I thought I’d write a poem today 
For a change, a cheerful one 
It seems like my prolific poetry 
Is making me the Queen of Glum

It’s not that I don’t see the beauty  
The hope and joy that abound 
In big and small spaces 
In young and old faces 
Oh i see it all around!

But I also see life’s glimmer 
Fade away, get slowly dimmer 
In close and distant places 
In fresh and weathered faces 
And my own feelings grow grimmer 

The angst nudges the bard in me 
Unlike any rush of triumph or glee
The words spill out agonised, enraged
In wounded quatrains upon the page 
(And I have to say!)
I feel lighter for the venting spree 

So I thought I’d write a poem to tell 
Whether in fact I am capable 
Of verse that won’t assault your tear ducts 
Or indeed get your adrenaline up 
(What can I say!)
These are the quirks of waxing lyrical