Monday 31 October 2016

short forms 31st October 2016

so sad
her father dead
her mother in despair
and her brother fading away.
help her!


© Rachel Green 2016

garden flowers
interspersed with plaster arms
Hallowe'en thrills


© Rachel Green 2016

honestly,
I have no synopsis
for my Nano Novel
but I'm determined to write it
reader/editors required


© Rachel Green 2016

new painting
requires final touch
(more paint)

another stencil to cut
but will have many uses
if I ever get published

Stevie in negative


© Rachel Green 2016

two pounds lost. No pizza, biatch.

© Rachel Green 2016

Saturday 29 October 2016

short forms 29th October 2016

Mill house
no-one is left
to care about its fate
tied up in litigation and
sold off


© Rachel Green 2016

sycamore leaves
pepper the front lawn
fox poo


© Rachel Green 2016

a world gone mad:
talking politics
in the morning
Trump, Clinton and May
will destroy the world


© Rachel Green 2016

writing fail
for the second week running
no poems or stories

Will I manage NaNo this year?
probably not
but at least I can try

Chloe novel, third attempt


© Rachel Green 2016

damaged finger. Still painful as shit.

© Rachel Green 2016

Friday 28 October 2016

short forms 28th October 2016

devils
in fitted suits
attending a wedding
Her absent father requires
some love


© Rachel Green 2016

surprise blooms
last ditch geranium flowers
Halloween candy


© Rachel Green 2016

new monitor
returned for replacement
missing pixels
trying to play Elder Scrolls
on a tiny screen


© Rachel Green 2016

spinning arm bar
leads to catching my finger
on the side of his head

it hurts a little
but I carry on
training and sparring

Now I can't move it


© Rachel Green 2016

Swollen finger. Pop like a blister?

© Rachel Green 2016

Thursday 27 October 2016

short forms 27th October 2016

Lily
the school bully
makes Chloe a challenge
for the right to ask a boy out.
She wins.


© Rachel Green 2016

heavy cloud
fallen leaves lose their colour
washed out


© Rachel Green 2016

Lu
attaches mitts to her bike
late for work
I imagine the future
as integrated androids


© Rachel Green 2016

plotting the Chloe novel
goes terribly awry
tragedy

I's rather no-one died.
No-one I like, anyway.
divorce not death?

except for the brother, obviously.


© Rachel Green 2016

Apathy. So much easier than caring.

© Rachel Green 2016

Wednesday 26 October 2016

short forms 26th October 2016

her love,
Oliver, found
floating in the canal.
leeches and eels on his face
eyes shut


© Rachel Green 2016

night walk
the scent of coal fires
crunching leaves


© Rachel Green 2016

short essay
on the departure of Emma Rice
from the Globe theatre
I am left to consider the plot
of the Chloe novel


© Rachel Green 2016

dieting
it gives me something to focus on
during depression

I haven't written a novel
in perhaps three years
I feel a failure

fat, frumpy and old


© Rachel Green 2016

six words? Enough for an obituary.

© Rachel Green 2016

Tuesday 25 October 2016

short forms 25th October 3016

the ghost
of her father
can't possibly be real
a Hallowe'en prank, surely? In
July


© Rachel Green 2016

misty morning
a sharp breath of cold air
firework smells


© Rachel Green 2016

bad night
aching neck
lack of sleep
hot showers and painkillers
crunching bones


© Rachel Green 2016

new move
jiu-jitsu self defence
gripped from behind

kimura hold
to hooking the knee
backwards roll

finish with shoulder lock


© Rachel Green 2016

aching shoulder. She avoids comfort food.

© Rachel Green 2016

Monday 24 October 2016

short forms 24th October 2016

dad: a
ghostly presence
bemoaning his murder
marriage already on the rocks
blessing


© Rachel Green 2016

inland gulls
an altercation with a crow
falling leaves


© Rachel Green 2016

old painting
given new position
new life
Soon there will be a bonfire
of unsold canvases


© Rachel Green 2016

depressing
one day's gym missed
weight gain

yesterday
spent rushing about
decorating

I resolve to be more active


© Rachel Green 2016

despite dieting she put on weight

© Rachel Green 2016

Sunday 23 October 2016

short forms 23rd October 2016

hidden
surveillance cams
in most of the hallways.
No sign of an intruder yet
he's here.


© Rachel Green 2016

old dog
wades through dead leaves
blind wags


© Rachel Green 2016

five coats
on the bathroom wall
not enough
It needs replastering
another day


© Rachel Green 2016

gym visit
I up my rowing
to 5000 meters

my fast walking
to twenty minutes
(bad knees prevent running)

still overweight


© Rachel Green 2016

enormously fat. She should stop eating.

