The holly tree bears berries As red as any blood Adding colour To dark days of Yule Nature’s jagged crown of thorns Silhouetted against the low winter sun Pagan protection From lightning and witches Delineation For farmers’ ditches Burns with passion And fertility Nature’s glossy Christmas tree © Kim M. Russell, 2015
Month: December 2015
The final stave of
The Little Match Girl Stave 4 The little match girl struck another Match against the wall; From its flame her grandmother Shone bright, glittering and mild. ‘Take me with you!’ cried the child. ‘When the match is spent, You’ll be gone.’ Her numb fingers fumbled As she struck the matches Remaining in the bundle, One […]
Swansong in Winter
White swan’s black dipped beak Trumpets a haunting lament For a lost soulmate Mysterious and ancient Mythological swansong © Kim M. Russell, 2015
Bullfinch
Unmistakable Sunset breast illuminates Hedges of blackthorn Mournful call tinges white noise Of winter with music ©Kim M. Russell, 2015 Although there are always bullfinches in our garden, I’m never quick enough to catch them. So this image is courtesy of www.rspb.org.uk
Picador Blog – Picador
Book recommendations, publishing news and literary essays from Picador in the UK. Source: Picador Blog – Picador
The Forgiveness of Nature
In metallic forests Of the industrial hinterland Foul stacks loom And belch blue flares, Orange aureoles radiate From steel spires, Stinking clouds mushroom From smoking fires In the poisonous laboratories Of environmental Armageddon. When the chemical onslaught is over, Factories and chimneys will disappear. Nature will return, filling the hollows Formed by mining year on […]
Axis
Innocent pleasure Measure of learning Turning and circling Cycling around you You were my axis Practice for a later life Wife and mother Another infant Innocent pleasure ©Kim M. Russell, 2015
The Loneliness of Swings
Remember the rush Exhilaration of wind in hair Feet in the air The smell that lingers Of rusty chains on fingers A topsy-turvy world A fizzy blur Of earth and sky And wonder why Swings make me feel Lonely ©Kim M. Russell, 2015
A Haiku for Carpe Diem #877
Behind bare branches All the boats are safely moored Winter has arrived ©Kim M. Russell, 2015 I have revised this haiku following a suggestion from a WordPress friend! Source: A Haiku for Carpe Diem #877
writing in north norfolk 