Christmas – Skirtingroundmylife

Taxi For Covid

As we get ready to celebrate as best we can, our second Christmas of the pandemic this poem let’s you know what I’d like to order from Santa and that’s why it’s titled Taxi For Covid. I hope you enjoy the read.

Taxi For Covid

From nowhere dark clouds
blacked out light from our lives
we were told to stay home
not to panic buy essential stuff
to venture outside only when we absolutely must

This invisible threat was new to us
a modern day plague swept across borders
changing the established order
forcing us to challenge ourselves
in to finding new ways of doing things
we would never have thought of before

We couldn’t ignore it
though elites did their best to wish it away
homes became our workspace
and classrooms for those in education
we sought inspiration in new ways
during difficult days in an uncertain world
we learned new skills
as technology helped us to see
the friends and family
we weren’t allowed to visit in real time

The internet was our saviour
patterns of behaviour changed
and almost everything moved online
this might have worked for some
but one size didn’t fit all
as many longed for the day
they could to go to the football, the shops or the pub

Meanwhile Zoom was our nightclub , our concert our spoken word gig,
our shared social space
till we waited for the darkness to lift
along with our spirits
when news of a vaccine arrived

Now we’ve survived the worst of the storm
these unforeseen events always bring
though we’re not quite out of the woods just yet
chaos will tempt us by offering just one last dance
before departing to his fate

it is up us to politely decline his request
or be more assertive if required
in telling this nightmare we don’t desire his company
then send him on his way
as we get that shot in the arm
and order a taxi for Covid

When The Tan Starts To Fade

In this poem I look st the topic of holiday romances and the advice you’ll often get from your mum or that well meaning aunt or neighbour when you return home all lovestruck from your two weeks in the sun. I’ve given it the title When.The Tan Starts To Fade I hope you enjoy the read.

When The Tan Starts To Fade

Summer, now a distant memory
Memories made forever treasured

Holiday romance long forgotten
only a part of you still remembers

Surrendering to summer loving
lust and endless nights of pleasure

He’s back in Italy your home in Glasgow
you didn’t quite belong together

For two weeks temptation, bikini and mini skirt
Now the career girl in smart business suit

The language of lust takes account of no geography
though it’s too soon replaced
by the tongue which speaks truth

You may dream of Rome
or wherever he came from
but your caution and instinct meant no plans were made

You may or may not send an email at Christmas
you’ll find comfort in dreams
when the tan starts to fade

Sexism In The City

This poem came out of a conversation on feminism with the traditional musican Siobhan Wilson. During our chat I shared a story from my past to show that even as a transwoman I had experienced sexism. Well that story has now turned into a poem and at the suggestion of my friend Stacey McFarlane I’ve titled it Sexism In The City. I hope you enjoy the read.

Sexism In The City

It was the winter of 98
I had one foot out the closet door
just a few weeks before that night
I in my pre transitioned state
was refused entry
to a city centre nightclub
but this time things would be different
it was the run up to Christmas
and one of my pals
invited me out on a girls night
naturally I said yes
and all dolled up in a long bob
red sparkly dress , glossy tights, and knee length boots
I knew how good I looked
and how confident I felt
it was like butter wouldn’t melt
well what the hell it was the season to be jolly and glam
as I danced in the club to I am what I am
and I am woman hear me roar
I reflected how easily I walked through the door
as I passed the same guy
who a few weeks earlier had refused me admission
I began to see the world
in a very different light
and understand why
to some guys especially caveman types
the dress code actually matters
as would be patter merchants
leared at the length of our dresses
and I got my first taste
of sexism in the city.

The Blether

In this poem I explore the idea of a socially distanced chat like the one I enjoyed with my friend Leanne on the first Sunday of the year. I’ve given it the title The Blether I hope you enjoy the read.

