Wednesday 31 May 2017

morning shorts 31st May 2017

old pics
of her brother
clearly photoshopped
she doesn't remember him in
glasses


© Rachel Green 2017

ornamental allium
flowering in large drifts
Chesterfield roundabout


© Rachel Green 2017

sleepless
the clock's inexorable march
toward morning
She reads about child brides
no minimum age in America.


© Rachel Green 2017

moving house
he sweat soaked sheets
hold me tight

abandoning my flat
too many possessions
to take with me

I save the art


© Rachel Green 2017

She leaves the cat behind. Asshole.

© Rachel Green 2017

Tuesday 30 May 2017

Monologue of Mrs Reginald Hargreaves in her Last Days



It was me whom Reverend Dodgson had wanted to marry in sixty-three, not Lorina. Daddy was furious though I thought it was a marvellous adventure. “She's only eleven years old,” he shouted, so loud that we girls could hear it clear across the lawns in the cemetery, where we were playing 'Who can find the most skulls?” My father's voice was naturally loud from shouting at the boys in his school and I have no doubt he brandished his favourite cane as he did so.

Ina was horrified. I could see the tears burst from her eyes as she realised all the attention had been for my sake, not hers. I don't think she ever forgave him, and of course father forbade him to spend any further time with him.

I am grateful, though. Who knew that those handwritten pages would become so valuable? Fifteen thousand pounds is a lot of money, far more than I ever thought they'd be worth. My son Caryl has kept the bulk of it, though he took pains to see to the roof of my little house which, as you probably know, had become a source of sincere vexation since the death of my beloved Reggie. Honestly, I've never worn so many hats inside the house as I had to before the sale. Still, it grieved me to sell, for I remember Mr Dodgson fondly, even more so for the beautiful hashish he used to share with us.

short forms 30th May 2017

pictures
her twin brother
looks ever-so serious
a baby contemplating fate.
Herself


© Rachel Green 2017

wisteria
first bloom since planting
seven years


© Rachel Green 2017

hearts and bones
my recurring desire
for a stuffed crow
I'll shed more possessions
to make some room


© Rachel Green 2017

tomato plants
bought from a neighbour
all in a row

waiting for growbags
or failing that
some large pots of soil

slugfest


© Rachel Green 2017

the weekend takes its toll. fatigue.

© Rachel Green 2017

Monday 29 May 2017

short forms 29th May 2017

she looks
through old photos
but can't find her brother.
Did her mother destroy them all
and why?


© Rachel Green 2017

aquilegia
alien-headed drops of colour
rain streaked


© Rachel Green 2017

concrete garage
sectional, my arse
still bloody heavy
My skin covered
with lesions and bruises


© Rachel Green 2017

Monday tiredness
too much work done
over the weekend

A bit more today
maybe an hour at most
and gardening

I need some growbags...


© Rachel Green 2017

She can lift more than before.

© Rachel Green 2017

Sunday 28 May 2017

short forms 28th May 2017

her car
jacked from the lot
with the child inside
his body found dumped with the car.
Sad day


© Rachel Green 2017

morning rain
I liken it to water
on sauna bricks


© Rachel Green 2017

baby cam
set up in the house
to watch the street
makes me want CCTV
all over the house


© Rachel Green 2017

concrete shed
slow dismantle
seventy kilo pieces

each one carried up the garden
loaded into a van
two hour exhaustion

oh to be a bodybuilder!


© Rachel Green 2017

build-up of muscle. tight shirt.

© Rachel Green 2017

Saturday 27 May 2017

short forms 27th May 2017

premise
there was never
a brother to begin
with -- just her buried memory
of self


© Rachel Green 2017

green berries
on strawberry plants
summer's promise


© Rachel Green 2017

fighting hard
I can defend for ages
but can't escape
I need to learn more moves
to get to attack mode


© Rachel Green 2017

product review
for a baby monitor
easiest set-up ever

unfortunately
you can't keep the screen on
so what's the point?

Kidnapped baby...


© Rachel Green 2017

leprous skin. her toes develop lesions.

© Rachel Green 2017

Friday 26 May 2017

short forms 26th May 2017

handmade book shelf
tell her
what you told me
about her dead brother
then tell me if she still likes you.
Loser.

© Rachel Green 2017

honey bees
among the welsh poppies
blue iris

© Rachel Green 2017

pumping weights
after a week away
my strength has faded.
It just goes to show
you need good habits

© Rachel Green 2017

cross-chest
I forget the escape
to my cost

we go over it afterwards
I do know the move,
just forgot it

gentle improvement

© Rachel Green 2017

Her flabby stomach still disturbs her

© Rachel Green 2017

Thursday 25 May 2017

short forms 25th May 2017

kidnapped
by child killers
his body a twisted
mass of burned flesh and bone. Her ring,
melted.


© Rachel Green 2017

rhubarb flower
tops out at seven feet
black orchid


© Rachel Green 2017

the heat
pre-summer sun
crowded studio
jiu-jitsu kimono
welded to my back


© Rachel Green 2017

past lives
struggle through regression
I was a speck of dust

whirling cosmos
the stuff of stars and planets
molecules

the birth of fusion


© Rachel Green 2017

no need to claim responsibility. Obvious.

