It's that time of year again, when I take a look back over a selection of the year's poetry. The video below features some of the poems I made into Instagram poetry cards. I think the designs get better as the year progresses, especially once I started using Canva - even the free version is... Continue Reading →
Solstice Cadralor #poetry #earthweal
I.Solsticenadir and zenithsouls to icecold moon to blazing sun II.Frost glitters uponengravings of the ancient earthglacier-carvingsplace of life begun III.Candy-cane stripesdancing sailors' hornpipesspray hitting window panessomeone is dancing IV.Alonedusk fallinglike a prayer which dies upon the lipsunheard V.Solstice arcstowards penumbral lightrefracting rainbows into infinity © 2021 experimentsinfiction.com. All Rights Reserved. Written for earthweal I know, I'm supposed... Continue Reading →
Festive Sonnet Sunday: Then Days will Lengthen by Cheryl Batavia
Forgotten are the venerated trees,the winter solstice rites of yesteryears.Neglected are the ancient mysteries.Our sacred groves are drowned in Gaia's tears.Beloved traditions once so highly prized,now, tattered vestiges of olden times.Our cherished ambitions, half-realized,faint echoes of the ancient, mystic rhymes.A wreath of evergreens adorns my doorfor winter solstice, the year's longest night.Observing festivities as before,we'll... Continue Reading →
Festive Sonnet Sunday: A Laden Sleigh by Nick Reeves
A laden sleigh on this Christmas EveRiding high over rooftop and streamIs magical to those who believe –Children and lovers and sleepers in dream * Let’s dress the trees with tinsel and bowsLet them clothe us with black forest smellsSnowflakes and moonbeams will fill the windowsAnd all will ring with baubles and bells. * On... Continue Reading →
Festive Sonnet Sunday: Fun at Christmas? by Valdis Stakle
It's Christmas now and time to have some funit is the season so they say of joyit could be me, that I’m the only onewho wonders if it’s just a crazy ploy With master cards unsheathed we make our wayinto the labyrinths of shops and storesthe presents bought will surely make our daythe gifts we... Continue Reading →
Festive Sonnet Sunday: The Ghosts of Christmas Past
I mutter ‘bah-humbug’ beneath my breaththroughout this season of enforced good cheerwhen we must never speak of loss, nor deathalthough the loss is all to great to bear: Lost loved ones I remember, candlelightrecalls your living flame snuffed out too soon;gaudy illuminations shine not half as brightas you did when your love-light filled the room.... Continue Reading →
Christmas Card from Carlisle!
I took these photos in Carlisle a few weeks back, but wanted to share them with you now, and wish you all a very Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays/Sweet Solstice, depending on what you celebrate. I hope you find something to warm your heart at this festive time of year! The featured image shows Carlisle Castle, almost... Continue Reading →
Lake District Love Letters #7: Wordsworth’s Grasmere
This week, I had the privilege to visit Wordsworth's former homes of Dove Cottage in Grasmere, and Rydal Mount just a few miles down the road. I also got to hear his family read his poetry, which was an unforgettable experience. So in today's Love Letter, let me tell you all about Wordsworth's Grasmere. The... Continue Reading →
Lake District Love Letters #6: Orrest Head
A relatively modest fell, standing only 784 ft above sea level, Orrest Head is certainly worth the 20-minute climb from Windermere Railway station, for the extensive views it provides over the head of Windermere and the surrounding higher fells. When is a Wainwright not a Wainwright? Orrest Head was in fact the first fell climbed... Continue Reading →
To all the women who went before #dVerse #prosery
They were given many names, like 'witch,' or 'bitch,' or 'whore.' I dress in their stories, patterned and purple as night, like the bruises they wore: these troublesome women who always wanted more. Why wouldn't they just accept their position as subordinate, as Adam's rib, as The Lord commanded it? So the men would ask.... Continue Reading →