Author's Note

It seems to me that, in this day and age, the world is pre-occupied with.... actually, the world is just pre-occupied. Everyone has so much on their minds, so much to think about, so much to do, so many people to please.

STOP!

Close your eyes, and take a deep breath. Now let it out and open your eyes.

Can you see it? All the beauty in the world that you're in danger of forgetting? Can you see the way your husband twitches his nose when he's day dreaming, or the way your wife's eyes dance when she's happy? Do you see the earnest expression on your child's face when he talks to you about the monsters and dragons, or the way your mother insists with childlike stubborness that she knows best, even though you're 35!

There is beauty in all these things.

Remeber the things that you loved to love - they never really leave you. They just linger at the back of your heart waiting for your fear to subside so that they can emerge once more and kindle your soul.

Do not be afraid to feel.

Remember the taste of ice-cream, the smell of pine forests, the feel of warm wind in your hair. When things get too much, just relax, and remember the sound of children laughing, and how beautiful the sun looks when it shimmers on the waves of the sea.

Close you eyes and take a deep breath, filling your lungs with these images of joy. Now let it out, and let the joy ride on your breath - release it, share it, watch it float away, and remember that it can never disappear for its emotion is forged in your heart.

Now open your eyes. Can you see it?  That's it! That's POETRY!

Dianna Hardy, 14th October, 2006