New year new poem.

Seeing as today is the last day of Christmas, I thought I’d share a poem I wrote in the lead up to Christmas. Each line was inspired by a one word prompt from psychological author, Maria Frankland. Over the 12 days leading up to Christmas, the writing prompts were things like hope, faith, love, peace, joy and friendship, charity, giving and receiving, forgiveness, time and patience. I found the individual themes quite a challenge to write a scene, story or compose a phrase so decided to compile it all into one big poem. Hope is a light found in the darkest of times. Faith is the belief that hope is there. Love is the warmth when someone remembers you exist, whether its a kind word of encouragement, time of conversation . Joy is the excitement when inspiration is found. Peace is knowing you are on the right path. Friendship is a bond, strong and tight. Like a delicate flower, it needs care, attention and nurture. Charity is not always a monetary gift to a cause, it can be time, understanding, ideas. To give freely, with no expectations of anything in return, is to be truly selfless. To receive the gift of someone's time, whether its a text or being included in a night in, or invited to a zoom shows you are cared for and loved. Time is a fragile thing. It can drag, or be gone in a flash, like a rivers flow, it can only go in one direction. Forward. People are always moving, constantly ticking off the to do list. Often what, who matters gets forgotten. Stop. Take a minute. Meditate. See what you've achieved. Smile. Relax. When your time is limited, often patience is too. Forgiveness can be difficult, whether its admitting your behaviour was hurtful or understanding another's reason, forgiving can heal, but walking away can mean a fresh start. Wherever your path leads, make your decisions count. Be kind and make that leap.