I came to poetry through music. My mother was very musical and loved to sing. She had a broad taste and, instead of lullabies, she would perform popular songs of the day to get me to sleep, songs by Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Frank Sinatra; Harry Belafonte’s ‘Scarlet Ribbons’ (which reminds me of mum) and […]
Month: March 2018
Ocean Graveyard
Out on the nightmare sea, pitched and tossed by waves and misrepresented mermaid’s octaves ships approach the graveyard of negligence, the locker of Davy Jones, with its stash of pearls and gnarled bones nullified, picked clean and white by Neptune’s unleashed parasites. While gulls plane a sea breeze on stiffly out-stretched wings, you can’t move […]
A Great Silence
from night’s silent well shimmering moon greets the dawn drowning in poems Kim M. Russell, 2018 My response to Carpe Diem #1391 A Great Silence We are exploring the beauty of Rumi’s mystical poetry and today Chèvrefeuille has given us the following poem for inspiration: A Great Silence I don’t get tired of you. Don’t […]
Winter Reflections
tinkling icicles an icy wind brings more snow whistling in chimneys daybreak memories bright sunflowers and cornfields smell of morning toast Kim M. Russell, 2018 My response to Carpe Diem Weekend-Meditation #24 Revise That Haiku … Improve your haiku writing skills This weekend our challenge is to revise two classical haiku by well-known haiku poets […]
Vincent’s Self Portrait
‘…painted portraits have a life of their own that comes from deep in the soul of the painter…’ Vincent van Gogh A grubby strip of cloth bound around his head distracts from the bright spot of burning reds, a Japanese print pinned to the wall before he sliced his ear. He painted the background of […]
On a soft morning…
rain strokes the earth, greening leaves and grass, the porter scent of turf smoke fills the hills and, in the river, water chuckles at a joke, a limerick or the jaunty song a musician whistles on the long road home from a late night session and whispers in the rover’s ear: go n-éirí an bóthar […]
Moon in the Window
moon in the window weeping flutes and animals mad souls drunk on wine Kim M. Russell, 2018 My response to Carpe Diem #1390 The Flute Weeps In a new episode, we have another poem by Rumi for inspiration: The Flute Weeps the flute weeps to the pacing drum the drunken camel rises from its knees […]
Phantom Shadorma
snow ghosts drift in a late blizzard rags tattered dignity phantoms of the fantastic suspended in ice and we hide behind heavy drapes misty panes bated breath while winter and spring battle it out once again Kim M. Russell, 2018 My response to dVerse Poets Pub Meeting the Bar: Phantom Form – Shadorma Amaya is […]
Growing Old
I may have a senior railcard and silver streaks in my hair, but my fallen leaves rustle and sing like the dancing leaves of early spring. No flying south for winter, I’m no grizzled, dingy skipper but a quiet blue or marbled white, gently fanning the paling light. When I pull on my Dr Marten’s […]
Shepherd’s Warning
Early this morning the sky screamed at me a red warning that echoed off branches and filled the garden with icy chill so I filled my lungs with daybreak and screamed back. Kim M. Russell, 2018 My response to Poets United Midweek Motif ~ Scream Sumana asks us if we have ever come to that […]
writing in north norfolk 