Life. It gets in the way. That's why I haven't blogged for three months because there's been a lot going on. For the last month or so, I've been down with the lurgy (the flu), but after two courses of antibiotics, probiotics, lots of vitamins, good food and rest, I'm on my way to being back … Continue reading Where in the world are you, Carmen Sandiego?
My new normal
I'm just about jumping out of my skin. I had my first good night's sleep in eleven days, so I'm feeling rested. I've been waking up around 4-5am, which is not the norm for me. I've never been a morning person, though when I first moved into my beloved flat I became one of those morning … Continue reading My new normal
The bitter taste of defeat and failure
Always expect the unexpected. Be prepared like a girl scout without the rules (but with the cookies). That's always been one of my life's mottos. After taking my last ever dose of opiate antagonist therapy last Friday, I was relieved when I only had some minor restless limbs when I turned in for bed that evening. … Continue reading The bitter taste of defeat and failure
Poem of the month – ‘Chemistry’
I do believe that I forgot to let you know that my poem 'Chemistry' was chosen as November's Poem of the Month for the Writer's Edit website. You can read it here. I hope you love reading the poem as much as I loved writing it.
Poem in Cordite Poetry Review
Pinch and a punch and white rabbits to you on this, the first day of November. I'm stoked to share my poem 'Chemistry' with you which has was chosen for Cordite Poetry Review's 'Toil' issue. It's the second poem of mine that Cordite have ever so kindly published and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as … Continue reading Poem in Cordite Poetry Review
My night without armour
May-August 1998 I was in the dying room. You know the one. It's quiet. People slip in and out as though they were never there. Festering in a bed for three months, I had grown tired. My arms were the shape of soft baguettes, peppered with freckles like sesame seeds. Lips, a permanent shade of blue. Colourless … Continue reading My night without armour
The week that was …
Last weekend saw me help shepherd my sister out of the shadows of a broken marriage and into freedom. Freedom from years and seasons of pain and sacrifice, and freedom born out of an indelible cost to her humanity and identity as a woman. A big group of people who love her ferried her out of … Continue reading The week that was …
Haiku at the hospital
Waiting. I do a lot of it. Instead of people watching or reading, today I wrote down these during an emergency clinic appointment. I've been a little generous with the traditional 5,7,5 form of haiku. After all, I'm no Basho ... Brooding black cockatoo, beak smooth like old rosin, honeyed and forgotten. * Tawny frogmouth, … Continue reading Haiku at the hospital
New year pastoral
Loose udders and mucus plugs signals new life on the grass and clods of dirt. Lilies dance on water the way flies hover over fresh meat. A heifer drops its snout into the trough to drink – not greedily, but more delicately, sucking on the water in a docile way – fickle for a beast. Pebbles, clumps … Continue reading New year pastoral
Being woken at the gates of heaven
Candy in a bag - recollections of a need when my mind was an unswept room, my body a husk, full of holes so thick I thought I would leak. Needles in my bedside drawer, ampoules ready to be snapped off at the yellow line - that crisp and thrilling pop. No greater satisfaction, nor ever surpassed. … Continue reading Being woken at the gates of heaven
