First published by honeyfire literary magazine. I think of his fists. Swallowing air and silent goodbyes; tiny screams of forgiveness. I think of how soft they first appeared - builder’s hands which knew when to crumble - until I remember the holes in the doors, splintered plasterboard left changed by furious winds; a sullen … Continue reading Holes left in open doors
First published on Emotional Alchemy Magazine. Thoughts pervade, on par with cymbal clatters and the dishes you’ve left for too many nights and the potato starch has attached itself, limb by limb, to the pan. One dream circles, once and round again. In the middle of a day - a daydream noon - I find … Continue reading Alice in the bath
This is Reynolds’ third chapbook and it is clear to see her writing gets better with every collection. I said this after reading Mislilac but the growth present in Another Day in Paradise is palpable. Reynolds’ work has always been raw, truthful and visceral but in this collection she interwove cutting intelligence, vulnerability and aching … Continue reading Review of Another Day in Paradise, H. M. Reynolds
I Write, Therefore I Am is the debut poetry collection from Alexis Mitchell and documents the journey she has been on since she was sixteen. Thus, as the collection progresses, Mitchell’s poetry develops; as a writer she finds a home in her words and it was a pleasure to witness this growth. Undeniably, Mitchell does … Continue reading Review of I Write, Therefore I Am, Alexis Mitchell
Konstantin by Tom Bullough is a moving and an evocative tale of ambition, adversity and the beauty of science. Spanning from his childhood to the birth of his first child, we follow Konstantin’s life and the moments which shaped him; which propelled his desire to unpick the seemingly impossible task of travelling into space. Bullough’s … Continue reading Review of Konstantin, Tom Bullough
When I read a poetry collection I always look for honesty. I search for the raw and brutal truth which comes with being beautifully human and complex. Only a few ever meet this expectation for me. Too often, poets try to be clever and value style over substance. Too often, contemporary poetry collections focus on … Continue reading Advanced review of Snowdrop: A Collection by Olivia Snowdrop
You arrived at the beginning of me, a life spent so lonely in quarantine, bobbing in the breeze so effortlessly, bubbles pop blue like the sky and the sea. I watch you come in twos and threes, loved up in ruffled up feathers and yellow smiles; swallowing the sunshine, golden syrup, before drifting upon the … Continue reading A Sonnet for Bluetits
after Sylvia Plath Silence shudders through the room, yet I find forgiveness, whilst carving sculpture into my tomb. We love like gargoyles in gloom, painted grins for hearts bleeding. Silence shudders through the room. I search for bones and flesh, a womb to call my own, whilst whittling sculpture into my tomb. … Continue reading Mad Girl’s Love Song
I haven't written about being in the bath in a while. Larkin wrote about lambs whilst I write about the pink between my toes; wondering if when I was born I knew I would be raised for the slaughter. My lamb eyes blinking, drinking in the sun. Until I learned how to drink bathwater. … Continue reading My lamb heart
My pale, baby face blooms unseen in your bedroom mirror; I watch you, beautiful woman who is not yet mine, dancing in the scent of summer and hypnotised by half moon shadows playing across creaky floorboards. It's Friday night and you shake off those playground blues, put on your high heeled shoes, too dark … Continue reading Friday nights with you, before me
