As the last ice age receded, birches set roots in stony ground, pioneers, trees of beginnings, the first in the Ogham alphabet. At Samhain, birch twigs drive out spirits of the old year, and here, at the end of the garden, my goddess grows, silver bark shining in sunlight and shimmering in moonlight, standing tall, […]
Tag: What’s Going On
I love…
a breath of sea air,the wind in my hair,watching a seabird drift off course,then finding its way back home; the rich purple huesof heather, the bluesof sea holly and cornflower,the electric-blue feather of a jay; the loud rumbling purrof my cats, their soft fur,the way they trust me not to movewhen they curl up on […]
Village
This is a quiet village in a flat landscape,where boat sails criss-cross fieldspast old churches and windmills. There are ancient woods and trees:rowan, oak and beech,walks along a winding lane or windy beach. Just down the road horses graze and on the riverducks and swans return each year:I’m not the only one who loves it […]
Moving
If I were a tree, I would not considermoving, my roots firm in soil,beneath green grass in summerand in autumn a leafy litterof russet, amber, umber, ochre. If I were a snail, I’d carry my home,followed by a silver trail,free to wander and to roamacross tarmac, stone and loam,sheltered by my spiralled dome. But I […]
Beauty Hides in a Cupboard
Yesterday I cleaned out cupboardsinstead of organising words. I removed the pots and pans,checked that they were spick and span, and placed them on the work top.I marvelled as bubbles appeared in soap and water when I dipped a cloth into the bowl,laughed when a bubble sparkled, whole, and floated up towards the ceiling.Wiping hard, […]
Gratitude
Up before the birds,slave to emphatic vatic,I’m tired but thankful,inspired by the symphonicdawn chorus now the sky’s full. Kim M. Russell, 12th October 2023 Image by Rhys Kentish on Unsplash Sherry says that this past Monday was Thanksgiving in Canada. She also reminds me that many of us are in the time of life when […]
Breaking the Back of It
It’s taken a long time to break its back,I’ve been lost many times on its lonely track.When young, from the distance it looked like a ridge;the closer I get, the more I need courage.It used to be verdant and dotted with flowers,a place I could dream about in quiet hours,but now it’s precarious with rockfalls […]
Take This Garden
Take this gardenand inhale its fragrancespilling in the dark. Take this dawnbefore the sunriseand the singing of the lark. Take this honeysuckleclimbing the cherry treeand frothing down its bark. Take this sunriseand embrace the morning staras it travels in its arc. Kim M. Russell. 20th September 2023 It’s Wednesday and time to ‘Take This Poem’ […]
What’s Going On?
Each walk reveals autumn’s treasures: late blooming flowers, nuts and berries illuminate ditches and hedges, ruby haws stud green leaves, and sunflowers linger between harvest sheaves. August’s visitors are long gone; daughter, son-in-law and grandsons have left a trace of joy behind, and they are always on my mind as I walk the country lanes. […]
Sett for Life
Don’t badger me about my burrow, it keeps me safe from rain and cold, from dangerous predators, humans too; my ancestral home is centuries old. My forebears’ powerful claws dug deep a sturdy network of chambers and tunnels, a realm with a semi-circular keep beneath the hills and wooded dingles, where I gather grass and […]
writing in north norfolk 