In praise of bending down You can pick up a penny, find a (nother) ball under the sofa, and sneak under the fence. On a mat it’s downward dog – possibly the one that hides balls and trains me to a swifter swoop when something clatters. Or a forward fold – the top of a […]
Who do you think you are? 100 words
In flight – 100 words
In flight I still think it’s miraculous that a fat-bellied hunk of metal and plastic full of grumbling humans can launch itself out of the grey Manchester rain and into a landscape of ripples and blue. Yet we roll our eyes and half watch someone with false eyelashes tell us about blowing a whistle to […]
Packing – 100 words
Packing From skin outwards Pants, socks, bra (sports, comfy, fancier) Trousers, shorts (blue veins out), t-shirts What if it’s cold: layers (like an onion) Waterproof? – it rains in Spain (plainly). The decision pendulums until the coat stays in the airport carpark. Skies are blue. Then, swimming and there’s so much more to consider. Cover […]
Up north – 100 words
People are friendlier, they’d help if you got stabbed, you know, dial 999 for you. They just wouldn’t in the south. But it rains a lot: makes everything green. Clouds decorate huge skies, something to look at while you wait for the bus – today’s only bus trundling through mountains, by glistening water to a […]
Patches
Patches There used to be a secret thing only for old women and certainly not happening here. Imagine my confusion (anxiety/upset/irritation/depression/etc) when, all of a sudden, my prime turned into something entirely other. A stultifying mist of shame descended and I hid from concerned gazes: I didn’t have answers: You can’t say: I think I’m […]
Specificity – 100 words
Specificity Findus crispy pancakes served with peas and you’re supper after school, Grange Hill on the telly. Armani glasses anchoring expensively streaked hair, heels with red soles, you know the ones. The clunk of a BMW boot, a Luger, a Rolex, a certain kind jacket. Like a magic portal, a Doors LP deposits you in […]
Letter to Piggy’s aunt – 100 words
Letter to Piggy’s aunt Dear Celia, I apologise for Jack’s behaviour, especially after you showed him so much kindness. I had such high hopes that he could offer you some comfort after the tragedy on the island. He told such grand stories about how Peter laid down his life to protect the younger boys. I […]