The Blether

On the First Sunday of the year
just when the sky had changed
from daylight to traditional winter black
it dressed to impress the stars
and let the street lamps know it meant business
my friend sends me a message
she asks me if I’m up for a socially distanced chat
informing me she’ll be passing my way
on the road back from the shops
it’s the hour between dinner and boredom
despite the freezing cold weather
I’m up for a blether its been too long
since our last catch up
March seems like a million yesterdays ago
the chill in the air says it’s cold enough for snow
wrapped up and masked up
I go to the front door of my flat
I see a shadow we chat
about our lives since lockdown started
in the dark of late afternoon
the fog restricts my view
I’m cautious about the two metre rule
she says it’s cool we’re about two and a half metres apart
my heart tells me how different this has been in the past
how it will be again when we finally reach a post covid world
and we return to the normality we knew
we swapped festive stories the way friends do
though she would have found my Christmas dinner tale unbelievable
had it been anyone else
but with me involved she knew it was true
she updated me on all her news
saying that home schooling three kids
was both challenging and entertaining
not that she was complaining
well it meant she could work from home
I told her as an unpaid poet that’s all I ever did
we knew this was surreal
the two of us speaking to shadows
covered by an overcoat of fog
mindful of the cold
we didn’t stay out too long
well it was we agreed
better to be safe than sorry
as we prepared for the morning
and tighter restrictions
to symbolise the end of the festivities
and a return to the familiar reality
we’ve known since this unwelcome visitor
became a squatter in our lives
we knew we could have talked for longer
but she had a family awaiting her return
we agreed we should do this again
though it’s hard to keep your distance
from a friend you want to hug
we both know that will have to wait
till a proper get together
and this type of blether will have to do
at least for the foreseeable future

Skirting Round My Life 2020 My Year On The Blog

As I look back on the events of 2020 I have to say that it wasn’t the year I or anyone expected it to be. These past 12 months have been like a rollercoaster ride for us all and this has been reflected in Skirting Round My Life as it has in every blog, journal , magazine or other news outlets.

On looking at the statistics it’s been a game of swings and roundabouts as to some extent it always is in the blogging world. While there has been progress with the number of both comments reaching record levels it is offset by the fact that there was a drop in overall page views.

The first thing to say that Skirtingroundmylife gained 3, 018 views in 2020. This represented an drop of 7% from it’s 2019 total of 3,262. Though naturally disappointed with the drop I am not in the least bit surprised as the national lockdown caused by the Covid19 pandemic was bound to have some impact on the blog. Yet despite the challenging circumstances this has been a year of only slight decline with average views down to 7 views per day compared to 8 in the last two years.

This I think was due in no small part to lockdown though the fact I didn’t promote certain poems anywhere near as much as I should also contributed. This is something I will work towards improving in 2021.

That said there is one area where has been noticeable growth is in the number of posts published which rose from 88 to 98 in the last twelve months. It can also be said that the number of both visitors to the site and comments on posts are both up with the later more than doubling from 8 to 28, and likes increasing from 74 to 83

Topics covered in the last twelve months included Age, Birthdays, Bisexuality, Bullying, Childhood, Christmas, Coming Out, Ceilidhs, Concerts, Covid19, Dancing , Dating, Death, Disability, Discrimination, Equality, Family, Faith, Fashion, Gratitude, Kindness, Lockdown, Love, Lingerie, Memories, Mental Health, Poetry, Relationships, Role Models, Secrets, Social Distancing, Stereotypes, The Broga Frois, Transition, Transphobia, Transport, Visibility, and last but not least Football

2020 saw a slight dip in my global reach as visiting nations were slightly down from 34 in 2019 to 31 last year. The top five countries were UK , USA, Ireland, Canada, and Australia, With New Zealand, Spain, Turkey, Iraq, and Germany, making up the top ten. There were also readers from countries including South Africa, The Netherlands, Belgium, Finland, Argentina, Norway, and much to my astonishment Guadalupe, Yes readers my words reach glamorous places.

As all the statistics have now properly evaluated it is time to bring this review to its conclusion but before I do so I just want thank all my readers. Whether you subscribe to the site or read the posts on social media sites like Facebook or Twitter it doesn’t really matter, the main thing is that you read them and find them entertaining, enjoyable , thought provoking and maybe in some cases challenging. I really hope you’ll continue to do so as that’s what makes blogging so enjoyable for those us who put our opinions out there on the blogosphere for you to read. So all that remains is for me to wish you A Happy, Successful, and Peaceful New Year and I hope you’ll keep skirting round my life throughout 2021 and beyond .

Till next time

Gayle X

Twelve Days

Happy New Year one and all. Since my first post of the year is written on the first Monday of the month it seems appropriate to share this poem on the night Jen and I made our journey to our first ever night at Milk which was to become our new home for Words And Music . I’ve given it the title it Twelve Days when you read you’ll understand why.

