Humanity: Raw & Unfiltered
“I see London, I see France, I see [child’s name]’s underpants!” (unknown origin) A familiar childhood chant, guaranteed to wreak playground-wide humiliation on the child, usually a girl, whose name was tauntingly inserted into the rhyme as she practiced perfecting her cartwheels on the grass, or flipped somersaults over the Read more
I want it. No,need it, the panacea; Or, perhaps the exhilaration of the release trailing after it – unsure which; Does it matter? Drink to numb. Calories purged. Caffeine pulsing. All drenched in familiar relief. The isolation I don’t want, but it’s mine, handcuffed to me, by a rusted padlock made of shame. Read more
My thoughts are eternally submerged in a mire of self-disgust. I watch, aloof as the filth of this cruelty is accumulating around me, repugnant insults carried on the glistening spittle flying off my tongue. Hate-filled thoughts create a layer of crusty grime, hardening on the floor, in time, I can Read more
She does not notice him watching her with her friends. At late o’clock he swoops, grinning, then kissing her intently lotharioesque, appearing from the peripheral shadows of the bar. She’s kissing back like the vodka tells her to, as if she desires him, a “Rookie cop” he tells her, “From Read more
There are alcoves in our hearts Hollowed and laying vacant, ours to fill Like boxes which new shoes once came in, Now housing old photographs and mementos Stowed far under the bed, wrapped in shadows. Those shoeboxes, dusty-lidded and hushed, just sit Waiting. So are the heart-spaces, unobtrusively holding our Read more
A rare chance to leave work early, and pick my youngest child up afterschool. Parents I recognize only vaguely, cluster in the playground, some talking in groups, others marginalised, standing alone on the periphery. I stare into my phone, looking preoccupied, the stark divisions shredding my nerves with anxiety. She’s Read more
“Empty-headed!” Her mother scoffs, Trampling on her quest To attain The Look. Unthwarted, she persists, Craving the boys’ attention Willing them to notice her. Maybe even want her. Maybe. Her hair; long, wavy locks Deliciously scented, coconut-ish Her makeup; she’s a Maybelline girl Hot, rosy-blushed cheekbones Her lipstick; applied to Read more
My housemates away for four months, I am sub-letting both their rooms. Matt comes to look around. A 3rd-year student and self-confessed “computer geek,” his hair in need of a tidy, he has a warm smile and is oh-so-uncomplicated. He mentions an acquaintance, Shaun is also looking for a room, Read more