In spring, at the end of my grandparents’ Otherwise tidy garden, I gazed for hours At scruffy clumps of white and purple flowers: Granddad called them honesty, Which puzzled me. I watched their pretty petals perish, Leaving brown paper parcels of seeds, Waiting to be buffeted on a breeze Whose windy fingers would peel away […]
Tag: Submission
6 am
Six o’clock is muted; A few birds mutter tentatively As if morning is disputed, Unsure of their internal clocks Due to the absent Crowing of the neighbour’s cock. The sky is opaque with autumn mist The colour of an old vest. Hanging from the pinch of plastic pegs, Limp washing drips. Silence sizzles. And then, […]
Happy!
I logged on this morning and was happy to see the poem I submitted to Visual Verse has been published on-line; I found it on page thirty-nine!
Awakening in January
Well, the winners of Writing East Midlands’ very first Aurora Poetry and Short Fiction competition have been announced. I submitted this poem but it wasn’t even commended. Better luck next time!. In the small hours, Winter skies are clear and vast; Countless clusters of stars Span present, future and past. On the first morning of […]
January Blues
Another unsuccessful entry, this time in the Interpreter’s House Open House Poetry Competition 2016: With a defiant seagull’s cry Salt-scented memories fly In mid-winter moody sky Drenched with wintry light And seascape hues Of January blues Pinned by a star Like salvaged scraps With the delicacy of old lace Beach-combings of shells and stones Brittle brine-bleached […]
Putting the Sun to Bed
A poem that was unsuccessful in the Prole Laureate Poetry Competition 2016: Last night I watched Frayed threads of day Unravel in dusk, Filling the vast sky With clouds And silhouettes Of trees and birds, Tearing asunder An unseen seam Where day’s glowing coin Slid into the slot of night. A final fanfare of […]
Exciting news!
I have just received the following email: ‘Congratulations! I wish to inform you that your submitted work has been accepted for inclusion in Afflatus magazine. I would like to thank each contributor for submitting your poems in our inaugural issue. We envision a magazine featuring works by emerging and established writers. We are literature beyond […]
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