© Rachel Green 2017

Wednesday 24 May 2017

short forms 24th May 2017

mother
last confession
a posthumous letter
confessing infidelity.
Birth dad?


© Rachel Green 2017

yellow roses
lining the motorway
stationary traffic


© Rachel Green 2017

Royce Gracie seminar
a long-assed drive
to Surrey
Lovely dojo, though,
it needs some fans


© Rachel Green 2017

odd dreams
wake me in a panic
searching for memory

I can't remember the term
for 'fingers of god'
in nature

Crepuscular rays


© Rachel Green 2017

bone tired. Her days of jiu-jitsu.

© Rachel Green 2017

Tuesday 23 May 2017

short forms 23rd May 2017

nothing
can prepare her
for the truth of his death
and the stupid reason he died.
Daddy?


© Rachel Green 2017

strawberry flowers
making a promise to the future
registering to vote


© Rachel Green 2017

a week
away from the gym
leaves her weak
She can't pull the weight
she was used to before


© Rachel Green 2017

he works all day
seeing client's on Skype
without a break

at three he nips out
a supervisory session
an hour in person

I mow the lawn


© Rachel Green 2017

unexpected bruise. She cites the garden.

© Rachel Green 2017

Monday 22 May 2017

short forms 22nd May 2017

looking
for her brother
missing and presumed dead.
She can't help wondering if he's
alive


© Rachel Green 2017

oriental poppies
displaying their wares
consumer bees


© Rachel Green 2017

Stokholm
city of islands
and innovation
Even basic amenities
are gender neutral


© Rachel Green 2017

a carvery
for a friend's birthday
(veggie option)

Old friends
with grown-up children
and a big dog

delightful afternoon


© Rachel Green 2017

hunger. She recognises signs of depression.

© Rachel Green 2017

Sunday 21 May 2017

short forms 21st May 2017

school friends
become adults
are just as much a twat
as they were as a teenager.
Flirting


© Rachel Green 2017

rain
segues into sunny skies
red peonies


© Rachel Green 2017

My sunburn fades
after two days of England
sunny Stokholm
I put away my jumpers
unworn in Sweden


© Rachel Green 2017

happy dogs
pleased to see us return
we're not dead, after all

Moose has a problem
lumps of poo don't sit well
on his long furry trousers

surprised squeal


© Rachel Green 2017

she weighs the same. Looks fatter.

© Rachel Green 2017

Friday 12 May 2017

short forms 12th May 2017

Chloe
wants the business
she needs to make money
for her escape from Laverstone.
Death trap


© Rachel Green 2017

morning rain
strawberry flowers don't care
sheltering bees


© Rachel Green 2017

holiday packing
whatever I take
I'll regret
No doubt I'll forget
Something important


© Rachel Green 2017

a list of chores
left for the housesitter
mostly dog related

I gaze at Jack
wondering
if I'll ever see him again

I always think that.


© Rachel Green 2017

last minute panic. Jiu-jitsu exercises.

© Rachel Green 2017

Thursday 11 May 2017

short forms 11th May 2017

What time is it?
visits
from her brother
at least, that's what she thinks.
The vulnerable mind of a
teen girl
l

© Rachel Green 2017

morning sunshine
providing heat on my back
the radiator


© Rachel Green 2017

overslept
It feels like 9AM
but it's actually 10
Oh dear. forgot to wake DK
now he's late for work


© Rachel Green 2017

running late
the whole day thrown out
patient dogs

breakfast
walk
gym

anger management


© Rachel Green 2017

holiday planning for a cold climate

© Rachel Green 2017

Wednesday 10 May 2017

short forms 10th May 2017

Home is where...
mostly
she wants someone
to treat her properly
(or at least how she wants to be
treated)


© Rachel Green 2017

white flowers
greeting the morning bees
wild garlic


© Rachel Green 2017

poetry
falling like leaves
from my brain
alas, it's the structure I need,
not just the words


© Rachel Green 2017

hungry dog
stares at the general space
where I might be

oatmeal for breakfast
a light whined reminder
"I, too, like oatmeal"

his love, unrequited


© Rachel Green 2017

still fat. Still unhappy. Slight;y stronger.

© Rachel Green 2017

Tuesday 9 May 2017

short forms 9th May 2017

Sleepy Jack
she sings
of broken hearts
and the violence of
her brother's desperate ending.
Burning


© Rachel Green 2017

overcast
the threat of rain
thyme seedlings


© Rachel Green 2017

France
a pin against the tide
of alt.right
Already Russian newspapers
label Macron as 'gay psychopath'


© Rachel Green 2017

weeds
across the patio garden
forget-me-nots

I pull them out
making way for self seeded poppies
and summer bulbs

the buds of fresh wolfsbane


© Rachel Green 2017

back and biceps. She's too weak.

© Rachel Green 2017

Monday 8 May 2017

short forms 8th May 2017

rhubarb in flower
the ghost
of her brother
returns to comfort her.
Dad pays for psychotherapy
Guilt trip


© Rachel Green 2017

welsh poppies
hiding their heads from the rain
reluctant schoolchildren


© Rachel Green 2017

time wasting
exercise videos
lead to diet ones
*note to self*
photograph all food.


