Poem, 16 March 2019. Strange how that green shadow Chases you through life Hovering just above your shoulder, Waiting to peck at and whittle down Your plans and executions Your thoughts and passions At times a deafening silence At times an ignoring and brushing away And when that fails to absorb the insecurities, Set the…
I can’t believe my ears
Snippet, 17 November 2018. I can’t believe my ears. How could it be after all that life together, much of it good I have to say, it comes down to just this – a fight over bits of furniture. Erase 25 years of shared memories – travels, kids growing up, the fears, the readings in…
At least he…
Snippet, 17 September 2018. At least he came from good stock. That’s the only thing you can grant him really. Best not to dwell on all that dubious history. Far too liberal that mother was, with that upturned nose and fancy ways. Running off to Paris at the slightest impulse. Lord knows what he was…
Bidding adieu
Poem, 19 November 2018. Bidding adieu –An elaborate art in certain culturesA never-ending process in othersAnd an instant vanishing act in some. For someone like meCaught between culturesFarewell rituals offer a very interesting insightInto cultural disposition and interaction. Mandatory kisses seem to be the done thing Among southern Europeans and Latin Americans.True or simulated pecks…
It’s an amazing material – that plastic
Poem, 5 October 2018. I know nothing else As bendy and elasticas ubiquitous and fantasticAs that amazing material they call plastic. You can make just about anything out of itFrom plastic mats and plastic toysTo swanky furniture and styrofoam buoys. You can put it into almost anythingFrom scrubs and glittery cosmeticsTo cars, shoes and shining…
Ode to the plastic ocean📘
Published at https://spillwords.com/ode-to-the-plastic-ocean/ Recited at Poetry Slam Ubud Writers and Readers Festival 2019 Poem, 15 September 2018. I am a Manta rayForty years of swimming these baysNow my diet has far more varietyNot just multi-coloured fishBut lots and lots of plastic. I am a green sea turtleTwenty years of floating along Nibbling seaweed and singing…
Happiness is
Poem, 13 October 2018. Happiness is: When you wake up On a beautiful Saturday morningTo blue skies and birdsongAnd sounds of water running into the fields When you wander around the houseBarefoot and relaxedWatering the plants, smelling the flowers And putting things just so When you walk your dog and see him frolic With the…
Yellow is the sun
Poem by Anju Buchholz (Age: 10 years), 4 October 2018. Yellow is the sunYellow is the CambojaYellow is joyYellow makes us happy. Blue is the skyBlue is my mom’s dressBlue is sadBlue is the deep sea. Green is the leafGreen is freshGreen is the grassAnd the waving rice paddies. Red is the hibiscusRed are the…
The night it happened📘
First published at http://balicwc.com/2018/11/01/the-night-it-happened/ Short story, 1 November 2018. A cloud obscured the moon and my pretty pink cubicle was bathed in dark shadows. It was that kind of night that made the call of nature particularly challenging to answer, especially when the loo was situated outside the main building. It involved walking down the…
An encounter between an Afghan immigrant and a scientist in a London taxi
Short story, 24 November 2018. Nina was drop-dead exhausted. It had been an intensive gruelling five days and nights of training where every nerve, synapse and muscle in her body and brain had been stimulated, stretched and twisted to breaking point. First, the need to absorb and digest the truckloads of vital information delivered at…