The photo above, taken late last week, shows autumn at its sunniest: all ginger and bright, the sort of day that tempts you to scuff through piles of rustling russet leaves, even if you’re wearing smart work shoes.
The tree in the next picture, with its red leaves flaming against the clear sky, reminded me of the burning bush.
Continue reading “unreliable narrators”
I seem to have posted a lot of pictures of flowers and fruits recently, which is slightly annoying, as it sometimes seems as if this blog is turning into a photo report of a harvest festival.
This isn’t what I am aiming for, and I am reminded of a question that cropped up when talking about writing some years ago:
Continue reading “not exactly floral”
Apparently the summer solstice and the full moon coincide tonight, so here’s a white rose – a rose for summer and white for the moon.
White roses always make me think of this line in Laurie Lee’s Home From Abroad:
The hedges choke with roses fat as cream.
About ten days ago I was running to catch a bus to get to a meeting when I passed a huge may tree in full bloom. I hadn’t time to do more than pause and then rush on, but I thought it’d be a good idea for the last blog post of this month: how we have two bank holidays in May, and yet neither of them are May Day; how the English say Ne’er cast a clout till May be out – whether that be the month of May or the blossom – while the Spanish with their far balmier climate say hasta el cuarenta de mayo no te quites el sayo – don’t take off your coat till the 40th of May; how taking may blossom into the house is supposed to bring bad luck…
Of course, I then forgot to go back and take the picture.
This morning I went across the park and there are plenty of trees and other plants in bloom, but I didn’t find any hawthorn.
The park was frothing at the hedges with cow parsley:
In the glass beside the sink
my toothbrush
kisses yours.
I don’t think that counts as a haiku, as brushing one’s teeth is neither nature-related nor a seasonal activity; perhaps, though, it could be classed as a senryu – similar to a haiku but focused on human foibles. Either way, it is one of the pieces in Poems from the pueblo. Haiku and assorted fragments, which is currently available to download free from Amazon.
Continue reading “power, pronouns and personal hygiene”
don't confuse the narrator 