Ravens land, obsidian,hacking like old men,and crows’ cries punctuate night again. Rooks argue overhead,and magpies chatter loud enough to wake the dead,as surging clapping wings explode into a raucous, musical river of glossy blackcircling farmland: the birds are back! Kim M. Russell, 20th February 2023 Image by Kevin Mueller on Unsplash It’s Monday and over […]
Tag: Quadrille Monday
Wandering
Blood-red dawns and sunsets book-endFebruary days, while our old friends Venus and Mercury (never twinkling)guide us through dawn and evening. The rising moon gazes from afar,envious of the wandering stars that dazzle with their steady lightfrom early morning until night. Kim M. Russell, 6th February 2023 Image by Jeremy Thomas on Unsplash De is our […]
Ice Magic
Woken by a wintry dawningof not necessarily unthinkablecolours, the icicle sparkledand dripped from the awning,releasing its magical spell:it had captured the frosty lightfrom the clusters of stars in the nightand now it rang like a tinkling bell. Kim M. Russell, 23rd January 2023 Free image by Rico Van der Voorde on Unsplash Mish says it’s […]
Unseasonal
Emboldened by unseasonal sunshine, above rivers, fens and brine, pink-footed, barnacle, greylag and snow, Brent and Canada, see how they flow into skeins, and the beat of their wings honking and cackling as they pass by – a promise of spring scrawled in the sky. Kim M. Russell, 9th January 2023 Free image by Barth […]
Accidental
The candy glaze of winter and black puddle splinter chill me to the bone, hurt-blue cold on stone. The pavement’s slip twixt cup and lip disgorges with honey taste of purple berry glistening juicy and ripe in a slow bloody drop into virgin snow. Kim M. Russell, 13th December 2022 Image by Brooke Davis on […]
Small Comforts
Leaden-grey winter days are brightened by hawthorn’s scarlet berries, a migrant firecrest and a robin’s breast as warming as a hot water bottle. They are talismans against the coming cold, summoning magical Yule, glowing reminders that the old year will soon become the new. Kim M. Russell, 28th November 2022 Image by Chris23 on Unsplash […]
Survivors
All that’s left are the remains of war: overturned tanks; crumbled bricks of a building, among which lies, like a fallen crow, the blackened wing of a fighter jet – and yet survivors smile at children playing in a pile of dust and rubble. Kim M. Russell, 14th November 2022 Image found on Freepik It’s […]
Ringing School Days
The resonance of a handbell rang the hours at our school: it summoned us to class each day; signified the end of play; commanded a straighter line by the canteen at dinnertime; at four o’clock, it made me wait expectantly at the school gate. Kim M. Russell, 17th October 2022 After a very long hiatus, […]
Contentment
In quiet moments, I backtrack to childhood, when life wasn’t packed with worries and responsibilities. I’d stare for hours at cloudy skies; watch a bird catch a worm, see it wriggle and squirm; a beetle on its way somewhere. Contented child without a care. Kim M. Russell, 4th October 2022 It’s Quadrille Monday at the […]
Notorious Punch Bowl
In Surrey’s countryside, legend says that Satan lived nearby to the God of Thunder at Thor’s Lie, tormenting him by leaping from hill to hill. Thor retaliated to no avail, so he scooped up some earth to hurl, and created the Devil’s Punch Bowl. Kim M. Russell, 19th September 2022 This Quadrille Monday at the […]
writing in north norfolk 