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deemclachlan.bsky.social
I absolutely love hollow ways and in the summer I wrote this villanelle about them.
Hope you like it.

#poetry #poetsofbluesky #naturepoems #poetrycommunity #poems #hollowways
#poets #villanelle #PoemAltText #UseAltText #AltText
The Hollow Ways By Dawn McLachlan We shall walk together in the hollow ways On days when colour is blurred by morning rain And worries will be lifted to drift away Through sunken lanes in sun-dappled rays We'll travel slowed down along ancient veins We shall walk together in the hollow ways As high above the great green canopy sways We'll dawdle then until the afternoon wanes And worries will be lifted to drift away In susurrations come whispers of forgotten days Hearing echoes of the distant past and the arcane We shall walk together in the hollow ways In an ancient place, away from sun's blaze We find our own place in a wild domain And worries will be lifted to drift away As the real world feels like a distant haze Take my hand, and walk with me here again We shall walk together in the hollow ways And worries will be lifted to drift away © Dawn McLachlan 2025
November 11, 2025 at 10:18 AM
deemclachlan.bsky.social
A #sundaypoem
This one is a #haibun

#poetry #poems #poetrycommunity #poemsabout #poetsofbluesky #poets #poemsaboutlife #autumn #poemalttext #usealttext #AltTextPoetry #AltText
Logs A haibun by Dawn Mclachlan From a high window I watch upturned clouds fill the valley and blur the silhouetted forest. The logs remain tumbled together in a giant bag in the yard. In a fit of hubris I dig out a pair of thick gloves and decide to move and stack them on my own. By the time I manage to haul everything in and fill the shed, the mist has arrived and stealthily smothers the town. It clings to me like sweat as I tug the day's splinters from my blistered hands. As streetlights signal the arrival of evening I shake beads of water from my hair like a dog and think of the supper I have yet to plan. Shrouded in the mist Fearful of Winter's sharp teeth I stack logs alone
November 9, 2025 at 10:28 AM
deemclachlan.bsky.social
A #FridayPoem for the #poemsabout prompt of #lockeddoors
This time a #villanelle I really enjoy working in this form.
@thebrokenspine.co.uk
Hope you like it.
#poetry #poetsofbluesky #PoemAltText #AltText #poems
Lock the doors A villanelle form poem by Dawn Mclachlan Lock the doors, slide the bolts again Across the water far distant islands sleep Rest easy now for only peace remains The storm will rage turning enemy to friend Dark night shifts windows to mirrored keep As we lock the doors and slide the bolts again Our stories dark with Memory's sanguine stain Thoughts of those we lost to endless sleep Can we rest easy now where only peace remains? At hearth and home we draw out such wraiths With restless dreams of towering mountains steep We lock the doors and slide the bolts again Come rest with me, we'll talk through the pain And softly dwell upon the loves we made to weep But rest easy now, for only peace remains With the air too thick with souls that creep And long fireside shadows that dance and leap We shall lock the doors and slide the bolts again And rest easy here, for only peace remains
November 7, 2025 at 9:18 AM
deemclachlan.bsky.social
Time for another #Fridaypoem
#poemsabout #poetry #poemsonbluesky #poetrycommunity #poetrysociety #poemsaboutlife #funeralpoetry #poemsaboutgrief #PoemAltText #AltText
Ghosts by Dawn Mclachlan The dead return on stealthy feet and in the quiet ways Not in the shrieks of myth Or the clanked chains of literature Not in spectral bloodied cloth And creaks of floor They require neither season nor reason Instead they appear in the watch unwound The drawer jammed by a rusted penknife They rise from a homeless key And a half- remembered phone number They tumble from yellowed photo albums slipping from unused tools in spider-webbed racks They linger in restless moments passing through childhood towns They surprise us in the expression of a child Or the saying of a friend They return not in the fearful dread But in the sorrowful silence Or in a distant song that snatches breath And brings an unexpected smile
October 31, 2025 at 10:52 AM
deemclachlan.bsky.social
A #Fridaypoem for the @thebrokenspine.co.uk #poemsabout prompt #blood
Thank you #poetrycommunity as always.
#poems #poetry #PoemAltText #AltText #poemsaboutlife
Harm by Dawn Mclachlan I didn’t recognise these wounds their depth deep their cause subtle But years later tattooist ink replacing the lace of silvered lines I remembered ruby jewels worn in secret and thought of you
October 31, 2025 at 10:30 AM
jillhturner.bsky.social
Rug Rat by Robin Ince

