With your tiny fingers and toes
Nails so sharp to rake new lines
In your young cheeks
With the fresh sensation
Of shock and awe
We welcome you to this place
Unknowing how to tell you
But with soft touches
Gentle words and careful
Rubs to soothe your stomach
As it navigates for the first time
Those aspects of life
That are harder to swallow
If we are not perfect
Trust us when we swear
We will try ever harder
To understand and be present
For and in all things
That matter to you
Please know that
You are wanted, and needed
And best of all,
You are loved
Shock
Dish of the day
Piping hot, served on a big, silver platter
With pristine white linen in case it should splatter
Serving suggestion: try holding your nose
(It can be quite fragrant when fresh off the stove)
A gentle reminder – you may burn your tongue
On sauce with such condiments, thickened and mum
Though some find it bitter, you might like the taste
So try not to let what you’ve bought go to waste
It’s strange and exotic, the critics all say
But you ordered The Truth – it’s our dish of the day.
Going Blonde
Five smooth hairs
Sit smugly on my brow
Staking their claim on my sanity
Tweezers forgotten on the carpet
The agony of plucking
Fingers shaking
Each unwelcome visitor
In the harsh grey light of dawn
Making the simplest remedy
The most painful
That one hair, evicted
Clings to my clothing like a child
Sobbing at abandonment
Unwilling and ashen
In stark contrast to my usual
Sombre-toned jumper
And wild auburn curls
I feel my age settle like a mask
Sewn to my temples
With threads of silver
Katherine Shirley 