by Jean Long
© 2010 JEAN LONG
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced
in any form or by any means—graphic, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording, taping or information storage and
retrieval systems—without the prior written permission of the author.
ISBN: 978-1-907179-84-6
A CIP catalogue for this book is available from the
National Library.
Published by ORIGINAL WRITING LTD., Dublin, 2010.
Printed in Great Britain by MPG Books Group, Bodmin and Kings Lynn
Acknowledgements
First let me thank my new friends at Original Writing for all their help, advice and encouragement on this book.
To my parents, Michael and Patricia O’Brien (My father a Fine Poet in his own right)
To my parents in-law James and Christina Long, whom I love dearly, without these four wonderful people life would have been very hard and very dull. We all love you more than words can say thank you.
To our family and friends in both Limerick and Kerry who have supported us over the years in my ill health. As well as Dr Michael Griffin and staff at both practices I am forever grateful to you all.
To Jackie, Lynda and Kaya for helping me out in my crisis and taking me on a great trip
Kaya you and I will go Witchy Hunting again soon.
To Judith, Dee and Graham for holding down the fort at Geray thank you for everything. To Paul and Aileen my computer repair man what would I do without you thanks so very much. To my great friend and other Grandmother to my girls, a lady that has always encouraged me, Sylvia thanks always for the special care you give.
To my Road Trip group, the finest group of teenagers anyone would be lucky enough to know.
Vanessa, Katie, Niamh, Maria and Claire thank you for the wonderful memories. To Carmel, Caroline, Maureen and Anne. I am sure I drove you all mad with plans what with it being exam year. I promise not to be as bad next year! ! To all staff at the Fitzpatrick New York, NY, you have such a generous heart thank you. Also thanks to all the staff at the Back Bay Hotel Boston.
To Mr and Mrs Jim Sullivan New York, Irelands Missing Gem, words fail me on the depth of your kindness; you guys are the greatest thank you...
To our good friends in Boston all the Carey family and the Boston Fire department, I hope we’ll meet again soon.
To Anne for passing on your wealth of knowledge on awareness groups, for such disabilities thank you for, always taking the time to send me new information.
Thanks too, to the Staff at the Ulster bank for Dooradoyle for their support and the staff at the EBS Dooradoyle also, who are always there to support local talent a big thank you to you both.
To the people at Dyslexia Ireland Limerick, Kerry and Cork thank you for your support
To all our new Friends at Limericks Got Music, Tommy, Trina, Jason, Nail, Greg to name but a few, you guys are all really great...
To the Principle and staff at Copeswood College, in Pallaskenery especially your resource program for dealing with such disabilities in a sensitive way every day. I have to give a special mention to a wonderful patient Lady Edel King who is very aware what it can be like for children and adults dealing with such problems.
And last but not least to you the most important, reader and bookstore staff. I thank you so very much for your purchase of this book and sincerely hope you enjoy it enough to tell your friends about it in the hope they will enjoy it to.
Thanks to you all most sincerely,
Jean
Dear reader
I’d like to thank you first of all for purchasing this book
‘A Right Brain Mind in a Left Brain World’
This book is written with a Dyslexic brain, but not just for the Dyslexic brain!
Here I have done something, no Author in their right mind should ever do it’s a real No, No. In this business it could be classed as a death sentence...
But it is a chance I am prepared to take so you the reader might understand how difficult it is when you have conditions such as Dyslexia, Numerlexia and Visual Spatial Difficulties...
This is not an excuse it is a condition actually three separate conditions each presenting its own problems all of which could take forever to explain.
Firstly and most importantly you have to understand how the dyslexic mind sees things. Things such as, ‘who’ becomes ‘how’, and ‘saw’ becomes ‘was’, the list is endless... people say use a dictionary. I do, and on my computer I use word which has spell check and other like programmes. I will write or type the way my mind sees things but that doesn’t mean it is right...
We try to very hard to put on paper the works and words be it fiction or none that we have created, if it was possible we would all be famous a very long time ago!!