The joy of being in the now 📖

#poemAltText #usealttext #poetrycommunity #poetsofbluesky #poetryforall
robinince.bsky.social Robin Ince @robinince.bsky.social · 22d
A poem about when you are small and each moment is everything #poem

Book available here cosmicshambles.myshopify.com/products/ice...
RUG RAT Right NOW The whole world is this rug All of space is here Two plastic cars propelled By my small hands Thoughts end at the tassels of the carpet Later and it's NOW again And only NOW The whole world is the mixing bowl Small strands of candied peel So orangey I taste the sweetened wood of the spoon Cake ooze drips and fingers licked NOW it is only night The world of always black Dark enough for monsters But shooed away by the hedgehogs in my nightlight All that NOW is now a then The rug has gone The oven's cold There's nothing in the mixing bowl The hedgehogs fell The dark is thicker I wonder who I was Before I became 'I am' When I was ever present Not constructed by a past Blurred photo of young md QR codes "I'm safe here behind the sofa..." A collection of instinctual poetry pursuing the psychological essence of personal and societal wellbeing, explored through experiential neurodivergence and humanism. "Choice words chosen wisely. Highly recommended for all humans who retain their humanity." Henry Normal "Robin's poems embody the bravery that comes with vulnerability and a reverence for being here and loving every moment of it." Josie Long "This is poetry to play and replay as each poem's colours change and layers of meaning glow." Dr Kathryn Mannix "Each of these poems is a treat. A brief moment of connection, slipped between the pages of a hectic world." Reece Shearsmith "Bright snapshots of where we are, our nature and humanity, our sensitivities, our rage and our happiness." Salena Godden
October 19, 2025 at 11:35 PM
deemclachlan.bsky.social
Time for another #FridayPoem
This one for the #poemsabout prompt #breakthemould
Thanks to @karenpgonzalez.bsky.social for overseeing and @thebrokenspine.co.uk as always. Love to all the #poetrycommunity
#poets #poemAltText #usealttext #poetry #poetsofbluesky #poems #poetryforall
Promises by Dawn McLachlan I came back for you And searched the ways of a child In the meanders of the river Where the pools ran deep and cold To where we dreamed of flying Down hills pitted with barbs Among the hollowed trees I walked with crooked gait The paths where I once flowed In the vastness of memory A place so shrunken now And hoped to rescue you still I dreamed I walked with you a while And silvered all the fading scars As if a bright constellation newly fallen All yearning scattered like dust In time I took a different turn The long road curved away and I lost you I promised to come back for you But relieved, I found you gone
October 17, 2025 at 8:02 AM
deemclachlan.bsky.social
Time for another #FridayPoem

