13th February 2026

 

bitter winds

cutting short the dog walk

discarded bottles

© Rachel Green January 2026

Mystery Meat

Cutting meat and fat from butcher's bones

neither use nor ornament and given free

by Kenneth at the Funeral Home

my mother, frugal lived as frugal be.

Then loaded in the mincing mill

pressed down hard with splintered ends of shin

and thigh and rounded end of arm until

the stoneware bowl beneath was filled to brim.

And then from out the garden was brought forth

potatoes carrots, parsnips and a mound

of peas and bean for shelling by the kitchen door

held ever open 'til the night came down.

 A shepherds pie for tea, the gristly meat

 an evening meal after the sunshine's swift retreat.

© Rachel Green January 2026