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Best Poems Written by Rachel Preston

Below are the all-time best Rachel Preston poems as chosen by PoetrySoup members

Details | Rachel Preston Poem

The Funny Side of Strokes - My Hospital Embarrassment

An event I have to tell you about was a rather embarrassing occasion for me,
But they say laughter is one of life’s best medicines, so I’ll share it with you happily.

One morning I was getting dressed and got down on my knees to look in my bedside locker,
Realised I was stuck and couldn’t get up; the nurses would think I was off my rocker.

I had no choice I had to get help, so rang my buzzer for someone to come and assist,
A nurse popped her head round the curtain, she needed extra help, though I tried hard to resist.

You may wonder why I was reluctant for there to be so much fuss and unnecessary  concern,
The embarrassing truth is my bottom half was totally naked and my cheeks started to burn.

Later during the medicine round, the Sister asked me about the fright that I’d given the staff,
“Are you sure that you didn’t fall?” she said, I shook my head and I started to laugh.

I told her, “I was on my knees and looked like I was praying, when I was descended upon,”
She laughed & replied, “Well in future if you feel like being religious, make sure you have some knickers on.”

Details | Rachel Preston Poem

Everything In Life Happens For a Reason

Sometimes it’s been hard to understand what’s happened to me,
Why did it now occur when I was as happy as could be?

In the not so distant past I’ve endured trials and tribulations,
This was now a time in my life for lots of celebrations.

Did someone feel I needed to be taught another lesson in life?
Why when I’d already experienced so many stresses and strife?

To suddenly not be able to move or have control of my limbs,
Was confusing, so very scary and made me very grim.

I’d sat at my desk for a while trying to move my index finger,
No matter how hard I willed it to stir, there it just lingered.

It was very overwhelming I didn’t know how to possibly say,
That I couldn’t move anything after being fine earlier that day.

It now just over four weeks since this frightening thing occurred,
And there have been valuable lessons since that I have learned.

It’s not the done thing to take for granted everything we do,
We should cherish every little thing like tying laces on a shoe.

Our bodies are there to serve us and this we ought to know,
Give it time to relax and unwind and not always be on the go.

It’s been a hard thing at times to cope with and to have endured,
But I’ve been so unbelievably lucky of that I know for sure.

On this journey I have taken meeting incredible people on the way,
In my heart they will always be until the end of my days.

I believe that everything in life happens for a reason,
Like the changing of the tides and changing of the seasons.

Details | Rachel Preston Poem

Funny Side of Strokes - I Know I Shouldn'T Have Laughed

It has to be said that in a bad situation funny things can sometimes happen,
Some things that've happened to me, should be in a comic with a funny caption.

The first I’ll tell you of, was about another patient; who was in my hospital bay,
I can’t say many nice things about her; she constantly moaned, causing misery and dismay.

One afternoon sitting quietly after lunch, the lady turned and asked of me,
“What‘s your name again?” “Rachel,” I told her, curious what her response was to be.

She spat out the words, ‘Oh just hearing that name, makes me want to shudder,’
I raised my eyebrows in surprise, what was coming next I started to wonder?

“My husband ran off with a woman of that name about 20 years ago”,
A patient in a corner bed caught my eye; she was laughing, showing no control.

I bowed my head, squeezed my eyes tightly shut, willing myself not to laugh,
Sat thinking, oh the poor man, I bet the woman he ran off with was like a human life raft.

Suddenly another patient, piped up, “Shame on you, what a terrible thing to do, to this old dear,”
“It certainly wasn’t me,” I laughed, “I’ve been happily living over the brush with my man for many years”

The ‘old dear’ didn’t look very happy, that we’d laughed at her most unfortunate event,
We could only hope in future she’d stop and think, before more moaning commenced.

Details | Rachel Preston Poem

Confusion, Denial and Acceptance

It’s a very confusing feeling to go about your normal routine,
To suddenly lose control and then feel like a broken machine.

My head wouldn’t let me accept that my body had crossed a line,
Even though my limbs didn’t work my head felt perfectly fine.

There’s nothing wrong with me, no reason for me to be in this state,
I had no physical injury and I would soon be walking straight. 

The nurses came round and gave me tablets that I knew of by name, 
I was only aware of them because my Dad had once taken the same.

Aspirin, Rampril and Lansoprazole they gave me each one of the three, 
They were for old people and definitely should not be given to me. 

It was explained they’re to protect you until we find out the cause,
There’s no need to worry about me, my body is just having a pause. 

I would not be defeated; I was determined to be up walking around, 
I didn’t need a hospital bed and everyone I would astound. 

After six days the doctors let me home, much to my delight, 
It was wonderful to sleep in my bed and have such a good night. 

I’d been home a few days when reality started to creep in, 
That I really did feel unwell and to accept it wasn’t a sin. 

Fatigue is the hardest part to understand and cope with of all,
It envelopes like a blanket, other times it feels like hitting a wall. 

Even dealing with noise makes fatigue pulsate through every vein,
Simple every day noises sound like thunder, lightening and rain. 

One day I started to question why this had now happened to me,
I’d done too much, always on the go, that was the harsh reality.

After putting my body through so much and dealing with its vengeance,
I’ve had to look deep within and now finally found some acceptance.