#poetrycommunity #poemsabout #poetlife #poetsofbluesky #PoemAltText #poemsaboutlife
Pareidolia By Dawn McLachlan We threw our wishes into holes in the ground And fast flowing rivers Coins dropped into wet darkness Warmed by fervent hope And tumbled over faces in the stones In clouds we saw the lost The longed for And angelic outreach In the sacred spaces Candles lit with prayers And blown out with fingers crossed Sticky with sugar wrapped sentiment And rules to tell no one We wrote our lists to things of myth For a different time A different place Where wishes were horses And distant planets stared back at us Our desire to see Jesus in the toast When all we had was burnt bread
October 10, 2025 at 8:07 AM
deemclachlan.bsky.social
Time for another #poemsabout day and the theme this week is #ImperfectMe
Thanks to @alanparrywriter.co.uk and @thebrokenspine.co.uk as always and everyone sharing and supporting #poets
#poetrycommunity #poemalttext #poetry #poems
Wear the Gloves by Dawn McLachlan In those muddled days after When all was opened doors And emptied drawers I remember them Butter-soft and finest leather Stitching like the whisper of the needle Wrapped still in silvered tissue Faded tags of festive gifting Unworn Saved for a "best" too late to know So if you think me too showy With misplaced colours and gaudy cloth Fine jewellery worn for no good reason It is because I have learned to Wear the damn gloves
October 10, 2025 at 7:22 AM
deemclachlan.bsky.social
This week’s #poemsabout prompt is #mannequin
Due to illness my poem is short and dark from fever dreams and the news.
@thebrokenspine.co.uk @thepaulconnolly.bsky.social #poemalttext #UseAltText #poetrysociety #poetsonbluesky #poemsforpeace
Mannequins By Dawn McLachlan She thinks of them as mannequins Lined up Nameless Cold and still Too many to count Beyond the rope-stitched canvas She can see rows of them With their hideous labels She thinks of them as mannequins Because to say "shroud" Is to drown in grief
October 3, 2025 at 8:45 AM
deemclachlan.bsky.social
Time for another #FridayPoem

#naturepoems #ophelia #poetry #poems #poetsofbluesky #poemalttext #poemsabout #poemsaboutlife
Ophelia By Dawn McLachlan What were her last thoughts On willow breaking And the cold embrace of water Was the rue still clutched In the barest of fingers In her decline did she grasp the branch Or just welcome the fall And watch the black birds spin In pinked air above their roost Holding back from the last landing of the day. Caught in their great maelstrom of avian conversation Did she watch the trees, their crowns shy Tapping tips lightly in the breeze Like stilted lovers Branches dutifully stitched by nuthatch needle beak Jewelled with the flash of princely goldcrest crown Threaded with wren song that ached the heart Forest gossamer webbed with evening mist Silvering the boughs with fragile chains And the ghosts of remembrance hanging As fresh as cut herbs
September 26, 2025 at 9:11 AM
deemclachlan.bsky.social
Showing my age for #PoemsAbout #NeverAgain

Huge thanks to @thebrokenspine.co.uk and @alanparrywriter.co.uk for this wonderful prompt every week that keep us pushing words around.
(Alt Text on the image) #poetlife #poetrycommunity #PoemAltText #poetsofbluesky #poetrymatters #poetryforall
Protect and Survive By Dawn McLachlan I still remember what the underside of my school desk looked like Counting the pocks of dried gum to get through the drill and the sound of the siren four minute warning I wasn't sure I could spell everyone's name If I needed to write tags for their toes The leaflet didn't say How long would it take to lose my hair Or my teeth That winter I was jealous of the kids with thick coats That looked as they could hold back fallout If we laid down in ditches To wait for an all clear That might never come
September 26, 2025 at 8:11 AM
deemclachlan.bsky.social
A #FridayPoem written in a forest for #ForestFriday

#poemsofbluesky #poetrycommunity #poetry #naturepoetry #poemsaboutlife #poemsabout #poets #poems #PoemAltText
For Rest By Dawn McLachlan I will wait Where the moss springs soft And the great roots wind Beneath the sodden dark earth Holding the memory of Time I will take my seat in the dwindling light And draw in the brambled breath of the forest While blurred day spreads its liquid touch To jewel leaf and branch In the fading moments I will wait until the darkness falls And we can walk on together
September 19, 2025 at 9:21 AM
deemclachlan.bsky.social
For #poemsabout #silentplanet this week I’m resharing a shape poem first published in Space - a poetry book celebrating the 350th year of the Royal Observatory Greenwich. Published by @panmacmillan.bsky.social June 2025

