Avril Meallem, ISRAEL

Exclusive: Best of Women Poetry: Edited by Padmaja Iyengar-Paddy

Avril Meallem

WORDS ON WINGS

Crawling from twig to twig, munching leaves,

lazily passing each day,

yet something stirs deep in my being,

urges me to create a new reality.

I am fearful of the unknown,

I’m really quite happy in my caterpillar world.

But a fire burns deep within,

urges me to take the leap into nature’s mystery.

The flames give me no peace, I relent.

Instinctively I create for myself a new home ˗

a space of stillness and solitude,

trusting that something beyond me knows my truth,

knows where I am heading, what I will become.

A flicker of light pierces my darkness, grows brighter.

Without any conscious thought I leave the safety of my past.

I’m no longer a dowdy caterpillar!

My multi-coloured wings open in their beauty,

allow me to be wafted skywards, carrying with them

all the poems hidden for so long in my soul

just waiting for this moment to be born.

Avril Meallem, born in London, UK, now lives in Jerusalem, Israel.  Before retiring, she worked as a pediatric physiotherapist in a school for children with special needs and in an adult brain injury unit.  Avril’s poems have appeared in various international journals and anthologies in UK, India, South Africa, India and USA. Her published books of poetry are Dancing With The Wind, Come Sit with Me by the River and two collections of Tapestry Poetry, the latter being an innovative genre of collaborative poetry, developed and co-authored with Indian Poetess, Shernaz Wadia.  http://avrilm.webs.com/,     http://tapestrypoetry.webs.com/

---

Best of Women Poetry -2020 :: Setu, March 2020

Avril Meallem, ISRAEL & Shernaz Wadia, INDIA

SCARRED FOR LIFE – A TAPESTRY POEM

Scarred for Life – Avril Meallem

My body, grown in my mother’s womb,

was a gift from the Creator for my soul.

What right did you have to violate my sanctity?

Did you have even one moment’s thought

that you were destroying my future serenity?

You have me left me with deep scars

for that moment of satisfying your untamed desires.

You saw me as an object, devoid of all human sensibilities.

How else could you have done such a despicable deed?

Scarred for Life – Shernaz Wadia  

When you could not imprison the bird

You tried to break her wings

It was only her body you defiled, dehumanised

But your conscience you have blemished eternally

Her unheard screams will lacerate your peace

One deep gash for every scar you inflicted on her

There will be no deliverance even in another life

Until forgiven by her whom you have sinned against

A resurrected goddess at whose feet you will have to fall

Scarred for Life — TAPESTRY - Avril & Shernaz

It’s my body – grown in my mother’s womb.

You defiled and dehumanised a gif of the Creator!

Did you have even one moment’s thought

when you held me imprisoned?

What right did you have to violate my sanctity?

In that moment of satisfying your untamed desires

you have left me with deep scars.

Unheard screams will lacerate your peace –

one deep gash for every wound you inflicted.

You destroyed my future serenity

but you could not break my wings.

Your conscience you have blemished eternally.

You saw me as an object

devoid of all human sensibilities.

How else could you have done such a despicable deed?

You will find no deliverance, even in another life,

Until forgiven by me, whom you have sinned against;

a resurrected goddess, at whose feet you will have to fall.

Avril Meallem, born in London, UK, now lives in Jerusalem, Israel.  Before retiring Avril worked as a pediatric physiotherapist in a school for children with special needs and in an adult brain injury unit.  Avril’s poems having appeared in various international journals and anthologies. Her published books of poetry are:  Dancing With The Wind, Come Sit with Me by the River and two collections of Tapestry Poetry, the latter being an innovative genre of collaborative poetry, developed and co-authored with Indian Poetess, Shernaz Wadia.  http://avrilm.webs.com/   http://tapestrypoetry.webs.com/

Shernaz Wadia considers writing as an inward journey. She has been published in many e-journals and anthologies. She has published her poems in “Whispers of the Soul” and “Tapestry Poetry - A Fusion of Two Minds” (2012) plus a second collection with the same title (2018) (an innovative form) with her poetry partner Avril Meallem 

---

Women, Power & Creativity :: Setu, March 2019