The Small Gestures

It is in the small gestures,
The daily acts of kindness,
The patience,
And selflessness.
The notice of the needs of another,
That we should be measured.

It is in true empathy,
That accepts,
That we are all flawed,
And do not mean,
Out of spite,
To pass on our suffering.

These are the acts,
which define our humanity.
.

Human Frailty

In defeat you witness the agony of human frailty,
It can be subtle.
A gesture,
Or glassiness of eye.
A litany of excuses.
The blame game begins.
A gathering together of sympathetic allies,
Who can reassure and take their side,
Against their own weakness.
That inability to withstand attacks on the ego.
Or accept the loss of face.
That is their agony.
The avoidance of the unpalatable truth.

Familiarity

I've become contemptuous.
Repeated patterns,
Viewed through a lens coloured by cynicism.
I am by nature optimistic.
But....
Contempt born of familiarity,
Is a hard mould to break,
Perhaps impossible,
Or at least not worth the effort.
Better perhaps to move on,
Before the fruit becomes too bitter and unpalatable,
And you forget that it ever tasted sweet.

Damaged

It is not their fault,
Or anyones,
It runs through the generations,
Passed on from parent to child,
Hurt and ignorance,
Lack of modelling,
Low expectations,
Poor self image,
Unhelpful strategies,
For coping with all that life throws,
And then passed down,
Like a terrible legacy. 

Scouts on Bikes

They come in all shapes and sizes.,
The Scouts,
And the bikes.
All  levels of experience pounding the bitumen.
The Scouts,
And their bikes.
Scrapes and scratches and faulty bits,
The Scouts,
And their bikes.
Some ride smoothly through the gears,
The Scouts,
And their bikes.
Some reach their destination in good order,
And some are broken by the journey,
The Scouts,
And their bikes.

Sleeping in a tent.

A stretcher is definitely more comfortable than a mat.
Some stretchers are easier than others to assemble.
Soft ground is never soft enough for hip bones.
Touch the tent and you're wet.
Always carry sufficient pegs.
Be gentle with tent and sleeping bag zippers.
Tents with ceiling apparatus for hanging a light are preferable.
Good ventilation is imperative in hot sticky weather.
Avoid embarrassment,
Learn to erect your tent before camping with friends.
A hot water bottle can substitute for a missing partner.
Find level ground and clear it of debris,
Before erecting your tent.
Look out for ant's nests.
Dig a drain away from your tent if rain looks persistent.
Always dry your tent well before storing.

Small Blessings

I recline in my sick bed and,
Tap, tap these keys.
This poem writes itself on my laptop screen.
In the kitchen, my husband,
Is scrubbing a pot.
I hear the sound of scourer on metal.
He has already fed us,
Organised the children and retired them to their beds.
The fire has been lit,
By him.
The house, like my heart is warming.
This rest is easy,
I don't feel his efforts,
As any weight of obligation.
He takes such care of me.
These are the small blessings,
Enjoyed by someone who is loved.