Hafsa’s Poems

In Hafsa’s Poems, readers are invited to delve into the heart of the author’s personal journey with mental health. From the depths of psychosis and depression to the highs of love, fantasy, and identity, these poems explore a wide range of experiences and emotions. Written as a form of catharsis during times of turmoil and mental health crises, these poems offer a window into the mind of the author and the struggles they have faced. Alongside reflections on the pandemic, these poems showcase the power of self-expression and the healing that can be found through the written word.

Happy Never After?

Harry had been a happy-go-lucky member of the human race until his girlfriend of two years decided she preferred the company of her own gender. Since then his life had become a downward spiral of misery and self-pity. His best friend Paulie had been as supportive as any male can be, but he too was beginning to drown in Harry’s woes, as were the rest of their group. Together with his twin sister Sarah, Paulie was determined to get Harry ‘back on the horse’ and find a girl. They knew that if that endeavour was to have any chance of success, he would need to recover his happier self. Thus began Harry’s quest to trawl through some of the myriad alternative therapies in a desperate attempt to ‘pull himself together’. Unfortunately for Harry, ‘Murphy’s law’ was a reality and anything that could go wrong, did, usually in the most unlikely and worst possible ways. The adage ‘There’s always someone worse off than you’ is true and in the world of alternative therapy that person is Harry. Throughout this rather painful journey of self-discovery, his awareness of deepening feelings for Sarah slowly develops. Join Harry through the trials and tribulations of his journey to enlightenment and hopefully love. This is his story.

Hartsfield

Prepare to be captivated by the intriguing tale of Jane Clair, a woman harbouring a secret she dare not divulge to her enigmatic employer, John Ronald. In a desperate bid to preserve her job at Hartsfield, a place upon which her very livelihood depends, Jane must leave behind her cherished loved ones – Charlie, her childhood sweetheart, and her devoted grandfather – and venture into the enigmatic realm of Hartsfield. Little does she know that her life is about to undergo an unforeseen twist within the confines of this mysterious estate.

Haunted by the possibility of joining the ranks of the countless housemaids carelessly dismissed by John Ronald in the past, Jane must navigate her new role without prior experience in the world of housekeeping. Will John Ronald succumb to the allure of Jane’s beauty and captivating personality? Can she escape the fate that has befallen others who failed to meet his exacting standards?

Prepare for a journey brimming with friendship, love, and heartbreak as Jane’s path intertwines with the magical realm of true love. Delve into a world where secrets and desires collide, where the bonds of loyalty are tested, and where the ultimate power of love can transcend all obstacles.

Harvest

Harvest was forged in an emotional melting-pot. The author was walking one morning in the grounds of Fulbourn Psychiatric Hospital near Cambridge, having been held under a section of the Mental Health Act. This meant that she could not leave the hospital grounds. But the grounds were extensive and from the edge of the gardens she could see Fulbourn windmill standing on the brow of Fulbourn Hill. She reached deeply inside herself and came up with a poem which, though she had always written, came from a place more serious and resonant than ever before.
Gradually, other poems followed, detailing her interaction with the mental health system and the consoling connection she felt with the natural world. On her release, she finished the collection: songs, sonnets, hymns and ballads, a readable variety of responses to harsh experience.

Hatrack

In the time of Cromwell’s rule, young and out-of-work Navy navigator, Charles ‘Soap’ Karma is tricked into joining the cunning and oftentimes comedic crew of the Blunderbuss, a pirate ship captained by John Dunsworthy, set to sail from England to Cuba.

Along the voyage, he quickly makes friends, enemies and a few in between, as he experiences the true highs and lows, that come with the life of a pirate.

Havoc

Step into the haunting world of Havoc: The Rise of Ɖavo, where the brutal war that gripped Croatia in 1991 is just the beginning of a genocidal wave that threatens humanity’s very existence. But one man has been planning for this all along. To him, the Battle of Vukovar and the spread of violence symbolize an imperfect world that needs to be torn down and rebuilt from the ground up. He sees himself as a hero, a psychopath, an invincible death machine, and the next messiah prophesized by religion.

