Moments of Magic

I search for moments of magic
You find in every day,
I hope that they will take away
The pain.

I watch the sun reflecting
On a table top,
Like fairies dancing in a circle,
Smile at the thought.

I search for moments of magic
To brighten up my day
I hope that they
Will last a while,
And take away the pain.

I hold tight to a mug,
The warmth refreshes souls.
A single second of perfect bliss,
Like softness
Of a kiss.

#helenswriting




(Against my better judgement,this is the original version of the poem. In a newer version, the words 'refreshes souls' are swapped for 'replaces cold'.
Personally, I prefer the second version, but general consensus says that the original is better. You decide)!

Jeremy Corbyn - Hope Matters!

I'm not expecting a 'Corbyn miracle'. I don't for one second think he's going to solve all our problems,and he's going to face all sorts of nastiness if he's elected.


What I think is, that he has brought a little bit more hope than we had. If elected,he will challenge things, and bring attention to the issues, that have previously been hidden or ignored.



We have to be realistic about what he can do, aswell as what he'll come up against.
There will be attempts from the more Blairite side of the party, to get him out. He is saying things they don't want said. He is 'old' Labour. That is, values,principles, equality, and fairness.


He's not taking the centre ground, and thus trying to please everyone. He knows it won't work. If it did,Labour would've won the election,wouldn't they?
He's doing and saying what Labour SHOULD have been saying all along, and because of that,he's reaching people.


He hasn't indulged in sniping or scheming or public slanging matches. I think he's aware that those things are what has turned people off politics.
People want honesty, straight talking, and someone who they can connect with.
Rich,elitist,out of touch politicians have alienated people. Maybe he'll go some way to changing that.


Even if it doesn't last, he has proved that people really do want an alternative, (which is contrary to what the Tories are saying), and that there is one.


I try to stay impartial, but I think (at least) it's a step in the right direction.


I've heard people say, 'But he's a politician! He'll probably turn out to be just like the rest'!
Call me naïve, but I don't think so, and anyway, if there's the slightest chance he can raise awareness of the anxiety, misery, hardship,lies, pain, and death, this government has inflicted on disabled and ill people, as well as low earners,poorer families, and others who need a bit of help, isn't he a chance worth taking?
‪

#‎helenswriting‬

The Last Day ( A Snapshot. -Fiction)

The last person to turn out the lights was a security guard.

After twenty five years protecting this building, its staff and patients, he had come to love the way the old staircases sounded when he stepped on them, knowing where to put his feet to make each floorboard creak.

He had taken note of every patient as they entered through the heavy front door and passed in the lobby. He’d seen the confusion and fear and confusion in their eyes, and heard every cry.

He waited for the day when they left, confident and well enough to return to life in the ‘real world’. They would shake hands and hug him to say ‘goodbye'. He would reply that he hoped not to see them again! With a smile and eagerness of step, they would leave through the heavy front door.

There were some that never left of course. Bob lost count of the poor souls he had had to cut down from a ceiling beam or light fitting – and the bodies he had escorted down in the rickety old lift to take up their space in the mortuary.

Bob recognised all of them, and each death left a pain somewhere in his heart. Over time he felt he knew which people would end their days at Blackheath.

They had a more quiet confusion and when he looked into those eyes and took hold of those hands, he saw a more profound sense of loss – like something inside them had given up.

Sometimes Bob got it wrong, and he was pleased to help carry the belongings of a ‘recovered’ person to a waiting taxi, or watch as they were embraced by a grateful loved one. Nothing made him happier than when he got it wrong. He always hoped he would.

The best part of Bob’s job was the people - from the patients to the cleaning staff, doctors and nurses with whom he had shared many an hour of banter.

Those people had become his friends, and the beautiful building was much more than just a workplace now. It was a second home.

He knew every inch of it, from which door had the trickiest lock to which piece of the old pipe work had last sprung a leak!

Nobody ever really stuck to their given jobs. Where it was possible, they all just sort of mucked in. They were more than friends, they were a family, and as he ran his hands over the wooden panelling of the last door he locked, Bob had tears in his eyes.