#poems #poetry #poetsofbluesky #poemalttext #poetrycommunity
The words of the poem are written to form the shape of a full moon Moon Dance by Dawn McLachlan One bright silver apple hangs in the sky and I am caught in a glow casting the shadows like magic, turning the darkness into a glittered light that lifts our cold souls We are bathed in this lunar spell together your hand in mine in the crisp night air as moths we spiral, whirl and dance lost in the moment and the moonlight The blue and starry cover of the book mentioned in the OP
September 19, 2025 at 8:00 AM
deemclachlan.bsky.social
New and improved #Fridaypoem for #poemsabout #chandeliers

This one with the title spelled correctly (sigh).
The background to this poem is a painting of my own of a night sea horizon using a single colour. Phthalo blue, oil on canvas.

#poems #poetrycommunity #poemAltText #chandelier
Phthalo Blue by Dawn McLachlan I think I must have known all along Because in that long winter night When the air prickled with new possibilities I felt a cool rush chase the breath from my lungs Beneath a chandeliered sky Hushed by the whisper of the tides I stepped forward and reached out into the blue
August 22, 2025 at 8:56 AM
deemclachlan.bsky.social
A #FridayPoem for #poemsabout #chandeliers

The background image this week is my own painting of the same name as the poem.
Phthalo Blue

#poetry #poetsofbluesky #poemAltText #chandelier #poetrycommunity #poetrysociety #poems
Pthalo Blue by Dawn McLachlan I think I must have known all along Because in that long winter night When the air prickled with new possibilities I felt a cool rush chase the breath from my lungs Beneath a chandeliered sky Hushed by the whisper of the tides I stepped forward and reached out into the blue ***** The poem is white upon a background image of deep blue night sky and sea painted by the author. Oil on canvas.
August 22, 2025 at 7:26 AM
deemclachlan.bsky.social
Today’s #FridayPoem
The Wrong Side of History
#poemsabout #ceasefire
Words ©️Dawn McLachlan
All images ©️Jeff Pitcher - used with kind permission @pitcherpost.bsky.social
#poems #poetsofbluesky #poetrycommunity #poetrysociety #PoemAltText
August 15, 2025 at 6:49 AM
deemclachlan.bsky.social
This poem was written for an anthology of #spacepoems for young people. The first version wasn’t quite right so didn’t make the cut. An updated version here for #poemsabout #blacksky

#poetsofbluesky #poetry #poemsforkids #poemsforall #poetryforall #PoemAltText
Once an astronaut Dawn McLachlan When I was deemed too old to fly they gave me a clock and said goodbye and all that I had left was time so I sat and watched it turn Tired of waiting for something more I bought a cabin on a deep lake shore and settled to let myself grow old dreaming of times long past But on perfect nights when the pale clouds fled and darkness leaked from the skies and bled into all the forest around my home I went down to the lake alone When the breeze is gone and the night is still I dip my oars in black water until I row out beyond the reach of all and look to the skies above I think of those who went before brave souls risking everything to explore Mariners watching out for land as they sailed the blackened seas I wonder then if they too yearned with aged bones and long rest earned for times gone past, out there alone with stars guiding them home
August 8, 2025 at 9:56 AM
deemclachlan.bsky.social
My #FridayPoem this week comes from a prompt from a friend’s niece who suggested I write a poem about “a memory inspired by a smell”
This was a pleasure to write.

#poemsabout #naturepoetry #PoemAltText #poets #poetrysociety #poemsforall #poemsforlife #poetrycommunity #HaikuAltText #haikusociety
Blackberry Days A haiku set by Dawn McLachlan We cross the strandline The curved beach a golden band wedding woods to sea Stepping into shade Where air is blackberry rich Such earthy perfume I am young once more Skin bejewelled with scratches Fingers and lips stained My bowl is so full And the long autumn shadows Will guide our way home
July 25, 2025 at 9:34 AM
deemclachlan.bsky.social
One for #smallpoemsunday

