Monday 31 July 2017

short forms 31st July 2017

demons
inside her head
the psychiatric care
should have cured her, until she went
back home


© Rachel Green 2017

streaming clouds
whipped along by stratospheric winds
golden barley


© Rachel Green 2017

crushing
when depression hits
just one of those things
Get on with it, move on
one poem at a time


© Rachel Green 2017

old dog
shits in the kitchen
pisses in the bedroom

he can't help it
blind and deaf
and almost scent-blind

still happy to have his people home


© Rachel Green 2017

she cries for no good reason

© Rachel Green 2017

Sunday 30 July 2017

short forms 30th July 2017

demons
from her past life
return to annoy her
after the death of her father.
Jasfoup


© Rachel Green 2017

yesterday's sunshine
fleeing with the dawn
dripping roses


© Rachel Green 2017

morning gift
the cat leaves a mouse head
in the kitchen doorway
It's probably my own fault
I let her watch 'Godfather'


© Rachel Green 2017

old dog
can't see a thing
or hear at all

now he pisses
and shits in the house
at random

can't find the dog door


© Rachel Green 2017

distracted by poo. Urine-soaked socks

© Rachel Green 2017

Saturday 29 July 2017

short forms 29th July 2017

knowledge
she learns a lot
about the world. Life hacks
in juvenile detention.
Get rich.


© Rachel Green 2017

unexpected sunshine
beaten into submission by rain
tomato plants


© Rachel Green 2017

missed liking a comment
or liked it twice by mistake
(which un-likes it)
inadvertent offence made
please accept my apology


© Rachel Green 2017

performing poet
I acquit myself well enough
enjoy the experience

I could have stayed longer
answered questions, told stories
or maybe not

All my money to a homeless man


© Rachel Green 2017

daily rants of the offspring. Hilarious.

© Rachel Green 2017

Friday 28 July 2017

short forms 28th July 2017

dad's house
full of his junk
that "might come in handy"
old lamps to VHS players.
Hoarder


© Rachel Green 2017

brief patch of blue
brightens the fading lavender
bees take advantage


© Rachel Green 2017

piece of jewellery
costs several hundred
sold for fifty quid
Better than nothing
a fortnight's training


© Rachel Green 2017

more items
sent to charity shop
week by week

bookshelves deplete
as I admit to myself
I'll never read *x* again

why do I hoard so?


© Rachel Green 2017

her constant clinging to the past

© Rachel Green 2017

Thursday 27 July 2017

short forms 27th July 2017

no news
from her father
not even birthday cards.
Letters from his solicitor:
he's dead


© Rachel Green 2017

the middle of summer
as the winds howls through the garden
I pull on a sweater


© Rachel Green 2017

crying cat
insists she's hungry
(already fed)
She attacks the dog in protest
(blind and deaf Jack)


© Rachel Green 2017

increasingly distant
I ask the teacher
if he still wants me as a student

he seems to barely tolerate me
avoids speaking except to teach
openly dismissive

he replies 'yes'


© Rachel Green 2017

should she continue to train? Debating.

© Rachel Green 2017

Wednesday 26 July 2017

short forms 26th July 2017

special
her brother's life
ended quite suddenly.
The boy who killed him suicides
by train


© Rachel Green 2017

wet pavement
under my denim-clad knees
dried blood


© Rachel Green 2017

morning job
changing a tyre on the fabio
before breakfast
I wonder how many people under thirty
even know how to do this


© Rachel Green 2017

brief request
for some extra money
mat fees are due

anything to sell
plenty, but nothing
anyone will buy

just books and paintings


© Rachel Green 2017

falling from great heights. Her self-esteem.

© Rachel Green 2017

Tuesday 25 July 2017

short forms 25th July 2017

figures
on the lake edge
her family, waiting
for her to come home to them
drowning


© Rachel Green 2017

bumble bees
drinking from tall teasels
drowned snails


© Rachel Green 2017

above the dining table
a great sail of a spider's web
dotted with corpses
a feat of engineering
it seems a shame to remove


© Rachel Green 2017

sore bum
I wonder if I have a virus
or poisoning

process of elimination:
it's probably the fatblaster tablets
I've been taking

appetite? My arse!


