How To (Not) Be Normal

People are infinite,

complicated, and small;

they are pieces of star

with nothing and

all things in common,

and just like the space

from which they came,

they are strange

and unknowable too.

How To Be Kind

Looking closely

you will see,

people are like blades of grass:

too often stepped on;

luscious,

but hiding quiet ground

underneath.

How to Not Love Too Much

Love is like

walking up a mountain:

it peaks where the air is thin,

but can’t start with

cutting off both of your feet.

How to Give Only What’s Owed

Everything you have

is packed neatly into a suitcase

whose wheels

drum the pavement

like a heartbeat.

No one has enough pockets

to carry all the things

you give them,

and then they’re left behind

un-clutched to anyone’s chest.

How to Be Understanding

People are like rivers

trying desperately

to burst through dams.

Don’t argue about

where each of the drops goes

if you can’t see where

the stream began and

you’ve never lived

in a raincloud.

How To Be Patient

Living

is a lot like

sitting in traffic:

when you realise

everyone is doing it,

it becomes far easier to wait

for the green light

to appear.

How to Not Overthink

People overrun their brains

like the engine of a race car,

but high speeds mean

you may well crash,

and – besides – just like driving,

nothing is really that interesting.

How to Let Things Go

You only have five fingers,

one on each hand.

They are better off

holding on to other people than

the tension in your shoulders.

How to Be Good

Some people

are brilliant;

some are terrible.

Close your eyes,

cross your fingers,

and aim for somewhere

in the middle.

How to Be Brave

Once you realise

that all things

are frightening

and dangerous,

nothing at all

seems that scary.

How to Not Be Afraid

Even animals

destined to be

eaten by lions

drink the water

and run the land.

How to Be Strong

Some stars

are already gone

by the time you notice them,

but they still shine

in the dark.

How to Give Up Control

Rivers don’t get offended

when rocks get in

the way;

you’re only

seventy percent water,

so neither should you.

How to Not Feel Like an Imposter

Everyone is wearing clothes

that were not

made for them;

you are not the only one

who has borrowed

someone else’s shoes.

How To Not Be Nervous

Everyone is panicking;

shaking hands only shake

while their fingers try

to cling on the the cliff edge.

No Sense in Sleeping In

There is no sense

in sleeping in;

being awake

is the best way to dream.

On the Ground Below – A Short Story

As they walked through the park, cold biting at the parts of their skin they allowed to shine out with the moonlight, a hush placed itself delicately in the air, like a small bird upon a branch. In the dark, the few people around might just have easily been stowed away in their homes; as it was, they did not even whisper along with the gentle wind. And she, that winding breath of air, curled through the grass, through hair, through leaves, like lovers’ fingers intertwining. Like those lovers. And so, in peace, they looked out to the sky above, taking in the glow of every star, no idea which were where, nor what it all meant. Together, though, they had no real interest; the seeming magic which danced in the sky was happening, in vivid real-life, on the ground below.

Looking for Stars

Out walking,

looking for stars,

it does not matter

if you cannot find them,

when one has already

fallen at your feet.

Morning Rush

If only every weekday

could have weather so poor

and mornings so rushed

that the only solution

was vehicles and

hot drinks

and you.

Joy Begins

Snow falls

when things are just right,

and then joy begins;

under

the same conditions,

people fall even faster –

and then joy,

again,

like pure white snow.

Forget the Hours

Forget to count

the

hours,

and just roll around

the sun;

then you’ll never have to

wish

that the brightest moments

wouldn’t end.

Funny How the Snow

Some things

are let slip

in the snow;

funny,

how winter

can make you

feel warm.

Two Pieces

The only way

to know

if two pieces go together

is to try;

puzzles

are meant to be solved,

and halves

are meant to be whole.

Dropped Into

You dropped yourself

into the middle

of a field

I told you not to walk in,

but it turns out

the views

are really quite beautiful,

and I might just

join you there.

Three

There is a rule of three

wherein there is a third degree

which asks how it can be

that only three more times I’ll see.

Dreams in Vivid Colour

Sometimes falling asleep

is an act of intimacy,

where sleeping dreams

meet waking ones,

and collide

in vivid colour.

Yours is a Face

Yours is a face

which needs no improving;

all shape and smile

and piercing green circles,

stitched

in a perfect pattern.

Knitted Jumpers and Blue Jeans

Some gifts

are wrapped up

in knitted jumpers

and blue jeans,

tied together by hands

in fingerless gloves

and decorated

with hats and silly T-shirts,

sporting tags that read:

‘Morning, handsome’.

Some gifts are priceless,

wrapped up in knitted jumpers

and blue jeans.

Never and Always

Returning here alone,

with your familiar smell

still clinging to my clothes,

is like never having left

and always being home.

The Moon Has Bargained

On the last day

the sun makes way for the moon,

and he is gone.

With each new dawn,

they can but miss each other,

until she has bargained

with enough gods

to bring him back to light.