bananas

Why are those bananas bruised? I bought them two hours ago,

New and unused, they were green. Perfect bananas if ever I’ve

Seen them and now, they curve against the inner edge of the

Glass fruit bowl that cradles them. Pulling away from the man-

Made light that is glaring down at them, growing bruises. There

Is something that looks like a graze, that I spot through the haze

Of my living room lighting. Did they fall? Out of the bag and

Onto the floor. No. I feel fairly sure they didn’t. Should I eat

Them, or leave the bruises to linger? I question, pressing one

Down with my finger and taking a sick pleasure in seeing the

Bright yellow turn dull brown at my touch. I’ll just let them spoil.

an abandoned shell

The abandoned shell that lingers in the centre of the pavement;
The snail has bravely upped and left and that shell, bereft, feels
The void. It lies in wait. It will anticipate the arrival of its old
Inhabitant because, there’s no place like home. With the over-
Bearing weight of a clumsy size nine, the shell is destroyed.

bending over backwards

A disfigured spine. Rather than a shape it is a something like,
When a young boy collides into a brick wall with his bike
And the tyres won’t sit straight, and it becomes impossible
To negotiate a straight line. The visual qualities of a tree-root,
Underfoot, that after years of accommodating Mother Earth,
Can no longer lie flat. A broken shelf with only one bracket
Intact.  Did you hear that crack? Echoing up from the centre
Vertebras of my back. I suspect that’s my old body, taking a
Stand, attempting to gain the upper hand and punish me,
For bending over backwards once too often.

i cried in the rain

It’s been a long time, a good while, since I cried in the rain;
Somewhere in my cheeks the excrement of my eyes and
The excrement of the clouds meet and, I forget which is
Natural, and which is manmade. Down my cheeks they fall,
They cascade. It’s been a long time since I cried in the rain.

words that are spoken

I think you underestimate the power of written and spoken word,
That, once ejaculated into the air, can never be unheard.
You think you can unsay them, you think I can unhear,
But I'm afraid it's a little too late, the damage is done, my dear.
That's the problem when you get angry, and you start to criticise,
All the off-hand criticisms that you make have a way of crawling inside.

I think you underestimate the power of the words you write,
That have etched themselves into my eyes so I see them all day, all night.
I think you underestimate the power of the words you make me hear,
That have seeped in through my eardrums and imprinted on my hemisphere.
That's the problem when you get angry, and tell me what I've done wrong,
Because sometimes I can take your criticisms, but sometimes, I'm not that strong.

Miguel, sincerely, JC x

It isn’t always about taking it on the chin. Sometimes, it’s about
Being brave enough to let the bad stuff in, so you can kick its arse
Back out. It isn’t always about talking through your issues, with
A bar of chocolate and a box of tissues, it’s about finding a voice
In you that’s loud enough to shout. It isn’t always about hanging
Tough, it’s about being confident enough to admit that things
Are a little too much. And it isn’t always about worrying what
You should do, it’s about knowing what the best thing is for you.
It isn’t always about taking it on the chin. But sometimes, it is.
Sometimes it’s about smiling through it, and making sure it doesn’t win.

i'll be

When you fall asleep, I’ll be your pillow; I’ll cradle your head
In bed and provide the perfect base for the dreams I want
You to have every night. When you’re lost, wandering
Through the dark, I’ll be your light; I’ll make sure you never
Lose your way again. When you’re troubled, and you need
Someone to shout at, I’ll be a friend, because after all, that’s
What all good lovers are. When you’re lonely and it feels like
I’m not there, I’ll text, and remind you I’m still loving you
From afar. When it rains, I’ll reach out and be your umbrella;
And I’ll be your SPF 15, for the less rainy weather. And when
The good dreams pass, replaced by something bad that will
Wake you in the middle of the night, I’ll be there to hold
You and remind you that everything will be alright.