#Haiku #senryu #poemsabout #smallpoems #poemsofbluesky #poetsofbluesky #haikusociety #HaikuAltText #PoemAltText
Cherry Tree By Dawn McLachlan Branches garnet ringed Engaged to the summer sky Reaching for the sun Here, in the orchard On a blue day smudged with clouds I am become Thief
July 20, 2025 at 9:36 AM
deemclachlan.bsky.social
A #SaturdayPoem for a change. An interaction with the wild that gave me something to cling to.
#wildlifepoems #poems #poetryofbluesky #poetsofbluesky #PoemAltText
#poetrysociety #amwriting
Night Bird by Dawn McLachlan While I wait I hear the bird again Beyond the murmur and the machines and the restless slumber of the sick away from the stifling used-up air I hear the tight avian keening and imagine the night's chill on wide new wings as I close my eyes and fly
July 19, 2025 at 10:32 AM
deemclachlan.bsky.social
A #fridaypoem for someone unique. Just like you.

First published in ‘Space - Royal Observatory Greenwich Poetry Book’ pub. by @panmacmillan.bsky.social and chosen by Gaby Morgan.
#poemsforchildren #poemsaboutyou #poetsofbluesky #poemAltText #poems #poets #poetry #spacepoems #poemsforkids
Impossible Things by Dawn McLachlan Sometimes When things seem impossible Or if you feel as if you don't fit in Just remember that on Mars the sunsets are blue and Venus spins backwards and that far out in our galaxy there is a planet with a heart of diamonds Remind yourself that one teaspoon of a neutron star Weighs more than all the humans on our planet put together Know that some rogue planets just wander the galaxy completely alone And some planets are speeding away from us so fast That we will never see them In fact, in the immeasurable vastness of space There is no such thing As a typical planetary system Or a typical planet Because each one is unique Just like you
July 18, 2025 at 9:40 AM
deemclachlan.bsky.social
This week’s #fridaypoem
is about damn time.

#poemsabout #poetry #poetsofbluesky #HaikuAltText #PoemAltText #haikupoetry #haikusociety
Latitude A haiku set by Dawn McLachlan Once upon a time The whole world seemed chaotic And without a pause We feared the silence Words crammed into each corner Chatter like the birds We minded the gaps As the hours were fleeting Still so much to say Now, joy is in peace The words known but unspoken Drift silent as clouds Whirling time settles As the hourglass slows down To meet our heartbeats
July 4, 2025 at 10:06 AM
deemclachlan.bsky.social
My #fridaypoem this week inspired by family history research around WW1. Someone searched for my missing great-uncle stating she was his “wife”, but he had no wife. I’ll never find who she was. Joe knew and must have loved her. The greatest sin is war.
#poemsabout #itsasin #PoemAltText #warpoems
A Lark Still Sings By Dawn Mclachlan In the brittle dawn I hold my eyes tight closed and cling to sleep For in my dreams there is no here and you still lie quietly at my side Your warm hand in mine my love If I lie very still maybe morning will not come And wrapped in memories I will dream of warm green times when night’s dark slid peacefully to bright morning colours and not to a world bled ashen by shell flash blindly flung from callous distance In defiance of the guns, birdsong cutting through my dreams with radiant hope that glistens far above the thunder ushering in another day With choking gulps I take fouled air Licking its sanguine grit from my lips I feel the days bite ever deeper now in the long ache of time and loss In a single blink the night, and you are gone But somewhere high above me A lark still sings
June 27, 2025 at 6:14 PM
deemclachlan.bsky.social
Friday Poem

#poetsofbluesky #poemsabout #poemAltText
#fridaypoem #poetrycommunity #naturepoetry #naturepoems #swifts #poems #poetsociety
Swift by Dawn McLachlan Tumbling through clouds you come Half-forgotten Joy-bringer Fetching sunshine on your wings Punctuating the sky Bracketing the summer Cloud-cutter Air-dancer Screaming in the twilight blue In the elation of greeting As you return home Caught in the moment I breathe your name
June 13, 2025 at 11:49 AM