As I said we are all woven into stories Stories are woven around us —through us We are made of stories GAGATATACATATGGCTAGCAAAGGAGAAGAAC… It’s easier to say: ‘Once upon a time.’ Than read out loud encoded double helix stories Of who we are and where we came from A roadmap to the past
To the ones who brought pain Your are of my blood I am of your blood I carry your story But I live my own I am not responsible for your decisions I am responsible for mine I won’t carry your guilt, shame and anger I carry my own light
To the ones who loved unconditionally Your blood sings in my veins I stand in your strength Your light amplifies mine I carry your compassion Your magic is my wonder I feel your love still Your joy carries me through rough seas Even though I never knew you You are part of me I am part of you
I hickle-dee-pickled my way through the day Bumping my toes exclaiming: ‘Au weh!’ Loosing my coffee somewhere in the house Making a new one to douse my fresh blouse I rush to a meeting on–Zoom have you guessed? Before I continue my lost coffee quest I remember a deadline and curse beep beep bip Before hyperfocus has me in its very tight grip After hours in a high productivity zone My stomach develops a life on her own And shouts very loudly: ‘You’ve forgotten to eat.’ And drags the rest of my body up on her feet On my new quest for munchies to stop hunger’s stitch Guess what? I found my coffee cup on top of the fridge My phone alarm shouts at me out of the blue What did I set this for? I haven’t a clue! Nothing to be done to remember that now A lunchtime walk will make things better I vow Just my luck today seems a bit bad I now look like a duly drowned rat I sit in my next meeting hair still dripping The conversations are also less than ripping That could have been an email I silently wail Which I would forget to answer without much fail At least working from home makes a lot of things better I don’t have to pretend that noises don’t matter The office clocks ticking, pens clicking In general all the people’s noise emitting An email pings, my emotions cow ‘Oh no, what have I done wrong now?’ Or forgotten, lost, broken, maybe misplaced Oh check this out! Someone is sending me praise! I cry for a little Yes, I can be that brittle Taking a sip from the cup I hold Yerch that coffee is now really cold
Quietly, clandestinely Year tiptoed to its end It’s trying to sneak out after all the bad reviews It really tried hard, the best it could If it were honest it knew it wasn’t it’s fault The cards were stacked against it and all that It wished people would be a bit more understanding It’s not as if it could control what they do But hey it gets blamed anyway And Hogmanay: seriously just a kick in the backside after all of this At least it can grab a glass of champagne on the way out the door It’s not looking forward to join the annals At least it won’t stand out too much with 2020 next to it It looks over its shoulder Nobody notices it sneaking out early What’s a couple of days anyway? Hangers on Everyone has insisted on closure already Silently Year closes the door The annals can wait a little
It’s Christmas time the lights do shine On houses in our street I am bundled up in search for rhyme Because street, fleet, sheet, or sleat
As I walk along to Christmas song In German song is Lied I wonder about the people Who live along our streets
The old man in his red car Who really needs more luck And drives around the corners As if he is in a truck
The people with a pack of dogs Who always look so happy The dogs are very tiny though And luckily not yappy
Street, feet, eat, heat, sleet The latter pelts my face architecture on repeat This street is an odd little place
What about the mathematician? Deteriorating my rhymes condition! Who calculates our lights’ algorithm Impossible they are an anachronism
My rhymes begin to fall apart Although I am not yet loosing heart I tuck my scarf tight round my face And keep exploring our little place My steps begin to crunch on snow But only if I walk just like so
There is the curious neighbour Who makes the curtains twitch And the really mean crusader Who makes my witch’s thumb itch
There are a lot of little monsters Once a year to be seen But only if we respond To knocks on Halloween
There is my garden hobby friend Who lives around the corner And gave me a pretty chilli plant Which has a place of honour
The old man with the same name Gives the most beautiful Christmas cards I love to look at on my way hame They are light, blessings, and heart
I’am running out of rhyme now If not out of street Have a very merry Christmas And do leastwise one good deed
I am stomping through snow Shouting ‘Ho Ho Ho Ho’ While in my thick mittens I hold two fluff kittens
Where they came from? Don’t know! Appeared like will-o’-the-wisps in the snow. I think they are fae cat or wild cat or something entirely else, But they are cuddly fluff kittens and my heart simply melts. And they look at me eyes big, mischievous and scared; So I am taking them home crackling fire in hearth. Then I warm up some milk and dip in some bread; And after, I tug them all cosy in bed.
Before the sun-up I hear a loud crack, And some rumble, and tumble and maybe a smack. And I jump out of bed worried sick for the kittens. They were so small they fit both in my mittens. Suddenly, though I hear a loud roar, And a smash and a bang and a rattling door.
