Small Hands by Keaton Henson

Miss you terribly already
Miss the space between your eyelids,
Where I’d stare through awkward sentences
And void through awkward silence

Miss your teeth when they chatter,
When we smoked out in my garden
When we couldn’t sleep for all the heat,
Soft talk began to harden

Miss your small hands in the palm of mine,
The fact they’re good at making
Miss you sitting up incessantly,
And the fact you’re always waking in the night
And night

And I,
I hope for your life
You forget about mine
Forget about mine

Miss your teeth dug in my shoulder,
As we rolled in early morning,
Miss your arm dying beneath me,
As I lay there, simply yawning

Please forget me, you were right dear
I am cold and self-involved
And though I’ll miss you, recent lover
I am weak and therefore fold

Get distracted by my music,
Think of nothing else but art
I’ll write my loneliness in poems,
If I can just think how to start

Dot my I’s with eyebrow pencils,
Close my eyelids, hide my eyes,
I’ll be idle in my ideals,
Think of nothing else but I
I
And I

And I
I hope for your life
You can forget about mine
Just forget about mine

Oh, mine
Mine

DON’T LOOK AWAY

The #1 song the day I was born was Chicago’s Look Away. I’ve never heard this song before and it’s about heartbreak so, no it does not relate to my personality. Or if ‘looking away’ has got something to do with pride then maybe it does? Anyways, I was born on my country’s independence day. That’s enough to make me feel special :D. I’m easy like that. That said I wish I could sit down (or cradle?) ‘just-born’ me and tell her how things are going to play out. You know prepare that little kid for what’s coming coz a lot’s coming! So. .

Dear 1988 me,

Pretty pretty please don’t you ever ever feel like you’re less than, less than perfect! You’ll be called names, put down, understimated, used and abused, abandoned, misunderstood and let down. Don’t let it get to you. Don’t hide who you are. Don’t apologize for being you. You are unique and valuable. There’s literally no one else like you in this whole planet! A lot of things will happen in your life that you won’t understand but it will all come together when the time is right. Laugh at your failures, don’t dwell on them. They’ll teach what no one else can. Grow and thrive from them. Don’t be afraid to love, to be vulnerable, to question. You’ll be surprised at the beautiful people you’ll meet along the way. Some will hurt you. Deeply. But this world is chock full of hurting people so don’t ever throw hurt back at someone. ‘Compassion cures more sin than condemnation’, remember that. The truth is, you will hurt people too, even when you have the best of intentions. Don’t let the pain you’ll experience rule your life because you’ll forget to see the ones who care for you and love you, just as you are! All complicated, difficult and extremely flawed. Most of all The Maker loves you! So Live Like You’re Loved!

Sincerely,

2015 me.

Your Number One