But do you know; people that use there right brain are far more creative, and so I am writing this book for you. You the right brain mind in a left brain world. I want you to get out your pen and get working, but what I still want you to do is have your work proof read and edited this book is about getting you started. Remember even the most famous writers in the world have a proof reader and editor and so should you.
I sincerely hope you enjoy reading these; my first book of poems, prose and short stories as much as I have enjoyed writing them. In return, I am looking forward to reading your work. I know you can do it, please know that you can to.
Kind Regards
Jean Long
A RIGHT BRAIN CHILD
IN A LEFT BRAIN WORLD
How mornings sleepy head
has been called and called I ignored
The last pled before temper flares
You receive your full title
Throw down the shoe I’m up
Down the stairs do I have to go
Yes I don’t want to hear anymore
But
No buts
I promise I’ll go tomorrow
No you’ll go today
This the running battle she and I had
Now I realise the care she instilled
even if I didn’t then
She wasn’t to know
I a right brain child in a left brain world
Or is that the other way round!
HAVING DIFFICULTY
This is hard this writing lark
Short stories, poetry and prose
You see
My spelling is a disaster
My grammar is worse
Punctuation none existent
So how can I began to explain
Will you even understand
The difficulties I face everyday
Yes I have been schooled really I have
But nothing went in
If it did it didn’t stay
Know it doesn’t stay
It hurts to be this way
You feel such a failure and fool
And you give up, just give up
But your brain tells these stories
Of fairy fantasy lands
In a time now forgotten
And poetry and prose
It’s all well in hand
And I pick up my note book
You see I scribble when I can
But it’s hid in that note book
In no man’s land for no one to see
Sometimes not even me
Why would you want to see
With spelling a disaster
And Grammar even worse
Punctuation nonexistent
Who’d dare want to read
And one day while dwindling away?
On the pc at home I
logged on to
A site where I really felt at home
I was encouraged and tutored
And this opened new doors
It built up my confidence
And gave me a new start
Because being Dyslexic
Doesn’t mean I’m not smart
It just means I have difficulties
Specific problems with words
In the way my mind sees things
I will spell simple words backwards
Or miss out half the line
This because I try so hard
To put it down on paper
Before it’s all gone
Because I never will remember
What it was, I wanted to say
So please be patient with
People like me
Were not lazy silly or simple
You see we try, we try we do
So I’ll leave it to you
To prompt me and tell me
Where my spelling is wrong
If my grammar is awful
Or if my punctuations all gone
I thank you from my heart for your kind words to me
I welcome you all and encourage you, you see
Because I understand how it can be when you are a newbie
Or like me you have difficulty
LIFE AND LOVE
MANY MORNING GLORY'S
New rose bud pout,
Wisps of spun fairy gold,
Tiny little digits catch
The morning air,
Limbs were tangled in the night,
When morning comes to you awake
I sneak a peek and hide a smile
For you sit in all your glory
Covered from head to toe
Making a great big show
Of a wonderess mess
That you have made
Oh no not again bab
I find the tub the source of sin
Its empty so it’s for the bin
Now it’s time for bath and bubbles
Laughs and shrieks and silly songs
So we forget all the wrongs
Now as mummy cuddles
And baby chuckles
Wrapped in the warmth of
Their Love
She wish’s many morning glories
THE BLESSING
She moves with the grace of a swan
A light touch like a sprinkle of star dust
Her scent intoxicating
She hears your every pain
Those big blue eyes will capture you in
But her voice is heaven sent
A rich treasure she is unsure of
I ask of you please grant her the confidence
she so wish’s to gain and no money can buy
For me she will always be the one
My very own super star
My blessing
WITH CONFIDENCE
Take now one step at a time
Concentrate
Hold that thought
Don’t waver
Steady, it’s in reach
You are almost there
We believe in you
Now believe in us too
Our only goal is you
So how ever high you
set your sights
We will walk beside you
We have faith in you
You must have faith too
So take that leap
With confidence
And smile as you sing
We are smiling for you
WITH THANKS
Sorrow tears that flow
on face show not of some disgrace
Eye's that light up now
are bright a wonderful
sight in the night
Clinging to her Teddy bear
all curled up in Daddy's chair
