Dedicated publisher of fiction, poetry and memoir
On the fieldin front of Traitor’s Gatethey hacked my head off. They probably stuck it on a poleso the horror of it allwould live on in people’s memory. I couldn’t care less for any of thatanymore: my head’s off, somewhere down therewhile I’m up here, observing... Shall we say detachedly?Or would that be distasteful?You can’t... Continue Reading →
‘He had hands like yours,’ my Grandma tells my husband-to-be one Sunday afternoon. We’ve just popped in to say hello. She’s in a reminiscent mood (when is she ever not?) talking about my Grandad, of course. My Grandad who I’d never met. Of three husbands, he’d been the only one she’d truly loved. She hands... Continue Reading →
In what looks set to become a regular guest slot at EIF, Don Matthews of The Flippant, Comic, and Serious has contributed a further trilogy of poems. I think they speak for themselves so this post needs very little introduction. I need only add that if you enjoy this post you should head over to... Continue Reading →
I have already talked briefly about Lake Jasna in my post on Kranjska Gora in Summer. It's a man-made lake at the base of the Vršič pass. The water is shallow and clear to the bed of the lake, making it perfect for fishing, swimming (in Summer) and stand-up paddling. On crisp Autumn evenings, the... Continue Reading →
Chewits are chewier than Barrow-in-Furness bus depotMilk is what Ian Rush drinksAccrington Stanley is a club you’ve never heard ofDon’t play with a kite near overhead electric wiresDon’t ever talk to strangers, especially ifThey have a car boot full of puppies, orThey offer you sweets, butIf you like a lot of chocolate on your biscuitJoin... Continue Reading →
The Church of St John the Baptist is situated at the foot of Lake Bohinj, beside the bridge which spans the Sava Bohinjka river. Built in the typical Slovenian Alpine style, it is notable for its picturesque location and the striking fresco of St Christopher on its southern exterior wall. I have passed the church... Continue Reading →
This week's challenge called for a quatrain, on any subject and with any rhyming scheme/metre (though it should include both). This challenge had a wonderful variety of responses on subjects ranging from comedy to tragedy. In the realm of poetry there is room for both and everything in between. I want to say a special... Continue Reading →
I walked the midnight path aloneThough moonlight lit my wayA cloud crept o’erThe moon was goneI heardA solitary sigh As in a trance, I heard that soundAs in a trance my feet moved onThe ground gave wayThe path was goneI fellDepthlessly down and down Until my fall was broke by leavesSoft autumn leavesPiled high, which... Continue Reading →
My Grandma used to say, look for a crack in a cloudy sky: if there's enough blue sky to make a pair of sailor's trousers, it would turn out to be a sunny day. Has anyone else heard this maxim? I took it far too literally of course, agonising over whether the dress pattern for... Continue Reading →
‘And my blanket of leaves won’t warm her cold breast’Said the tree to the sparrow:Just as we might sayto the refugeewho washes up on our shores, freezing,blanketless, whilewe close our doors, our heartsand look the other way. When Merril gave us the word 'blanket' to incorporate into tonight's dVerse Quadrille, I immediately thought of Simon... Continue Reading →
Experiments in Fiction 