I hold it close against my chest, an exotic emerald scarab, carapaced beetle of afflatus. A hard face hides my longanimity; I refuse to cringe from my jailer, use the crescent moon to filter noise of other sufferers within these walls and, when I retrieve the bowl of watery stew from the ledge below the […]
Flirtation
in dancing shadows thrown by a flickering flame a flash of bright eyes and pout of a flower mouth burn young men’s hearts to ashes Kim M. Russell, 2017 Image found on Pinterest My response to Carpe Diem #1167 The Dancer In this new episode of Carpe Diem Haiku Kai, Chèvrefeuille has shared a poem […]
A Keeper of the Earth
I am the apple a juicy planet in space born of root and branch conceived in a blossom’s seed spinning and dancing with stars Kim M. Russell, 2017 Image found on Shutterstock My response to Carpe Diem Namasté, the Spiritual Way #4 keepers of the earth This week’s Namasté episode is about being one with […]
Words like Paint
She paints the detail of a seed and from it roots and branches sprout and grow; blossoms open in a haze of breath and drift away; leaves uncurl, exhaling green, then turn to rust, fall and decay. She looks at fingers stained with words, her face reflected In the oily sheen, and sees the universe. […]
This Morning
In quickening light, quietude disperses with quisling ghosts of night. Outside the window, quitch grass quivers under quicksilver dew. A curious quirky bird sitting in the willow questions every word of every line I write, a quaint critic of whom I am quite fond. Kim M. Russell, 2017 My response to Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie Saturday […]
Brutal as a Supernova
Don’t get too close. You are no super-human astronaut in the thrall of a brutal, brilliant cosmic flash. Keep away from powerful explosions brighter than the Milky Way. You know, it may not be a supernova. It may well be the freaky death throes of a star, torn apart by the tidal forces of a […]
Dogged by a Rose
The attar of a rose follows throughout the day, from its glass prison vase to the promise of a summer’s day, with touch of a satin cloak in the chill of spring, scented smoke curls into twilight before its petals close for the night. Kim M. Russell, 2017 Image found on ravindraandsons.com My response to […]
Anticipation
A project for the summer, you said, shaking the yellow curls on your head and, opening up your sweaty hand, offered me hard seeds with zebra bands. The teacher had given you a little sack and, like Jack’s mother, I was full of doubt, prepared to throw them out. Where would we grow sunflowers in […]
Queen of the Night
she is scented smoke curling across hot rooftops petals wide open Kim M. Russell, 2017 Persian tobacco (Nicotiana alata) Credit: Photo by Franco Giordana found on luirig.altervista.org My response to Carpe Diem #1166 Nightflower Today Chèvrefeuille has shared with us a poem by Hafez (or Hafiz), whose poems every Iranian can recite, often using them to […]
Scent of a Rose
the scent of a rose promise of summer gardens among desert sands Kim M. Russell, 2017 Image found on Pinterest -Musée du Louvre My response to Carpe Diem #1165 roses We are visiting Persia, nowadays Iran, to explore its relationship with poetry. Chèvrefeuille reminds us of great Persian poets, for example Rumi and Hafez (or […]
writing in north norfolk 