Maggie Watson's Blog, page 13

The Wizard of Oz

(written February 2025)

I did not plan on visiting the Wizard of Oz, but
the storm lifted me clean off my feet.
A winding yellow brick road then led me to a
land of make-believe, where a man wearing a funny hat
sat upon a seat.
The man said he could make all my dreams come true.
I failed to recognise the stench of deceit on his breath.
Looking back now, I see lights flashing red.
Cloudy judgment often rules the decisions we make.
Harsh lessons we learn on the roads we travel, and
all threads eventually unravel.
The devil is always in the details.
Wizards often wear a mask of disguise, but if you look
close enough, you will find only nothingness behind their eyes.

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Lavender Love

(written January 2025)

Across the ocean
notes travel on love’s bouquet
scent of lavender

Eternal Love

written in response to Sadje’s #WDYS

We are caterpillars in the womb.
Swimming in the dark.
Our mother’s love gives us the light to bloom.
A bond so strong it forms wings on our back
as we emerge from the cocoon.
On the sustenance of her milk, we thrive until it is safe
for us to fly.
A mother’s love is eternal until her heart
ceases to beat, and then she becomes
the angel you never see.
Walking beside you every day until you meet again.

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Decay

(written February 2025)

not how am feeling , just observations of people I have known!you can go down the rabbit-hole ( I still do occasionally) We are only human, but it is not a place to stay.

When degradation finds a home, it rarely leaves.
You see, degradation loves misery.
On grief, heartache or loss, it feeds, making a banquet of
your past mistakes.
Layers of decay then form.
These are the foundations that keep degradation warm.
Once in place, lack of self-worth throws itself into the mix.
Concrete bricks are not easy to shift.
The years have now stripped your soul.
All that is left is an empty bowl.
No amount of sugar will provide the
sustenance you need.
When degradation nestles into the fibre of
your being, it never leaves, as sticky molasses
of sadness bleed into every pore, resignation of
your plight, you accept, until you die, buried
underneath years of regrets.

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Seeds

(written February 2025)

Poetry separates the wheat from the chaff.
If you are brave enough to plunge your hands into
the dirt.
I know it hurts.
Among those seeds, there may still be blood.
I know it is messy.
Nothing in life comes easy.
All that lies in the grains of words is not the
total of your worth nor the wreckage of a car crash.
It is the story of surviving when all you wanted
was to die.
Take those words out of the earth,
they don’t belong in the dark.
Show your strength and courage to the world.
These things separate the wheat
from the chaff if you allow your words air to breathe.

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Don’t Ask Silly Questions

written in response to Sadje’s #Whatdoyousee

I love you because love has no rhyme or reason.
Love is not dependent on seasons.
Love is an emotion that ignites a spark,
a flicker and flutter of feelings in the heart.
Butterflies then take flight as love
floats on the wings of care.
You see, love is more than empty air.
It lights up the entire sky.
Love is eternal.
It lingers long after we die.
So, never ask silly questions as to why.
Love is all that matters because hate is not the
answer, and two wrongs never make anything right.

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Review of my poem Ripples by Adam Fenner

Ripples – Reviewed

About Adam

I’m a Full-Time Husband, Father and Accountant (I am terrible with taxes, don’t ask), who moonlights as an author.

I work a bit too much, honestly at the edge of what I’m capable of managing with a family. I write in the quiet spaces where my brain isn’t split in the balance between debits and credits. Everything I post or write is done in the evenings after the kids are in bed, or mornings before everyone wakes up.

When I’m not working, or doing family things. I read or write. Podcasts fill the space where I can do neither. I try to be as curious as my children, which has driven me deep into literature. I’m not a classicist, but I enjoy the works and have built a bit of comfort with the works. Lots to learn though.

There has been more poetry coming lately, a bit of a water spigot I turned on and it has a nice flow. Going to let that run. I enjoy writing about fatherhood, ecology, and am working on a book of war poetry, if that is the right term.

I do have existing work on Amazon, OP #7 being the most recent, it is currently being optioned as a film. I’m currently writing the sequel, which sprawls outside the tightly confined space of the O.P. .

You won’t find me on Social Media, I don’t have the time. I just want to write.

You can visit Adam’s Blog here

https://adamfenner.wordpress.com/

Thank you so much Adam.

Your analysis of my poem was spot on!

Reviews of Pieces of Me

Thank you Tremaine Loadholt and Suzette Benjamin

Tremaine Loadholt is a a creative writer who explores all avenues and genres in the field of writing, and I am also unafraid to be vulnerable and authentic.

I have many published works across all genres. I have twenty years of experience as a writer, publishing my first book of poetry in June 2005.

I have since written and edited for a few online magazines and platforms. Recently, my term ended as a Contributing Editor for P. S. I Love You. I am the Editor-In-Chief/Owner of A Cornered Gurl via the Medium platform, where my personal profile has over 15K followers.

You can buy all of Tremaine’s works on lulu.com including her latest release Seduire.

You can follow Suzette’s beautiful blog here https://suzetteb.home.blog/

I would also like to thank Cindy Georgakas for her lovely review!

Each poem reaches to the heart of the matter and finds Maggie where she is in her life at the moment and this collection is no exception. It is heart wrenching at times and yet her honest accounts bring hope to her shattered world, that are represented on the front cover of her book. She shares the pain of being in an abusive relationship to domestic violence and how it tore her apart and how in the end she finds the strength to make a break and find freedom She is brave and courageous and doesn’t back down from these atrocities that have actually broken her in the past. You can sense the how cathartic it is for her to write by the emotions she expresses in her writing which truly endear you to her and her struggles. Through her trials and tribulations, you will find hope and courage to face whatever you are going through and most definitely if you are in an abusive relationship. Her message is clear and that is Never give up! Never stop dreaming and always stay true to yourself. This is an inspiring read and I can’t recommend it enough. Witnessing someone take their power back truly speaks volumes.

This Collection of Poetry is very important to me ( I know I keep repeating myself)

Domestic Abuse is an epidemic that ruins lives.

The statistics speak for themselves.

We cannot hope it will go away by pretending it does not exist, it does!

Thank you all for your wonderful support always!

Within Winter

(written February 2025)

A barren landscape, nature’s repose, relentless, it
keeps us captive with talons that pinch.
We cannot rescind.
We long to spring forward as bitter
winds halt our tracks.
Cold muscles contract in an attempt to
maintain heat until the sinew becomes frozen and cracks
Then, out of nowhere, a shoot appears
through the earth, clawing its way into the light.
As nature gives birth, we smile.
Even within the starkness of winter, there is hope.
That thought we must always hold.

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Ripples

written in response to Sadje’s #Whatdoyousee

On the banks of the canal, there are many tales to tell.
Every story has two sides.
We never know the suffering of others.
Many wounds are still too painful to touch.
Hidden behind a fake, cheerful smile.
In the waves, between darkness and light, small
ripples are there if you pay close attention.
Within the ripples is a story untold, waiting to burst into life.
An ocean of unshed tears.
Hoping that someone believes the
truth of words never spoken.
Still water runs deep, but the ripple effect
lasts longer than any pebble thrown if you
take the time to listen.

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