Sunday 27 August 2017

short forms 27th August 2017

his ghost
waiting for her
in the park's boating pond.
She wants to join him there but she's
afraid


© Rachel Green 2017

morning heat
over the asphalt dog poo
slug trails


© Rachel Green 2017

unofficial birthday
DK's family party
hall booked
The house seems quieter
than I expected it to be


© Rachel Green 2017

blah blah blah
something about life
or personal goals

mild complaint
observation about life
family quirks

funny conclusion


© Rachel Green 2017

She writes about writing. Total failure.

© Rachel Green 2017

Saturday 26 August 2017

short forms 26th August 2017

regrets
lost childhood
her father's ashes are
scattered onto the boating lake
duck food


© Rachel Green 2017

teasels
dry and rattling
poppy heads


© Rachel Green 2017

full house
the delight of children
who like me
less so the incoming visitor
who thinks I'm a freak


© Rachel Green 2017

skipped gym
in favour of gardening
sweating profusely

chopping down summer growth
thanks to the extended rain
rotting fruits

full bin


© Rachel Green 2017

morning pain. The regrets of yesterday

© Rachel Green 2017

Friday 25 August 2017

short forms 25th August 2017

her dog
resurrected
by an angelic friend
Her father is terrified of her.
Breakdown


© Rachel Green 2017

one shoe
left behind in the woods
traces of blood


© Rachel Green 2017

overdrawn
a message from my bank
via text
why yes, I am stupid
thank you for asking


© Rachel Green 2017

old dog
deaf and blind
still likes his walks

I drag him to the woods
but while he's there
he knows his way through

heads home without me


© Rachel Green 2017

Smile! A new wave of depression.

© Rachel Green 2017

Thursday 24 August 2017

short forms 24th August 2017

recycling
among
the detritus
of her father's old house
a box of computer diskettes
five-inch


© Rachel Green 2017

teasels
dry heads rattling
poppy seeds


© Rachel Green 2017

throwing
I'm pretty useless
at any of them
Maybe I should find
a different school


© Rachel Green 2017

manuscript
requires overhaul
no contents list

Dude, it's a novel
why do you need html links
to consecutive chapters?

just use the bookmark feature


© Rachel Green 2017

Her dog, waiting for cereal milk

© Rachel Green 2017

Wednesday 23 August 2017

short forms 23rd August 2017

amidst
the house chaos
she clears the table
ready for an evening meal.
Corn flakes.


© Rachel Green 2017

summer skin
reddening despite the cold
tomatoes


© Rachel Green 2017

driver
for Celia's Taxis
parks adjacent to Lu's bike
I don't trust him as a driver
he takes too many risks


© Rachel Green 2017

conversations
with my post-teenager
old people and gardens

cinematic trope
old people have flowers
(indicates my garden)

"no offence," they say


© Rachel Green 2017

she sets up a revised version.

© Rachel Green 2017

Tuesday 22 August 2017

short forms 22nd April 2017

three things
she wants to change:
her mother's suicide,
her brother's murder, her father's
hatred


© Rachel Green 2017

August heat
must be somewhere else
overcast


© Rachel Green 2017

the blue rose
they bought me last year
now mauve
maybe, like hydrangeas,
it required tea leaves


© Rachel Green 2017

across the road
the council decorators
have a fag break

overalls and beer bellies
while the tenant
explains his visions

mormons pass them by


© Rachel Green 2017

old game. rekindled love. happy girl

© Rachel Green 2017

Monday 21 August 2017

short forms 21st August 2017

mistype
unwanted mail
shuffled to wrong department
wish fulfillment is understaffed
processed


© Rachel Green 2017

shiny red apples
deceptively unripe
pig food


© Rachel Green 2017

council vans
invading the street
no parking
all the council houses
are being decorated


© Rachel Green 2017

worst dreams ever
the first where I work for the DSS
and get disciplined for incompetence

The second
where the neighbours gang up on us
destroy our garden

anxiety much?


© Rachel Green 2017

stinging eyes. Disturbed sleep. Night terrors.

© Rachel Green 2017

Sunday 20 August 2017

short forms 20th August 2017

the twist
she didn't expect
it was her own email
that was the catalyst for his
demise


© Rachel Green 2017

willow branches
scraping the ground
relieved cat


© Rachel Green 2017

sudden loss
googling your ex
to discover they died
such mixed feelings
mostly relief


© Rachel Green 2017

three dogs
at the top of the stairs
waiting

I'm in the bathroom
and they won't descend
without me

The cat at the bottom


© Rachel Green 2017

adult pleasures. She'd rather have sparred.

© Rachel Green 2017

Friday 18 August 2017

short forms 18th August 2017

a shame
her late father
was working to a cure
ridding himself of his vast hoard.
house fire


© Rachel Green 2017

honey bees
a fly-past of the lavender
gone to seed


© Rachel Green 2017

leg day
I manage to press
300 pounds
I regret it today
sore thighs


© Rachel Green 2017

my niece's birthday
she'd be 30 or so now
I haven't seen her since she was six

I google her father,
discovered his recent death
in a 'garden fire'

forgive my laughter...


