You pin him down,you and your maid,in the dark shroud of the general’s tent. Oil lamp flareilluminates one bareshoulder, exposing the seductive skinand black hollow of your breasts;muscle-bound arms belie your femininity. Sweet revenge gives strength to slicethrough flesh, muscle and spine,fingers of one hand entangledin hair and beard,in the other handa sword. He offers […]
Category: Poems Inspired by Artists, Music and Other Writers
Figures in a Landscape
Many thanks to The Ekphrastic Review for including my poem in their latest Ekphrastic Writing Responses to a picture by Bertram Brooker. It’s called ‘Figures in a Landscape’ and it’s the fifth one down. I highly recommend reading all the responses, which are of a high standard, and I’m in excellent company with Merril Smith […]
Insects and Stars in Jars
I have a poem in this month’s issue of Visual Verse, in which writers have been inspired by an image by Helen Marten. Once again, I’m in excellent company. You can find my poem on page 45 of Visual Verse Volume 7 Chapter 11 or you can go directly to the poem, entitled ‘Insects and […]
Armageddon Revisited
The man said global warming was fake news,a conspiracy, a feeble attempt to screwa thriving economy. The man said it was fine to own a rifle or handgun,as long as it was just for fun, to carry onhunting without a care. The man said he needed more electricity,forget turbines, solar panels and the sea,go nuclear. […]
Ox Head
They said he was untameable and afraid of his own shadow,branded skittish with an ox head,none could soothe his rodeo. The gentling of Bucephalus began with the gentle whispersand flourished into fraternitywithout saddle, reins or spurs. They camped under starless skies,future king and Thessalian steed,faced the sting of metaland watched men bleed. Too many men and horses […]
Storm Drain Rainbow
Pondering words, the storm drainof my mind, raw,breaks openan augury of rainbows,impossible to reach. Ghosts endure the interfaceof despair and hope, the turningpoint, where darknessis exhausted and lightbegins its return. All we need is a song. Kim M. Russell, 29th August 2020 A found poem for earthweal open link weekend I wanted to go back […]
Wheatfield with Crows
His paint oozed solitude and sadness. The turbulent brush almost fell from his hands. He knew it so well, this field of rude life and death, its diverging blood-rusted paths leading to the same horizon. The violent polarity of yellow field of wheat daubed in rows and blue sky smudged with clouds erupts with black […]
The Leap
I have a poem in this month’s issue of Visual Verse, in which writers have been inspired by an image by Andi Sapey and Other Dance Art. I’m in great company again, with poets such as Misky Braendeholm and Sarah Connor. You can find my poem on page 22 of Visual Verse Volume 7 Chapter […]
Hunger
is a baby bird,a swallowscreaming for dinner,its beak wide open,a black holeready to swallowits mother whole. The raging acid oceangripes and grumbles,piranha enzymes frenziedby the food that tumblesdown the open gullet. But oh, the satisfactionof the elephantine belly,the joy of different flavoursthat coat the tongueand tease the gustatory cortex,a sweet and savoury tangobefore the chemistry […]
Silent Sob
I have a poem in this month’s issue of Visual Verse and, as ever, I’m in great company, including Misky Braendeholm, Jane Dougherty and Kerfe Roig. This month, writers have been inspired by a powerful sepia-toned image by Gambian-British photographer Khadija Saye, whose work was exhibited in the Diaspora Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in […]
writing in north norfolk 