Twelve Days (For Jen )

Slowly and carefully she maps out
a route to the future
it’s pitch black
as workers travel home
from their first day back
the empty streets
speak in the silence
as the Christmas decorations
shine for one last night
before the return to normality
ends the season of goodwill
tills jingle less than church bells
as the new year settles in
standing in the shadows of the city
she waits aprenhensively
on the arrival of her younger friend
hoping she doesn’t freeze to death in the chill of the winter air
on catching her eye
her companion rushes to meet her
and in the dark of a January sky
they catch up on Christmas stories
venturing together to the poetry night
they co-host
as they wait for the bus
in the quiet of an early evening
they see not ghosts
but a heart shaped chain
made by memories
and an unbreakable bond
grows stronger
with gifts of smiles and friendship
they will share for far longer
than just twelve days a year

Gift To Herself

In this poem I look at what can often be one of the hardest days a transwoman or indeed any trans person can ever face and that’s their first Christmas with the family. This is a day which is often fraught with difficulties and needs to be handled with care and sensitivity to ensure all goes as well as it can in the circumstances particularly if it is also the day when the family and friends find out the name their relative has chosen to be known by. I’ve given it the title Gift To Herself I hope you enjoy the read.

Gift To Herself

Aprenhensive she expected
stares, glares, and growls
when she wore her dress to dinner
that her mother said was unfit to be seen
in front of the queen on this day of all days
like the monarch had a direct satellite
in to their front room
as if she watched her dad carve the turkey
before starting the same tired old speech
to those who could be bothered to listen
her dad was fine though , kissing her cheek on arrival
for his daughter’s first Christmas
with the family
he made it clear neither her transition
nor her sexuality was to be discussed
other relatives blushed maintaining an awkward silence
as the stuffing was passed round the table
she wore her best smile to mask
the nerves the occasion demanded
eventually she cracked some jokes
and others begun to understand
she hadn’t really changed
as much as they had feared
she explained the reason why
she had to take the step
and why this family gathering
was the best time to do it
well it’s important to get it sorted
before dessert
the others agreed it was an appropriate time to get it done
as her dad asked Alexa to play
girls just wanna have fun
she handed everyone a cracker
and on the count of three
they pulled them to find party hats favours and a piece of paper
containing the name she chose
as a gift to herself
to wear as her personal identity

Love Without Labels

As this is bisexual awareness month I thought I would attempt to tackle some of the myths around the topic in my latest poem which I’ve titled Love Without Labels. Being bisexual myself I know the challenges faced by me and others like me. Thanks to stereotypes from wider society which are reinforced by a press and media who sees us greedy promiscuous and sex mad we are labelled often without any justification. The truth is that bisexuality is about who you’re attracted to and not who you sleep with. In fact some bisexual people go through their whole lives without having a relationship or even a one night stand with anyone of the same sex though they may always be attracted to them. I hope you enjoy what I think will be a thought provoking read.

Love Without Labels

Being bisexual means
you have
the double the chance of romance
or alternatively
double the potential
for heartbreak
on Valentine’s day
or the high school dance
you will be asked
if you’re into threesomes
or who you prefer
between men or women
and which sex are better at turning you on
and the questioners
being genuinely shocked
when you reply it depends how I feel at the time
and what I need to be fulfilled
as a bisexual transwoman
I like both guys and girls
it really is about
the individual
rather than the parts
they may or may not have
you don’t even need act on your desires
it’s all about attraction
that and nothing else
it’s about knowing yourself
who you like
and why you like them
it’s about excitement and honesty
not forgetting equal choices
and rights
it’s being who you want to be
and loving who you love
without prejudice or labels
and being able to accept yourself
for who you really are
rather than fitting in to binary boxes
society designed
when they didn’t have you in mind
so you can ask what celebrities I like
and I’ll admit to Jon Bon Jovi Jimmy Conners and Donny Osmond
but I won’t lie and say I don’t fancy Madonna
of course I do
along with a few other women whose names may surprise you
if I ever decided to say
but I don’t play that game
there are some things
a woman never shares
and that kind of detail
is something I’m sure you can leave
to your imagination
to inspire whatever thoughts you have
and we don’t need to know
I am not willing to
cross
lines that should never be crossed
what I am or who I kiss in bars
nightclubs or underneath the stars
should be no concern of yours
or of anyone else
I am not selfish
I am just being me
an individual with choices to make
and that is why
I am bisexual
I had options
based on attraction and personality
my sexuality is nobody else’s business
but mine
but I have double the chances
of mistletoe kisses
at Christmas time
and double the chances
of heartbreak
at weekends
when potential leading men meet potential leading ladies
and I who wanted both Scott and Charlene
in Kylie and Jason’s soapland fairytale
end up with neither bride nor groom

Pre Season Dreams (For Glasgow City)

As the 2020 Women’s football season prepares to kick off. This poem is written in a voice of a player on attending their first training session after the winter break. Though I’ve written it in a way which could apply to any team, it’s probably easy to see that it’s really Glasgow City, I’m talking about, as the player expresses their hopes for the coming season. I’ve titled it Pre Season Dreams I hope you enjoy the read.

