Tattered faceless silhouettes Staggered across no-man’s land, Fumbling to attach bayonets, Unkind weapons in shaky hands. Wisps of men blundered in thick of gas Back to the comfort of a mud-filled trench, Eyeless heroes in useless masks Smothering in the toxic stench. One innocent soldier wandering wide, Heading for trenches on the other side, Felt […]
Tag: Open Link Night
The Lugworms’ Lament
Foam of sun-sparkled morning tide silvers sea-side beachcombers’ treasures: wave-whipped windswept strands strewn with jettisoned jewels, jelly encrusted with shell grit and grains of sand. Brackish bladderwrack, entangled like rubber bands, vesicles gasping, protuberant thyroid glands, flutter flirty flimsy fronds, release gametes in a dioecious dance of fertilisation. All the while we humble lugworms, the […]
Punting on the Cam
My response to dVerse Poets Pub Open Link Night # 177 Gayle of Bodhirose’s Blog was the host for Thursday’s Open Link Night. She mentioned that three of her siblings have birthdays in August, as do I! Mine was on Wednesday and my husband took me on a surprise trip to Cambridge. While the Poets Pub was […]
Remembering my dad
Dad taught me to twist with a towel, skip like a boxer with his leather rope, and give my shoes a sapper’s* shine. Dad and I rode together on the 118 bus, watched Dr No and Goldfinger at Streatham Odeon, and danced to ‘Reach Out’ by the Four Tops. His voice was boxing on the […]