His hog hair brush elicited ochre orbs;their pale sprouts, long grown through,contrast with green pot of camphor oiland candlestick’s cobalt blue. Were onions the only vegetablethe ailing artist could affordonce he had paid for rough wine,pipe tobacco and humble board? Or was he keen to improve his healthafter battling with hallucinationsand mutilating an ear? Throughoutthe […]
To Move or Not to Move
Moving house is something we all think about as we get older: to be closer to family; for easier access to amenities like doctor, dentist and shops; to downsize. I would love to see more of my daughter and grandsons, but love where we live, the familiarity of our small village, the cottage we have […]
A Riff on Infatuation
I have fallen in love with dragonflies, vicious predators that make me look a fool. I watch for dragonflies, and feel like a fool, transfixed by their buzzing and spangling. How those devil’s darning needles keep spangling! I love to watch them hover and flicker but summer light will soon begin to flicker, and the […]
Father’s Self-portrait with the Family
Mother put my hair in a plait,dressed me in my best blue skirtand red sailor blouse.Father set a timerand photographed the pose. I knew it would be boringand, deliberately turning,rummaged for stories in a chest,while mother froze, her blue dressblending into the mise en scene. She smiled faintly at the lensand then looked away,as did […]
A Norfolk July
In Norfolk, we’re surrounded by water: the sea, the Broads, and rain’s no stranger. Overnight downpours drench field and garden, fill water butts, gutters, and rain- drops sparkle on the plants on my patio, where green dill fronds unfurl and the lavender is purple. Kim M. Russell, 24th July 2023 It’s Quadrille Monday at the […]
Day at the Seaside
It was one day at the seaside, midway through the summer holidays and, despite the trauma of tepid vomit lying heavy in a paper bag, about to drip on my new cotton dress, as soon as we reached the top of the hill, the whole coach sang with the thrill of seeing the sea. After […]
My first poetry pamphlet
I am pleased to announce that, in collaboration with Ingrid of Experiments in Fiction, my first poetry pamphlet will be launched on 26th August. More information to follow.
Night Terror
A sultry night followed a stifling day, and a stroll in the dark was bearable. As usual, I left the house by the back lane, cut through the churchyard, and headed for the beach. The moon was huge and high in the navy sky, shedding its light on tumbling waves. As I stood among whispering […]
Jasper’s Stone
He still has it in his car, the stone Jasper chasedacross the tide-flattened sand, his dog-tongue lolling,tail wagging and ears flapping, splashing in the waves;it keeps him alive for us, a little longer. Kim M. Russell, 13th July 2023 Laura is our host at dVerse Poets Pub this Thursday, where we are meeting the bar […]
Limerence
I am an unripe field with scarlet seepingthrough green stalks, a stain of fluttering blooms studded with the teary aftermathof warm summer rain. I take your breath and set your world on fire. Just one glanceis all it takes for you to fall. One close dance means that you are in my thrall, and I […]
writing in north norfolk 