When the Dogs Bite

Saturday, 13 June 2026

13th June 2026

A&E

five hours of waiting

bird song

Bow (Wow Wow)

"There's something going on," he says,

his clipped English softened by the soft hills

of Derbyshire's rolling landscape

and I look out and yes,

there a people in the street

standing outside their houses.

I join the neighbours and ask

the funeral procession for a local lad

is due to pass at ten A.M.

We watch the hearse pass by,

an undertaker walking ahead to stop the traffic;

the children at the infant's school

all waving goodbye

and the neighbour cries

because his dog has just died, too.

Friday, 12 June 2026

12th June 2026

A&E

five hours of waiting

bird sing

Sign O' the Times

We don't ask what is wrong?

We ask "how are you?"

and expect the answer 'Fine, thanks.'

It is considered impolite

to say 'no,' and detail the pain

in all your left diodes,

and at two A.M.

when a woman walks into A&E

with a serious head wound

and her boyfriend says 'she fell over,'

everyone immediately checks his knuckles.

Thursday, 11 June 2026

11th June 2026

beans on toast

makes for Wednesday dinner

and toilet Thursday

Don't Play a Victim II

Mother always told me to walk outside the curve;

for where vehicles take the 'racing line'

and can hit pedestrians in the tighter side;

The lady next door said to always walk

on the same side as the traffic moves;

and the school safety inspector said the opposite:

to walk against the traffic

for maximum visibility.

Self defence sides with the school inspector:

but for a different reason:

You can run the way you were going

while an assailant has to turn their car around.

Wednesday, 10 June 2026

10th June 2026

night terrors

growing more prevalent

sudden wakings

Don't Play a Victim

There are two roles to play:

that of the fearless fighter

who will balk at nothing and no-one

with no fear of their adversary;

or the deranged mad person;

loud, aggressive, challenging;

fearless of the consequences of your engagement.

Both are roles meant to frighten;

to scare away a potential foe

but the one to be afraid of

is the one who looks you in the eyes

and when you look back

there is nothing to resemble pity.

Tuesday, 9 June 2026

9th June 2026

carrying stock

eBay listings all cancelled

given away

Self Sabotage

she's doing her best;

to reuse; recycle; donate

and then the convenient coffee

cost ten times the price of instant

to recycle each plastic pod

and the milk ones are just powdered

and marketed as premium.

She switches to instant,

but almost all of those

are blow dried, inferior beans

mixed with a dash of grounds

for that 'expensive' taste and price tag.

She wants to make proper coffee

but doesn't have the time to spare

and what the fuck

is that constant plinking?

Coffee brands to AVOID

love songs

sung through a microphone

using voice over IP

to a woman she's never met;

never ever seen a photo of,

but the woman sends her money

so she doesn't really care.

Monday, 8 June 2026

8th June 2026

work ethic

promoted by local kid

I'm mowing grass

Facebook Mucketplace

It seemed reasonable:

sperm donation via Facebook

and so much cheaper

than the infertility clinic.

This guy had been on the news

and had hundreds of children

every one of them born

bald and white and probably racist.

So she paid her hundred quid

and got a sample by post

with a half-thawed carton of passata.

It made the bolognaise salty.

Vulnerable women lured by illegal sperm donor

Sunday, 7 June 2026

7th June 2026

sudden trip

taking the dogs to the beach

sandy paws

Joy

tying the motifs you've written

into real-world situations

and deeming them plausible

brings a feeling of warmth and fuzziness

as if there might be something good

about being a writer

after all