Strangely Muffled

Strangely muffledby winter weather,the world is quieted:trees loom behind thick fog;there are no footstepsand footprints disappearbeneath frost and snow –  mind how you go! Strangely muffledby mountains of dust,as if a desert was emptiedover the planet,only the top branchesof dead trees can be seen;animals and humans wade through detritus. Strangely muffledby heat and thick smoke,the […]

Inequality of Weather

The sky-battle’s left a mud-puddle,metal-steeds shower us, and burstriverbanks cause mind-muddleas fields and gardens disappear. On the other side of the world,earth releases a dust-coughand plants drained of life-juicecrumble into earth’s crust-fluff. Meanwhile, we puff and blowat donkey-clouds that will not go. Kim M. Russell, 27th October 2024 Image by Frame Harirak on Unsplash It’s […]

Lady with a Parrot

Her life is mirrored in the bird:grey with a touch of crimsonin the parrot’s crest and feather tips,and her unsmiling lips. Red’s lucky for some,but she is a captive,tamed and longing to flybeyond blue curtains to sky and leaves, green as the bowl,from which she sips her tea,and green as her envyof the parrot’s wings. […]

Before Winter Draws Darkness

Don’t mourn the departing sun!Soak up apricity:its light caress on a chilly day;a puddle’s glittering surface;the spark of early frost.Capture light before winterdraws darkness over long nights,leaves our lips moon-kissed –light too sweet to be missed. Kim M. Russell, 14th October 2024 Image by Alexander Sinn on Unsplash It’s Monday and we are dancing the […]

Self Portrait with Clouds

I’d heard the voice but never seen its owner,loved the songs but never seen her face,but then I found her self-portrait on a coverwith the words; inside the music and her voice. It was the first time I’d ever seen a portraitor even a painting on a record sleeve;now there was a blonde woman’s blue-eyed […]

Take Three Words

Drizzly It’s one of those days when the distinctscent of petrichor permeates the day; it sneaks through open windows and leavesan invisible trail like snot on a child’s sleeve, or the track of a single plump raindropas it trickles down the window pane. Wipes As a child, I loved to watch the window cleanerwhen he […]

Pumpkin Inn

By a pumpkin field there’s an ancient inn,where the wind blows cold and pumpkins grin, and locals are distracted from their ale and rumto stare whenever strangers come. Those who choose to stay for the nightwill wish they hadn’t, with hindsight. Wrapped in sweaty nightclothes’ trammel,one ear listening for the keyhole’s rattle, the naïve and gullible groan and sighat the chilling look in a landlord’s […]