Soup

As the temperature changes and jumpers are sought

We get to discover the sale stuff we bought

 Last winter from Next where we queued like grey dominoes

To purchase more clothes, where straight under the bed they go.

And finding soft clothes fitting dark cooler days ,

Is akin to the lure of the slow cooker haze.

 And the scent of the fireplace of wood burning smoke ,

Follows fresh pairs of socks when your feet have got soaked

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In Autumn the promise of capturing friends,

 To nurture hot drinks and then start one again .

  Some bodies do well in the rain and the cold,

 Preferring to ski and go swimming -so bold

,

On the beach, are the wild ones, I watch and admire

Whilst swathed in a blanket inside my armchair

For some, it’s a seasonal obstacle course to get through

When everyday life leaves your hands white and blue .

Because your immunity loses all reason

And messes your energy most of the season.

This isn’t a tale about how to get fixed

 If this is reality, you’re expert in this .

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This is a hug for all those who dream

And whilst loving Autumn; still silently scream

 A hug for the days where the damp makes you weep

From moving the route you could do in your sleep.

In Summer your joints hurt but pain you just bear

When sun on the skin in the flip-flops you wear

And breezes that brush you like kisses from fairies

Don’t punch like six boxers in pub crawls gone lary.

On wet days as two eyes gaze at leads by the door

And despite doggie patience, can’t cross one more paw

You battle the elements for today’s mini drama

Ignoring the pain in invisible armour.

Attempting the route which is suddenly hard

And crying a little while hips feel like shards

Of glass and things spiky : and push their  way in

And you must just make it to put out the bin.

And friends say how are you? And what do you say?

You’re fine on the outside, you say I’m ok

But all that has happened with wind, chill or rain

Has stolen your energy ,swapped it for pain.

Immunity plummeting, temperature cool,

You’re a blood boiling, bone aching ,gland swelling fool

 Fit for your duvet and slippers and tea

Not out in the world where the others can see.

 Except life can’t give us a six month reprieve

 From autumn and winter and all that she breathes

We battle on each of us: through knowing eyes

 Determined to catch at least one bright sunrise .

We all know someone who can relate

To managing what life has plopped on their plate

But sometimes a gentle reminder or two

Shows us just how to walk in their old winter shoes.

Is not such a bad thing For those you hold dear

Who bounce round in summer, but have now disappeared

 Know that seasonal changes, the glory of Fall

Can come with a minefield, not welcomed  by all .

Like dormice, exhausted, curled in Autumn dens

 sometimes we exist to let friends down again

There’s is no timetable, days plunge into gloom

 And Covid was quite normal, spending months in your room.

 If you know someone precious, and you care they stay yours

Their needs will be be different behind their front door

They might need more sleep at wierd times of the day

Or struggle to move in their usual way.

Or feel guilty because they can’t be that friend yesterday

Who left you with this face, gone lifeless and grey

Social media will not show the fog Winter brings

The lonely months of time, before warmth of Spring.

 Be kind, patient, knowing, we aren’t all made the same

For we all wish we could leap puddles in the same rain

Tomorrow will be better after rest, Netflix and soup

And soon we will feel human and be back in the loop.

A thousand thanks for all the eyes that make my path more clear

 For dancing leaves and Autumn light which decorates my year

Our bodies aren’t so easy to decipher from outside

They don’t have labels telling us the things we often hide.

 This season as the lights go down and you chop up for soup

 Extend a hand for quiet ones and keep them in the loop

 For as you’ll know they may not ask for extra love they need

So lay a spoon , a bowl and crust and give their soul a feed.

From our hearth to yours, Liz at the Beach Hut xxxxxxx