Seven Sisters road runs fromsomewhere intersecting thesweep of Holloway Road andslightly seedily on toSouth Tottenham, travellingSouth West to North East: neverspeak of starlight, City blind. Written for dVerse Poetics: Stars that count. Laura is hosting tonight and has asked us to write a 'Pleiades poem.' I found this incredibly hard, but had to try. I... Continue Reading →
This near-winter time of year when the nights draw in: I never was a big fan. In fact, typically sadness, fear and age-old anxiety would always hit around this time. I had a taste of it in October, when many days were overcast and cloudy, but oh, what a cold and crystal clear November we've... Continue Reading →
Like an affair with a half-remembered loverI wouldn’t say I’m happy that it’s over; but rather thatI no longer need you: my heart is light. Frank hosts at dVerse tonight, and he has asked us to write a Jisei, or death poem, celebrating the onset of the northern winter. I wouldn't say I'm ever happy to see the end... Continue Reading →
Brown fleckin a green eye:something rare, Igot the green, thethickness of your hair, mychildren got thehazel-brownso maybe in that fleckthere was encodeddouble-helix stylea sparkof lifewhich carried on from youto meto themand now I seewith mother’s eyesthe way you used to see.And yes, I’m tired.And yes, I struggle sometimes, stillAt the heart of it alleyes see[and allI... Continue Reading →
Which path to take?So many perceivedpossibilitiesearly in life they seeminfinite almost, butlater: determinate, obdurate,few:What makes us changeour perceptionof what is impossible?Reservations, reluctanceto make ourselves risible;deportment, decorumor maybe it’s really justfear... Whimzygizmo is hosting at dVerse and she has asked us to write a poem of exactly 44 words including the word 'possible' or one or... Continue Reading →
My child woke from a nightmare the other night, or was it early morning? “What’s the matter, love?’ I asked. “I thought I heard a scratching,” he answered. “And what do you think you could have heard doing this scratching?” I continued. “Maybe a big rat” he answered, “or something else more scary…with sharp claws!”... Continue Reading →
Cold-comfort month:the month after my mother’s deathforeshadowing my sister’s, that dark alleyand yetinto that darkness came brightest light: 8 years agomy eldest son born.A new life begun, whothough he didn’t see the sunfor almost six monthsradiated unadulteratedlight withinand still, undimmedin this darkest of seasonsshines a light:transforms my winter-worldto wonderlandof birthday dreamsand Santa-schemesand new hope brought to life. Written for dVerse... Continue Reading →
Happiness is leaving me:I got up the other day and thought I felt it but that was onlyindigestion.I took a walk out on the empty streetsleft you behindthen I began to feel a lightness, release:Happiness is leaving you. Written for dVerse Quadrille Monday, hosted by Lillian, who has asked us to include some form of... Continue Reading →
A lifetime's quest, or thatof half a life at leastwas born the day I firstclimbed Hampsfell. Lookout point on the CartmelPeninsula, high above Grange-over-Sands/stretched out below meout to sea Behind were all the mountainsof my youth and visionsof the mountains still to climb. As I approached the templeon the hill, I read the legend Ῥοδοδάκτυλος... Continue Reading →
The land looks different lit in silver. That's most-of-all what I remember, the night of almost being stranded on a mountainside. True story: I was a romantic-minded, foolish teenager, determined to see the sunset from the summit of the mountain. Absolutely crazy. My dad couldn't persuade me to go back. Textbook idiocy. Of course, the... Continue Reading →
