Unexpected

Minding my own business, pottering around.

I did not expect to be frightened, it was just so unexpected.

A fully grown pigeon in the mouth of one of my cats.

I screamed the house down.

The cat wasn’t expecting to see me in the conservatory.

And the pigeon wasn’t expecting to be inside,

its talons making a stiletto heel noise on the laminate.

The local bird sanctuary were not expecting a phone call

from a worried husband ‘We don’t take in pigeons’

What was most unexpected, was being rescued by my daughter.

Now grown up  but as a child had woken up her Grandad –

(Who lives just around the corner) because of a bi spider.

She braved picking up the stunned pigeon and released it into the wild.

Samantha Henthorn 2017.

 

(Please note, no birds were harmed during this poem, I’m not really sure how it got in through the back door, but T.C. was nearby licking her whiskers. We didn’t get to the bird sanctuary stage – we think it was just stunned, and after sitting on the flags for half an hour, it flew away. It is true that my daughter picked it up and put it outside – could not believe it! This happened about six months ago.)

Eyeliner

 

Eyeliner

The hallway frames the front door of my home.

Guarding me from well wishers, I need to be alone.

Seasons, styles or Saturdays, there is always eyeliner,

bold black wings from cut price to designer.

I woke the other day, robbed of my right hand.

Sudden stolen senses are hard to understand.

War paint frames my face, I’m ready for the world.

Without eyeliner, I look a different girl.

Blurred vision, a thousand texts becoming unbearable.

In her telephone voice, she tells me I ‘look terrible’

Healing time and patience all fall into place,

I’m faking being well with eyeliner on my face.

Samantha Henthorn copyright 2015.

Photo courtesy and owned by my beautiful daughter.

I love eyeliner, if my hands were working, I would be able to put it on like the photo above. I wrote this poem a couple of years ago, and it was accepted by the editor of MSmatters magazine, as yet they have not put it in print (even though they promised me it would be in the spring edition). Instead of spending time e-mailing them to chase it up, I’ve decided to blog it. The poem did appear in the Bury adult education/libraries anthology and exhibition last year, of which I was most proud.

Happy Wednesday, Samantha