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 […]
Dreamless
It’s a dream that never comes to me: there is no blossoming chestnut tree, no garden of rioting summer blooms, not even a house with empty rooms. My childhood garden has no calm, no mother to rock me in her arms. Because it was so long ago, I search for it with heart of woe. […]
Unseasonal
Emboldened by unseasonal sunshine, above rivers, fens and brine, pink-footed, barnacle, greylag and snow, Brent and Canada, see how they flow into skeins, and the beat of their wings honking and cackling as they pass by – a promise of spring scrawled in the sky. Kim M. Russell, 9th January 2023 Free image by Barth […]
Just Visiting
I wander unknown streets, pavement hard beneath my feet. City detritus blows in wintry wind, dust and grime of the sinned against and sinning, surviving in brick and cement, not living. Lost like a dog or cat, snow in my hair, I feel as if I was never there. Just a ghost in the burbs, […]
Learning to Face Forwards
On the second day of the new year I feel like Janus, looking backwards and forwards, while populating my brand new calendar and personal diary with dates: birthdays, anniversaries and appointments. I also realise that I haven’t seen some of these people whose birthdays I celebrate for years, mainly due to the pandemic, but also […]
A Celebration of Light in Darkness
It’s the rasp of a lucifer strike on a matchbox to light a candle prayer or birthday wish; the romance of a moonlight kiss; the twinkle of a star in the density of night; the slow creep of misty morning sunlight; the afterglow of sunset as it fades to twilight; fairy lights nestling in the […]
Accidental
The candy glaze of winter and black puddle splinter chill me to the bone, hurt-blue cold on stone. The pavement’s slip twixt cup and lip disgorges with honey taste of purple berry glistening juicy and ripe in a slow bloody drop into virgin snow. Kim M. Russell, 13th December 2022 Image by Brooke Davis on […]
writing in north norfolk 