Read Poetry From Life Begins At...
Life Begins at Bathtime for Poet Michelle
A poem about bathtime has won a national competition for Hereford mum Michelle Layton.
Michelle (43) wrote the poem especially for the competition run by poetry publishers United Press.
She collects £100 for winning the competition which received over 2000 entries from all over the UK, and she also has her poem published in the forthcoming anthology of verse “Life Begins At” and receives a free copy of the book.
“It’s the first poetry competition I’ve ever won, although I’ve been writing for a long time,” said Michelle. “I wrote the poem the evening before the closing date for the competition.”
“We asked for poems on the theme of Life Begins At,” said Peter Quinn of United Press which ran the competition. “Michelle’s poem about bathtime provides a humorous twist on this theme. In her poem, Michelle shows us that our life can begin with a moment of relaxation when we get a chance to shed the cares of the day.”
“I believe that words are beautiful and I use them as an outlet for my emotions,” explained Michelle. “I write when I’m upset or happy and life provides me with an endless source of subjects. Poetry is great therapy and more people should try it.”
Born in Zimbabwe, Michelle now lives in Wellington, Herefordshire with husband Grant and her three
children.
You can read Michelle's winning poem below:
BATHTIME
When the day’s been long and too demanding
And I’ve multi-tasked myself to bits
When my feet are swollen and almost blimpish
And I’ve dealt with everyone’s hissy fits
That’s when I haul myself up the stairway
To where me time must commence
I run a luxurious, hot bubblebath
With candlelight to soothe my every sense
As I sink into the fragrant bubbles
My hand holds a wineglass safely aloft
My favourite murder mystery lies waiting
The blues are playing smooth and soft
As I nibble on chocolate orange segments
I rationalise and justify my decadence
In the bathtub we all feel lighter
And calories assume an innocence
I top up the hot water with a wrinkled toe
As the bubbles soak away my strife
I find myself relaxed and smiling
Sighing softly, This is the life
Michelle Layton, Wellington, Herefordshire
You can read more poetry from Life Begins At below...
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SALAD DAYS
Once upon a summertime, in days now sadly past
We ran, we played, a world of time, oh, that it should last
Without a care of busy times, so seldom seen again
We lived a world through child’s eyes, every day a game
The summer sun our constant friend, forever it would seem
The rainy days a faded part, of this our childhood dream
The throes of summer’s growing pains, now left so far behind
The smell of grass so freshly cut, stays etched upon the mind
The fields of grain that caught the wind, whispering such a tune
Of childish thoughts and innocence, that disappeared so soon
Our friends that walked beside us, so perfect, like the games
Those memories forever ours, but time has lost their names
How we laughed and how we cried and yet we never knew
That these would be our salad days, so perfect yet so few
Dave James
"Dedicated to Dad ‘Fred’ James. Gone but not forgotten."
Born in Bridgnorth, David James has interests including motorcycle riding and the piano. “I started writing in 2005 after writing a poem for a famous celebrity who was sadly killed in an air crash,” he explained. “My surroundings and my upbringing influence my work, and I would describe my style as very retro.” David would like to be remembered as a gentle-spoken giant and has ambitions to write a song and act on stage. He is married to Sally and has two children, Joshua and Megan.
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UNTITLED 25
Four sections like the seasons.
Brooches of bronze, silver and gold.
Walking through splintered youth
to summer times adult wisdom
The final one enfolds.
A sunny day at Buckingham Palace.
With triangular sandwiches and tea.
A happy day of tranquillity.
Strawberries and cream.
I saw the Duke of Edinburgh
And not the England’s Queen.
This gold medal I treasure,
forever written on this page.
And although I never travelled,
the linear path of uni, career
and marriage followed by kids.
But my own zig-zagged road.
This final day of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme.
Amongst other things
gave me a coming of age.
And the certificates, my life’s wage.
Rachel Van Den Bergen
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TIME DEFYING OCTOGENARIAN
18.09.2010
I just could not help to be both intrigued
And impressed.
There were no wrinkles on his face,
Glowing cheeks instead.
