It is the last of the wild places,drifts at the windy corners,a low, far-reaching expanse. The night was so transparent:mud flats and tidal pools;clumps of bushes made black stains;of human inhabitants there are none. Two black Norway spruces,desolate, utterly lonelywhere the road fell away. Greys and blues and soft greens,fresh furrows in the track.Skies are […]
This gift of poetry
is as precious as the new year’s rainreplaced by silent prayers of frosttempering trees with a white crust it’s as welcome as a new dawnof impossible colours, deep skywashed to breath-taking lucidity it’s the joy of low winter sunlighting up a butter-yellow aconitestill clenched fist-tight it’s the trees’ chill breathof leaf mulch, pine and barkand […]
Wandering
Blood-red dawns and sunsets book-endFebruary days, while our old friends Venus and Mercury (never twinkling)guide us through dawn and evening. The rising moon gazes from afar,envious of the wandering stars that dazzle with their steady lightfrom early morning until night. Kim M. Russell, 6th February 2023 Image by Jeremy Thomas on Unsplash De is our […]
If Only
I didn’t realise that one of my poems was published in the January issue of Visual Verse, Volume 10, Chapter 3.
Nellie
She was the waft of lavendergrowing by the front door,a squirt of lily of the valley,and the breezy scent of washing day. She was a little cockney sparrergreeting everyone by their moniker,trilling songs from the good old daysas she polished and flicked dust away. She was the rumble of her shopping trolleyon the broken pavements, […]
Ice Magic
Woken by a wintry dawningof not necessarily unthinkablecolours, the icicle sparkledand dripped from the awning,releasing its magical spell:it had captured the frosty lightfrom the clusters of stars in the nightand now it rang like a tinkling bell. Kim M. Russell, 23rd January 2023 Free image by Rico Van der Voorde on Unsplash Mish says it’s […]
Encounter with a Fox
After rain,worms wrigglefrom their burrows,only to drownin the lane’s deep furrowspuddled with waterand clottedwith mud. Further along,where the shadowsgather, I turn to look backat the sinkingof the rosy sun and see,surreptitiouslypadding,a dog fox. He lowershis rusty headand gulps a mouthfulof worms, an entréebefore he slinks away,ears pricked towardsthe nearest frog or mouse,rabbit hutch or hen […]
Just a Little Longer
With lips of frozen berries I blow a kiss to barren fields and hills, waving brittle leaves still gripped by my twiggy fingers gloved in mist. Just a little longer, I promise. My woody hollows agape, I watch the skies with moss-sculpted eyes adoring ice and snow while you search hedgerows for signs of spring. […]
Uplifted by a Breeze
Between grey days filled with blustery gusts and heavy rain, a window of wintry sun invites me out for a welcome walk. Gentler breezes give me an encouraging push towards the little bridge and the winding lane alongside paddocks, where horses and ponies stand solid as the wind tugs at manes and tails, rabbits freeze […]
Old Year Lost, New Year Found
I’m ready for it, waiting, and the softness of the word reminds me that I have never seen a humming bird of muscle, artery and vein. Stippled glass refracts day, it stares at you face on. Waiting for the last tube, I felt the dusty wind. I am the buzz of a bee in quiet […]