Dedicated publisher of fiction, poetry and memoir
Linguistics is a sexy subjectAnyone who would disagree Should listen to this:LabialDentalPalatalFricativeLabio-velar GIt’s the science of how we speakSo it must have a little to doWith the things that make us tick:It’s easy you seeIt’s all doneWith a flickOf the tongue.I’m British so I’m afraid That’s about as sexy as it’s going to get:Now I’m off to... Continue Reading →
This is a PMDD post. I write these from time to time, mainly to help other sufferers, and to raise awareness of the condition. Also out of sheer exhaustion and exasperation at trying to find some kind of treatment that works. What is PMDD? PMDD is Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder. It is often described as 'a... Continue Reading →
My children return to school tomorrow. Or rather, start their new schools in a new land. Since they last attended, there’s been worldwide pandemic, a 3-day relocation, a new country and a new language to get to grips with. My youngest should do just fine: he’s so used to hearing different languages they merge into... Continue Reading →
I was afraid to start the walk. It was rated: 'very difficult marked trail.' I'd only done 'easy marked trail' up to now. From the valley floor, the sheer rock face above looked inaccessible to the humble hiker. I've never been a climber as I'm much too afraid of heights. But this was something I... Continue Reading →
This fortnight's challenge, to write an Elegy, produced some truly moving and heart-wrenching responses, as you might expect given the nature of the Elegy itself. My thanks and congratulations to those who entered; I was moved by your words and impressed by how powerfully you used your response to grief to create art which I... Continue Reading →
Yesterday on the bus my kids sang:‘All day long I’d biddy-biddy BUM!If I were a wealthy MAN.’On the way homeWe passed a man sleeping in a doorway:Better by far to be a rich bumThan a freezing poor Man. Written in response to dVerse: Quadrille #110: Shall we bum around a bit? For some reason, my kids... Continue Reading →
Thanks to the lovely Lindsay of Live, parent, teach, repeat I have been nominated for my second Vincent Ehindero Award. Lindsay's blog is a hilarious read for parents juggling busy lives, and also deals with educational issues. I recommend it highly to anyone who shares these interests. The Rules: Thank the person who nominated you... Continue Reading →
It’s easy to climb:Just don’t look down.It’s easy to leave:Just don’t everCast a glanceOver your shoulder.But easiest of all isTo stay:As easy as sliding down a greased poleInto not-so-quiet desperation. It’s easy to stay but it’s alsoThe hardest of all:Tortured hoursAnd the slow death of the soul. I am posting this, a little late, for dVerse... Continue Reading →
I met you in the food courtOf the shopping-mall, thatCathedral of commercialism, thereWere chintzy flowers on the restaurant wallWhere I saidI would helpYou find a woman, butWhere were the women? Visit FVR for the full text, where this month's theme is 'nightmares and dreams.' This stream-of-consciousness poem is inspired by a dream I had once... Continue Reading →
It was a day to be borne.Sometimes days are like that:Got to be borne,Born to be got through.Sometimes whole stretches of time are like that:One day, then the next dayThen the next day after thatOn and on'Keep on keepin' on'Because they can’t go on without youIn the sweltering heat whichWouldn’t rainComplaints, always and Nothing was good... Continue Reading →
Experiments in Fiction 