casagrande's Rain Of Poetry

The poetry bombing on the South Bank this evening was beautiful and chaotic. As the poems fell from the helicopter, they looked at first like butterflies, then a murmuration of starlings, and finally like glittering, dancing helicopter seeds. Once they landed I felt a slight pang of disappointment as they became just paper again. Their fleeting magic lost until you read the poetry printed on them.

I found whole flocks of them on my way to get the bus home. I picked them up, read them and then tried to give them away to the people I passed as I walked along. A few of them stopped and asked what it was all about and seemed enchanted by the idea of  poems that had fallen from the sky. They walked away smiling, clutching their "sky poem"

Most people, however, were uninterested and unmoved. They looked at me as if I were mad and it was catching. I found that incredibly sad. (Mind you, I had a huge happy grin on my face and may have looked a little bright eyed and feverish. Also, it probably didn't help that I kept referring to them as "sky poems")

So now I have many tens of beautiful poems to give away. Maybe tomorrow I can raise some smiles, with their help.

Today I am happy

Today I wore a red polka dot dress, because I was feeling a bit low and red dotty things make me happy.

Today I sat in a meeting and didn't sweat, cry, feel claustrophobic or even notice that I wasn't feeling any of things.

Today a colleague told me how different I am now than I was a year ago. And that she is proud of me.

Today another colleague told me that, after seeing my journey over the last year from absolute wreck to the smiley, scatty person she remembered from years ago, she was inspired to do something about her own depression and is now in counselling.

Today I am actually feeling quite wonderful, because lovely people (who have no vested interest in my happiness) made me feel noticed and appreciated and proud of myself.

Tomorrow I am going to tell someone how brave I think she is. Hopefully I can make her feel the way I do today.