for Jack Leo Amelia Eva Molly and Charlie
Climb a tree
see your pain from a distance.
Lie on the ground
watch the weather morph in slow mo
for today’s clouds
are not tomorrow’s.
Dig a hole
not to trap yourself
but because it feels good.
Dig deep in wet sand at low tide
dig to plant a small tree
for the future.
Take a shower
let the warm water sing
to you, massage your shoulders
and soften your frustration.
Prepare a meal
heal what’s fresh and raw
with spices from a world of colour.
Eat with pleasure, taste each bite.
Love your skin
wear it with pride.
It is a memoir
for scars bear witness
to what life is
and what life does.
Walk somewhere
wearing your mind inside out.
Read the sky
read the season in the gardens
that you pass
for seasons too will pass.
Then walk back home
for home means family,
family where hurt sometimes starts
and where it often ends.