Scribbled Thoughts

23:86

I am invisible to you

so I can watch and see

far more than anyone else.

No one notices me,

so I notice all.

You don’t talk

and people assume you have

nothing to say,

but that’s not true.

The twitching of your fingers

and the polite smiles

you respond with

speak your opinions

that you’re too afraid to voice.

I am dead and cannot speak for you,

will you ever speak for yourself?

Prompt: Ghostwriter (imagine an invisible ghost picks up a pen and starts writing to you).

23:85

Goodnight.

Let the vast space left beside you

fill with lingering regrets,

doubts that no one is there

to whisper away.

Reach for something to

grasp onto,

but let go, fearing

you’ll cling too tight

and not release

when your real

desire returns.

If it returns.

Prompt: Last words (use the last sentence from the nearest book as inspiration for the first line of your poem)

23:84

Forspoken or forsaken.

Prophesied or catastrophised.

Predicted or presumptuous.

Which one are you?

Which one am I?

23:83

Earliest memories carry

the scent of smoke,

but I never remember seeing

a cigarette between her lips.

The smell soon disappeared

from childhood recall

and the aroma of cake-baking

took over,

followed by the fond schedule

of weekly visits,

to cross-stitch, to knit,

to read, to talk.

Back before tensions

began to emerge,

back before I became

my own person,

and not a shadow

of what you wanted.

Prompt: Nan’s kitchen

An organised structure, calm but busy.

Dread for most, beginning a long journey.

A strange no man’s land that we struggle through.

A sense of footing established at last.

Motivated to accomplish something of worth.

Wanting a little fun to brighten your hard work.

Trying to balance a day of chores and relaxation.

Stretch and strain

until pain halts your efforts,

builds your frustration and helplessness.

Out of reach

but within sight

it taunts your acceptance

and tickles your dreams

leaving a disturbed shiver

you can’t ignore

but can’t enjoy.

Forever present,

forever untouchable.

Prompt: the untouchable

Rearranged rota to suit their needs

but when you try

to gain your rightful time back

all eyes accuse of laziness,

taking advantage,

not worthy of that reward.

A dismissive comment

confirming you weren’t needed

for the one skill you have

that no one else does.

They’d rather take a chance

and send it anyway

than bother asking

for your help.

Is this the beginning

of not being wanted?

Betrayed by one

nestled on your arm

for so long,

whispering doubts and suggestions

that influenced everything

you believed.

Everything you wanted to be.

Is it wrong to still want it?

Or must you change all you know

because it proved false.