A Window in Time (Darkness into Light)

Written for the event, Darkness into Light at Sacred Trinity Church, Salford.
Thursday 19th March 2026
Responding to the paintings of Janice Lightowler and her journey through chronic illness.

Link: A Window in Time 


She has learned the value of hiding her face
Behind a smile
Behind a calm veneer
Pasted on every morning
Crumbling off every night

She has learned the value of hiding her voice
Behind the cheery good mornings
Behind the daily chatter
So the important matters
Don't make it crack

She has learned the value of watching her hands
While they hold the coffee cup
Concentrating the tremors away
To avoid the embarrassment
Of making a mess
Again

She has learned the value of keeping it all in
Of not scaring away
This one who might care
This one who might run
When she realises it's just too much

She has learned the value of condensation
On a café window
On a bone-aching day
In the pouring rain.




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