Medea’s Hymn from Ovid O guardian of the dark, keeper of creeping shadows, o night I’m standing in… And you, timid stars, who wait for her arrival to shine… And you, Hecate, Hecate, Hecate, who knows and keeps the herbal secrets, the potion’s potency, the rites of sorcery… And you, Earth, who grows the elements, … Read more
“Rrruth…Ruuuth…Ruthhh…Are you ok?” Her voice echoed, in ripples, wave after wave. Outside an open window, fronds of the palm tree danced. “Are you Ok? Here, Ruth. Drink that.” A pair of green birds chased each other flew past the Chinaberry tree. Laughing or fighting, their feathers were a lighter green against its dark leaves. I … Read more
When Henry Kissinger again fails to die Another tree in the Central Highlands loses all its leaves A girl sits on a visiting diplomat’s lap Someone organises a Nelson Rockefeller look-alike party which Henry Kissinger attends An election result somewhere is declared null and void for its own good An interrogating officer switches on the … Read more
I’m just existing. That’s a side effect of a close death I guess. The difference between living and dying is really not that big a leap. This Covid lack of a future and future planning is suffocating. Yesterday someone said that lavender cheers you up. Happy days. Today nothing. I wrote most of the … Read more
Gasping for a hit, Carl made himself a fresh cup of coffee. But big-nosed and bat-eared, when he tried to slam it, the steaming brown liquid dribbled down his chin to piddle over his pink tie and white shirt. His accountant’s uniform. ‘Fuck!’ He’d forgotten the stitch-up already. His lips weren’t even that sore. His … Read more
Singin’ Songs and Stories My name is Gemma Dunleavy and I’m a yapper. I’d talk the handle off a cup. I also write and play music. I see myself as a storyteller first, then a musician. It’s where I feel my true gift is, my natural comfort is in meandering through my memories, … Read more
It was an honour to be elected. I was on the faculty at Inchfield, and seized the opportunity to work under specialist in topologic geometry, Professor Knowlton. Five years later, I was working on a level nearly lateral to his, which earned me the invitation to an informal gathering in his garden. This is where … Read more
Since the 1970s, the consistent presence of neoliberalism in politics alongside short, sharp bursts of neoconservatism have shaped our planet to a greater extent than any other ideologies. This has been to the detriment of all but a shrinking cast of billionaires that profit in periods of crisis, even during the pandemic. The prognosis is … Read more
After Recent Unfortunate Results Next election onwards, there’ll be a second vote for those who turn up with, under their arm, a print copy of one of the larger newspapers and answer a few unobtrusive questions to prove they’ve consumed it correctly. A third for those who also present receipts that show they’ve dined sufficiently … Read more
Five Poems trampled, rain-sodden the leaves brown, green, yellow and a crimson gilded wings flapping to the wind above the trees the joy of the storm pigeon juicy and sharp the first few blackberries summer’s sweetness yet to come bounteous blackberries along the brook warm and sweet they meet my lips purple stained, thorn pierced … Read more