#TikTok Drain #Poetry!

I haven’t penned a poem for a while, but something inspired me today, and here it is… on TikTok, for you. If you are a Tiktoker, do follow me on there, otherwise, just enjoy my poetic musings!

I’ve found another wormhole
Another drain on my time
I can’t believe it’s happened
So I thought I’d write a rhyme

Those kids, they made me do it
Said, go on Mum, it’ll be fun
So I logged in, started scrolling
And slowly I became one

One of those Tiktokers
Lip synching to silly sounds
Trying to match the dance moves
On the trending clips I found

But, back then in lockdown
I kept my privacy
Only sharing videos
With those I trust, you see.

Then life got hectic, so I stopped
Deleted my account
Until the call for Booktok
Grew loud, there was no doubt

Time for me to jump back on
And do it for my book
For a way to get promotion
New readers I could hook

I started out pretty well
A couple of cute videos
Followed some other authors
and booktokers that I chose

Then I started to scroll again
FYP calling me
Silly sounds and dances
But something more, you see

I found all sorts of communities
Browntok, queertok, cooktok
Watching listening learning
Snippet clips that really rock

I learned how knowledgeable people are
But also just how biased
I saw how creators responded
They didn’t sit there all quiet

One video led to another
And soon an hour passed
Jeez, I could have written words
I hold my phone, aghast

Tiktok, I do love you so
But you’re taking me away
From the very reason I’m here
TO write, not watch and play!

And, an aside, those kids 
I mentioned before
They tell me I’m too old for this
Well, that I will ignore

I find myself peppering my daily life
With the latest trending sounds
A little dance here, a soundbite there
While my kids try to shut me down

Because, although it is a drain
A little Tiktok fun
And getting some more followers
Is grand… will you become one?

(Tiktok obsessed) Ritu 2022


This Life #Poem #Poetry

Not written a poem for a while…

This Life

Do you remember when we were small?
When the days never seemed to end, at all?
The times when happiness cost not a jot
And we seemed to laugh an awful lot?
Do you recall that corner shop?
Where sweets were a penny, and lolly pops?
The bikes we used to race to the park
We’d be out all day ‘til nearly dark?
Finding chalk and marking grids
Running like mad, and making skids?
Innocent fun, those days gone by
They’ll never come back, however hard we try
 
I pity the children born in the now
To have real fun, they’ll never know how
Heads buried in tablets, fingers poised to swipe
Not living their life, just following hype
Growing up in a world of false perfection
Not enough likes, facing rejection
Is this really the world we want to see
Or do we need to set technology free?
Stop taking selfies, live in the present
Your filter-less face is much more pleasant
Get on a bike, go for a run
You got this life, you only get one.

Ritu 2020

The Tousled, The Straight and The Curly #Poem #EmbraceYourself

Do you ever wish for something else?

The Tousled, The Straight and The Curly

What is it with us women
Never happy with our lot
If you’re flat you want to be curvy
Yet the curvy ones hate their bot!
 
My gripe is my hair
A head of springs since I was wee
And yet I would lament
And wish for all the straight hair that I’d see
 
Once old enough to grapple
With a straightening device
I desperately tried to iron them out
But my curls were hard to entice
 
Then a visit to the salon
Gave me locks so silky and straight
I swished my hair, here and there
I sure thought I looked great!
 
But no one told me what would happen
In the dead of the night...
The hair fairy must have come
I woke up and looked a fright!
 
No more swishy, straightened hair
But rather, a wavy mess
Oh no! My silky hair had gone
I felt more than a little distress.
 
But then I calmed it with my fingers
And it didn’t seem so bad
Tousled waves looked back at me
Not frizz - for that I was glad!
 
Ad then I washed it – Dear God!
All that ironing was in vain
For all the bouncy, springy curls
Had reappeared once again!
 
It was then, I realised that I must
Embrace just what I had
And be thankful that I have all three looks
Three for one – now, that ain’t bad!
 
The straight for if I need sophistication
The tousled for smart casual time
But the curls, all bouncy, out of control
Well, yes, that’s me – They’re mine!

Ritu 2019
 

See, this is the kind of thing that appears in my notebook, when I am left unattended!

I’m sitting in the rather plush canteen at my Hubby Dearest’s work. I have been his driver (Yes, Driving Mr Hoppalong, rather than Miss Daisy), bringing him to his office for the first time in nearly two months, and though I am surrounded by editing papers, kindle and laptop, this was what bubbled to the surface of my mind!

Hope you enjoy!

Bitmoji Image

Tuesday Poems For Writers #Inspiration – Self Doubt

Another poem inspired by Lucy of Blonde Write More! The fear of not being good enough.

Fear
Within
I just feel
Not good enough
For publication
Not able to compete
Or call myself a writer
No one will want to read my book
When others are just so much better
I think I should just delete the whole lot

Ritu 2019

It really is that easy to end up feeling despondant, when you have worked your fingers to the bone, written thousands upon thousands of words, then you compare yourself to another writer.

Big mistake.

Stop thinking you’ll never be the next J.K. Rowling or Stephen King.

They were where you are now, once.

Dream of the possibilities and know that somewhere out there, your book has readers, just waiting for you to get it out there!

Now, I’m off to try and edit a bit more!

Tuesday Poems For Writers #Inspiration – Distractions

Another poem inspired by Lucy of Blonde Write More! The dreaded distractions of Social Media… a hard one for many modern day writers!

 Anti-Social Media

Time to knuckle down
To ponder and to frown
To sit and take a look
At how to better my own book
 
Computer on, tea by my side
My notes beside me as a guide
I’ll just check my phone
And then my work I’ll hone
 
A few amusing tweets
Insta had some treats
Click a photo of my workspace
And then I’ll pick up pace
 
Mustn’t forget my Facebook crew
They need a little attention too
And of course the blog
Jeez, Social Media’s a time hog
 
Right, now to that edit
Need to unpick it bit by bit
Comb every line for silly errors
Brush away the punctuation terrors
 
But, Ping! A notification
To my phone, my hand does hasten
I’ll just quickly check again
Clear my emails once, and then
 
I’ll definitely start my work
I promise I won’t shirk
And… oh! My time is up
Power off and drain my cup

Ritu 2019

Now, with that in mind, I have to tell you that I need to be a good girl, stop with all the other things, and start this edit in earnest!

No promises here, but I may be a little quieter…

Wish me luck!

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