Poetry

I run as the sun rises

I run as the sun rises and gaze, in awe, at the fields and meadows covered in a thin sheet of frost, like a lemon ...
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Me, as food

I am a soft-boiled egg with a vibrant orange yolk, gently scooped onto buttered toast soldiers. I am a browning banana ready to be mixed ...
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Being held, as a mother

I go for a massage and wait for the bit towards the end where she cups my heavy head in her hands and lets it ...
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The spirits’ jig

Is it so rebellious to rest? To go walking instead of working. To crack open your soul and let its contents flow like a river ...
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When you die

I walk through the cemetery and observe the engravings on the headstones. ‘Devoted father, son and brother’. ‘Beloved mother and grandma’. I notice that none ...
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I love

I love today’s blue sky and the sunshine lighting up my bedroom like a spring disco. I love the snowdrops and crocuses sprouting through the ...
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Lunchboxes

This morning I cooked egg noodles for my children’s packed lunches. I peeled carrots and chopped them into matchsticks - cucumber, too - then after ...
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Cleaning

Yesterday I cleaned the house. I swept Lego into the sprawling Lego bag, put scrunched up paper from the art desk in the recycling box ...
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One day

One day I’ll start baking fresh sourdough loaves in the morning and butter two slices for my children’s lunchboxes. I’ll give them a selection of ...
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Things we are not supposed to do

Wearing white frilly knickers when you're due on your period. Burning the expensive candle over one long winter's evening. Hot pants on the school run. ...
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Nature

Crushing fresh lavender between your palms and breathing in the calming scent. Noticing when all the birds choose a single tree to perch on and ...
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Friendship breakup

I was nine years old and my best friend broke up with me. She’d found someone else. The shock was followed by a sinking feeling. ...
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Cemetaries

I often visit cemeteries. I walk amongst the gravestones and read the names of those who've passed, noting their age when it happened and whether ...
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Wednesdays

On Wednesdays my older children go swimming and I stay home with the youngest. (He’s three). I sweep through the house crushing clothes into drawers, ...
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Things that are making me happy

Spooning sweet lychee syrup into my mouth straight from the tin. Eating the lychees, too. Roasted peanuts sprinkled on a tofu stir-fry. Whipped cream on ...
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Early motherhood

Early motherhood can feel like you’re swimming in a beautiful lake, underwater, with a thin sheet of ice above your head. You crack through to ...
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Ode to the hazelnut cream pastry

I will never be too thin because I will always say yes to a hazelnut cream pastry. The crispy flakes cracking between my teeth and ...
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How to walk mindfully in nature

Smash an icy puddle with the heel of your boot and watch the way it cracks. Tread carefully over frosted grass and listen to the ...
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