While listening to a story told
of prince and princess never bold
And now eyelids began to bow
As she drifts into her slumber how
I wish I could be there
running bare foot without a care
flying high above the clouds
Till morning comes and new
day arrives adventure waits
for her arise
I wonder now as I tuck her in
how I lucked out and I grin
at my little mischief maker
As I pray to god he'll
never take her from me now
this wonderess spirit
Years of laughter love and joy
ahead of us I hope I cry
she came to us from Angels high
Adored and cherished for ever more
And once again my heart will soar
With thanks, some more
MY LOVING VALENTINE
You won my heart so long ago
For better or for worse
You held my hand along the way
And every day you say
You wouldn’t chance it anyway
So every day I pray
I pray you’ll stay beside me
And keep me from god’s door
But you assure me readily
You love me even more
More now than many moons
Through every hill we’ve climbed
The good times and bad times
You never seem to mind
So my love I thank you
From the bottom of my heart
And wish for you a valentine
Filled with love and laughter
Let this be our starter
Our main course and desert
And after let us linger
Let us not lift a finger
As we relax in our love
And thank god above
For the moments we have shared
That we have dared to
Continue to be paired
My valentine is you
I’ll stay forever true
To your love
To My Funny Valentine,
Mr. G.
TO WATCH FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND
I walked along the beach today
To watch the footprints in the sand
Remember it’s what we used to do
Then we'd wish we were in another land
We'd climb up into the dunes
To check out the castle ruins
Where we would pretend to be of court
As we bowed to the castle knights
While giggling with all our might
We'd stay there until night would call
Never once did we have a fight
Then one day you did not come
Your mum said she thought
you'd had too much sun
But days and days had passed
And I didn't understand why
You said you were tired all the time
And I just told you, you were a whine
I was gonna find another friend
One who wasn't going to stay in bed
You cried I wouldn't listen to your plea’s
At home that day my mother sat me down
She told me how you were dreadfully sick
How I had to be ready to say goodbye
I cried and cried
I promise god I'd be good for the rest of my days
Just as long as he didn't take you away
My friend I loved so dear
My mother took me on a trip
To a place I'd never been before
The smell it made my tummy sick
As I felt my heart begin to pound
A lady all dressed in white
Showed us to your door
She said we must be quite
But when I caught that first sigh of you
I went and held your hand
You whispered my name
You sounded just the same
We talked about the beach
And how I'd always find you there
In the footpri
nts in the sand
And then you closed your eyes
You just whispered goodbye
I tried so hard not to cry
And as I watched you die
You whispered to me
Remember footprints in the sand
That’s where I'll always be
You the best friend a girl could ever have
OH DO COME AND MEET MILLIE!
Oh do come and meet Millie
People say she's a little odd
But I'm sure I don't know why
She holds her head up very high
Indignant you might say
For she loves a scratch upon her chin
And if you don't it's such a sin
She likes to have her milk served cold.
Of course if not I'm awful bold
She's very fussy about her food
Or gets into an awful mood
Liver and Chicken and she's such a kitten
Guine or foul and she's starts to howl
But a companion, you could not have better
She's loyal and true and belongs just to you
So Millies here to stay if she has her way
A SHOULDER TO SHOW YOU CARE
There is a friend
Who needs a shoulder
How I wish I could be there
Because I really care
Life is hard what with all it's knocks
It can rock you off your socks
And you wish from here
You could blow a kiss
That would land upon her cheek
So she'd know that you were there
That you did really care
I'd love to take away her burden
And grant her with some peace some ease
Lift that worry down off her shoulder
To free her from her heavy load
So she can breath and see that it is not she
Who must decide and she must abide with
The challenge set out by those
Whos work it is to solve the situation
As our friendship grows just know
We are there and we care if you need to share.
A TEENAGE MOMENT
The storm blows through
Everything is topsy torvy
Mood change mood swings
Can I have a moment here
Totally ignored nothing new
Late night wait and wait
Explanation a shrug of shoulders
Doors bang music blares