Pre Season Dreams

It’s good to be back in training
though some are complaining
about the weather
it’s nice to see the girls
have a blether about the festive season
and what we got from Santa
some of the banter is shocking
and certain players just can’t stop talking
about their new year health and fitness routines
eventually we share pre season dreams
staying injury free is on most of our lists
maybe a Scotland call up for the younger players
or a first team jersey for our development girls
the boss asks if we’re ready to take on the world
and she who shall remain nameless
says of course
without thinking twice
the rest of us smile and think.
the cold air has gone to her head
was she fed too much turkey
for Christmas dinner
we talk to the young team
about what makes a winner
explain that the A game
means ability and attitude
platitudes in the press are all very well
but the road to hell is paved
with yesterday’s fish and chip wrappers
that once sang your praises
to those who bothered to read
reports of our games
fame doesn’t come easy
even if your going for a treble
or 14th successive title
we know how vital team spirit will be
to get us over the line
on days when we think
nothing will ever go right
or big European nights
when going the extra mile
will definitely be required
but as soon we start
our first session back we realise
the desire is still there
the hunger is still there
the unbreakable bond is still there
which is why we are here
on a freezing cold night
training under the floodlights
as we plan for the season ahead
and how to fulfill the pre season dreams
we share when we pull on that jersey.

Skirting Round My Life 2019 My Year On The Blog

As I look back on the events of 2019 it’s fair to say that my second annual review has seen Skirting Round My Life find it’s place in the blogosphere. There has been progress in certain aress whilst others have been quieter but overall I would say that the statistics represented in this report are a good indicator of a blog which is developing a good core readership.

The first thing to note that Skirtingroundmylife gained 3,262 views in 2019. This represented an increase of six views from it’s 2018 total of 3,256. So with no massive increase or dramatic decline in post views and an average of eight views a day for the second successive year this has been a year of stability rather than growth. This I think was due to the fact I never promoted certain blogs and especially certainly poems anywhere near as much as I should and this is something I will work towards improving in 2020.

That said there is one area where has been noticeable growth is in the number of posts published which rose from 78 to 88 in the last twelve months. In contrast the number of both visitors to the site and comments on posts are both down with the later halving from 16 to 8, though there is better news when it came post likes which more than doubled from 36 to 74. This year also saw a new record for post views with Something Old Something New, a fashion post I wrote for LGBT Mardi Gla attracting 296 views.

Topics covered in the last twelve months included Bespoke Chocolates (yes they are a thing) Bisexuality, Bullying, Christmas, Coming Out, Concerts, Dancing , Dating, Death, Disability, Discrimination, Disruption (A topic on which co-wrote my first ever collaborative poem with my friend Emma Mooney), Equality, Family, Faith, Fashion, Kindness, Love, Letter Writing , Lesbian Weddings, Lingerie, Memories, Mental Health, Relationships, Role Models, Stereotypes, The Broga Frois, Taxation, Transition, Transhopia, Transport, Visibility, and last but not least Football,

This deserves a more detailed explanation than the other topics I’ve posted on in last year as I’ve covered both the men’s and women’s game. Though I think it has to be said that women’s football has taken over this blog in the later half of last year. This can be evidenced by the fact that there were poems not only for the Scotland team during and after the World Cup but also for the Under 19’s during their European Championships which we hosted , on individual games and for three Scotland players Erin Cuthbert, Lee Alexander, and Carly Girasoli , though Lee’s poem poem was written after a particularly memorable display for her club Glasgow City when her brilliance helped them qualify for the quarter finals of the UFEA Champions League for only the second time in their history.

2019 saw a slight dip in my global reach as visiting nations were slightly down from 38 in 2018 to 34 last year. The top five countries were UK , USA, Canada, Australia, and Ireland. With Spain, Hong Kong , Germany, France, and India, making up the top ten. There were also readers from countries including South Africa, The Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Brazil, New Zealand, Japan, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Austria, Turkey, Oman, Kenya , Algeria, and believe it or not The Bahamas. Yes readers my words reach glamorous places.

As all the statistics have now properly evaluated it is time to brimg this review to it’s conclusion but before I do so I just want thank all my readers. Whether you subscribe to the site or read the posts on social media sites like Facebook or Twitter it doesn’t really matter, the main thing is that you read them and find them enjoyable stimulating, thought provoking and maybe in some cases challenging. I really hope you’ll continue to do so as that’s what makes blogging so enjoyable for those us who put our opinions out there on the blogosphere for you to read. So all that remains is for me to wish you A Happy, Successful, and Peaceful New Year and I hope you’ll keep skirting round my life throughout 2020 and beyond .

Till next time

Gayle X