I am thrilled to have been voted Author of the Month at Spillwords Press for Jan/Feb 2021! I wanted to say a MASSIVE thank you to everyone who voted for me: this means so much and I am so grateful for your time, kind words and support. Another heartfelt thank you to Dagmara and the... Continue Reading →
I had just finished reading How Bad are Bananas? The Carbon Footprint of Everything and I was on the verge of despair. We are in the midst of a climate emergency, and our carbon emissions keep increasing. We have seen widespread wildfires, extreme weather all over the world, droughts and flooding on a global scale.... Continue Reading →
The other day, we went for a walk with the kids in the evening. I pointed out the first daffodils to my youngest son. 'This means that spring is here,' I told him. 'Oh, mammy!' he said, 'I got some flowers for you!' In his pocket, a handful of squashed daisies. He'd picked them at... Continue Reading →
After the feasting and celebration following General Vector's defeat, the next day, in stark contrast, was solemn. Even the sun seemed to be muted by high cloud, though it shone defiantly all day long upon the sombre proceedings. Remembering Erasmus As Head of State, I led the funeral procession down from the castle to the... Continue Reading →
The votes have been counted, and the charity who will be receiving royalties from this project will be WWF. It was a very close call, and I would be happy to donate to either charity. I have added my voice to their 'Voice for the Planet' initiative, calling for world leaders to commit to a... Continue Reading →
9 weeks in and finally I forgot to post a poem! This is why there is no day 57. I think my mind just needed a break. Luckily, I am accompanied by many talented poets, and I am gathering together a collection of poems which will make a fine anthology by the end of the... Continue Reading →
Perhaps I use too few wordsin my poetry, I don't tend to favour over-long words,that have me reaching for the dictionary. There's a skill and wit in brevity,in the crafting of a message directlyin such a way that it can beremembered easily, e.g.: In too few wordsyou say the things that hurt the most:‘I’m leaving’‘It... Continue Reading →
I cut a fringe to hide my frown linesI hate my frown lines but I love myself- no -I hate myself but love my frown-lines- no -I love my frown-lines and myself butI don't like how they look in the mirror- no -I cut a fringe because I cannot afford botox- no - I don't... Continue Reading →
A life full of the things we do not say:‘He passed’‘We lost her’‘The deceased’The Dead. Joyce wasn’t afraid to say it:Why are we?We were born into a world looking the other way:death has been sanitised, a skeletonin the closet, the white elephant in the room,a roomful of the things we do not say. Time past,... Continue Reading →
I don't remember much about the first house that I lived in. I remember my mum and dad dancing to records after drinking too much wine. Perhaps they had an argument too, or else why would I remember the wine? But I don't remember the argument, I just remember them dancing to records. I remember... Continue Reading →
Celebrating 20 weeks of guest posts at EIF this week, Don and the FCS team bring you another thought-provoking trilogy! Meanwhile, his feline friend Priscilla is tasked with keeping the birds from Don's coffee, with limited success... Miracle Man You don't accept a warming EarthWhich scientists say is soYet happily accept a miracle man2000 years... Continue Reading →
