A Needle Exchange
I met Jesus in a Needle Exchange above Greggs.
He was a bald bloke with an open face and bright T-shirt.
Ready to offer me free kit, no questions asked,
beyond my initials and date of birth.
It was the best welcome I’d had for a long while.
In fact, it was the welcome I’d been waiting for
since coming into the world.
I explained how I was there to learn,
and without a ...
Friday 23rd December 2022 2:07 pm
Fish
An unremarkable day in May,
though in retrospect,
the blackbird was peremptory.
And of course, there was
the fox at my door,
the night before.
I came inside with a handful of thyme,
greedily enjoying a prompted memory.
When out of the corner of my eye,
I did...
Tuesday 29th June 2021 9:06 am
A Strange Repetition
I have been here before,
and yet it is a strange repetition:
this not going out;
this hording of food and handwash.
And then there are some familiar foes.
No use insisting on social distancing,
I am already caught betwixt twin sisters:
Vigilance and Anxiety.
Spanish Flu? Or Swine Flu?
Please, God, not Ebola?
No, none of the above.
This pandemic provision,
c...
Monday 12th October 2020 11:04 am
How to make an Angry Stew
Start a fire.
Steal a caldron.
Select the bones
of a longstanding struggle,
and toss them in.
Season with your spit.
Simmer for twenty-four hours.
Choose a raw nightmare;
a beast threatening all you adore,
a pitch-dark space which whispers.
Chop up the heart of it
and scatter into the mix.
Pour out a pint of good wine.
Half for you. Half for the stew.
...Wednesday 22nd July 2020 7:26 am
Desert Rain
Sandals,
grey joggers and a shabby top.
Pale faced with hair the colour of
caramel. What pose was this body
before being suddenly woken?
His thin frame is still pushing through.
Shivering; the hairs on his arms
anticipating the alarm of what is to come.
‘Sit down’, I said,
solemnly pointing with my head.
‘Your Mum needs to tell you something.
Best prepare you...
Thursday 13th February 2020 5:03 pm
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