© Rachel Green 2016

Saturday 22 October 2016

short forms 22nd October 2016

her dad
appears to
be in some discomfort
It doesn't help he died last year.
Moaning.


© Rachel Green 2016

night rain
on the street side grass
brown leaves


© Rachel Green 2016

morning peace
shattered by shouting
disrespect
friday night gaming
was a delight


© Rachel Green 2016

yesterday's gym
I increased rowing and walking
personal best

totally destroyed
by pizza for tea
deliciousness

I feel very fat today


© Rachel Green 2016

raised voices. she scratches her hand.

© Rachel Green 2016

Friday 21 October 2016

short forms 21st October 2016

Mill House
a ghost is seen
before her mum buys it
with the compensation money.
Dad's death.


© Rachel Green 2016

cock robin
inspecting his domain
the dog, peeing


© Rachel Green 2016

external hard drive
two terabytes of data
needs serious weeding
Before I know it an hour has gone
revisiting old memories


© Rachel Green 2016

Chloe's plot
reimagines itself
a classic tale

romance and bromance
a transman mother
ghostly dad

a tragedy with demons


© Rachel Green 2016

photos two months apart. What difference?

© Rachel Green 2016

Thursday 20 October 2016

short forms 20th October 2016

night out
spooky stories
about the tumbledown house
at the edge of the river stream
Mill House


© Rachel Green 2016

solar light
flickers and dies
too little sunshine


© Rachel Green 2016

payment due
for jiu-jitsu lessons
_overdrawn_
I have a slight panic
time to sell paintings?


© Rachel Green 2016

remember that old joke
a man asks a prostitute
what he can have for tuppence?

she looks him up a down
says "hang on a minute"
and calls for her mum.

my art is the mum


© Rachel Green 2016

weight decreasing. The depression is heavier.

© Rachel Green 2016

Wednesday 19 October 2016

short forms 19th October 2016

two deaths
teenage killers
a mother and daughter
stabbed to death in their living room.
School cook.


© Rachel Green 2016

warm sun
the last caterpillar
of a cinnebar moth


© Rachel Green 2016

dancing dog
has second thoughts
about waltzes
"Let go of my paws
you insufferable cockwomble"


© Rachel Green 2016

Lina's online shop
contains odd items
junk food and pizza

Along with chicken nuggets
and strawberry laces
I find Guinea Pig nuggets

Pets as food, now?


© Rachel Green 2016

tired. An increase in exercise regime.

© Rachel Green 2016

Tuesday 18 October 2016

short forms 18th October 2016

her friends
Rose and Gilda
convince her to commit
a tiny act of defiance
red hair


© Rachel Green 2016

dark clouds
high overhead
lone gull


© Rachel Green 2016

small girl
dragged to school
large mum
blonde ponytail bobs
her falling tears


© Rachel Green 2016

catching up
on old TV series
Netflix

my mind elsewhere
the difficulties of a new throw
jiu-jitsu

fitness improving


© Rachel Green 2016

Her sagging stomach looks no smaller

© Rachel Green 2016

Monday 17 October 2016

short forms 17th October 2016

Hamlet
Prince of nothing
His father's ghostly return
in an effort to seek revenge.
Divorce.


© Rachel Green 2016

sparrows flock
tiny hearts in flight
falling birch leaves


© Rachel Green 2016

weigh-in
counting calories
lost me five pounds
I feel better
about that pizza now


© Rachel Green 2016

long chat
with the youngest
about videos

I try to expand her list
but she won't watch anything
over three years old

poo-poohs classic horror


© Rachel Green 2016

plotting the novel. Everything is tedious.

© Rachel Green 2016

Sunday 16 October 2016

short forms 16th October 2016

her dad
died in his sleep
she remembers the smell
sickly sweet like flowers and fruit
and shit


© Rachel Green 2016

woodland
a trio of magpies
prophesying


© Rachel Green 2016

Walking Jack
becomes more of a drag
blind and afraid
he refuses to budge
having found some bread


© Rachel Green 2016

decorating
I left the small items
in the garden

a wooden shelf
and the toilet cistern
painted white

it rained all night


© Rachel Green 2016

painting the lavatory black tee-shirt ruined.

© Rachel Green 2016

Saturday 15 October 2016

short forms 15th October 2016

belief
in her witchcraft
when a demon comes through
yes, I will have a cup of tea,
thank you


© Rachel Green 2016

solar lamp
flickers briefly and dies
late hatching butterfly


© Rachel Green 2016

remembered promise
to get the old bed
down from the loft
I have to remember
how it goes together


© Rachel Green 2016

diet diary
too many calories
for yesterday

not too far over
but no trip to the gym
is a problem

must do better


© Rachel Green 2016

back in 34" jeans. Diet improving.

