you will enjoy reading. 

Ripples in the sand

Like fickle resolutions

Roll into the sea.

A fresh approach is needed

As I walk across the sand

The biting wind scorching

My eyes and cheeks

Is a sculptor reshaping

Quivering mounds

And the concrete block

I stumble upon

Is not a crude remnant

Of erosion storms

It is the creator of shadows

Window to the stars.

It seemed like only yesterday

That every unoccupied moment

Was filled with thoughts of her

So far apart yet some days

He swore he could feel 

Her breath on his face

Now shades of acceptance

Hung heavy in the air

Ethereal creatures 

With hearts on fire

Turning to stone.

Raindrop collector

Web of quivering wishes

Suspended delight. 

At the start of every line

Drawn in transient sand

Is an unanswered question.

Majestic winter sun

You descend slowly in a pale blue sky

Leave hints of snow in your wake

Transform barren landscapes

Roll out a golden path

To a rippled place of hope

Observe silently from above 

Measure levels of happiness

Uplift with your Midas touch.

Scraped back hair

Grey eyes closed

Head bowed in prayer

She sat alone

In the same creaking

Wooden pew

At the church on the hill.

A weary tear

Rolled down her face

No amount of money

In the collection plate

Or vespers in

The evening rain

Could bring him

Back to her.

For so long

He had watched her

Hoping one day

She would look his way

Her delicate smile

No longer reached her eyes

A fading pink sky

Drowning in tireless waves

But he was becoming weary

Of trying to second guess

Why she stayed true

To someone

Who treated her that way.

Hiding behind

Pretty curled leaves

Your bashful smile

Magnetises me

I want to hold you

Caress your skin

But I don’t want to

Damage your fragility

Why is it that fruit

Just out of reach

Always seems

The sweetest? 

Before the remnants

Of what they once had

Were washed away

Into undercurrents

Of night

She caught her breath

Slowly turned away

Eyes glistening

Like shards

Of broken glass

The silence

Was deafening

But further words

Unnecessary

And superfluous

To requirements

It was time to quit

Whilst they were ahead.

Raindrops cling to glass

As unrequited lovers

Hold on to the past.

Release worries

Watch them disappear

Sunset ripples.

I never felt

I could look closely

At you before

Although I know

You have always

Been there

Perhaps I took you

For granted

But today

I am viewing you

In a different way

The sparkling ice

Has softened

Your spiky exterior

You seem more

Approachable

Can we start again?

That delicious moment

Of anticipation

Exhilaration

Evaporating silence

Before waves unfurl

Explode and excite

Then crash

Upon the rocks.

A solitary figure

Walked across

An empty beach

Stopped for a moment

Beside a shallow pool

Looked down

At his reflection

Caught between

Submerged pebbles

Distorted features

Mask slipping

Revealing truths

Locked deep within

The way he covered

Unhappiness 

Was to crack jokes

And play the fool.

Cloaked in soft grey mist

Sky and sea fuse into one

Atmospheric beach.

Pure satin snowdrop 

You emerge so gracefully

From winter bracken.

He watched her in the half light

Sat on the edge of the bed

As she did every night

Before getting under the covers

To join him

Carefully she smoothed lotion

From a tube filled with false promises

Hoping it would remove

Lines and puckering from

Her ageing skin

Normally he watched

Without saying a word

But something in

Her expression tonight

Said when a smile cracks

Despair begins

He pulled her hands

Away from her face

Turned her around

So she was facing him

Looking into her eyes

He started to speak

In velvet tones of sincerity

He said “You don’t need

To keep on

Being sold a dream

No cream in the world

Could make you look

Any more beautiful to me.”

Restorative sun

Softening jagged edges

Of the raging storm.

Through misty eyes

I stare lovingly

For the first time

At her tiny face

Basking in tender

Newborn bliss

Echoes of distant

Lullabies play

A flush of pink

On silky cheeks

I can feel love

Seep into my heart

There could be

No greater gift

Than my first grandchild

Sweet January flower.

<><><><>

Thank you for reading. You can find me on both X and Instagram under @jillwebbwords. Links are provided below.

       

Winter Haiku

Throughout the whole of 2024 I saved the haikus I posted on X and Instagram with a view to compiling some kind of poetry book at the end of the year. After some deliberation I decided to have the book printed for personal use only. I named the book "A Haiku for all Seasons" and gave it to close family members as a Christmas gift. 

Although I have posted many poems online it was a proud and emotional moment seeing my words and photos in book form for the first time. Old fashioned as it may be, I still think there is no substitute for holding a book in your hand, running your fingers over the pages and savouring the content.

I would now like to share the poetry and photos with a wider audience here on my blog, starting with the winter haiku. The spring poems will follow in a few months time. I hope you will enjoy reading.

Embrace changing skies

Shades of acceptance make way

For new beginnings.

Interwoven thoughts
Tangled in frozen raindrops

Spider tapestry.

Whispering ice calls

Feet start to sink in deep snow

Beautiful danger.

Time can soften pain

As clouds lose intensity

In serene water.

Delicate jasmine

Little splashes of sunshine

Peeping through the snow.

Driftwood life stories

Tales of dark and icy sea

Etched in sandy bark.

Sweet choir of snowdrops

Gently singing and swaying

Winter melodies.

Her beauty unfolds

In shades of heartfelt velvet

Valentine's Day rose.

Bashful hellebore

Lift your head above the leaves

You are beautiful.

The sleeping trees stir

Yawn then stretch naked branches

Preparing for buds.

<><><><><>

Thank you for reading. You can find me on both X and Instagram under @jillwebbwords. Links are provided below.

