Incensed #poetry #Earthweal

Incensedby all the cruelties and confusion ofthe current year:The deaths and deprivation;sadness, isolation, fearI cultivate an inner light to sparka flame in mind;burn incenseat the high altar ofhuman kindness;sharewords with a worldin isolation, connectedas we have never been beforethis Advent-tideabandoningconsumerismhappily, I liverecapturing that spiritof thanksgiving, warmth and lightrecalled from childhood:heady, incense-scentedburning boldlyChristmas-candle-bright. Posting for Earthweal's... Continue Reading →

December 8, 2020 28

Betrayal: Flash fiction #dVerse

Reading what I have just written, I now believe that I’m a coward. ‘Let them shoot me,’ I thought as they marched me in, ‘I will not talk.’ But as soon as they showed me the knives, I crumbled. All my bravery evaporated like the breath of winter. One piece of paper, five names: the... Continue Reading →

December 7, 2020 55

Guest Post: Don Matthews Trilogy #10

Don has a touch of the Lockdown Blues this week, and it's sent him a little 'Whacky,' but it's also given him the chance to dream up some poetry in the shower, as you'll find out below. Priscilla (featured above) has donned her favourite shower cap in celebration. For more of Don's work (and more... Continue Reading →

December 7, 2020 7

Chronicles of Lockdownia #2: A Queen Under Pressure

Until very recently, the term 'under pressure' had meant something gruesomely literal to me. It is common practice within Lockdownia to 'press' miscreants with heavy stones laid upon the chest until they either confess their treacherous deeds, or give up the ghost. Under my rule, of course, such barbarism would not be tolerated. But the... Continue Reading →

December 6, 2020 21

Slovene Cuisine #8: Christmas Cookies!

This week, my son's teacher sent us a recipe for Christmas honey biscuits which I thought would make a nice (if a little messy) activity over the weekend. I was not wrong. This is a fun and easy recipe to make with children, but be warned - things could get messy... Ingredients I've called the... Continue Reading →

December 5, 2020 13

Postcards from Slovenia #37: Winter Wonderland

I was surprised by how quickly winter descended upon our area as we entered the fourth week of lockdown. I've found it quite enchanting as I haven't seen a hard frost like this for years. Even in the UK before we left for Spain, 'cold and frosty mornings' were a rarity. Here, the temperature doesn't... Continue Reading →

December 4, 2020 33

All the colours of Chopin #poetry #dVerse

I'm not a synesthetebut when I listenI can hear the coloursthey are all the colours of the heartand maybe morelighting up the parts of me I didn't know existedas I watch the fingers danceI see the colours: red for firepurple-pink for softer tonesindigo for sadnessgold for the pianist's virtuoso touchand most of all what speaks... Continue Reading →

December 3, 2020 61

EIF Poetry Challenge #11: Free Verse

When it comes to Free Verse, it's a lot easier to say what it isn't than what it is. First and foremost, it is not a poetic form, as by definition it is not governed by formal rules of poetry. It is rather a style in which the poet is free to express her or... Continue Reading →

December 2, 2020 27

Travelling in the wilderness – #poetry #dVerse

Travelling in the wildernessaround Christianbury CragKershope ForestThe Debatable LandsReiver Country: Between Rowelltownand Roadheadthe Black Lyne and the White Lyne meetlike a divining rodto form the River Lyne. To make your way through the forestwhere I once heard the first cuckoo in springso many years agoyou must follow the yellow markers on the treesif you're not... Continue Reading →

December 1, 2020 44

Wolves of War – #poetry #Earthweal

War wolves whisper soft to one another: Where, where shall we go now? Far, farfrom the killing-machines' too-human roar somewhere where we may hearOur own moon-cries once more:North. North, on and on they goalways under forest’s cover:The wild wolf and the lumberingsoft-footed bear to the forests of Slovenia:only to be persecuted there? One wilderness re-wildedanother abandoned. Perhaps the people... Continue Reading →

December 1, 2020 18