© Rachel Green 2017

a delay in their shock tactics

© Rachel Green 2017

Monday 24 July 2017

short forms 24th July 2017

four years
in detention
juvenile prison
for assisting a suicide.
hard girl


© Rachel Green 2017

july rain
nasturtium leaves turn yellow
bending birch


© Rachel Green 2017

articulated lorry
parks outside the house
blocking the whole street
I take delivery
or a small plastic jar


© Rachel Green 2017

Chesterfield pride
numbers growing
fenced-off area

Drag queens
entertaining the crowd
between acts

a forest of rainbow umbrellas


© Rachel Green 2017

New family. Who is she, again?

© Rachel Green 2017

Sunday 23 July 2017

short forms 23rd July 2017

her work:
security
consultant for a firm
of her own design - internet
black ice


© Rachel Green 2017

sunshine
a pool of yellow
incontinent dog


© Rachel Green 2017

writing
for ideals
or pleasure
less than satisfying
when nobody reads them


© Rachel Green 2017

statement
from Kindle direct
one copy sold

a grand total
of one pound in royalties
for the month of June

still more the Kansington


© Rachel Green 2017

Chesterfield Pride. Of course it's raining.

© Rachel Green 2017

Saturday 22 July 2017

short forms 22nd July 2017

twelve years
since she was home
and now her father's died.
A legacy of his neglect.
Clearance.


© Rachel Green 2017

one leaf
rotating in the wind
smile and wave, boys


© Rachel Green 2017

birthday request:
there's nothing I need
but vouchers
I'm still trying to reduce
my possessions to naught


© Rachel Green 2017

chaos
a house full of people
running about

cars emptied
to take fetish gear
to an event

a day alone, for me


© Rachel Green 2017

Still overweight. her self esteem suffers.

© Rachel Green 2017

Friday 21 July 2017

short forms 21st July 2017

time off
good behaviour
from our young offender.
She encouraged suicide for
school friend


© Rachel Green 2017

high wind
bending stalks sideways
crocosmia trumpets


© Rachel Green 2017

red hair
doesn't suit me
too old
I look like mutton
with its tits out


© Rachel Green 2017

catch me
he says
but I forget

spend thirty minutes
attacking from the mount
when I should just wait

*rubbish at jiu-jitsu*


© Rachel Green 2017

cravings for peanut butter. Too fat

© Rachel Green 2017

Thursday 20 July 2017

short forms 20th July 2017

her dad
now a recluse
can't even leave the house
Amazon prime supplies needs
fortune


© Rachel Green 2017

summer rain
flowers from the cemetery
blooming


© Rachel Green 2017

boxing
jiu-jitsu fundamentals
I lose interest
We adopt a strict relationship
clearly we are not friends


© Rachel Green 2017

overdraft
I creep into the black
temporarily

Perhaps I should paint again
although it brings no income
it's more than writing

another three dollar note


© Rachel Green 2017

her weight dismays her. Dark thoughts.

© Rachel Green 2017

Wednesday 19 July 2017

short forms 19th July 2017

lost weight
prison diet
she's behind the times, now,
and her father never came to
visit


© Rachel Green 2017

sunlight
among the birch leaves
chirping sparrow


© Rachel Green 2017

competition
sod the privacy laws
we'll out people
based on whether other folk
want to fight them or not


© Rachel Green 2017

old poet
with no ideas
writes poetry
no-one will read
wanking into a void
that doesn't look back

seedless


© Rachel Green 2017

She knows she's depressed. It'll pass.

© Rachel Green 2017

Tuesday 18 July 2017

short forms 18th July 2017

Mill House
reveals states
of  discrimination
and outright hatemongering. No
police


© Rachel Green 2017

nasturtiums
a flash of white on yellow
cabbage butterfly


© Rachel Green 2017

what use is she?
a lump of lard
in ill-fitting clothes
she might as well top herself
and save a bit of planet


© Rachel Green 2017

I know,
intellectually,
it was a teaching moment

but every comment
makes me relive the moment
sheer humiliation

I want to give up


© Rachel Green 2017

too old. too fat. too unfit.

© Rachel Green 2017

Monday 17 July 2017

short forms 17th July 2017

access
to old data
she is still good at this --
hacking the past to gain knowledge
brother


© Rachel Green 2017

morning heat
the overgrown front lawn
wilting


© Rachel Green 2017

fuck
fuck and bollocks
(or lack thereof)
After twenty years
I should be used to this


© Rachel Green 2017

alt.right
invades my sport
transphobia

prove you're a woman
becomes the mantra of the IBJJF
(but only for transfolk)

Am I excited to go to camp?