© Rachel Green 2017

after prolonged absence, her neck pain returns

© Rachel Green 2017

Thursday 17 August 2017

short forms 17th August 2017

her life
carefully set
denied by publisher.
Guess she'll meet a demon instead.
New life.


© Rachel Green 2017

English lavender
fades with the passing sun
French blooms


© Rachel Green 2017

missed calls
different numbers
same prefix code
one suspects spammers
I choose to ignore


© Rachel Green 2017

chaos begins
DK's birthday month
starts tomorrow

first guests arriving
for the monster party
anxiety rising

will the dog survive?


© Rachel Green 2017

her terrible dream. Choking a dog.

© Rachel Green 2017

Wednesday 16 August 2017

short forms 16th August 2017

demons
her recent past
returns to the present
encounters with her childhood
not-friends


© Rachel Green 2017

cloud cover
the delicate smile
morning glory


© Rachel Green 2017

number three
tells me about the drama
on YouTube
I really don't care
my eyelids feel heavy


© Rachel Green 2017

Scheduling euthanasia
for the ancient dog
the day after tomorrow

blind, deaf
sometimes incontinent
struggles to walk

he seems chirpier today


© Rachel Green 2017

Night terrors. She wakes exhausted. Dawn.

© Rachel Green 2017

Tuesday 15 August 2017

short forms 15th August 2017

she tries
to protect him;
grows tough with the need to
beating away the older boys
who taunt


© Rachel Green 2017

sparrow song
in the hedgerow
blackberries


© Rachel Green 2017

online gaming
I join a campaign group
to tackle group content
within five minutes
they vote to kick me out


© Rachel Green 2017

a weekend away
leaves my arms sunburned
and insect bitten

I spend Monday itching
and Tuesday with raised bites
Peeling Wednesday

fading love for jiu-jitsu


© Rachel Green 2017

weekend high leads to low morale

© Rachel Green 2017

Monday 14 August 2017

short forms 14th August 2017

father
no longer here
but for the memory
of a man in utter despair.
Hoarder
.

© Rachel Green 2017

new lawn
the shoots of an old willow
mown down


© Rachel Green 2017

was that summer?
two days of sunshine
and burned shoulders.
A return to grey skies
and alabaster


© Rachel Green 2017

teasels
one of my favourite
wild plants

I find seedlings everywhere
cracks in the patio;
growing in the lawn

removed with apologies


© Rachel Green 2017

against the skyline, Her fading dreams

© Rachel Green 2017

Sunday 13 August 2017

short forms 13th August 2017

body
jigsaw puzzle
scattered across Hamburg
a new German Jack the Ripper
Crime scene


© Rachel Green 2017

morning heat
the torquay sunburn
stinging


© Rachel Green 2017

Sorry I missed you
a not from Hermes
(the parcel service)
No indication of where
or how I get the package

© Rachel Green 2017

back from Torquay
red, red arms
from a long walk

I love everything about that town
the seedy, seventies vibe of everywhere
the tawdry couture



© Rachel Green 2017

Birthday. Another year nearer the grave

© Rachel Green 2017

Friday 11 August 2017

short forms 11th August 2017

she cares
about the past
wants to know what happened
to make her brother kill himself.
Her fault?


© Rachel Green 2017

nasturtium flowers
spilling onto the pavement
honeybees


© Rachel Green 2017

blind dog
steps on his roomie
dogfight ensues
poor old fellow
pick on constantly


© Rachel Green 2017

early rise
after a dogfight
wakes everyone

Lu in the bathroom
I head downstairs
pills and potions

Upstairs, my alarm wakes Bagpuss


© Rachel Green 2017

Another year gone. depression sets in.

© Rachel Green 2017

Thursday 10 August 2017

short forms 10th August 2017

she's lost
in a world passed
her father buried anew
and his house alive with the rot
of years


© Rachel Green 2017

red apples
peeking through the hedgerow
blackberries


© Rachel Green 2017

it gets harder
to write short poems
a life worth nothing
a relatively quick death
is too much to ask for


© Rachel Green 2017

amalgamating hard drives
a residue of pictures
twenty years

most are corrupted
old memories fading
into unknown formats

photographs didn't do that


© Rachel Green 2017

Her memory; corrupted like computer files

© Rachel Green 2017

Wednesday 9 August 2017

short forms 9th August 2017

no fucks
given for love
he arranges 'lessons'
to turn his young daughter away
from life


© Rachel Green 2017

crocosmia
a spark of colour against rain-swept green
discarded litter


© Rachel Green 2017

projects
going boom boom
dismay
five hours work lost
to a corrupted file


© Rachel Green 2017

rain stops briefly
where did the summer go,
Mr Trump?

