No sky’s completely cloudless, there are clouds we cannot see, tiny breathless drops of hope above a hopeless sea. Although we know it’s boundless, and its waves forever restless, human beings can be feckless in the ocean’s cold embrace, and our bodies spiral, weightless, to the bottom of the sea. But our atoms, although formless, […]
A Haiku for Lucas
Tyrannosaurus crashing through the undergrowth each breath a roar Kim M. Russell, 3rd December 2019
Poetry Pea Podcast: Treats
Patricia at the Poetry Pea has been very busy and produced another podcast yesterday, number 23 of her second series, which not only has some exciting news and more of the renku, but also some ‘whoku’, of which one is mine! So please visit the Poetry Pea Treats Podcast and you might feel like taking […]
Early December
bare branches a painting against the blue sky leaves under my feet Yozakura crisp with early morning frost breathing foggy dragon-breath each crystal dewdrop reflects a frozen landscape cold microcosms decorate a spider’s web spun across the garden gate dandelion clocks delicate glassy seed-heads frozen in time while leaves crunch under my feet branches bear […]
A Lovely Sunset
washed with twilight rain scarlet-hued hibiscus blooms a lovely sunset Kim M. Russell, 3rd December 2019 My response to Carpe Diem #1790 A Lovely Sunset The first episode of a new month of CDHK is a double one and ‘Never Change A Winning Team’ continues into December. The first challenge is to ‘revise’ a haiku […]
Spirit Animals
On my life’s journey I take a cat, for companionship and warmth, a deer, for quietude, and a magpie, for freedom and to seek out truth. Spirits animals shift and merge with shadow underneath a weeping willow, and what emerges from beneath the tree is me. Kim M. Russell, 2nd December 2019 My response to […]
Cracked
It was a tragedy, seven years’ misfortune. And yet, the shards were beautiful, sharp edges shimmering, a dark rift spreading as the mirror cracked from side to side. A waterfall of tiny splinters tumbled to the stone flagged floor and underneath the bathroom door, tiny jewels of tears sobbed from her magnificent reflection: bound by […]
Poetry Pea Podcast: Men
I’ve just listened to, and read the accompanying notes on, Patricia’s Poetry Pea Podcast, Series 2, Episode 2, which is all about men, and there are some fabulous haiku and senryu. It’s worth a listen – or read- and she’s included one of mine.
Snake in the Grass
It is a grass snake. It is curled in autumn leaves. It is autumn leaves. In it is a curled grass snake. A curled autumn snake? Is it? It is leaves in grass! It is curled in grass. It is a snake autumn leaves. Curled leaves in grass. It is a snake. It is autumn. […]
Blue Ink
Blue is a memory of days at primary school: of dipping pens into inkwells, the scratch of italic nibs, and a summer sky outside the classroom window, copying a poem by Blake or some old poet on lined paper, a blue tint of words. Blue was the colour of our uniform, much darker than ink, […]