© Rachel Green 2017

Utter humiliation. She does her best.

© Rachel Green 2017

Saturday 15 July 2017

short forms 15th July 2017

brother
took his own life
but was he prompted to?
A series of emails and texts
are left


© Rachel Green 2017

overcast
slugs examine the tomato plans


© Rachel Green 2017

London trip
Tate Gallery today
Competition tomorrow
Time for a banana
and a dog walk


© Rachel Green 2017

in the doorway
the blind dog stands
looking for me

the door moves
a breeze from the open window
tail wags

He waits for a pet


© Rachel Green 2017

minor panic under mount. Be calm

© Rachel Green 2017

Friday 14 July 2017

short forms 14th July 2016

no love
lost between them
her ex has got married
to an unemployable man.
Handouts


© Rachel Green 2017

two sparrows
bickering over a piece of bread
baking soda


© Rachel Green 2017

small girl
marches down the road
swamped by backpack
she's already late for school
dodging escaping parents


© Rachel Green 2017

notification
for competing time
a single match

remind me not to sign up
for any more competitions
that promise prize money

seems an expensive scam


© Rachel Green 2017

tired despite the early bedtime. Napping.

© Rachel Green 2017

Thursday 13 July 2017

short forms 13th July 2017

walkway
over train tracks
she contemplates the jump
wondering if she'd have the guts.
Walks off.


© Rachel Green 2017

splashes of red
across a manicured garden
cemetery rescue


© Rachel Green 2017

charity shop
another ten books
disposed of.
Moving into old age
with the bare minimum


© Rachel Green 2017

weird dream
stephanie with a baby
and a husband

segues into early life
with DK and his husband
in an untidy house

secret occupant


© Rachel Green 2017

doctor's appointment. She's still living. Just.

© Rachel Green 2017

Wednesday 12 July 2017

short forms 12th July 2017

sudden
revelation
her friends moved on in life
without her as a pinion.
No more.


© Rachel Green 2017

morning rain
brings some much-needed water
flattened lavender


© Rachel Green 2017

jiu-jitsu cancelled
by the instructor
no worries
I book a cycle instead
spinning class


© Rachel Green 2017

downsizing
the removal of possessions
I thought I wanted

I'm getting older
freeing my self from the constraints
of possessions

leave nothing but memories


© Rachel Green 2017

she doesn't need to be needed

© Rachel Green 2017

Tuesday 11 July 2017

short forms 11th July 2017

two kids
and a fat wife
for her schoolfriend rapist.
Looks like she got the better deal.
Truma


© Rachel Green 2017

raindrops
glistening on roses
greenfly


© Rachel Green 2017

Prime Day
all these deals
drop in my inbox
"Come! Spend money you don't have
on stuff you don't need"


© Rachel Green 2017

fatigue
the terror on moving house
expressed in dream

does the amount of sweat
mean a loss in weight?
I doubt it

reduced need to pee


© Rachel Green 2017

crying dog. She doesn't know why.

© Rachel Green 2017

Monday 10 July 2017

short forms 10th July 2017

lovers
from long ago
he's apologetic
about the way he treated her.
Married.


© Rachel Green 2017

the cat
crying for attention
chimney top crow


© Rachel Green 2017

ringing the vet
constantly engaged
like the doctor's
This is why I suffer
with multiple ailments


© Rachel Green 2017

frantic day
I find a leather suite
on freecycle

DK arranges a man with a van
and the delivery
we chuck the old suite

tip runs required


© Rachel Green 2017

cutting down on possessions. Lighter heart.

© Rachel Green 2017

Sunday 9 July 2017

short forms 9th July 2017

childhood
a seventies kid
returns as an adult
to find the brother she once had.
Sister.


