This but trash‘tis but trash, thisthing for which you wish:leave it, it is choking upthe Earth, your desirefor more, always moreyou have enoughyou givenothingexceptyourselfaway.Abandon it:burn brightinto the blessedlight of day. © Experimentsinfiction 2021, All Rights Reserved Written for earthweal The pandemic and resultant lockdowns certainly got me thinking about how much junk I have in my life that I... Continue Reading →
The cloud-capped towers #haibun #earthweal
Driving home from York as a child: it’s a long drive, nearly three hours. First you cross the Vale of York, then over Bowes Moor from Scotch Corner down into the Eden valley. It’s a lot of wide open spaces and even wider, open skies. I can’t remember the time of year, though I’m guessing... Continue Reading →
The last dance #poetry #poem
If a dream was a dance and thatdance was a waltzI’d be whisked off my feet to thebeat of your pulse: I would whirl and I’d twirl as we’down the dance floorand my skirt all a-swirl would in-vite, ‘Just one more... 'Have this last dance, this last dance, thislast dance with me!'At the end of... Continue Reading →
Collapse Doline #poetry #earthweal
Collapse dolineyou draw me in, below, beneath and in betweenthe underworld and over. Persephone was crownéd queenhere in this realmsilent, unseenbeside her demon lover. The fear of death evoked beneath the sealing stone’s rock ceiling, the river with one raging breatha wat’ry fate revealing. Collapse doline, the world withinpunctured my heart with knowing parallel worlds in other... Continue Reading →
Postcards from Slovenia #49: Škocjanske Jame
Škocjanske Jame, or 'The Škocjan Caves' are not as well-known as the tourist magnet that is Postojna Cave, but what a wonder of nature they truly are (as acknowledged in their World Heritage Site status.) If you're looking for a subterranean adventure with just a dash of existential terror thrown in, then this is the... Continue Reading →
Nostalgia #poetry #poem
I’m nostalgic for Catalunya:iron-red earth and the Serrat and Els Cingles de Berti,Tagament,Vic, Tarragona,Barcelona, always andthe Costa Brava or Costa Daurada:of course I’m nostalgic forCatalunya. I’m nostalgic for the Southof Spain where warm Saharan winds blowand the mountains arelike dragon-backs:where life is Andaluz-ly ledamong the orange grovesthe scent of my nostalgia. I’m nostalgic for London in the... Continue Reading →
My review of ‘Moon Bath’ by Sanaa Rizvi
You may know Sanaa Rizvi of 'A Dash of Sunny' from the dVerse poetry community. Whether or not you are already familiar with her work, I recommend this exquisite poetry collection, which charts the poet's journey through 2020 in a collection which follows the phases of the moon and the shifting sands of life. Why... Continue Reading →
Guest post: ‘Leap’ by Cyril Joseph
Here we all are at the edge of this very moment, so desperate to feel something, anything at all, that we romanticize everyone and everything around us. Falling into each other and obsessing about the past, to avoid looking into ourselves, as we fall off the edge of this very moment, onto the edge of... Continue Reading →
Experiments in Taste #11: Vegetarian Pad Thai
This robust and satisfying dish is packed with protein, and full of perfectly balanced flavours. It is simple to make, so long as you do all the prep work before you start cooking, and it can easily be converted to a vegan recipe by omitting the eggs. Ingredients (serves 2) Prepare your ingredients in advance!... Continue Reading →
Blue me so much beauty #poetry #dVerse
Blue me so much beauty - bless my life! - in lake, and sky and seablooming everywheregreen in the grassblue in the lake's tranquilityblue in the ocean's regencyblue in the sky above mewho am I to say:poor meblue mewhat-am-I-to-do me?Look into the deep blue all around me:blue me so much beauty(blue the heart within me)... Continue Reading →