Imago A box, made of some dark wood with no scent, no discernible grain. Inlaid into the lid, a scene of welcome made from scales that shone like pearls in shallow water. A man and his daughter and a tree with arching limbs. Shall I tell you about angels? There was no latch, no lock, …
NaPoWriMo 09 – day 29
An Unusual Affection for Paperclips I am growing older, stiffer in knees and hips. How could I not admire the flexibility of paperclips? * Pleasure comes from simple things. Behold a child with a box of coloured paperclips! * Chaos is the final order, and settles among my things. I hold it at bay with bookmarks, …
NaPoWriMo 09 – day 28
Mending You are sitting close to the light, intent on thread and needle and the lining of my good coat, trailing like a slipped wing. Outside, snow has started falling again. You taught me to sew. Strange craft for a husband perhaps, and you learned it young. Frowning, you deftly unpick what I had tacked …
NaPoWriMo 09 – day 27
Jar The tomatoes are struggling. Early frosts have made the quest for ripeness instead a hard scrabble for autumn survival. Leaves yellow and the veins stand out – green tributaries of a leaking river-system. We stroke their knobby stems and press our lips to the fruit to coax a little more colour into their cheeks. A week more, and we will harvest …
NaPoWriMo 09 – day 26
The Beautiful Boys of Amsterdam We made love in a glass-walled bedroom. Opening the curtains brought the city to our table, and we drank it in. It was high summer, and the beautiful boys of Amsterdam were everywhere, shirtless and smiling. Who would not bloom there? Feeling like teenagers, we strolled along the canal into …
A Dark Feathered Art 