I lived in a big house
With beautiful views.
I was happy in my house.
But there was a heavy
locked door.
It was dusty
And unused.
I used to dream
What lay behind that door?
I dreamed I searched for the key.
I was unable to be free
If I did not unlock that door.
When awake
I mused and wondered.
What was that door in my life?
I was a happy mother and wife.
I could not find the key
But through the keyhole I saw
A second part to my house.
As large and grand as the first
But covered in dust
And derelict.
How could I live in half a house?
How could I let a part dilapidate?
I needed to open that door!
And in the day the dream stayed with me.
What was the key?
And then one day,
I realised
A whole part of me I had ignored!
And now that part was knocking
From inside its locked door.
I began to write,
I began to draw.
I wrote a book and more.
Then in my dream I saw it
The key was lying on the floor!
I dreamed the lock was stiff
The hinges needed oil.
The rooms inside were thick with dust.
Did I really have the energy to toil
To clean and paint and remove the rust?
In the days I worked on my new creations.
I learnt new skills.
Fought my fears and trepidations.
It seemed it would be easier
To lock that door again!
But I cannot live
In half a house.
I have to renovate and restore
Neglected talents
Hidden desires.
If ignored, left in the dark
A fire might spark
There in the dust.
My whole house could burn!
As I clean those dusty rooms
And see some paint shining through,
My days are filled with a new excitement
And in my dreams
I see the views.
Sharon Heaney Stansfield
See Sharon's revolutionary programme to teach your child to read