What a surprise to look so young
At the age of eighty plus, 83, to be precise.
Was it down to the divine might,
Able to erase marks of time?
Was it not a clear sign that God does exist
And rewards those who put faith in Him
Not just with inner strength but with facelifts as well?
Atheists must capitulate and accept the fact
That the Pope is the lone moral authority on Earth,
That can bring hope to young and old.
Isn’t it great that at his old age
Not just he leads an active life but rules the world,
Defiantly demonstrates that he does not fear death?
Doesn’t he communicate as well
That life begins at 80 or later than that?
Lucy Carrington
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THE CHAIR
Eyes shining bright yet you sit there day and night
Sat in a chair wondering why, sitting there waiting to die
Eyes are the only part without words they say
You did not throw your life away
This is a gift for you, not a chair feeling blue
Day after day, hour after hour, the chair taking your power
So you just sit there and give in, the chair will win
A man I know sits in a wheelchair, no choice , legs won’t go
But he has heart and soul, well educated, he has his show
Goes all round at age of eighty, out and about
That’s what life is about
Now your eyes match your soul
You have come through your hole
You can sit to get up and go
From the cradle to the grave
Who really knows
When life begins?
Lorraine Chantell Williams
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BIG STICKS AND CARROTS
Pre earthly birth appeals,
Cushioned and cosy,
Free transport, free meals.
But now,
Pushed out,
To be greeted by a cold cruel world,
Life on Earth has begun,
A high percentage of pain and sorrow,
A low percentage of fun.
Life continuing,
Yet every day, life’s new beginning,
Until on Earth we die.
And now,
Awareness, sealed from all concepts of the human mind,
Begins.
Geoffrey Martin
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THE MYSTERY
It puzzles me when people say
That life begins at birth
But where were we before this time
On some star beyond the Earth?
Were we flying with the angels
Soaring through a maze of blue
Learning secrets of the heavenly kind
From a land that’s good and true?
That teaches us life does not begin
When conception has taken place
For we have a great creator
Who devised the human race
So there is only one beginning
Where or when we do not know
For we will appear in the celestial calendar
Only when God Almighty says that’s so
Margaret Stephenson
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WHICH OF WHICH IS YOU?
The prisoner set free to return to the living,
Coming to terms with the lack of all giving,
Time to recoup with tears or resentment,
Do we live with the pain or choose peace and contentment?
A burden has flown, yet we must be discreet,
No one is honoured, when the carnage has peaked.
Though feelings are battered and inside we’re numb,
If we can but hold on we know new life will come.
Then a longed for proposal draws intent in the sand,
In an exquisite moment to go hand in hand.
Kings and queens on this day, when we’re truly in love,
Plan to forge a new future as secure as stars above.
Recovery from an illness, we feel God may need us still,
And we’re thankful for deliverance and rest upon His will.
We look for inspiration in the innocent and the brave,
And see within their constancy, the strength for which we crave.
Ann McNair
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THE E-MAIL
Screams of oppression cut the tortured air
But wait, they do come to freedom square
Gone the corrupt sponsored dictator’s rage
Life begins at the turning of Egypt’s historic page
Respect and regard for people and place anew
The world salutes you for making dreams come true
For too long voice of freedom suppressed by fear
Don’t allow dictator’s paid thugs to cast a smear
Islam is good, don’t believe propaganda lies
Believe truth behind tortured cries
Make a better world for children of the future
Make a stand against the bombing butcher
David K Maxwell
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NEW CREATION
My life began at twenty eight
When God, in me did recreate
My spirit that, though ‘twas still mine
Was now entwined with love divine
I found that I could really live
A brand new life, and could forgive
Those who had hurt me in the past
And found a joy that would always last
And that’s what caused this transformation
It’s what God calls the New Creation
When we repent and need a saviour
His love helps us change our behaviour
God in the flesh, for man He bled
That we might live, He died instead
When we believe, we live in Him
Once dead in trespasses and sin
As well as trusting and believing
It’s God’s own Spirit we’re receiving
He saved us from the devil’s heist
The one Messiah, Jesus Christ
Valerie Burch
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