Woman's Journey

By Johanne Lee and Ella Koole

Poet and author Johanne Lee has created this collection of poetry as a reflection of the journey of woman and her arrival at the phenomenon of menopause.

Including poems from women across a broad spectrum, this anthology looks at womanhood through amusing, heartfelt and honest verse. Every woman will recognise a part of themselves within t

• Language: English
• Publisher: Purple Parrot Publishing
• Release date: Jul 31, 2022
• ISBN: 9781915472076

Book preview

Woman’s Journey

Johanne Lee

Copyright 2022 Johanne Lee

The right of Johanne Lee to be identified as the author has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Artwork Copyright 2022 Ella Koole

The right of Ella Koole to be identified as the illustrator has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. The cover artwork and illustrations within this book, or any portion thereof, may not be reproduced without express written permission of the artist.

Book design by Viv Ainslie at Purple Parrot.

Printed in the United Kingdom

First Printing, 2022

ISBN: Print (Soft Cover): 978-1-915472-06-9

Published by Purple Parrot Publishing

www.purpleparrotpublishing.co.uk

©

©

Contents

Dedication

A Woman’s Journey

An Embarrassment of Overflowing

All is Poetry

Peace by Piece

Run Towards Its Sun

Old Habits

Pass Me Down

Met

tlc

None Other

Apple of the Eye

Wake Up

Come Away With Me

Born

Boy Meets Girl

Sit With Me

Confetti

Cook, Clean, Iron

Crone

Cross Road

Thin Air

Floppy Hats

Hey You

I Said So

Dream it Endless

Epiphany

Eve

Waiting an Age

Just Passing Through

Askance

Period

Have Faith it’s Friday

Love is Love

The Rose (Johanne McNiff)

It’s Half Past

Always and Forever

Head Strong Woman

Hello

Hush Nay Never

Gripping Stuff

Are You My Poetry?

Menna Flaws

Dust driven days can do one

Never Assume

Puddled

I See You

Tuesday Week

What Thought Did

Bad Ass Nice

Running Inside

Eyes Wide Open (Johanne McNiff)

Bloody Sisters

Pals

Lost on Paper

Jessica

Journey

For a Little While

You Never Knew You Were Poetry

Life Gets Real

Ballooning

In All Likelihood

Truth

Love Shan’t

Walk On

Manc

Marry Me He Said

Me and She

Meet Meryl

Mirror Me

Il Nomine Padre

Sandstorm

Inner Child Listen

Mother

Musk

Even the Birds

Natural Dame

Untitled

No Words Exchanged

Not For Men

Offspring

Oft

Oh to be

Proud

Look Up

Scars

Crack the Code

Set the Table for the Poets Please

Thankless

She Needs Time

Caring Futures

A Book You Never Read

She Wills It

She

Both

In the Gaps

Snapshot

Which

Somewhere

The Miracle of Henry Street

There There

The Rock

All or Nothing

To the Dunes and Back

I Am

Wedding Bells

In Memory of Melissa Grace

When You See

You Hear Me?

Words Will Never Hurt

Grey Skies Matter

Your Own Cloth

Rise (Jamie Santomasso)

Goddess (Joyce West)

Eulogy for a Dead Louse Spouse (Joyce West)

A Kettle’s Opinion (Hazel Herbold)

Dependence (Hazel Herbold)

Femina Fortis (Lucie Sargeant)

Bolts (Lucie Sargeant)

Lessons (Lisa White)

Rocking Through Time (Debbie Clewer)

Woman (Debbie Clewer)

Words From the Soul (Heather Lea)

In my Time (Gabby. A. Weist)

Of Course She Did (Jolee)

Contributor Bios

Dedication

In memory of my wonderful Grandmothers.

This book is a few of my musings over time. I make no claim to brilliance, but middle age has shown me I can, so I will!

I can’t help the entire world but I feel better for trying in some small way. A donation from every sale will go to Crossroads Derbyshire thinking of those in need of its help.

I’d like to thank all the women who have walked any part of my journey with me, especially those who have supported me and a special thank you to the poets joining me in this book.

For my mum, my mother-in and out-laws, but especially my daughter who is an inspiration.

I am a mother, wife, daughter, granddaughter, sister, aunt, niece, cousin, dog-mum and friend.

I am a woman

Let’s talk xx

With thanks to Ella Koole

for the beautiful cover illustration.

A Woman’s Journey

A woman’s journey

From beginning to an end

Will she be to herself

A true and honest friend

When she slips, loses grip

Names herself blamed

In a mountain of expectation

Find herself framed

Find friendship unexpected

Just as easily betrayed

Kiss the moon

In fires swoon

And yet the joker

Being played

Will she embrace

The cherub face

Be an angel

Of folklore

In the bliss of happiness

Be the feminine

Of Divinity and much more

Along the path

Will she laugh

Upon mistakes and wrong direction

Will her mind be ever blind

To her importance

Upon reflection

On a journey like no other

Have the blessings of a mother

A daughter, a son

A partner

A true lover

Midst the chaos

Hormonally

Will she be wild

Untethered she

And midst the days

She walked

Some scathed

When she stressed

Unmanageably

Will the curves of roads she swerved

Be the map

To her destiny

An Embarrassment of

Overflowing

Oft candy cane abashment

Lent rosy hues confused

An awkward state of harassment

Thinly veiled as amused

Shoulders clashed as taut mountains

At the peak of them hiding a heart

Embarrassed of its riches of sentiment

It couldn’t share, too flustered to impart

Oh why can’t the breeze waft relentless?

Romanticise and wade through rampant rivers

That soaks in all manner of emotion

Who cares if the taste is sickly syrup

Stiff unaccustomed mortification

Throwing cold towels upon thy speech

Am I meant to be here sitting silent?

With words too uncomfortable to reach

Shall the discomfiture dawdle and dally?

Leave its itch to scratch inevitably

Let loose every emotion to the wild things

There’s no embarrassment in flying emotively

All is Poetry

Beautiful seen on winters breath

Cascading corralling waters

Dew caressing its tidal green

Neptune and fishy tailed daughters

Midst the poetic ecstasies

Lavender wandering startling