Ghosts
For my Granny Keith I don’t believe in life after death, hauntings or voices from the grave. I think what we need from people we loved,...
Days That Change
Have you lost your mind? Where’s your sense of humour? My mind goes everywhere it can, it loves to travel. My sense of humour is not on...
I have been looked after
Politely turning down offers is not an option. I can’t look after the kids, I can’t do anything. My chest is rattling and my skin oozing...
Mum Flu
My body is fighting a virus. My joints ache, my head hurts. Through the night I couldn’t sleep for shivering, my teeth chattered, despite...
Snake Venom
I bought some cream for my face. It was on offer and I’m nearly forty. Snake Venom, it said, will instantly freeze your wrinkles. I...
Good Boys/ Bad Boys
It’s Heathcliff’s fault, and River Phoenix and Pete Doherty didn’t help much. It becomes a habit. Of course, no one is good or bad, there...
Forest of Birse
Paddling in the cold peaty water, the river stole his left jelly shoe and my right flip-flop. He uses the slimy wooden weir as a slide....
G for Good
I like it when people have harmless rituals against their fears. She walks past the piano, and plays a G for good. She will salute a...
Bleach and eyeliner
It took me a long time to find a way to look. Bleach and eyeliner, velvet and leather, black and silver. Boots and lipstick, a diamond in...
Join me on the bridge.
The problem is we are islands. The silence is hostile. Even the smoke signals get lost. It takes someone else to suggest a bridge. One...