I don’t fall into winter, not like the dead leaves,but charge in, daubed cheeks and white breath;eager mornings tugging aside curtains’ sheavesto see the silvering frost-blanket the night has left. I don’t fall into winter, wishing for some brakesholding arms in front of me, trying to stop time.I gallop in gladly, relishing air’s chilly embracefinding... Continue Reading →
Spring into Summer #SonnetSunday
This Spring into Summer has me hangingas if to say, 'Wait - we're not quite there yet!'Long days of rain, holed up in my room singingI have endured, shunning the cold and wet and on days when the bright sea looks invitingI've shivered by the shore bewilderedby those brave souls who think nothing of divinginto... Continue Reading →
My review of ‘The Sound of Brilliance’
I've just finished reading The Sound of Brilliance, an anthology of poems from 'The Short of It' series edited by Susi Bocks. As Susi herself states of the book: This publication aims to find people with an interest and talent for micro-writing, whether their preferred form is poetry or stories, expressing themselves in 150 or... Continue Reading →
‘Sorry, mate…’ published in ‘Through the Looking Glass’
As I sank into the depths of alcoholismdepression and despair not a soul around me seemed to careexcept the man who stood next to me on the tubewhose angry eyes seemed to say ‘how dare you stand so close to me?’Perhaps I didn’t smell too good: Sorry mate, did I spoil your commute? I wrote this... Continue Reading →
Night-blooming flowers #haibun #dVerse
Hellebores, primrose, bluebells, geranium, forget-me-not: how could I forget you? For our love bloomed in the heady time of late spring flowers, around the rising of the late-May moon. Scents of lavender and roses drifted on the air, as the Star of Bethlehem reflected the moon's splendour, shining white. Buttercups and poppies swayed in daytime... Continue Reading →
Sonnet Sunday announcement: Spring into Summer!
I have witnessed the transition from Spring into Summer in several different locations. In the UK, the saying goes, Ne'er cast a clout, till May is out. ('Don't take your (winter) clothes off until May is over.') In Catalunya, it's Pel maig cada dia un raig ('In May, every day a ray' - but the... Continue Reading →
The last dance #poetry #poem
If a dream was a dance and thatdance was a waltzI’d be whisked off my feet to thebeat of your pulse: I would whirl and I’d twirl as we’down the dance floorand my skirt all a-swirl would in-vite, ‘Just one more... 'Have this last dance, this last dance, thislast dance with me!'At the end of... Continue Reading →
Collapse Doline #poetry #earthweal
Collapse dolineyou draw me in, below, beneath and in betweenthe underworld and over. Persephone was crownéd queenhere in this realmsilent, unseenbeside her demon lover. The fear of death evoked beneath the sealing stone’s rock ceiling, the river with one raging breatha wat’ry fate revealing. Collapse doline, the world withinpunctured my heart with knowing parallel worlds in other... Continue Reading →
Nostalgia #poetry #poem
I’m nostalgic for Catalunya:iron-red earth and the Serrat and Els Cingles de Berti,Tagament,Vic, Tarragona,Barcelona, always andthe Costa Brava or Costa Daurada:of course I’m nostalgic forCatalunya. I’m nostalgic for the Southof Spain where warm Saharan winds blowand the mountains arelike dragon-backs:where life is Andaluz-ly ledamong the orange grovesthe scent of my nostalgia. I’m nostalgic for London in the... Continue Reading →
My review of ‘Moon Bath’ by Sanaa Rizvi
You may know Sanaa Rizvi of 'A Dash of Sunny' from the dVerse poetry community. Whether or not you are already familiar with her work, I recommend this exquisite poetry collection, which charts the poet's journey through 2020 in a collection which follows the phases of the moon and the shifting sands of life. Why... Continue Reading →