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 →
You in my dreams: A new #poem published at Free Verse Revolution
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 →
‘Keyword Search’: Flash Fiction/Prose Poetry
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 →
EIF Poetry Challenge #4: The Elegy
Like the Ode, the Elegy has its origins in Classical literature, where it was characterised by its elegiac metre (alternating lines of dactylic hexameter and pentameter). But don't worry, this challenge does not demand such a fixed and complex metre. In English literature, an Elegy is 'a form of poetry in which the poet or... Continue Reading →
Time it was…#dVerse Prosery
‘Time it was, and what a time it was, it wasA time of innocence, A time of confidences…’ Such was the time I spent with my Grandmother. Her home was always a place of sanctuary: she stayed up all hours of the night and was always glad of company. She could sit for hours recounting... Continue Reading →
Postcards from Slovenia #22: Kranjska Gora in Summer
Another popular Slovenian Ski Resort which makes a great summer holiday destination for lovers of mountain scenery is Kranjska Gora. The beauty of the place lies in its situation below some of the most dramatic mountain peaks in the area: the high and jagged rock wall of Prisank and its neighbouring mountains towering high above... Continue Reading →
Slovene Cuisine #2: Goulash
'Wait!' I hear you cry: 'Goulash is from Hungary! Or is it Austria? It certainly isn't from Slovenia!' While it's true that Goulash has its origins in Austro-Hungarian cuisine, it is very popular all over Slovenia owing to the fact that Slovenia was once part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Read on to find out more,... Continue Reading →
Postcards from Slovenia #21: Črno Jezero
Today, we visit Črno Jezero, or 'The Black Lake,' which is the lowest-lying of the Triglav Lakes, at 1,319 m (4,327 ft) above sea level. It lies below the Triglav Lakes Valley proper. It is possible to visit this lake from the Bohinj valley and return as a one-day excursion. But be prepared for a... Continue Reading →
EIF Poetry Challenge #3: The Results!
We had a great response to this fortnight's challenge: The Ode. There were some truly heartfelt and moving responses. I think being prompted to write a poem about something which moves you deeply is the perfect way to get the creative juices flowing. All of my poems (apart from the silly ones) are about something... Continue Reading →
Postcards from Slovenia #20: The Vogel Ski Centre in Summer
Probably the most popular Ski resort in Slovenia, the Vogel Ski Centre above Lake Bohinj is also a great place to visit in Summer. Read on to find out why. Easy Access to the Mountains: The Vogel Cable Car The cable car is a marvel of modern engineering: my cavewoman brain can never quite grasp... Continue Reading →