Sandy’s Scribbles

(First published to celebrate National Poetry Day in 2015, hence the reference to holidays! 🤦‍♀️) Twitter is the wondrous thing I turn to for most everything From plumbers, painters, cleaners too I holler and, with no ado You heed my call and bring me peeps Who salve my worries; aid my sleeps  And when of literature I'm low I turn to you and shout and lo! You answer with your best advice And I Kindle up in ne'er a trice  In business could I cope without My advisor's army, true and stout? Who send me leads and useful bods To aid my biz against the odds Who watch and hear and always help And calm me down whene'er I yelp Who retweet all info quests And find me Tangerines - the best! Apprentices you send our way And companies where they spend their day  Plus speakers for our bright young things Thus info which their learning brings Of ‘BREAKING NEWS!!’ or football scores Who has died? Who divorced? Where can I find a genuine fake? A Tangerine branded HUGE cupcake? A hotel ...

I miss hugging people ... much more than I thought I miss going to the pub ... much more than I ought I miss all my lovely friends... and phone calls just don’t cut it I miss ... normality? ... there’s no other way to put it I miss all my colleagues, meeting in a room I miss all the banter, you can’t get on a Zoom I miss the office kitchen chat while the kettle does its boil I miss the laugh and joke that a ‘you’re on mute’ can’t spoil I miss smiling at a stranger, that’s not blocked by a mask I miss knowing how life works, without having to ask I miss reaching out a hand, to comfort someone near I miss feeling safe and sure for those I hold most dear But missing all these things will not be for much longer And missing them the way we have must surely make us stronger And when we’re free to hug and laugh and share a caring touch We’ll notice every time we do and value it so much

(in limerick style) Dear women of a certain age ... You sometimes feel your years You sometimes feel your tears You’ve had your share Of things to bear And lived through many fears Your hormones run amok You hear your body clock Your thermostat Has gone kerplat! Your temperature’s ad hoc Your body maps your past And you can’t move as fast Gravity’s hit And done its bit You fear the die is cast BUT dear women of a certain age...  You know more who you are You know for every scar... You worry less And manage stress Because you’ve come this far  You know your friends are true They’ve lived their lives with you  Their losses, gains Their joys and pains Their kids are your kids too Your worries are still here But you’ve learned to handle fear You know this scare This latest mare Will quite soon disappear So dear women of a certain age...  Please don’t stay in the past We know that life goes fast Let’s try to live Each day and give Ourselves a hug at last We really are so ...