© Rachel Green 2016

Friday 14 October 2016

poetry 2016 / 106

Falling Ash

The hair on his hands never turned grey
but stayed red as a fox
though his widow's peak grew in
and his hair silvered beneath the brylcreme.
The freckles joined up;
a gardening tan from working his garden,
tending broccoli, cabbage, potatoes
(they were never quite free of the blight)
and pulling bones from the sad spot
beneath the lilac tree.
His hands began to shake from disease
yellow fingernails tipped with soil
as he spilled his tea over the kitchen cupboard
and wished he could join our mother.

short forms 14th October 2016

witchcraft
punish a girl
for sleeping with a boy
but the ritual goes awry.
Demon


© Rachel Green 2016

yellowing nasturtiums
border the front garden
crisp packet colour


© Rachel Green 2016

drawings
for the brother-in-law
cocktail bar
Alas, my art ability
has faded with age


© Rachel Green 2016

diet improves
I put on the 34" waist jeans
I grew out of

Still a bit tight
with a stomach overhang
but I can wear them

I feel encouraged.


© Rachel Green 2016

proxy IP. She fiddles with settings.

© Rachel Green 2016

Thursday 13 October 2016

short forms 13th October 2016

morning
her mother's past
returns to the present
survivor's guilt - her brother is
released


© Rachel Green 2016

fewer pigeons
inhabiting the woods
laughing crows


© Rachel Green 2016

teaching
some basic moves
in reverse
did I ever mention
I never want to teach?


© Rachel Green 2016

painting project
I remember how fast mylar
dulls scalpel blades

amazing paint sprayer
not as precise as I'd hoped
but very useful

air brush ordered


© Rachel Green 2016

Diet improves. She looks less obese.

© Rachel Green 2016

Wednesday 12 October 2016

short forms 12th October 2016

never
will she trust boys
but what of her new friend?
She wishes she was lesbian
but can't


© Rachel Green 2016

patchy grass
the last shoots of dogwood
red on green


© Rachel Green 2016

late waking
my alarm fails again
slept through
I am woken at last
by a child going to school


© Rachel Green 2016

how do you check
the calories for food
you've made yourself?

do I add up the vegetable
and divide by the portions?
add a bit for the cooking oil?

easier to just stop eating


© Rachel Green 2016

she destroys her 'thin' clothes. Diet.

© Rachel Green 2016

Tuesday 11 October 2016

short forms 11th October 2016

she grabs
a kitchen knife
and stabs her boyfriend hard
the police take a dim view of
assault


© Rachel Green 2016

lavender spike
still pulse with colour
cold rain


© Rachel Green 2016

mowing the grass
a moment of sunshine
before bin day
at least the front is tidy
before winter


© Rachel Green 2016

painting project
four sets of stencils
wait to be cut

portrait photograph
reduced to four colours
still recognisable

London streets


© Rachel Green 2016

over-exercised. My left knee complains

© Rachel Green 2016

short forms 10th October 2016

say no
to violence
an enraged headteacher
suspends her from all her classes
so what?


© Rachel Green 2016

swallows gather
along telephone wires
rooftop starlings


© Rachel Green 2016

gorgeous photos
of an English Bull Terrier
reawake my longing
Honestly, I need to stop
no more dogs, please.


© Rachel Green 2016

old sculpture
chopped up for parts
Rupert's head

arms saved
for halloween decorations
tiny fingers

his balloon long deflated


© Rachel Green 2016

diet improving. No more Ice cream.

© Rachel Green 2016

Sunday 9 October 2016

short forms 9th October 2016

novel:
chloe's boyfriend
shags another school girl
and she goes ballistic on him
Murder?


© Rachel Green 2016

dappled sunshine
the shadows of falling leaves
my cat's silhouette


© Rachel Green 2016

old dog
craving company
seeks fuss
It takes me twice as long
to do housework


© Rachel Green 2016

painting project
I look to ordering
more spray paint

A single amazon click
brings me the Holy Grail:
home paint sprayers.

That's me in overdraft


© Rachel Green 2016

sliced finger. Those knives are sharp!

© Rachel Green 2016

Saturday 8 October 2016

short forms 8th October 2016

convinced
by her bestie
that her boyfriend's cheating
she accuses him of lying
tearful


© Rachel Green 2016

sunshine
through a leaden sky
falling acorns


© Rachel Green 2016

Nottingham trip
for an exhibition of Banksy
Gallery closed
We see a great piece by Cauty
so the trip was worthwhile


© Rachel Green 2016

Rupert
one antler broken
outside the house

three boys
stare and point
deer-headed statue

a shy wave at the artist


© Rachel Green 2016

breakfast
becomes an apple.
Serious diet.