I rush out to see what is happening now. Two humongous fluff kittens make an intruder cow. My nerves are not sure what is taking more toll, The humongous fluff kittens or the intruder troll! Oh my jolly good golly what am I to do? I don’t have a phone to call and ask you.
So, I do what I do when I am well scared. I shout out loud to make sure I am heard.
“Ho Ho Ho Ho who was a bad troll And broke my door making this huge hole?” The kittens where hissing and fitting with wrath, Almost as if I would have them take a big bath.
The troll was embarrassed and sillily coy. He said he didn’t mean to destroy; Just knock at the door and politely ask For some hot water for his thermos flask.
But the kittens where hissing and growing in scale. They did not believe the clumsy troll tale. I am still scared of the troll and their size is appealing; Even, if by now, they’re about to hit my ceiling. ‘Thou shall not lie!’ one of the kittens scorned. ‘I have seen you approach being fully armed.’
‘Ach this club’, the troll says his helmet askew. ‘It’s just my work tool, it’s what trolls do. I live down the road under the bridge, And if someone wants to cross I jump out of the ditch, And holler: who goes and thou shall not cross Or in the icy cold water I’ll toss!’
‘So you live off, of scaring poor folk on the bridge?’ ‘But come to our home for water? That’s rich!’ The other fluff kitten was not well impressed, Still suspecting the troll had planned a mean theft.
‘What am I to do?’ the troll pleads his woes. ‘This is really just how the troll story goes. And the ditch is ice cold; the water freezing indeed. I had hoped a nice tea would provide me some heat.’
‘Ho Ho Ho Ho’ I interrupt still very scared. But also heating water on the warm cosy hearth. ‘Let’s all take a breath or two or three And have a talk and some nice hot chamomile tea.’
My fluff cuddly kittens are not yet consoled, But they shrink a bit down; their sizes controlled. The troll takes off helmet and leaves club at the wall, And sits at the table all grubby and tall.
The fluff cuddly kittens are eying him up: ‘You really ought to change how you do earn your grub.’ They chide him again and just for good measure. Trying to ramp up what is called the peer pressure.
The troll hangs his head salty tears begin rolling. ‘What am I to do? All I know is do trolling!’
‘Hm.’ Kitten one says drumming her nails. ‘Uh hum.’ Kitten two says twitching his tails.
Yes he has two tails I had failed to notice. Yesterday night I had other things for focus. ‘So what are you good with?’ I try to ask kindly.
‘Shouting, and clubbing.’ The troll says resignedly. And with a big sigh more tears begin rolling. ‘I am so so so tiredly tired of trolling.’
‘Shouting could be a good thing.’ one kitten ventures ‘The king always needs heralds for his adventures!’ Kitten two interjects full of excitement ‘You could walk ahead shouting: hear hear the king and his compagnment!’
‘I love the sound of adventure!’ the troll sounds optimistic. ‘But you need to learn not to be meanly simplistic.’ ‘I am no simpleton.’ the troll says upset. ‘It’s just, you know, the only story I have in my head!’
‘So we will help you to learn many more tales; Of happiness, luck, sadness and fails.’ I interject quickly and fairly loud the kitten induced troll chewing out.
Fluff cuddly kitten one hisses proudly, And fluff cuddly kitten two joins her loudly. Then they look at each other very deep in the eye, And turn to the troll nodding saying: ‘All right.’ ‘We are cathsidh the fae kitten kind And stories are plenty on our mind! We will teach you kindness and pride; Even how to be kind to your own grubby grub hide.’
Then they turn to me looking somewhat abash. ‘We are sorry Santa, we should have asked.’ ‘May we stay with you in your warm cosy abode? And help you teach this silly dear oaf?’ ‘Ho Ho Ho Ho’ I laugh in my beard ‘That’s a fun story, going to be heard.’
I drew a silly doodle poodle on a silly snootle day, where the chocolate is hot and the skys are grubby grey. Where I am resting in bed feeling rotten throughout, can barely move but will gladly shout out loud: „Hey, look at my silly doodle poodle on a silly snootle day, where the chocolate is hot and the skys are grubby grey.“ Before collapsing back into a sorry heap, and sniffle and snotter while I very loudly weep.
Dressed in gaudy garments That cost the world A dandelion squashed By heels that could feed the thousand I scream in silence As my sisters bleed in pain Betrayed by man made deals Signed by small hands and greedy fingers
The merry go round spins faster evermore Permanent growth will starve us We signed the death warrant And follow the piper out of town In a private jet Proudly throwing our water bottle into the recycling bin on the way out
Storyfae 