Fairy Tales of the Mind

Every story has a beginning, but what happens if you don’t remember that beginning? What if you realise that the few memories you have, are only of violence and neglect?

Anxiety rises, fear of abandonment is constant on your mind, fear of being unloved is eating you up, and the world you envisioned to be a fairy tale is destroyed. So, you comfort yourself by letting your mind wander, and you wait for someone to save you even after the abuse, despite knowing full well that it’s unhealthy. Knowing that those daydreams you have of dying are unhealthy.

You survived the physical abuse and the neglect by escaping reality and continually dreaming of fairy tales, but you became too engrossed in those dreams. Those dreams resulted in you creating an alternative world in your mind in which you craved to stay in – like an addict, forgetting entirely that there existed a world outside of those dreams.

This is a collection of poetry about mental illness and the impact of child abuse in adulthood.

Facing East at Sunset

Do you want to return to a time in your life when things were wonderful, filled with people you loved, with dreams that you had, when the world was simpler and the future glistened?
And do you wonder what happened, where did those years go?
The answer, my friend (no, not with Bob Dylan), is with you inside your head, all the good and some of the bad. The answer is writing it down – it’s still there – in poetry. Reading others, writing your own. Think back – it’s still there – look back, look forward… poetry. Do you recall those violet-infested walls of that old English church; that girl you saw and never forgot in a tavern once visited; that old town you first taught in and that noisily funny dunny-cart man; the fear of being trapped in a crashed car with petrol dripping; resting in love with a beautiful partner; dangling a line in a beautiful river with beautiful sons?
It’s all there, deep down, relived and reloved, in poetry.

Exits and Entrances

Exits and Entrances is a selection of poems, spanning four decades, by Paul Hollingworth.
Hollingworth incorporates different styles from lyricism, elegy, and rap influences to enhance a resonant statement on varied subjects such as birth and loss, psychosis, redemption, technology, the financial sector, social disorder, and a favourite film or song.
Location is important to his work. Hollingworth takes the reader on a journey to the high Andes of Peru and Chile, to Glasgow, to Canvey Estuary, and to a family home in Andalucia.

Everything is Smoke

Everything is Smoke is a book of poetry unlike anything written in recent years.

The author uses plain language to invoke the most powerful senses – passion, pride, humour, whimsy – he takes you from the deepest grief to the highest exaltation and all stops in between. He takes raw emotions and imagery drawn from his own life to bring you the strongest experience of yourself as a human being.

A journey into this book is a journey into your own soul as each verse, each stanza, each individual poem will take you to the very extremes of your inner self.

It is the job of the poet to take the triumphs and tragedies, the victories and mundanities that we all experience and can never adequately express, and frame them in such a way as to make the heart quicken. Throughout this book you will experience beauty in the ordinary, wonder in the everyday and be lifted having been filled with the intricate depth of your own life.

You are invited dear reader to take these thoughts, these creations unto yourself and take from them all that you need to walk with renewed meaning and fulfilment.

Enlightenment

Helen Louise Porter’s collection ENLIGHTENMENT is, on the surface, a quiet book containing less than thirty short poems. Look closer, however, and you will realise that it is full of powerful emotions: each poem comes direct from the author’s heart and soul.

ENLIGHTENMENT is a collection that combines love and joy. It can be read at any time and will bring many hours of happiness.

Eloise and Other Verses

In Eloise and Other Verses, Constanze Hawkins writes about loss and nature, both human and natural.

Through her depiction of loss we feel the characters of those experiencing and dealing with loss, we get a glimpse of aspects of human nature. Sometimes themes of loss are intertwined with scenes of nature. The author writes about a range of human sorrows, for example the loss of youth in ‘Dance Cockie Dance’ and the loss of a mother in ‘Mother Mother Magna Mater’. Loss is an inescapable part of the human condition and the author treats it with careful, thoughtful and poignant writing. Also included in this volume are poems portraying the natural beauty of nature. These few poems of the natural world offer new pictures of themes such as trees and the ocean. They make an interesting addition to this collection.

Echoes of Me

Thoughts and wishes were left neglected. A voice hushed, leaving one wondering if it is possible to hope there are better days ahead. May the words written in this book give you back your voice and the strength to ensure you are never silenced again.

Diverse, Converse and in Verse

During his teaching ministry Jesus told several stories, often witty, which drew upon the circumstances and situations of his day. He used this method of teaching as a means of making a point, whether favourable or harsh, that his hearers would understand and recognise in their application to them. This book adapts, updates, and converts into whimsical verse a number of these stories, while also raising some new issues for today’s generation. It is not intended to be a substitute for reading the Gospels and other New Testament books, but is intended to direct and encourage readers to look and think more deeply into Jesus’ original words as recorded in Scripture and how they might apply to them.

Discombobulated and Other Poems

The poems in this engaging collection cover such topics as the seasons, the perils of overindulging during those seasons (as well as at other times), politics, religion, travel, the obvious superiority of cats over mere humans, and the simple, timeless virtues of honesty, sacrifice and charity.

No matter the subject, the poet’s sincerity, humour and intriguing view of human nature always shine through.

Die! Not Likely

I like my poetry to cover Life that others will recognise and relate to.

I try to bring in emotions and humour to help others to think and see a different perspective.

I enjoyed writing this book which just seemed to happen between my second husband dying in 2014 and having my stroke in 2015.

Depths of Domestic Violence

When immersed in the horror of domestic violence, you either give up and die inside or you remove yourself and live in your imagination.

Nobody believes that it will happen to them – but it does – and it is real. It does not discriminate; it seeps over the threshold of every class, religion and gender. Abusers are clever; they relieve you of friends first, then family, until you have only them left. They tell you it is all in your head – that you are crazy and that you need help. They know your insecurities and this becomes their playground and you their play toy. An abuser does not care if you are sad, they do not care if you are broken and they have no interest in anything but total domination. You cannot fix them, you can never love them enough. You just have to leave.

Deep Shallow

This book is about the paradoxical nature of life, with its chaotic and tame moments. It explores the different forces that shape our experiences and how we are constantly growing and changing. The book delves into the various aspects of life, including acknowledging one’s surroundings, finding love, dealing with heartbreak, and overcoming different circumstances. It encourages readers to reflect on their own experiences and to find beauty in the ups and downs of life. The author emphasizes the importance of memories and how they shape our lives and leave a lasting impact. The book is also an invitation to explore and enjoy the memories and emotions that the author captured through their words and through the memories they saved by date. The book is a reminder that even though we can never go back to a moment in time, we can always relive it through our memories and emotions.