Details | Rachel Preston Poem

Try to imagine how it feels for your life to change in the blink of an eye,
Sat at your desk, suddenly paralysis in your hand and you’ve no idea why.
You try to make sense and understand, why your arm and leg feel heavy,
When you get up to try and walk, it feels like you’ve been on the sherry.

Try to imagine going to A&E, hoping you’re not wasting their time,
You sit and wait, your name is called, you gone to the front of the line.
The nurse asks lots of questions, you have to relay details about it all,
You’re moved to another room to find doctors are coming out of the walls.

Try to imagine after lots of tests, needles, prodding and poking,
You’re told you’ve had a stroke and you think they must be joking.
You find over the next few days when you walk, that you have no balance,
Even trying to hold and drink a cup of coffee is a difficult challenge.

Try to imagine on the doctor’s round, you’re shown the x-ray of the clot on your brain,
You can no longer hide from it and you feel the colour from your face start to drain.
Eventually you’re discharged from hospital, told you must get plenty of rest,
You find the simplest of chores takes three times the effort; your patience is sorely test.

Try to imagine talking to someone, and mid sentence you totally forget what you want to say,
Everyday sounds like having the TV on, drive you mad, you want to hide out of the way.
You find yourself sleeping a lot, hoping that when you wake you’ll be feeling refreshed,
Stroke fatigue is one of the hardest things of all; it takes a long time for it to regress.

Try to imagine the weeks turning into months, you pine for the life you once knew,
You’re constantly being told be patient, going back to work is not yet right for you.
The outside world, you once took in your stride, now feels like an obstacle course,
You become disorientated, feel weak and dizzy, you think it was never like this before.

Try to imagine, according to the Stroke Association statistics, 1 in 4 affected is of working age,
It could happen to anyone at any time, even you, whilst you are reading this page.

Details | Rachel Preston Poem

Tribute To Hannah

Hannah had beautiful big blue eyes and lovely blonde hair,
Such a sweet angelic child, whom no one could ever compare.

So affectionate for her age, wanting kisses and cuddles, 
Good as gold, always well behaved and never in trouble.

Intelligent beyond her years, she knew all the names of shapes, 
At the splendour of this child people would stare at her and gape.

With her smile she lit up a room whenever she walked in, 
She was happy, so contented and always had a grin. 

Sadly for this Earth that beautiful child was not meant to be,
Aged just 2 years 11 months she passed away suddenly.

The heartache she left behind her was too much for us to bear, 
No more birthdays and Christmases with her would we ever share. 

It’s not much consolation but of her I have lots of wonderful memories,
And hundreds of photos of a little girl, I am proud to call my niece.

Details | Rachel Preston Poem

Look Before You Gesture - a True Story

Many years ago my partner gave me an unexpected birthday surprise,
A trip to Lake Windermere, the beauty of it there’s no compromise.

The hotel where we stayed was right on the edge of the lake,
A perfect location for a peaceful and relaxing break.

On the first evening we went into the hotel bar and brasserie,
We looked through the menu to decide what to have for tea.

As we sat having our drinks, another couple I observed,
The loudness of the woman’s voice was really quite absurd.

I tried to ignore the opinionated tone of her voice,
Hoped our food would soon be ready to get away from the noise.

I suddenly realised she was staring across the room at me,
What was her problem and what she was hoping to see?

I stared right back at her then my attention was pulled away,
Our table was ready, pleased near her I didn’t have to stay.

The meal passed by with laughter and lots of pleasant chatter,
Forgotten was the woman who’d seemed as mad as a hatter.

As we walked down the hallway to go back to our room,
The woman was staring at me again which really made me fume.

She watched every single step as we walked on by,
I was so annoyed with her; I looked her straight in the eye.

We continued to walk and turned into the customer lift,
I looked right at the ignorant woman and raised up my fist.

To my partner’s surprise I then gave her a two fingered gesture,
An old lady in the adjoining restaurant saw and nearly lost her denture.

Choking and red faced, she pointed her finger over towards me,
Her family totally shocked, looked at me helplessly.

It’s horrible to say but at this spectacle before me, all I could do was laugh,
My partner got me by the scruff of the neck and pulled me further back.

As the lift doors shut, I turned to face him waiting for my fate,
“What am I going to do with you, you’re an absolute disgrace?”

The moral of this story is, if you’re going to give someone the bird,
Have a good look round who can see or you’ll end up being cursed.

Details | Rachel Preston Poem

Sudoku

Learn how to play Sudoku was recently asked of me,
    Sure no problem I thought, how hard could it be?

    I studied the grid of nine squares partially filled with numbers,
    How do I get them to add up, I had started to wonder?

    The more I looked at the page, the harder it certainly got,
    To makes sense of the game, I most definitely could not.

    After three days I gave in and looked at a beginner’s guide,
    Read up on the rules of the game, that had to be applied.

    Finally I managed to comprehend, oh how daft of me,
    I had to fit the numbers into grids of three times by three.

    It’s not really that hard at all, my understanding was a little restricted
    Once you get the hang of it, I warn you it gets very addictive.

Best Poems Written by Rachel Preston

Affect Vs Effect

The Funny Side of Strokes - My Hospital Embarrassment

Contact Lens

Everything In Life Happens For a Reason

Funny Side of Strokes - I Know I Shouldn'T Have Laughed

Confusion, Denial and Acceptance

Try To Imagine

Tribute To Hannah

Look Before You Gesture - a True Story

Sudoku