I have heard songbirds’ over- lapping whistles, the whisper of sparrow wings wheeling on the breeze, raindrops bouncing off dusty autumn paths, and the rattling somersaults of the last leaves from trees. I’ve listened to the sun sizzle into evening, bats flicker in cooling twilight air, snowflakes kissing a frozen window- pane, a cat purring […]
Fireflies
longing for the grass at the bottom of the pool those fireflies Buson longing for the grass chlorophyll and oxygen luminous bubbles at the bottom of the pool hidden secret world shadows and light those fireflies hovering deliciously surreptitious frog Kim M. Russell, 29th October 2019 My response to Carpe Diem #1771 Troiku Challenge: Firefly […]
Anticipating Hallows Eve
Living between sea and waterways, I love this time of year. Schools have celebrated harvest, clocks have gone back, and nights are drawing in with frost and spooky tales. Along the coast and above the marshlands, the sky is haunted, filled with the cries of wintering birds. In the woods, frills of fungus cling to […]
One small voice in the shift between October and November
For days, the steady pounding rain drowned out the poetry that bubbled in my soul; my small voice hobbled, stuck in the mud of an old-fashioned October. But this morning, on the cusp of November, bright stained-glass shadows dappled the sodden grass, where unexpected sun illuminated the willow in the garden disrobing yellow leaves before […]
Blue Tit on a Thistle
thistle barely bends buoyant with the blue tit’s song in every season Kim M. Russell, 28th October 2019 My response to Carpe Diem #1770 Tomtit In the last week of our festive 7th anniversary month, today we have another small creature, the blue tit. While the English word ‘tomtit’ can refer to pretty much any of […]
Autumn Sweetness
rain-soaked pilgrim’s quest sweetness of leaves and apples before grey sets in Kim M. Russell, 27th November 2019 My response to Carpe Diem Weekend Meditation #108 Turn Back Time (4) CD Imagination: Still Life Today we have a new weekend meditation episode, in which we turn back time to a special CD Imagination feature, a […]
Robin in the Garden
between yellow leaves little beady-eyed head cocked curious robin he flits from hedgerow to tree scanning for a juicy worm tiny tracks in snow leading to a holly bush blush of camouflage an overwintering guest he shelters in flowerpots romancing his mate perched upon a wheelbarrow song-trilling red breast pecking at cherry blossom among yellow […]
Flipped
It was a raging sea-magic kind of day, with thunder clouds and wind-whipped waves that made us mermaids forget salty witches. Oblivious to consequence, caught up in the rumpus, we anticipated handsome seamen snatched by squalls from a schooner’s deck, combed out the tangles in our waist-length hair and spread our glistening fish-tails on a […]
Passing Rain
The echo of distant rain started to muffle the air and, all too soon, distance was lost to cloud closing in like wet sheep, and sheeting rain that dripped and drummed, persistent and loud on the roof. The willow in the garden blazed with green moss and elaborate dripping lichen, while I stood dazed at […]
Crow in the Mist
in a mist-cloaked tree only the caw of a crow a shrunken shadow Kim M. Russell, 24th October 2019 My response to Carpe Diem #1768 Crows In today’s episode of Carpe Diem’s month of birthday celebration, our theme is crows, taking inspiration from Basho’s crow haiku.
writing in north norfolk 