sculpted by salty waves and sandthe driftwood was almost out of reachon the dunes above the beachthrown high in a stormit had once been part of a living treetorn from itsrootsand manufactured into something practicallike a boat or a tableby the time it reached the shoreit was unrecognisabletwisted by the artifice of the ocean into […]
Tag: dverse Poets Pub
Scatterbrain
Mother calls me a scatterbrain and a daydreamer. She doesn’t understand how it feels to be me, wanting to fly on the wind with shimmering wings when I’m tethered to house and garden. I have so many chores, I don’t have time to read or finish writing the story Miss Thomas set for homework, about […]
On the Norfolk Broads
It’s never silent among the reedsand water lilies: inquisitive swans gliding in a boat’s wake hissand honk; there’s the bittern’s boom, an otter’s splash, and a breezewhistles through overhanging leaves. Passing boats rumble, blast their hornsby the bridge, the tide slaps at moored-up craft rockingand swaying in the moorings. But at sundown, everything is quietin […]
The Crone Can’t Spell Anymore
As a linguist and English teacher,and even before, as a learner,I never had problems spellingor remembering the meaningof…things. Entering my seventieth year,signs of ageing have appeared.I have begun to trip and stumble,words no longer tumblefrom my fingers. My handwriting’s scribble,as if a dyslexic spider resides in my pen.What I type isn’t what I see on […]
Word Magic
What is this enchantment of wordsthat soar like birdsor hop from branch to branch?They are at their bestwhen they form their murmurationsand make morning declarations,feather fluttering,quietly mutteringon the wings of flight:a gift of magical inspiration. Kim M. Russell, 7th April 2025 This Monday we are writing quadrilles at the dVerse Poets Pub, and De is […]
Moon-Shaped
On a frosty night, stars careen, blow themselves to smithereens, and drift like snow in a symphony of moonlight. Play as if about to cry, suffused with inspiration: thrum strings of a moon -shaped guitar, pluck notes like butterflies, bones and birds. Chords have their own tongue. Words are not required, only the silver tunes […]
At last
April has arrived and we can open windows,breathe in grass-green scent and offer our skinto the sun. Daily walks are more comfortable,less chance of slipping; still we go slowly, handin hand, step to step, grinning at yellow facesof daffodils and primroses frilling up the verges.The piebald horse is at the top of the paddock.He shoves […]
I, Poet
I need to ease the itch of wordsthat wake me up at night,to sing in a different languagewith imagery and bite. I love to linger in poems whereno other poet has been yet,to feel a smile inside myself when other people get it. The poetichor of a poemcan drive me to distraction,like spring blossom dancingor […]
About Pigs
Don’t believe lies about pigs in muck;today’s pig is not tomorrow’s bacon;and don’t expect me to bring good luck. I love to swim in a cool clear oceanbeneath azure skies and gentle cumuli;most nights I’m tracking stars and planets – I really don’t like to boast about it unduly –I pride myself on my excellent […]
From Vienna to Bratislava
My husband and I have been to Vienna numerous times. It’s a home from home. We know our way around, where we like to eat and drink, and the places we love to visit. We had been on a boat trip around the city but not on the main stretch of the Danube – which […]