17th October 2026

 

flu jab

dragging the dog along

new sniffs

© Rachel Green October 2026

Brand Name

We write 'predator' in inverted commas

because he hasn't been found guilty yet,

but still, he faces of three charges of rape,

three of sexual assault,

and one of indecent assault,

and I really, really hope

I can take off those inverted commas.

Being a personality, TV or otherwise

should not become a gateway to assault

and being voted 'shagger of the year'

should be a source of shame

not fucking pride.

Pun intended.

© Rachel Green October 2026

16th October 2026

 

dental visit

followed by shopping trip

bags of doughnuts

© Rachel Green October 2026

I don't play fair because I am old;

and though I don't tire as easily on the mats

I do get dizzy sometimes

and I'd rather finish fights quickly

than prolong a bout in the search

of the perfect flying armbar.

If it's any consolation

I'll teach you everything I know

all the wrist locks and heel hooks

how to choke someone to sleep

and how to make them cry out in pain

because they tried to hurt you

or someone you were protecting;

and if you're determined to fight

I'll show you how to stay lawful

while sowing chaos on the street.

© Rachel Green October 2026

15th October 2026

 

portraiture

on a television show

Yes! You can!

© Rachel Green October 2026

poetry

from two decades ago --

was I better then?

my writing fresher?

or am I more nuanced?

more focused on the world

instead of always the Self?

Except this one, obviously.

© Rachel Green October 2026

14th October 2026

 

night walk

woodsmoke on the air

deserted street

© Rachel Green October 2026

away, away

away with the doldrums

away with the fairies

the fearies

and the furies

away with the confidence

with the discipline

the self control

and the image projected to the world.

away

away.

© Rachel Green October 2026

13th October 2026

 

blustery day

of course it's bin day too.

airborne plastics

© Rachel Green October 2026

Empty Stadium in Ohio

"There's more ice than ever before," he says,

and I wonder if he means his whisky glass

because he must have had a lot today

to wash down his heart meds, his blood thinners,

and his Alzheimer's relief

because why else would we be uncovering

more artifacts than ever before

exposed by the shrinking ice caps

and the hypocrisy of politics

as backdoor deals are made with China;

with Russia; with North Korea;

and does Sarah Palin still watch "them Ruskies"

from her kitchen window in Alaska

or is she more worried about Danes

and those warmongering Canadians?

© Rachel Green October 2026

12th October 2026

 

rusted metal

rescued, varnished, painted

artistry

© Rachel Green October 2026

Doppel-shift

Maybe what you saw

wasn't me at all; but my co-joined twin.

We were separated after birth

with me, the whole one,

going on to a full, if oddly gendered life

and he, a collection of missing teeth and bones,

studied all his life in a lab

until he escaped at twenty-seven.

We only spoke once,

but he was jealous of my life and loves

and swore to wreak revenge

on anyone I cared for.

They're all dead now, of natural causes,

and it wasn't me, I swear.

© Rachel Green October 2026

11th October 2026

 

stinky bedroom

at six in the morning

Cookie's diarrhoea

© Rachel Green October 2026

Manners

do you remember when we were kids

we walked to Rowney Green

and bought a packet of crisps each

and a bottle of pop between us.

You walked backwards up the hill

eating Walkers Sweet and Sour,

spitting out the sour ones

onto the hot, dry road.

The women behind you asked you why

and you said you didn't like them

and I was so embarrassed by you

I never went there again.

© Rachel Green October 2026