© Rachel Green 2017

nasturtium blooms
taste more sour than peppery
blackfly


© Rachel Green 2017

exercise is painful
the sun burns
dogs are stupid
The lessons Ash learned
on a day with wolves


© Rachel Green 2017

jiu-jitsu
great session
Jordan and Andrew

I get thrown a lot
followed by sparring
and 'male' bonding

laughter


© Rachel Green 2017

biceps rise over her flabby skin

© Rachel Green 2017

Saturday 8 July 2017

short forms 8th July 2017

no rest
for the wicked
spirits of lost children
rising from a watery grave.
Mill House


© Rachel Green 2017

tomato plants
growing tall and bushy
My father's varieties


© Rachel Green 2017

washing machine
running on spin cycle
vibrates the floor
nearby, the cat
swats a blind dog


© Rachel Green 2017

collecting seeds
from yellow poppies
in a ziploc bag

I empty seed heads
thirty or forty
visions of seedling

there's no bottom on the bag


© Rachel Green 2017

her jiu-jitsu skills depreciate. She's tired.

© Rachel Green 2017

Friday 7 July 2017

short forms 7th July 2017

falling
her suicide
doesn't stick to the plan
broken legs, arm and collarbone
More debt


© Rachel Green 2017

honey bee
examining the lavender
distant mower


© Rachel Green 2017

The Sky man
a change of provider
(Sky to Sky)
At least it will cut off
those silent phone calls


© Rachel Green 2017

printer jam
I open it up to check
crumpled paper

I reach in to pull it out
scald off my finger tips
HOT HOT HOT

a cautionary tale, with band-aids


© Rachel Green 2017

No coherent plot presents itself. Despair.

© Rachel Green 2017

Thursday 6 July 2017

short forms 6th July 2017

murder
by suicide
her conviction
overturned by legal review.
Vengeance.


© Rachel Green 2017

strawberries
still hanging off the plants
liver fluke eggs


© Rachel Green 2017

young mum
taking small hid to school
baby in pushchair
the lad waves away the smoke
from her drooping cigarette


© Rachel Green 2017

dismayed
my inability to throw
and lack of balance

the reaffirmation
that I've reached my level
as a jiu-jitsu practitioner

No new belt for me, thanks


© Rachel Green 2017

morning chores. the smell of sex.

© Rachel Green 2017

Wednesday 5 July 2017

short forms 5th July 2017

divorce
leaves her homeless
stumbling through the town
in a nightie and a fur coat.
Whisky.


© Rachel Green 2017

garden colour
the deepest blood red
crocosmia


© Rachel Green 2017

spinning class
my knees protest the exercise
my flab thanks me
The requirement of a sweat towel
and water becomes apparent


© Rachel Green 2017

money
spent on shoes
I have too many pairs

latest are mat shoes
bought for jiu-jitsu tourneys
and seminars

a Lidl bargain


© Rachel Green 2017

fitness. she despairs of her weight

© Rachel Green 2017

Tuesday 4 July 2017

short forms 4th July 2017

she was
twelve years old
when he was buried
her beautiful older brother
Candles


© Rachel Green 2017

morning glory
from a dozen packets of seeds
a single flower


© Rachel Green 2017

fatigue
inching through the body
daytime napping
the sunburn across my chest
and shoulders doesn't help


© Rachel Green 2017

another shitstorm
on the UK BJJ scene
anti-trans sentiment

oddly 99% of the hate
comes from xenophobic men
and skillshort ladies

most girls have no problem


© Rachel Green 2017

she withdraws from competitions. Trans athlete

© Rachel Green 2017

Monday 3 July 2017

short forms 3rd July 2017

why did
he kill himself?
Was it depression?
the shitty way he was treated?
bullies?


© Rachel Green 2017

snakes had fritillarys
serpentine heads rising
strawberry runners


© Rachel Green 2017

Plymouth excursion
Royce Gracie seminar
far, far away
we leave at 5AM
return at midnight


© Rachel Green 2017

hunger
best not give in
to the craving for food

eventually the desire gives way
to casual acceptance
and a desire to sleep

and, ultimately, death


© Rachel Green 2017

suffering and crying. dog with allergies.

© Rachel Green 2017

Saturday 1 July 2017

short forms 1st July 2017

massive
the weight of sin
according to the priest
who had an affair with a boy
now dead


© Rachel Green 2017

kneeling lady
accepts a self seeded tribute
red snapdragon


© Rachel Green 2017

birthday party idea
to bury the guinea pig
and have a treasure hunt
the concept is rejected as cruel
but might make for a novel plot


© Rachel Green 2017

phone alarm
won't turn off
annoyed partner

I can't help it --
the adverts block the window
phone unresponsive

morning starts at 7:30


© Rachel Green 2017

the smell of toast. Stomach rumbles

© Rachel Green 2017