© Rachel Green 2017

a seed
of excitement
growing

a hook for Chloe
in a literary novel
that includes horror

floppy fudgesticks swears


© Rachel Green 2017

His floppy fudgestick? Her gay brother.

© Rachel Green 2017

Sunday 7 May 2017

short forms 7th May 2017

old ghosts
return to haunt
The house she grew up in
hasn't changed since her teen years
Saddened


© Rachel Green 2017

fading tulips
over the rain-soaked lawn
falling petals


© Rachel Green 2017

writing
always a struggle
more so now
Another baby goes out
failing to make a splash


© Rachel Green 2017

gym buddy
is a phone app
full of exercises

some of the abs ones
seem impossible
for a fat girl

I try, anyway


© Rachel Green 2017

She wonders where her determination went

© Rachel Green 2017

Saturday 6 May 2017

short forms 6th May 2017

over
her brother's ghost
laid to a final rest
The memory of her father
typing


© Rachel Green 2017

long grass
the strawberry flowers
hidden


© Rachel Green 2017

Lu decorating
for an ex of DK's
Nicotine yellow
Now has diarrhea
nicotine poisoning


© Rachel Green 2017

messages
left on paper scraps
and burned

Communication
with the recently dead
casting bones

Good Intent


© Rachel Green 2017

Her absolute limit becomes casually broken

© Rachel Green 2017

Friday 5 May 2017

short forms 5th May 2017

chloe
is transgendered?
Or is that just a trope
that the bullied kid turns out trans?
Thoughts, please.


© Rachel Green 2017

thyme seedlings
in the recycled compost
nasturtiums


© Rachel Green 2017

blind dog
won't stop crying
fuss or food?
I give him both
but he's not satisfied


© Rachel Green 2017

writer's block
when writing short poems
over breakfast

how can I struggle
over a few lines of rubbish
that nobody reads?

I look at dog memes instead


© Rachel Green 2017

fading friendships. Reasons, seasons. Not lifetimes.

© Rachel Green 2017

Thursday 4 May 2017

poetry 2017 / 092

Almost Anonymous

Miss Scarlett
in the kitchen with the dagger.
Let's face it,
it would save so much time
except in my scenario Miss Scarlett
is not the killer but the victim,
and her name isn't Scarlett, is it?
You know who it is,
and I'd slip the blade horizontally
through your left armpit
until it pierced your cold, black heart
and even then you'd go on living,
your Facebook page a shrine
still posting horoscopes from the grave
along with Bejewelled requests
and chain memes:
'Ten places you loved and one you hated,'
and it still wouldn't include Hell
though no doubt you'd be running the place in weeks,
and being passive aggressive towards Satan
and yes, Julie, I do mean you.

short forms 4th May 2017

she lives
with her father
after her mum has died.
He tries to understand her life
but can't


© Rachel Green 2017

peony buds
moved by the wind
crisp packets


© Rachel Green 2017

opening
her deep red lips
oriental poppy
exposed sexuality
among the dandelions


© Rachel Green 2017

boxercise
a one-off class
while jiu-jitsu on hold

at the end of it all
I'm exhausted
in a good way

muscles ache


© Rachel Green 2017

the delight of a hot shower

© Rachel Green 2017

Wednesday 3 May 2017

short forms 3rd May 2017

her friend
comes as a ghost
in the literal sense.
Why didn't she pick someone else
to haunt?


© Rachel Green 2017

bending birch
in the meadow
a cloud of dandelion seeds


© Rachel Green 2017

a new project
is always difficult
after one is done
I  need a period of mourning
for departed characters.


© Rachel Green 2017

footnotes for Chloe
a first person story
made like John Salt's.

A young protagonist
less capable than Stevie
but more devious

Lying is a habit


© Rachel Green 2017

Promised to cut out sugar. Reneged.


© Rachel Green 2017

Tuesday 2 May 2017

short forms 2nd May 2017

small tales
to set plot points
extending overview
a mix of prompts and newspaper
headlines


© Rachel Green 2017

crescent moon
over the dawn of summer
a light frost


© Rachel Green 2017

breakfast error
out of milk, bread
oatmeal failure
entirely my own fault
I didn't go shopping


© Rachel Green 2017

rejected cushions
from the front room
go on dog sofa

the dogs are happy
and it gives me a ramp
to sleep without curling

afternoon naps


© Rachel Green 2017

jiu-jitsu cancelled. What'll she do?

© Rachel Green 2017

Monday 1 May 2017

short forms 1st May 2017

dead friend
never gives up
haunts Chloe forever.
Not such a long time after all.
Short life.


© Rachel Green 2017

apple blossom
falling in showers
cold rain


© Rachel Green 2017

long day
out to a fetish club
in Walsall
scene participation
consensual non-consent


© Rachel Green 2017

a book released
on Kindle Direct
mediocre response

paperback edition
comes out as expensive
as 400 pages make it

I can't afford a copy!


© Rachel Green 2017

Fat. Her love of pizza. Unforgiving.

© Rachel Green 2017