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 […]
Tag: dverse Poets Pub
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 […]
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 […]
Lunation
Everything’s turning,making my head spin. Another month gone;here we are again. Those twelve princessesjust keep quadrilling back to the beginningof their romance with the moon. Everyone askswill it be ending soon? And when it does,how will we know? Kim M. Russell, 10th July 2023 The Twelve Dancing Princess, ‘On the way to the dance’ illustration […]
Musings of a Poetic Cat – a poem on Visual Verse
I am delighted that Visual Verse chose to include my poem on page 18 of the latest issue, Volume 10 Chapter 8. The image by Erica Marsland Huynh appealed to me because it is of cats. As ever, all the pieces, prose and poetry, are fantastic. I recommend reading them all – or you can go directly […]
Freedom to Walk
Although I am free to walk pretty much wherever I want, this afternoon, I take my usual route. The sun is shining, the horses grazing, and the grass growing tall, waving in the breeze. I think about places I have never been and, hopefully, will never go, where freedom has a high price, and I […]
Rebuff
He leads her to a sea of oilseed rape, his hushed words warn her not to make a sound. Her trusting eyes are wide, her mouth agape, as butterflies of many hues astound. He begs her listen to the gushing stream, to watch for river birds and frisking otters; he shows her silver trout and […]
writing in north norfolk 