© Rachel Green 2016

Friday 7 October 2016

short forms 7th October 2016

worry
about her friend
what if mom sees her here?
Or wonders where the smell comes from?
dad things


© Rachel Green 2016

beads of rain
hydrophobic nasturtium leaves
turn yellow


© Rachel Green 2016

coughing fit
a hair down my throat
makes me vomit
Lu tells me a story
about anxiety issues


© Rachel Green 2016

reading a novel
starts off well
(if overly verbose)

I stop reading at chapter 2
where the author makes light
of mental disorders

The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson


© Rachel Green 2016

the itching subsides. Scabs fall away.

© Rachel Green 2016

Thursday 6 October 2016

short forms 6th October 2016

despair
her bestest friend
lies in the cold, hard ground
she wishes she could talk to her
once more


© Rachel Green 2016

elderberries
full and dark and juicy
gerbil eyeballs


© Rachel Green 2016

painting project
I order mylar sheets
to make stencils
I just need the right image
of a psychologist


© Rachel Green 2016

morning jaunt
taking Felix for an MOT
bye bye, car

morning traffic
infuriating drivers
everyone's an arsehole

puerile radio


© Rachel Green 2016

overweight. She cuts out a meal.

© Rachel Green 2016

Wednesday 5 October 2016

poetry 2015 / 105

Talking to Jesus

She took tablets
aspirin, paracetamol, ibuprofen
and a single strip of yellow bombers
she found in the bathroom cabinet
all washed down with menthol-linctus
from when her brother had a cold.
She left a facebook message
addressed to friends and otherwise
“I've had it up to here
with people messing me around
live, love and leave a beautiful corpse.”
When her mum went to get her up
she was covered in shit and vomit
her eyes glazed like cloudy lemonade
but they cleaned her up nice
for the autopsy.

short forms 5th October 2016

the cat
didn't survive
washing machine cycle
but at least it came out clean and
flea free


© Rachel Green 2016

October sun
a riot of nasturtiums
before the frosts


© Rachel Green 2016

monthly doses
of high-priced repellent
Amos still has fleas
I pick them off
with tweezers


© Rachel Green 2016

low sun
we hit the morning commute
Chesterfield station


Pavement cyclists
sandals-and-socks men
reversing drivers

we sing Barbershop duets


© Rachel Green 2016

increased weight leads to extra exercise

© Rachel Green 2016

Tuesday 4 October 2016

short forms 4th October 2016

her friend
depressed as Hell
and commits suicide
What happens when Chloe wishes
her back?


© Rachel Green 2016

late sun
coaxes out a coltsfoot
fairy horses


© Rachel Green 2016

smallest room
sixty years of wallpaper
and layers of paint
(not helped by rewiring
done over the top)


© Rachel Green 2016

an hour of footlocks
and new techniques
I've not seen

"My nine year old
mastered this on the first try"
he says, laughing

He's more nimble than me...


© Rachel Green 2016

she hates her obesity. Less food.

© Rachel Green 2016

Monday 3 October 2016

short forms 3rd October 2016

she knows
her mum's a tart
but the house is chock full
of her exercise equipment.
No gym.


© Rachel Green 2016

last bloom
on the crocosmia
browning leaves


© Rachel Green 2016

late rise
slept through the alarm
yet again
I may get my old phone out
just to use the alarm


© Rachel Green 2016

Jack hangs about
for a slice of chicken
Trickster's tablet treat

Amos pinches the milk
I'd already put down for him
more chicken for Jack

Later: Where's my milk?


© Rachel Green 2016

Her clothes smell fusty. Old drawers.

© Rachel Green 2016

Sunday 2 October 2016

short forms 2nd October 2016

Aunt Lou
with the flowers
from her dad's funeral
there are some things you can't forgive.
Ever.


© Rachel Green 2016

myriad rainbows
from a low, late sun
central heating


© Rachel Green 2016

late rise
I miss the alarm again
did it go off
I'm told it certainly did
and I slept right through it


© Rachel Green 2016

morning conversation
politics and pokemon
dead mother stories

the elitism of millennials
regarding superheroes
we remember comics

sleeping through alarms


© Rachel Green 2016

Naked flesh. Lines of insect bites.

© Rachel Green 2016

Saturday 1 October 2016

short forms 1st October 2016

women
in her mom's room.
Why does becoming male
mean she has to have a girlfriend?
Weird shit.


© Rachel Green 2016

late nasturtiums
creep across the front garden
morning frost


© Rachel Green 2016

creeping cat
sleeps on my keyboard
changes the display
Netflix is less enthralling
played at quarter speed


© Rachel Green 2016

new painting
begun with limited colours
portrait

graffiti style graphics
rendered in spray paint
and acrylics

Childhood icons


© Rachel Green 2016

changing appetite. The removal of sugar.

© Rachel Green 2016

Actual video: https://www.flickr.com/photos/leatherdykeuk/29392039124