Raucous laughter permeates his ears

Smiling gleefully, lager dribbling down the corners of his mouth

Slapped across the back, fooling around on a Saturday night

A night out on the town

Stumbling towards the bar, the ninth drink or perhaps the tenth

He’d lost count

Banging fists on the table, a scream for help masked by an intoxicated smile

Silent to the others, he weeps bitterly

SHOTS! The fie...

His glittering emerald eyes

They appeared to float

Among the cerulean skies

Shivering under a puffer coat

Speaking softly, under breath

Dark alley ways after hours

Drunks and junkies on meth

Under these conditions, our love flowered

Yet a product of his place

High on his own supply

Felt time was an athlete, his empty space

Couldn’t hear his final sigh

His frail body lying among blue sheets

I co...

Atakan of the Felango Clan was a simple man. A bowl of fermented mares milk, a bloody battle, his woman and a bearskin was enough to keep him satisfied. Yet, any man, woman or child that made the mistake of a betrayal, wouldn’t survive to see the sunrise.

Of course, crafty Kassandra of the Ritacan Clan was unaware of this. No one could blame the poor general, she simply obeyed orders. A diligent...

Hidden underneath the covers, our breathing pattern fell perfectly in sync. A silent heaving for air as we heard the stealthy footsteps gliding across the corridor.

“Is he gone?” I mouthed. Elio silently signalled for me to be quiet and began the treacherous journey towards the mouth of the room. Dropping to the floor a la James Bond, Elio sprawled out and began to, for lack of a better word, wri...

“YOU FUCKING IDIOT!” Loathing screamed “WHY DIDN’T YOU REHEARSE?!”

Guilt looked down at her feet sheepishly, wondering whether it would be possible to let the ground swallow her.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realise—“ Guilt started

“No, I don’t want to hear it, you’re on probation,” Loathing interrupted, advancing towards the dreaded button.

“No please, Loathing I didn’t mean it,” Guilt pleaded, kneeling...

Where he once sat

Laughing at Desmonds reruns

Volume at max, grainy 90s footage

But it’s enough

Where he once ate

Hands trembling, Parkinson’s is no joke

The cancer was eating his cheeks up

He still had his sandwich though

Where he once slept

Tossing and turning, sleep apnea unrelenting

Snoring like a sort of elephant

At least he could rest

Where he once walked

Through the small garden

Pacing...

Sprawled across the sofa

IKEA alarm clock, repetitive ticking

The paper stared back at him

Still blank

Gnawing at the stubby pencil

Teeth marks engraved into the wood

Mangled and almost useless

Mind empty

Perhaps a simple sonnet

But to who or what?

He should call her, for inspiration

Distractions

He paces around the room

Slumps over on a chair, foot hanging

Fiddles with fingers

Still nothing...

Water isn’t blue

I know from the tears

Whatever you’ve learnt to draw in second grade is wrong

Another way the education system failed you

Banks don’t play fair

I know from the money I’ve lost

‘Sorry, you’ve been late for your payment’

Little did they know I needed that extra thousand for the hospital bills

Bribes never work

I know from my dead family

I gave them the money but they still…

It’s...

Water isn’t blue

I know from the tears

Whatever you’ve learnt to draw in second grade is wrong

Another way the education system failed you

Banks don’t play fair

I know from the money I’ve lost

‘Sorry, you’ve been late for your payment’

Little did they know I needed that extra thousand for the hospital bills

Bribes never work

I know from my dead family

I gave them the money but they still…

It’s...

‘Wonderful, count to three and breathe in’ her voice extended a hand and led me towards a place of rest. My galloping heart began to slow down, thumping periodically. Slowly, my mind travelled to the sanctuary I had been struggling towards for years. Breathe in. I could see calm on the horizons. Breathe out. The gruelling sessions were working. Breathe in. Insufferable trauma digging, so called co...