BRITTA HOFFMANN

BRITTA HOFFMANN

SHADOWS

I'm not sure what went wrong,

but when I try to look back to this day

- it's a world into which I don't belong,

where now I might be forced to stay

I just was taking a short walk

I didn't even take the time to talk

but on my way I felt so strange

- just as if things might rearrange

I don't remember seeing any star

- the sky was cloudy, it was new moon

I remember wondering where they are

that the stars should show sometime soon

There was not even any light

from any house that I passed by,

as if some fog was blocking the sight

- again I started to wonder why

I felt cold as I hardly did before

something I decided to ignore:

I thought I just didn't get enough sleep

I was wrong - now I'm in trouble deep

I arrived back home again

but noticed, it was cold in there, too

I thought, this can't be - do I go insane?

What really was up - I had no clue

The lamps didn't work, so I went up into my room

I turned on the heat and lit a candle there

I wanted to get warm and sleep, I assume,

but I had the feeling something was watching from somewhere...

I started to watch the shadows at the wall:

They were dancing and moving in a strange way

I thought I heard some kind of call

- but maybe it was a game my nerves tried to play

Then the shadows turned to figures that came closer to me

- a strange development that I was about to see

the darkness came closer than I wanted it to

until I only had a tiny spot - the shadows even grew

I am not sure where this will go,

but I really am getting scared by now

I wish I had some light - just a small kind of glow

I'd like to get out - I just have no idea how...

I feel like I'm trapped - no escape,

no way to go, nowhere to move

The shadows by now are shifting their shape:

They are alive, nothing to prove...

Now that the shadows really get near,

I feel like I'm overpowered by my fear

I know I'll need light, to be able to see clear...

The shadows are whispering - it's my name that I can hear

I wish I had an idea what to do

- I'm trying to keep calm, but it leads nowhere:

Not even the candle's light can make it through

- I'm home alone, there's nobody there...

I try to find matches to try and fight,

so I'd have more time until the morning's light,

to light more candles to warm me up inside,

so there is nowhere that the shadows can hide

I'm tired of fighting, though it would be due

- I just hope I can make it through...

So I close my eyes now, I did all I could do:

My last conscious thoughts are about you

THE ONLY ONE I SEE IS YOU

We've known each other for so long

-with time we saw us growing strong

We've always been friends - so why suddenly

is it so that it's only you I see?

How and when did my feelings change?

When did you start to want more?

Doesn't it appear a little strange

that suddenly it's only you I'm looking for?

Didn't you notice the way I feel

or didn't I give you enough attention?

Did circumstances turn fortune's wheel

or was there something we didn't mention?

I can't help but notice your stare

I can't help but wish I was there

just to show you how much I care

with you I'd go anywhere

You can't make me fall for you

because you have already won my heart

There's not much you can put me through

'cause I've been suffering since we're apart

There's just no escape for me

it doesn't matter what I do

There's no other man I see

because the only one I see is you

we could try to find time for a walk

we could relax and simply talk

like the times we did before

find out what's up inside our core

maybe there is more to find

things that we both have in common

details to which we have been blind

a chain of events that we might summon

maybe it's time for a change

or we could find another way

circumstances might rearrange

for this is no game we play

because I can feel your stare

because for you I'd like to be there

so you could see how much I care

with you I'd go anywhere

You can't make me fall for you

because you have already won my heart

There's not much you can put me through

'cause I've been suffering since we're apart

There's just no escape for me

it doesn't matter what I do

There's no other man I see

because the only one I see is you

I know that time seems to fly

events just seem to pass us by

I still feel you inside my heart

more than I did - right from the start

You can't make me fall for you

because you have already won my heart

There's not much you can put me through

'cause I've been suffering since we're apart

There's just no escape for me

it doesn't matter what I do

There's no other man I see

because the only one I see is you

ON YOUR WAY

Why not follow your heart

when you have nothing to lose anyway

maybe you should have done this from the start

directly from your very first day

before you had to go through this

I didn't want you to have to experience

how much it hurts to deeply miss

to go through times of no self confidence

give way for your heart to live

let it guide you  - for it knows

how good it feels to happily give

how wonderful it is when true love shows

don't be discouraged if you sometimes lose

you just need to get up again

it's just about the path you chose

so you learn to understand the other one's pain

believe in yourself and be strong

you don't have to be perfect though

it is ok if sometimes you go wrong

you learn on your way - you don't have to know

But if at times you should stumble and fall

if you feel you just might need someone

just look around, or give a call

because I'm there - I never was gone

just in case you might need me

just in case you might want me there

just to be able to give happily

what you need from me - to go anywhere

for even if you don't see it through

just because you didn't have a single clue

there's hardly anything I wouldn't do

because I never stopped believing in you

A HOUSE ON A HILL

Once you asked me about my dream

it is not as complicated as it may seem

it is just hard to imagine something for only me

something that would make me really happy

so I had to think about it for a while

thoughts came and simply passed me by

but recently I remembered one that made me smile

If you pay attention you even might find out why

I've got a beautiful picture in my mind

brought back within the past days that were to unwind

something that yet still has to fullfill

it is the dream of a house on a hill

this house certainly is a beautiful place

not too big or too small - just exactly right

just picturing it again brings a smile on my face

for it seems to me like a once lost ray of light

there are beautiful woods around

so it hardly can be found

just like our small hidden place somewhere

with animals there of who we happily take care

Out in the green so we can relax, my dear

without anything that we need to fear

We grow our own food, of which we live,

for family, for friends, gifts we happily like to give

Not all things in life really can be done

I don't even want all of my dreams to come true

but being asked about dreams, I'd like to focus on this one

I'd like to spend my life on that house on the hill with you

If we manage to live this life happily

just like the dream that was given to me

it would be wonderful for us to see

just what our next dream is going to be

BRITTA HOFFMANN

BRITTA HOFFMANN: I was born June 10 1970 in Bremen, in Germany. The last school I visited was Schulzentrum der Sekundarstufe II Lange Reihe, which is also in Bremen, Germany. I made my "Abitur" and left school in 1989, to work for Telekom as "Fernmeldeassistentenanwärterin" until 1992. I got married in 1991, and I have 3 daughters. I always loved to read books, as I still enjoy reading a lot, so I thought it would be nice to write. At the age of 34 I started to write. I am writing about different points of view, about how circumstances can change persons, about how to overcome difficulties in life or how someone can experience different situations. Sometimes, I just like to try out something new, when I write. I am fascinated by rhythm within speech and rhymes, so  this is how I like to keep my poetry.