Tiny Summer Poems

NB: This post is a little delayed. I started writing it at the end of the summer, but then the day-job started back and finding the time to present each poem in a cute little picture just didn’t happen. I decided to simply type the rest up and try to get them out there before all traces of summer are gone. Autumn hit hard last week in Norfolk (the ‘bum’ bump on the east of England for my overseas readers) but next week is meant to be a little warmer so enjoy.

(Aug 30th 2024) Over the last few weeks, I’ve been working my way through the prompts from #tinysummerpoem by

SoulStack by Beth Kempton

. These were shared daily but I haven’t always kept up with that so they’ve lasted me almost the entire 6 weeks of my summer holidays. The concept is simple: one word as a starting point; 10 minutes of writing; no edits! I usually like to do this first thing, after my morning pages journaling as a quick creative pause before the rush of the day starts. Not everyday has resulted in a fully formed poem. Some days the words felt forced, contrived or meaningless. But amongst the dirt, there are some rough diamonds and maybe the odd nugget of gold that I’d like to share.

MARK

Everywhere you go you leave your mark,
sometimes it is visible, solid, lasting:
the flowers planted, the picture painted.
Sometimes it’s just a fleeting feeling:
the smile you prompted, the comfort given.
Sometimes it’s memory fades with time:
that day at the beach, the night dancing ‘till dawn.

Everywhere you go, you leave your mark,
Some permanent,
Some already gone.
But the most indelible mark of all
is the one you signed on my heart.

RISE

Rise early they say,
Get ahead on the day,
5am club’s the way.
But for me - it’s a nay

I like the slow start,
Time to ponder, dream,
Then a morning cuppa,
as I write or read.
No rush, no pressure, nowhere to be,
Wake early I do, but I rise slow-ly.

CORNER

I don’t know what’s around the corner,
I’m scared to take a peek,
I know eventually I’ll have to make the turn,
But right now it’s not what I seek.
Can I just stay here?
Where it’s safe and warm and known?
Why do things have to change?
My heart wants to rest at home.

PEEK

Do you want to know a secret?
Sometimes I peek into our future.
I’ve never told you,
embarrassed or afraid to admit it.
But in my head,
I look ahead.

Often in fact, I peek into our future,
Imagine what is to come.
Am I planning or fantasising?
Is is spoilers or dreams?
All in my head,
Never to be said.

I wonder if you peek into our future.
”Pointless” you’d probably say,
”It won’t turn out that way.”
Life never follows your plan.

But in my head,
I sill like to look ahead.

And here are a few more poems that I haven’t got round to typing up but recorded for TikTok instead. Please excuse the dodgy sound, bad camera work and my face! I prefer to be an unseen anonymous writer, but this year is the year of being brave and bold.

Filling this House with Memories

The Sky is a Blank Canvas

My Feelings are like the Ocean