Free to flow in fountains, wells and streams, I was not one to flaunt my naiad beauty, and was bound to Peneus by daughterly duty. I loved to swim and dive, I felt alive in water, still or flowing, crystal clear as my virginity, innocent to the onslaught of male potency. But gods are gods […]
After the Flush
After the first full flush of the pink cherry’s blush, April’s shivering, brazen breeze begins the leisurely striptease, peeling innocent, frilly petals from blossom, and blossoms from branches, until all that’s left of bashful spring is the foliage of trees dappling and quietly greening. Kim M. Russell, 20th April 2020 My response to dVerse Poets […]
Unravelled
April has unravelled like a favourite old cardigan. The sound of distant traffic died weeks ago, and the empty town has lost its orange glow. We can see all the stars now, scattered like salt across the night sky. When did we take our eyes off heaven? Is this white noise a wish come true? […]
The Beckoning
Along the fields and lanes, sloe and blackthorn hedges are humming with bees. Beneath the trees and along the edges, bluebells cast a heady scent into a wistful April breeze that teases the branches of overdressed trees, spilling pollen, a sugary omen of fruitfulness. In morning’s flickering light and shadow, crocuses beckon with purple and […]
Smiling Through Tears
How many stations are left on this journey? How can we ever know? We smile at each other with tears in our eyes, how do we stem the flow? Don’t worry about how long it takes, relax and enjoy the view. Keep smiling through tears, just let them go and I’ll wipe them away for […]
Nature Haiku to Ease the Pain
errant porpoises trapped inside the harbour wall the sun’s a beachball call of the harbour nets strung between the boatsheds sparkling with sea salt avalanche of fish tumbling down the harbour wall no more plastic bags Kim M. Russell, 17th April 2020 My response to Imaginary Garden with Real Toads NaPoWriMo Day 17 Play it […]
Lockdown Blues Reds and Greens
Another unusual image for the Visual Verse April 2020 issue, Vol. 7, Chapter 6. You can find my poem on page 42 or you can link directly to the poem, entitled ‘Lockdown Blues Reds and Greens‘. Linking to dVerse Poets Pub Open Link Night.
Only Our Last Conversation Remains
Years mutate virus-like in their determination and, before we know it, only our last conversation remains, hanging in the air like a note from a bass guitar that we know must end. We each had our perspectives, memories and photographs the only proof of friendship, all that’s left of us, my friend. That’s why I […]
Unblurring the View
Days blur into each other. The view from the window seems to stay the same: green leaves pattern blue sky, occasionally a cloud drifts or a helicopter murmurs by, a tractor trundles down a lane, sometime later it returns again. A knock at the door relieves the mundane Monday repetition, a gloved delivery with distance […]
A Place to Catch my Breath
Before the virus, when the world was busy, I fantasised about a secret folly in a corner of the garden hidden by trees, a place where I could catch my breath and let my imagination run free. I envisaged gargoyles on the corners of the roof to ward off unwelcome visitors, and an ornate lantern […]
writing in north norfolk 