Poems by Hayley

13/07/2026

Don't cut your flowers

You call yourself a gardener,
You show your shears off proud and high,
Yet every time a flower blooms,
You're first to make it die.

You cut if off to prove your worth,
To show what you have tended,
But every flower lost this way,
Makes sure the growth has ended.

For a lighthouse does not sink ships
To prove it owns the shore,
It simply shines through wind and rain,
To keep ships sailing forevermore.

And a nurse does not break bones,
To show others that she can heal,
Her gift is keeping pain at bay,
While remaining human and real.

A teacher doesn't shame a child,
To make a point that they can teach.
They lift young minds with patient hands,
They do not move the goal from reach.

So if your flowers never bloom,
Perhaps you've cut each one?
Don't wonder where all the colour went,
When you're the reason they're gone.

For gardens flourish, bright and free,
Where gentle care outshines control.
And the best gardeners leave behind,
Far more blossoms than they ever stole.

21/04/2026

A mothers reminder

You wake before the morning light,
With tired eyes but spirit bright,
A hundred things upon your mind,
Yet still you're gentle, still you're kind.

The days are long, the nights are too,
There’s always something left to do,
A quiet sigh and hidden tears,
But still you work through your fears.

You give your all, then give some more,
Even when you feel unsure,
I know you question choices you've made,
Trying not to show that you're afraid.

Because in every hug you give,
In every single life you lift,
I know you're looking for a sign,
But you've been enough all this time.

Your hard work doesn’t go unseen,
You're stronger than you’ve ever been,
Although you have doubts along the way,
You're doing more than words can say.

So here’s the truth, clear and true,
You're everything she needs from you,
A loving mum, so full of grace,
The safest, warmest, strongest place.

And I hope you know, deep in your heart,
You've been incredible from the start,
Through every struggle, every mile,
You're doing so well, just look at your child.

16/04/2026

Created a TikTok for my poems if anyone is interested please give me a follow 🥰

.by.hayley 1 Followers, 1 Following, 1 Likes - Watch awesome short videos created by Poems by Hayley

10/04/2026

When grief met life

When grief met life it was an uneasy meeting.
The two well known to each other, but essentially worlds apart.
One often sought after.
The other feared.
So grief introduced itself.
But it was not welcome.
Everything grief brushed past seemed to become tainted with memories, sadness.
A favorite mug, a well worn jumper, an empty seat around the table.
Grief made these things unbearable when it first arrived.
But grief was persistent.
It would show up when least expected.
Grief had no shame.
A random tuesday. Middle of the night.
An aisle of the supermarket, where it would painfully point out all of their favorite things.
It could be cruel like that.
But after a while.
Grief realised it had introduced itself wrong all that time ago, it was being misunderstood.
Grief wasnt trying to be cruel.
But it forgot it also went by another name.
Albeit one not commonly used as it was only ever told to those grief trusted.
And so grief removed their mask and reintroduced itself again.
At once it became easily recognisable.
Of course grief and life had met before.
Just under griefs other name.

Love.

17/03/2026

I'm (not) replaceable

I’m replaceable in places,
where the world keeps ticking on,
In the chaos of the shifts I work,
I'd soon be replaced if I were gone.

Another number, another face,
Just another pair of hands,
They'd learn my job, take my place,
Just like the system plans.

In cafés where I sit with coffee,
In shops where cashiers greet,
I’m just a voice that comes and goes,
A smile they briefly meet.

Even at work where I give more,
Than anyone can possibly see,
I know how quickly I could become,
A past, gone, identity.

But home is where that changes,
Where I have roots and where I stay,
There’s no one else who fills my space,
In quite the same big way.

No one laughs the way I do,
Or knows the things I know,
No one holds my memories,
Or helps those around me grow.

And don't mistake this for pity,
Because I know my worth,
Because no one else has lived my life,
This one I’ve had since birth.

But out there, I’m just a role I play,
a name badge, playing a part,
but here at home, I’m something more,
I’m etched into every heart.

So while the world can replace us,
In cafes, work, or school,
At home we cannot be replaced,
And isn't that beautiful.

26/02/2026

Inner protection

Am I really so easy to step on,
So easy to place the blame?
I'm getting tired of constant lies,
Like to them it's all some game.

I know I'm soft in heart and mind,
But I really don't find it fair,
Instead of taking blame for yourself,
You decide it is mine to share.

I've always been one to admit,
When I am one who is at fault,
But people take advantage of that,
So in my wounds they rub their salt.

It makes so I can't trust easily,
And everytime I finally let others in,
Someone reminds me, yet again,
Trusting others for me is a sin.

So maybe it's time to get harder,
To grow a shell for my protection,
And then when others try to blame me,
They will only see their reflection.

23/12/2025

Havent shared one in a while! But today I think this is apt! ❤️

They don’t tell you, that nursing is learning how to love people we've just met,
It's about showing up full-hearted, when you don’t even know their names yet.
This job will nearly break you, then hand you meaning in the same breath.
It’ll teach you how to live fully, while standing close to death.
We clean up messes no one sees, carry fears that aren’t our own,
We hold hands through final breaths, so no one dies alone.
But if you ever ask me, even after the tears, the strain, the stress,
And after everything it takes from me, I’d still choose this damn mess.
Because nursing isn’t just what I do, it’s truly who I'm born to be,
And even on my worst days, I couldn’t be anything else but me.
Too often we’re shouted at, cursed, hurt and made to take blame,
Treated like we’re less than human, like our care is just a game.
Because somewhere between the chaos, the mayhem, battle and wars,
Is a nurse, like me, who gave up her life, to learn how to save yours.