No, I could not be
an American Immigrant
not wealthy enough

at least I learned tolerance


© Rachel Green 2017

she eats beans on toast. Regrets.

© Rachel Green 2017

Tuesday 8 August 2017

short forms 8th August 2017

old prints
of her parents
before she was alive.
They look happier than they did
after


© Rachel Green 2017

microcosm
ecosystem of a tall plant
water droplets


© Rachel Green 2017

cold and wet
The dogs wait patiently
for their walk
I am reluctant
to be rained on


© Rachel Green 2017

ragged poppies
long gone to seed
withered leaves

I'd cut them down
but it's too wet to collect
for next year's plants

summer decay


© Rachel Green 2017

large parcel. She guesses its contents.

© Rachel Green 2017

Monday 7 August 2017

short forms 7th August 2017

her love
becomes hostile
when she sees the damage
her family has suffered in
the past


© Rachel Green 2017

wind and rain
the delights of summer
blackberries


© Rachel Green 2017

fresh grass
in barren soil
summer rain
remind me to write
an Amazon review


© Rachel Green 2017

chatting to Lu
about my depression
Another year gone...

At least you've achieved something
she says with a smile
you're fitter than you were

but less productive, it seems


© Rachel Green 2017

Happily, her dog is still alive.

© Rachel Green 2017

Sunday 6 August 2017

short forms 6th August 2017

his face
mutilated
a sliver of plastic
embedded in one bloody cheek.
Brake light


© Rachel Green 2017

rose petals
fluttering at the window
a tiny moth


© Rachel Green 2017

new dog toy
mine aren't interested
in play
I leave it on the front
with a 'help yourself' sign


© Rachel Green 2017

binge watching
a TV series
on Netflix

is this what I wanted
when I was seven years old?
or did I want more?

Contentment


© Rachel Green 2017

her demons are real. Still hungry.

© Rachel Green 2017

Saturday 5 August 2017

short forms 5th August 2017

her tale
told by degrees
when she goes home at last
tracing the scars of her lover.
old grave


© Rachel Green 2017

brief moments
of morning sunshine
peacock butterfly


© Rachel Green 2017

treating a wart
on my middle finger
the skin goes brown
Now it looks like I smoke
after so many years


© Rachel Green 2017

texts
from an old friend
in the states

he didn't know
I was a transwoman
seems okay with it

I'm glad


© Rachel Green 2017

looking for solace. Her sport, redacted.

© Rachel Green 2017

Friday 4 August 2017

short forms 4th August 2017

change voice
to first person
and make her an ex-con
and a whizz at computer fraud.
Dating.


© Rachel Green 2017

pouring rain
even the dogs are reluctant
to go walkies


© Rachel Green 2017

jiu-jitsu
becomes boxing practice
(the instructor's bored)
my hands stink afterwards
remind me to take my own gloves


© Rachel Green 2017

annual review
requested by the GP
please make appointment

An hour on the phone
going from queue position thirteen
to queue position one

The the phone cuts off


© Rachel Green 2017

desired meal pales after third day

© Rachel Green 2017

Thursday 3 August 2017

short forms 3rd August 2017

she does
thirty four tasks
to show she's a hard knock
but balks at the thirty-fifth one:
Killing


© Rachel Green 2017

pelting rain
a fuchsia drops ballerinas
onto the pavement


© Rachel Green 2017

a lesson in
dealing with hostility
checking for weapons
the lightest touch
reveals the danger


© Rachel Green 2017

decluttering fail
Trying to be rid
of just ten items

I'm too precious about books
poetry, art, fighting
demonology

and all those signed first editions


© Rachel Green 2017

morning dog snacks. Cat joins in.

© Rachel Green 2017

Wednesday 2 August 2017

short forms 2nd August 2017

a game
or so she thought,
but confronted with the
stark truth of her brother's demise
she quits


© Rachel Green 2017

pelting rain
streams along the gutters
paper boats


© Rachel Green 2017

old dog
follows the commandant
"Look. I'm okay"
he's worked out who has the say
in his impending demise


© Rachel Green 2017

another week
another ten things
for the charity shop

I'm getting down
to the things I want to keep
salient archives

farewell, old friends


© Rachel Green 2017

She could be happy, she supposes.

© Rachel Green 2017

Tuesday 1 August 2017

short forms 1st August 2017

revised
the same old plot
but told in first person
Her perceptions of the demon.
Peaceful


© Rachel Green 2017

English summer
the birch tree bent sidewards
peeling bark


© Rachel Green 2017

entity
demands blood sacrifice
to perform
did I ever mention
I hate plumbing jobs?


© Rachel Green 2017

the purchase
of a windows 10 license
for rebuild

the PC
works perfectly
except for the crashes

I suppose it's money-where-the-mouth-is time


© Rachel Green 2017

Birthday. She wants less of everything.

© Rachel Green 2017