#helenswriting

Image: Pinterest

The Little Poems - and Other Things!

For some time now I've been writing some 'mini poems', and with the help some friends, putting them on an image.

Granted, some of them are older ones that I wanted to give a fresh lease of life, but there are a few new ones too.

Poems or writing with an image, (a meme, I guess), are much easier to share on social networks and they get a message across quicker than a blog post, (which is frustrating when you spend ages writing a piece, and an image is the thing that gets 'shared' most) but that's the way it is now.

The memes I share here will vary from campaign related ones, -(the 'I Am Helen' photo for example, which you can also find elsewhere on this blog), to poems, and others that my friends have done for me, based on a tweet.

I will also include a link to my 'Hell's Tells' (#helenswriting) 'Pinterest' board. I will do my best to keep this page updated with anything more 'little things' as they happen!

If you know me at all, you will know that this post, (this blog, actually) isn't about ego, it's about raising awareness of disability as well as allowing me to focus on the things I can do, rather than all the things I can't.

Lately I've been feeling frustrated about the way things work within campaigning and I've been been feeling quite low in myself, as well, so I thought this would be something different to do. Hope you like it as much as I have enjoyed putting it together, - and thanks to everyone who has helped me with the images, because I'm clueless with those!

'I Am Helen' - based on a tweet.

A meme of my poem 'I Am Freedom'...

The first of my 'little poems' - 'What Matters'

Another mini poem: (Standing up for myself) - 'I am Not a Puppet!'

Here's another meme a friend did for me, based on a tweet. A nice surprise!

A meme of my 'The Rose' poem. (I think this is actually the first one done)


I wish I was better with techy stuff, and then I'd be able to do a few myself, for fun!

I know there are a few missing! I'll add them when I can find them again!

Lastly as promised, here is a link to the 'Hell's Tells' 'Pinterest' page, (which isn't as up to date as I'd like it to be) - I get so tired, but Pinterest is fun, and I think I'm getting a bit addicted! It's a bit like any other social network, - you log on for ten minutes, and you're there for the next ten years! (In my case, pain and health allowing, of course)! Anyway, here it is:



https://uk.pinterest.com/helensims125/hells-tells/



Before I go, here's a little poem that hasn't been put up as a meme yet, if it ever will be. I thought I'd share it early:


'I live in shadows
You only see me,
As light shines,randomly.
In darkness deep
A dreamless sleep
So you decide,what's real'?




Thank you for reading, and for being so good to me.

Lots of love,

Helen.

#helenswriting

Stealing From Others -(A Very Mini Blog)!

I've just been told (once again), that because I have a disability and can't work, I'm 'stealing from others'! It's not the first time I have been labelled a 'scrounger' or something of that ilk. It won't be the last.


This is the type of abuse we have to deal with nowadays, and it really hurts. Haven't I been through enough?

Can I just point out, that disabled and ill people pay to live in society just like everyone else!


We are not getting 'something for nothing!'

Could I also just point out, that I didn't choose my disability,(Cerebral Palsy),my pain, or limitations. I would change it in a heartbeat if I could!


Lastly I spend my life, helping others, and dealing with this crap from people that don't know me, but judge me anyway!

I'd much rather have a 'normal' nine to five job, where I don't get abuse, and people actually value and respect the job I do!

This is SHIT, and anyone who thinks we would put up with being treated like scum, (if we had any other choice), is deluded!


Please, wake up people, because we don't deserve this!

Can't Cook, Won't Cook!

Somebody made the mistake of asking me my thoughts on cooking. My response was this,


'Well, I guess we all have to eat'!


The poor unsuspecting person, then listened patiently while I 'went off on one' or to put it more politely...ahem, 'outlined the issues I'm about to cover in this blog'!


My husband has always said that he would be much happier, if we could get the nutrients we need to live, from just taking a pill. He doesn't see food, the cooking or ingestion of it, as a pleasurable experience. He eats to get the right nutrients, to be healthy, but this isn't about him, it's about me.