       

Shades of Light and Dark

To mark my 63rd birthday I proudly present another collection of poetry and photographs, all taken by me. Once again, it is a mix of shades of light and dark and in some cases miniature stories in verse. I hope you will enjoy reading.

<><><>

Sweet Peas

The scent of sweet peas

Drifted through an open window

Played havoc with her senses

Some things never leave you

Remembering the posy

He left by the kitchen sink

Wiry stalks tied

With frayed green string

And the letter…

The letter saying

“It isn’t you, it’s me”

It felt like they no longer

Wanted the same things

Teardrops fell creating

Inky whirlpools on the page

He always had a way with words

Or at least that's what

She used to say

But she was not listening

Or believing any more

Flimsy wilting petals

Infidelity dressed up

As remorse.

<>

The Fruit and Veg Man

We called him

The fruit and veg man

He had a stall

In the market

He sang as he spoke

Made up rhymes

About apples

Cherries and parsnips

You could hear him

Above the noise of the street

No microphone was needed

If he had told people

Carrots were blue

I swear they would have believed him

He squeezed the hands of old ladies

When he gave them their change

Made them feel

They were getting extra

Irrespective of what they had paid

I once asked why he had

A crowd around him

When other traders never did

He winked and said

A bit of banter

And a cheeky smile

Has always got me

Where I want to be.

<>

The Busy Bee

When you were a child

You used to laugh

When I called you

A busy bee

You raced around

Flapped your arms

Made a buzzing sound

Through pursed lips

One time I decided

To slow you down

And sit you on my knee

I said whilst it is fun

To soar and fly

Feel the wind in your face

As you aim for the sky

You must also

Make the time

To study the bee’s

Tiny stained glass wings.

<>

Lavender Burst

There was something about

The time of year

When summer leaves

Started to lose their sheen

And the smell of lavender

Hung in the air

Clouds of purple confetti

Scattered in her hair

She thought they would be

Together forever

Clinging to rainbows

In stormy weather

Remembering times

Now drenched in doubt

Were his feelings for her

Ever sincere?

<>

The Ballroom

It was once a ballroom

It stood there for years

An ornate reminder

Weeping derelict tears

Now it had to be demolished

To build a superstore

Another chain without a link

As if we needed any more

Peeping through the rubble

I saw a single orange flower

It was my mother’s favourite colour

A ray of sunshine in dark showers

It reminded me of the marigolds

My father grew for her

And beside it I spotted

A single creamy pearl

A necklace once cherished

By a 17 year old girl

I pictured my parents dancing

To a piano melody

The night they first met

In 1963.

<>

New Territory

Scrambling beside

The remains of

A crumbling

Wooden jetty

Using jagged rocks

To assist in

Navigating pools

Of seaweed

And soft mud

I felt like

I was treading

Where no-one

Had gone before

Virgin territory

A remote island

Belonging to me

I don’t think

I have ever

Felt so aligned

With the pulse

And the heartbeat

Of the river

Whilst teetering

On the brink of

New discoveries.

<>

Harmony

This poem was inspired by the Paul Weller penned song 'Liza Radley'. It is due to feature in the 40th anniversary edition of the fanzine I wrote in the early 80s, called 'Kindred Spirit', which I am currently working on.

I used to see her

Late at night

Her name

Was Harmony

She wore

Wild marigolds

In her hair

And dresses with

Floaty sleeves

It was as if

She had entered

Another world

When she glided

Through midnight fields

I sometimes used

To wonder if

She was a figment

Of my imagination

But early one morning

I heard a faint knock

And when I opened

The curtains

I noticed a perfect

Orange heart

Had been drawn

In the mist

On my window pane.

<>

Driftwood Wish

The sky turned burnt crimson

A wizard landed on the beach

He held a piece of driftwood

Up to the moon

And granted it one wish

The driftwood replied very softly

On the back of a sea breeze

It said I was once a sturdy branch

Of a sycamore tree

Spiders weaved intricate tapestries

Through my ornate leaves

They glistened with raindrops

After spring showers

Tiny jewels suspended

In threads of tears

They twinkled at sunrise

Floated through sunset

Please will you carefully cut out a leaf

And carve a web in my fading bark

To remind me although

My appearance has changed

I will always be a tree at heart.

<>

Beyond The Gate

It hurts me when I see you

Walk this path alone

I sense your pain and anger

A fusion of my own

Emotions

I know you have left the gate open

For me to walk on through

Never give up hope my angel

I will come back to you

On days when you feel despondent

Do the same as I do

Think of our separation

As temporary

A grey sky that

Eventually

Turns blue.

<>

Between the Cracks

The ground

Was cracking

Under her feet

He had stripped her

Of everything

Alienated from

Family and friends

Manipulated

Into disconnect

Locked within

His private world

Clutching at shreds

Of self respect

She should have

Listened to her mother

When she said

He was bad news.

<>

Sunrise Breakfast

The smell of coffee

Swirls of steam

Playing with my senses

Gyrating genies

Taking the first sip

I close my eyes and think

Of clear winter mornings

Ice blue and gold

Pewter whispers

New horizons unfold

Smiles exchanged

No words needed

Decisions can wait

Until later in the day

Breathing deeply

Inhaling possibilities

Sunrise breakfasts

By the sea.

<>

The Ghost of the Fallen Bunker

Some said

He was a vagrant

But his accent

Did not suggest

Humble beginnings

He wore

A tattered uniform

With a row of medals

That glistened

He appeared

On the beach

When the tide

Was out

Then vanished

Like footprints

In soft sand

His voice boomed

Over howling winds

Tales of fear

And slaughter

You could taste

His tears

Something in

His tone

Demanded you

Listen

To the ghost of

The fallen bunker.

<><>

Thank you once again for reading. You can find me on both X and Instagram under @jillwebbwords. Links are provided below.