Regeneration

The annual ball is almost over,the wheel has reached its final creak;it should be well oiled by the countdown. Balloons drift across ceiling and floor;like cheap champagne, the tarnishedglitter dome retains some sparkle. Spooked by eruptions of extravagantfireworks, midnight sees the old yeargather her skirts. A pumpkin carriage awaits, ready to drive into a foetal […]

Today’s Sermon

is marsh birdspouring over reeds and a golden plover’srapid wing beats, and the brief shadowsof small wavelets. Today’s sermon isa soft cacophony drifting from trees,cool air and moss. Today’s sermon ismy willpower disintegratinginto iced creaminess, a swirl of sweetness,a little thrill of pistachio. Today’s sermon isknitting a present for my sister in a rich redthe […]

Desert

There are millions of grains of sandburning red in the midday sun,tiny works of art, alightbefore the day has begun. Irritated beneath the aching feetof camels and nomads, gritconjures a pearl in its oyster eye,a mirage in the distance, where an antique rose withers againand again, forever thirsty for rain.  Kim M. Russell, 23rd October […]

This is how the day begins…

with one eye open,watching morning creepthrough the blind, a peeping tomor sneak thief invading the bedroom. You are still a shadow hunchedunder the covers, a prisonerof the loudly ticking clockimitating the rhythm of heavy rock. Craving quiet before birdsong,I pad barefoot downstairsfor a much needed peeand the first cup of tea, only to find hungry […]

Anger

I see anger as orange red,so hot and bright it hurts my head.I’m very seldom angry,except for when I’m very hungry;I just get so frustrated I cryat injustice and violence. I tryto build up a fire in my belly,but my heart says no, and I turn to jelly,and suffer from various digestive quirks;I’ve tried building […]

Never Again

The sunhas climbed much higherin the blistering biosphereuntil theelastic sky is far too close.Prostrate on caramel sand,I burn. Kim M. Russell, 1st August 2024 Image by Leio McLaren on Unsplash I’m a little late for the What’s Going On? prompt this week, a bit like making a cameo appearance for Sumana’s challenge. I enjoyed reading […]

The Perfume of Peonies

She raises the pink peonies, cool,damp leaves and petals a balmto her industrious fingers. Those dual-headed, blowsy globes grasped in her palmexude a fruity wisp of sweetnessthat makes her life much easier to bear.No customers notice the neatnessof her blouse, the pretty headscarf that she wearsto cover the cuts and bruises of her husband’s violence.She […]