van Gogh wrote: ‘The conscience is a man’s compass.’ Our compass broke, we have no common sense or sentience, and Earth is barely turning – into a bad joke. We harvest palm oil and rainforests choke, oceans on this so-called blue planet are drowning in a mass of plastic, and fur-coated men grin as polar […]
Fieldwork – a new anthology
A poem of mine has been included in a new anthology of East Anglian nature writing, which is now available to pre-order from the UEA Publishing Project. https://www.ueapublishingproject.com/product-page/field-work
Fancy!
I have a poem in this month’s issue of Visual Verse, and I’m in great company again, including Jane Dougherty and Frank Hubeny, to name but two of the writers. I really like the sepia-toned image by an unknown artist (circa 1880) from the Getty Open Content Program, which inspired me to write something lighthearted. […]
Tingle
Ice-cold loneliness numbed her body and soul, shielded her heart, with starry snowflakes. With her eyes the colour of slush after snow, embrangled in winter’s undertow, her personal winter drifted into spring, hoar frost still sparkled on everything like a silver Midas touch, until she found a crow, ebony black, stiff on the ground. She […]
Alice’s Grave
Marked only by a rusted cross of curlicues among rows of lichen-covered stones, your final resting place has churchyard hues, this peaceful housing of your crumbled bones. I know your name, Alice, when you were born and the date of your last breath. Not a trace of family, no husband or child left to mourn. […]
No More Red
Although in our hearts and souls a fire has taken hold, crimson only burns up the canvas, fuels and lights the war, sticky as blood, congealing the soil and nothing nourishing will grow. The verdure of peace is a welcome balm, it cools the heat and keeps us calm. Kim M. Russell, 9th June 2020 […]
Joe and Nelly by @kim88110 #WWII #TuesdayBookBlog #MiddleGrade #Ghosts — I Write. I Read. I Review
Connecting with other writers, and sharing their work, is something I love to do here on my site. It is one of the reasons I started blogging and reviewing back in 2013. One of my weekly tasks is to run the Writing Studio Thread on the Lightbox Originals Facebook Group. If you’d like to join […] […]
Meeting Myself in a Dream
Last night, I dreamed about the city, the noise and clamour of traffic, masses of commuters streaming from the gaping mouths of the underground, heels tip-tapping, bags swinging, steaming plastic cups of coffee proffered like torches leading the way to work with their bitter aroma. Buses rumbled, horns blared, and exhaust fumes discombobulated rays of […]
Annus Horribilis
We’re only halfway through this year of crises that has stolen so many memories, sprayed terror like graffiti in our cities, and ravaged lives like blossom from spring trees. We cling to a glass cliff as our world falls apart, stunned by the contempt of presidential farts, the hatred and violence that’s breaking our hearts. […]
Isolation
After so many days wrapped in an unmanageable weave of fear, huddled under the tenebrous umbrella of isolation, a small glint of cheer had broken through the mass of cloud, caused a blackbird to spill golden droplets of notes, buoyant poems of liberty. But once again, a new terror stamps and punches its way across […]
writing in north norfolk 