In the shadows of predawn, I’m wokenby companions of past and present,hunting my dreams until they’re broken.My ghostly bedfellows curiously hunt,purring, kneading, butting, knowingI will fill their dishes in the morning.They hunt me through the nightbut, once fed, they lick their lips,clean their paws and slipout to disappear into a brightnew day, off to haunt […]
Tag: NaPoWriMo
Tourniquet
A ripple of notes, a wavering flame,echoed in a gust of melody, is reclaimed. A hushed, unweathered voice modulateslike light tethered by an emotional tourniquet until the song spreads wings and skipson time changes like glottal stops. The volume dies, almost to a whisper,syncopated drum containing the pressure until low-tuned bass stringscrank up the volume […]
Mareel
You are a sparkle in the eyeof the ocean of the past,a persistent glint on the horizonof the future, the sea foamphosphorescence of autumn nights.You give me warmth in quiet moments,smiles and laughter through the day,and strength to continue when lifegets harder; you are my mainstay. Kim M. Russell, 16th April 2024 Image by Tom […]
At the Station
It came in, a metal monster, heavingmaroon carriages into view, cleavingthe crowd with the clickety-clacksending vibrations down the track,wreaths of its coke-fuelled sighsabout to envelop hellos and goodbyes.A ray of sunlight from the vaulted roofilluminated a vulnerable figure from above:wavering at the platform’s edge in vain,unaware that he was on the train. Kim M. Russell, […]
Drinking Mocha in Sad Café
Stirring cream in your mocha with a long spoon,you feel the grit of sugar where your wristrests on the cluttered table. Big clouds soonpush eastwards and turn to rainy mist.The downpour comes and then it goes away.Customers shake umbrellas and raincoatsin the draughty doorway of the sad café.In the steam, a forgotten memory stuttersand starts […]
whole lot of sparkles
sparkle on, twigs in a dazzle of rimesparkle on, bouquets of drooping iciclessparkle on, clocks in a tick-tock of timesparkle on, light off the bells of bicycles sparkle on, salt of retreating tidessparkle on, iridescent starlingssparkle on, diamonds worn by bridessparkle on, smiles in the eyes of my darlings sparkle on, vanity in a room […]
Warming to the Light of Longer Days
Nourished with the flood from a riverbulbous with rain, the green bloodof spring arrives with a shiver. Following a winter of constant chill,all sound wrung from the landscape,there is a giggle on the air, a spill of honeyed song from birds,the buzz of insects as they escapetheir overwintering, the flight of words from a poet […]
A Gift of British Weather
CUSTARD WIND A cold, north-easterly has blown my Christmas pudding cold. MOOR-GALLOP Emily Brontë runs from a sudden squall on the moors. ROKE The fog is so thick even the trees can’t see each other. DINDEREX A thunder-axe of lightning bolts across the countryside. RAINING OLD WOMEN AND STICKS The nosy old neighbour watches heavy […]
The Elusiveness of Shadows
Shadows are not concreteyet they creep beneath your feet. You can see but you can’t hearthem, and they always disappear. In the summer, they often lingerlike gunpowder from cannon-fire. Though short-lived, shadows strollinto infinity together with your soul. Kim M. Russell, 10th April 2024 It’s 10th April and we are one-third of the way through […]
Ode to a Small Bowl of Granola
Your forbidden glucose-ridden sweetnessbeckons from the confinesof a Delft-blue dish.Three fat dollopsof fat-free yogurt,ice cold and freshfrom the fridge,cover your contoursof fruit and nut-studded oat clusters.And you waitfor a spoon to breakyour golden crispnesswhile I anticipatethe first bite of crunchiness. Kim M. Russell, 9th April 2024 Image from Unsplash in collaboration with Monika Grabkowska On […]
writing in north norfolk 