Before I fall asleepAfter the lights are outAnd my head on the pillow – That’s when my brain awakens. It’s when the past and the present and the future Meet and mingle,Talk over each other,Spilling drinks on each other’s clothes And stepping on each other’s toes Trading secretsAnd gossipUntil I don’t know which story belongs To whom anymore. They allocate blame,And shame,All with one target … Continue reading Mean Friends
By Yvette Chan Continue reading Bearer of Sorrow
Blue as the tranquil water of the lakes, or of the unseen breeze, or flying kites. Or of ink pens that stain our hands and smear all over the white of the table beneath our weight. Blue as the rising tide, the falling rain, the last crayon in the box that day. Blue as the uniforms we grew up in, and the highlights in … Continue reading Blue
Midnight. When the sky is pitch black and all is dead silent. A time when everyone hides away in their bed, letting sleep protect them. As the moon’s dull light embraced the silent houses and the stars luminous shine promised a brighter tomorrow. No one dared wake from their slumber. No one dared open their eyes. No one dared move from their bed. No one… … Continue reading The Forest
by Alex Cole Continue reading Flowers
Jacksie wakes abruptly, eyes snapping open, immediately on the alert. He strains to see in the darkness and stretches carefully. The space is surprisingly large despite all the boxes and – thanks to the trench coat he found upstairs – he’s warm and dry. He’d come across the stone-built cottage while wandering through the woods, searching for somewhere to doss down. Some old biddy had … Continue reading The Perfect Guest
by Iqraa Bukhari Continue reading London
That she loves you with a full heart, There is no doubt. That she will never leave – And instead will always stay – There is no breath of doubt. And that you know her well – Like the ripe veins on the backs of your hands, And the frayed spine of your favourite book: Like the way she smiled the day you re-met her, … Continue reading Secret Songs
A titanic cloud in the shape of an angel’s corpse provides respite from the sun for a moment as I pass it looking up from my car from the motorway. Falling between worlds, the body is downward facing, but floats on, for passing it is passing a living moment. Which is truer of a cloud: its passing, or ours? The colossal corpse keeps … Continue reading A Titanic Cloud
