‘Mother, why do we have to get up in the dark?’ my daughter whispered. I had warned her to be a mouse, to creep and stay silent. We didn’t want to be caught by the Witchmaster. I wore my skirt with deep pockets and filled them with bread, cheese and sachets of my special herbs […]
Five oak trees point the way
(i)Look out for magpies,five on my silver birch,they will laugh at youfor a while, untilyou have counted them all. (ii)Listen for the sound of acornsfalling and bouncingacross the roadwhere five oak treespoint the way. (iii)Follow the aromaof freshly brewed coffeefrom the pubin the bend of the road –it opens at five. (iv)Don’t forget to stroke […]
Breaking the Back of It
It’s taken a long time to break its back,I’ve been lost many times on its lonely track.When young, from the distance it looked like a ridge;the closer I get, the more I need courage.It used to be verdant and dotted with flowers,a place I could dream about in quiet hours,but now it’s precarious with rockfalls […]
Once it was the Colour of Dreaming
Once it was the colour of dreamingthat filled the sky with countless stars;while other girls spent their youth in barsI would watch the cosmos streaming.Submersed in the soft light of the moon,exploring her face, its perfections and its scars,I whistled along with owl and nightingale.Oblivious to time, the morning came too soonand the colour of […]
flamenco beat
I’m not one for dancingI soak up sights and writerhythmic poetryrecreate castanetsromance of sights and lights sitting in a cornerthe slap of clapping handstransforms into wordsthe dizzy whirl of skirtsSpanish fans, clapping hands Kim M. Russell, 21st September 2023 Image by Joana Cordeiro Ferreira on Unsplash This Thursday at the dVerse Poets Pub we are […]
Take This Garden
Take this gardenand inhale its fragrancespilling in the dark. Take this dawnbefore the sunriseand the singing of the lark. Take this honeysuckleclimbing the cherry treeand frothing down its bark. Take this sunriseand embrace the morning staras it travels in its arc. Kim M. Russell. 20th September 2023 It’s Wednesday and time to ‘Take This Poem’ […]
Cobwebs
Dewdrops stud the spiders’ threadsthat span the fence posts and the gate.Blowing in the autumn breeze, cobwebsdangle between trees, a trap for fallingleaves. Berries stud the spiders’ threadsthat hang from hedge and rowan tree,and woodland creatures make their beds,store nuts and fruit in preparation. Flocksof birds fly in migration, and the redsof leaves and berries […]
Poltergeist
Its words were smashingcrockery,pots and pans crashingin the kitchen, knockingon the walls,communicatingthrough sound.We didn’t understandand, with no interpreter to hand,we moved out,leaving the dilemmato others,and the poltergeistwas left lonely and quiet. Kim M. Russell, 18th September 2023 Image by Chuttersnap on Unsplash It’s Monday again and at the dVerse Poets Pub it’s time for the […]
Matching – a poem on Visual Verse
After a couple of months of not responding to Visual Verse, I am delighted that they chose to include my poem on page 41 of the latest issue, Volume 10 Chapter 11. The image by Kitty Harrison x Dylan Sauerwein was an unusual one that inspired amazing prose and poetry, including some by familiar poets, including […]
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