January, 2010
After The Funk NEW
Sat, 30/01/2010 - 13:18 — NadrockSerenity comes a-callin,
His spirit relaxed,
Eyes light, open with ease
In the wake of past fatigue.
He rises to begin his day,
As usual, toast and coffee
His order of the moment.
Head lighter than yesterday,
Meds kickin' in,
The torpor of recent days
Displaced, alert at last.
Recovery has begun.
Walking nonchalantly
In the January bite,
Down to the river,
Stagnant waters
Allow time for reflection.
Sitting on the bank,
Drinking hot coffee,
Easing into recuperation once more.
Body temperature rising,
Hands relaxing around the cup.
3 poems
Fri, 29/01/2010 - 20:39 — NabilaThis is an old poem which I am editing.
The Smell of Motherhood
How deftly her hands start a fire:
wafting smoke with thin cardboard.
She blows in timed rhythms. Rolling pin,
flour, dough: neatly seated beside her.
Her hands look old, manly, used.
The skin is tough and brown. Her limbs are supple,
crouched but comfortable. She smiles at me.
I see the alert white of her eye.
I miss this: the crackle,
the smell of burning wood, the promise of a meal.
I only ever saw this much sparkle
on Bonfire night: gloved, covered,
in the cold back yard.
useful links
Fri, 22/01/2010 - 08:57 — NabilaI've been sending off a lot of work recently and researching , so sharing some useful links:
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-news-listings/ (this one is very good for competitions/call for submissions)
http://www.arvonfoundation.org/p1.html
http://www.literaturedevelopment.co.uk/home
http://www.britwriters.co.uk/index.html
International Religious Poetry competition: http://www.manchestercathedral.org/content/view/470/1/
publishing success and thanks
Thu, 21/01/2010 - 11:25 — NabilaWant to thank everyone who has taken the time to read and comment on my work on here. Pete, you know my work well and better than I and you were right about which ones were publishable as those have been selected by Leeds University Press. (I will listen to you from now!)
Re-incarnage
Tue, 12/01/2010 - 06:05 — Clare R
I read an early version of this when I came to the writers' group last summer. It's undergone quite a few changes since then....
Modern window frames
Verdant foliage
Forests rain
ferns curl
fine vines grab green air
beckon
fecund spiders, lazy flies
strange familiar fronds
trumpet players’ fast fingers
Finding fluttering rhythm
Spanish moss, pale as seaweed
Shrouds hirsute hackberries
Leaf skeleton hands, mottled dark veins
translucent green palms upwards
gesture of innocence
Below the dank armpits of valley oaks
marshmallow fungus
clings besotted
Call Centre
Fri, 08/01/2010 - 11:42 — VijayOperator: 'Ridge Hall, computer assistance; may I help you?'
Caller: 'Yes, well, I'm having trouble with WordPerfect.'
Operator: 'What sort of trouble??'
Caller: 'Well, I was just typing along, and all of a sudden the words went away.'
Operator: 'Went away?'
Caller: 'They disappeared.'
Operator: 'Hmm So what does your screen look like now?'
Caller: 'Nothing.'
Operator: 'Nothing??'
Caller: 'It's blank; it won't accept anything when I type.'
Operator: 'Are you still in WordPerfect, or did you get out??'
Caller: 'How do I tell?'
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