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The Old Woman With No Cat
The Cat’s Koan(Or: The Sound of One Paw Clapping) The Old Womanis reading a book of Zen poetry.The cathas claimed the sunbeamthat crosses the page,and with it, her attention. “I have a koan,” he purrs,without opening his eyes.“What is the sound…of one hand clapping?” She looks at him over her glasses.“You don’t have hands.” “Exactly,”…
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First Darkness
at dusk, everything looks blue First Darkness In the eastern sky,the first star is out.A single bone, whiteand sharp, socketed. At dusk, everything … First Darkness
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Csárdás Part 4
Csárdás — (the heart’s Final fire) First,the bow drags slow.A raw, dusk-coloured moanrising from the fiddle’s belly,pulled from soil olderthan any spoken name. A field at sundown stirs there:the sag of an empty chair,steam rising from a bowl gone cold,a love that lingerslike breath on winter glass. Then, the spark catches. The heart remembers fire.The…
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3001: Ten Things of Thankful
This week, Sussex had stargazing evenings. It’s such an English way of thinking: in sideways rain, floods, and horizontal wind, cheerfully announcing a stargazing tonight. There’s something very ‘me’ about that, too. A stubborn, hopeful tilt of the chin. Clouds? Cold? Wet? Never mind. The stars are up there somewhere. I’ll stand in a field…
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2901: Thursday’s Door
Bushboy (Brian Dodd) shares photos of doors, but not just any doors. Spectacular doors from his journeys. Dan’s Thursday Doors opened the door on this. I love doors of all sorts. I’ve trawled through my photos and found a few to share. ©Misky 2022-2026 Shared on X #amwriting @bushboywhotweet and @DAntion
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2701: dVerse Quadrille
The Yellows There was a timewhen time was everywhere.Autumn leaves meanttime for school,time for yellow pencils with rubber tips, and winter meanttime for rain coats,and tripping in yellow rubber bootstwo sizes too big —“Grow into them,” Mum said. Written for dVerse Poets Quadrille #240 (44 words including “Trip”). Imagery and poems/prose ©Misky 2006-2026.
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2701: Six Sentence Story
A View on Voyeurism Louise’s kitchen window faces two houses: Alison’s, her husband, a retired podiatrist, and Jean’s — her husband lies face-down between the hydrangeas and the electricity meter. Southeast Ambulance Service stands with him, or rather does not; the defibrillator is put away, as if it’s a game they lost interest in playing.…
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2601: The Liturgy for the Watching People
Liturgy for the Window Vigil I. The Geometry of WitnessingA window is a frame.Not for art,but for the ordinary.We think we are looking out,but we are really looking in. Into the small, sudden theatre of endings.Where medics close a defibrillatorlike a book whose final lineno one wants to read aloud. II. Of DistanceWhat we see…
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The Old Woman With No Cat
Do Cats Know How to Swim?(Or A Torrential Tale in One Question) The rain has not stopped for two days.The patio is a shallow lake.The birdbath is a waterfall in revolt.And the cat — who is not hers, never hers, stares out as if the worldhas personally offended himwith its weather. Without turning,whiskers twitching at…
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2401: Senryu-Haiku
I. Senryuhe learns every wordbut not the sky’s wild grammarwe clip him with names Haikucaged in falling lighthis shadow flutters, silentwings remembering II. Senryuhe mimics our wordsbut says nothing of the cagewe built around him Haikurain veils the silenceon a branch, grey feathers dreamforest holds its breath Written for SenHai Saturday . Imagery and poems/prose ©Misky 2006-2026.
It's Still Life 