I find cooking difficult, complicated by the fact that (being disabled) I always need to use one hand to balance myself, and I can't stand up for long without pain, so cooking is something I will hand over to someone else, willingly!

My few attempts, have either resulted in injury, pain, or late night trips to the chip shop! If I'm really unlucky, I get all three on the same night!


People often don't think about how difficult an everyday task (such as cooking) can be for a disabled person. They tend to take their ability to manage for granted.


For a disabled person the smallest of tasks takes more planning, time, and energy. Energy which many of us don't have, in the first place!


Speaking for myself, even if it were possible for me to stand without pain, and use both hands, I would still have trouble lifting heavy saucepans for example, or bending down to take hot food from the oven.

Due to the slight tremor in my hands, (due to Cerebral Palsy), I don't feel very safe, and whilst I might be able to prepare vegetables, (sitting down) the tremor is a problem after a while, as is the pain from tension in my wrists.

As I said, I may be able to manage as a one off but to do it regularly would be too much for me. As a quick side note, this is why we need being able to do things in a 'safely, reliable, and timely' manner, to stay in the criteria for disability benefits. (You never know these days whether could be removed again)! You see, it might be OK to do it once, but that doesn't mean I could do it, whenever I needed to eat!


In writing this piece, I began to think about whether I would actually like to cook, if I could manage it without the hassle and pain? Eventually I came to the conclusion,that I wouldn't!


You spend ages doing preparation, following recipes (if you are so inclined), and then you have to loiter to make sure that it doesn't burn. After all that time and stress, it is gulped down in five minutes flat, and you're left with plates to clean.


I wouldn't mind so much, if it was just a one off, but no, you have to do it all again the next day, and every day after that!


You might have gathered from this that domesticity is not my strong point! I tend to think, a long with many others, that I have better things to do with my time, but having said that, I also think it's quite sad that the cooking a meal from scratch is being lost due to microwaves, and 'quick' foods.


Lifestyles are different now though, few people have the time to make things from scratch, and with the cost of food (and living in general) having risen, while wages are stagnant (and vital benefits cut), few people have the money to eat what my Gran would've called 'proper food', anyway, so it's no wonder things are different.


Mum is not a fan of cooking either. I'm like her in that I am impatient with such things, so when I lived at home I wasn't really taught, - although one of my earliest memories is sitting on the kitchen worktop, 'helping' mum make gingerbread men, and being allowed to lick the spoons, afterwards. That's a point, maybe if it were possible to live entirely on cake mix, I'd be more interested, although that's doubtful!


I was beginning to think that my husband might have the right idea, - let's all just pop a pill and have done with it, but that would mean no more chocolate cake, and strangely enough, I've changed my mind!




‪#‎helenswriting

NB: Apologies for the lack of paragraphing. For some reason, I am unable to do it!

Helen's Britain - A List Post!

Helen's Britain:

1. Abolish the monarchy. It is unnecessary, elitist, outdated, and the palaces could be sold off -generating income.

2. Restore NHS to precisely that -funded at least partially by higher taxes for the rich, -including mansion tax.

3. Close tax loopholes, which would then clear the 'deficit'. (Bankers should pay back bonuses, or face jail time).

4. Separation of church and state -plus an end to religious schools, thus at least partially stopping indoctrination of children.

5. People with right wing ideology should attend classes in the hope that they would learn a more balanced view.

6. Kids should be taught how to manage money, disability awareness, and political history, plus they should be encouraged in at least one creative subject\hobby.

7. An end to career politicians, plus fully elected House of Lords.

(All politicians should have had a real job -(which could include voluntary work), for at least five years. Plus, Minister for disabled people, should BE a disabled person)!

8. Each council would be largely in charge of budget, but with a list of things that must be protected. Also grants available for community projects such as a garden.

9. Proper living wage, funded by higher taxes for those that can afford it.

10. Protected social security, and an end to any related rhetoric or stigma.

Hopefully, over time, it would all balance out. I can dream, can't I?!

 #helenswriting