Saving Grace is a series that takes us to the depths of self-discovery. A representation of women who thought they had lost everything and yet found strength in their weaknesses, and the trauma they thought defined them.
We are never stronger than when we think we are at our weakest.
Each image has its own defining poem, written by both myself, and my close and amazingly strong and insightful friend Tania.
We hope they bring you strength in yourself & hope beyond despair
#Grief
Last night grief came to visit.
And gently took my hand.
It knew that I was broken.
As we walked upon the sand.
I glanced beyond my shoulder.
And all that I could see.
Was a pretty world of wonder.
Much better without me.
As I embraced the ocean.
Cold upon it's tip.
I wondered, was I ready.
To make this final trip.
The sunrise that embraced me.
Gently warmed my skin.
I realised it's not over.
But time to re-begin.
From grief's grip I loosened.
It's ever tightening hand.
I stood and faced the sunshine.
Then walked back towards the land.
~ Beverley Ashburner 2020
Saving Grace
There’s a horror in her heart
It will not let her go
A girl born unwanted
The reason she will never know
She never felt like she belonged
Always searching for a mother
How could she not love her
She learnt to seek comfort from many others
She was never crazy
Just wanting to be belong
To the woman who gave birth to her
A bond that should be strong
She numbed her hurt with alcohol
But it didn’t soothe her soul
Her mask was a smiling fake
She fell into a deep, dark hole
I understand why she ran
She felt trapped and broken
From a man who forced himself upon her
His name remains unspoken
And one day changed everything
A baby she would love with all her heart
She couldn’t wait to meet her
Her baby would know love from the very start
She’s in her middle age now
The hurt of her Mum is still there
Her baby a grown woman now
Their love for each other beyond compare
There’s a fire in her belly
And a smile upon her face
She knows love from lots of people
And her daughter, her saving grace.
~Tania Mckay 2020
You Don't Know Me
I know you think you know me.
We smile and we have fun.
But you don't ever see me once the day is done.
My bruises are all hidden
From what others want to see
But the sadness will engulf me
the darkness that is me
My sorrow is unspoken
Veiled by a cloke,
My happiness is failing
At times it makes me choke
But in my darkest moments when I think that I am done
I think of something little
And how you point me to the sun.
~Beverley Ashburner 2020