Havoc is the continuing saga of Ɖavo, a man bound by addiction and taboo, and his journey through the darkest depths of the human psyche. It is a rollercoaster ride through nightmares and twilight dimensions, where demons and monsters lurk around every corner. As Ɖavo’s plan unfolds, he travels deeper into the horrors of his own mind and unleashes Hell on Earth.

This thought-provoking and exhilarating tour de force explores humanity’s failings and the path that leads us towards oblivion. It delves into one man’s journey and the heinous acts he embraces to put things right, with a mantra that dictates ‘no prisoners, death to all, spare no one.’ But as the demons grow restless and impatient, the plan risks spiraling out of control.

Head in the Clouds

Head in the Clouds is the debut poetry collection by Doncaster-based writer and humorist John Fedorenko. A fun, quirky compendium of thoughts and musings on various topics, ranging from the frustration felt by having a low phone battery to the utter delight of experiencing gut-busting laughter.
John shares childhood memories of his bizarrely behaved first pet and of growing up with an ancient TV. He reveals his unlikely idea for a remarkable invention and the real reason vending machines get stuck!
Poems on the philosophy of life and the fragility of time are presented alongside those on the importance of tea and how he was once madly jealous of a hamster. There’s even a poem about writing a poem...
From the serious to the surreal, from longer pieces to witty single-verse observations and traditionally written limericks, Head in the Clouds offers an entertaining, funny and uplifting insight into the mind of a self-confessed scatterbrain! 

Head in the Stratosphere

Let me keep you company in these pages. Take my palm and understand that in your hand you hold a piece of my soul, the most intimate part that allowed me to grow. Know that I write for us both and that you’re not on your own as we travel deeply into our unknown. Let me express for you what we both do not say and in that find our way through infinity toward divinity.

Heart over Time

Heart over Time encapsulates the sense of intrigue, of appointed times and of personal election that permeates the writer's work throughout. Marie Barrett's poetry and prose has a 'Jacob's ladder' type feel to it, the journey of life winding and rewinding itself with new revelations revealed in old themes. From her first book, The Witnesses, which was written under instructions from the words in a dream: ‘Write about your experiences in London and call the book The Witnesses.’ a follow-up to Over the Boundaries, in which a wide spectrum of emotions are confronted. In Heart over Time, eschatological concerns are particularly to the fore, stemming most poignantly from the recent death of her husband. The internal rhythms of the speech of her soul find a companion in nature and in the silent workings of the seasons and the universe and have a hypnotising effect that draws the reader in its wake to a state of shared metaphysical being.

Heart to Let

Amy Spencer, the novel’s heroine, is a 20^th-century Jane Eyre. Not born into a family of status or wealth, she nonetheless had a good education at a single-sex Grammar School near Elephant and Castle in London and an upbringing which enabled her to mix in the various strata of society she encounters in the changing and challenging world she lives in. Amy considers herself the equal, both socially and intellectually, of the men she meets and she succeeds in a profession steeped in tradition and precedent which is male-dominated when she enters it aged 23. But dear reader, does she marry her Mr Rochester? You will have to read the book to find out.

Heart ’n’ Mind

This poetry book is based on a journey of struggle and hurt. The hope is that the words in here take you through the life journey of Sammy and that the words help anyone who has been through similar times, if not the same. Her aim for this poetry book was to create awareness that no one is ever alone and that there is always someone out there who has suffered in the same way you have.

Yes, the poetry in here is based on loss and violence suffered and for Sammy, writing this book is her way of saying, ‘You don’t have to hurt and suffer in pain alone, write it down and turn it into help for others.’

Heartless

Only a few selected humans know aliens have already invaded Earth, and those who ignore the truth must be kept in ignorance. What would their reaction be? Would it trigger war? Nobody knows and nobody wishes to know, but the relationship held between both worlds slowly starts sinking into an unavoidable conflict.

Kyra’s identity is kept secret from humans. To them, she must appear normal and anonymous; be no one special, and act like everyone else. But despite her adaptability, her identity always pulls her back to her roots; she isn’t made to fit in a narrow-minded world, and the world isn’t ready to accept her.

The missions she must overcome to protect herself and preserve peace between both worlds constantly push her to her limits, slowly revealing her true origins. Will she save the world before it is too late? The countdown has already started.