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The Old Woman With No Cat
The St Malo Sardine Incident(Or: A Feline Foreign Policy) The Old Woman stands at the counter in St. Malo,a case of sardines in lemony oiltucked under her arm,her wallet slightly lighter,her heart slightly french. The shopkeeper smiles.“A good choice, madame. For a special occasion?” She thinks of the cat,not hers, never hers,waiting on the windowsill,tail…
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Ten Things of Thankful
Just back home from a week road trip to Normandy in France. We drove our little electric car, and only once did I growl at Peder about not letting the battery drop below 15%. I love France. Love Normandy. The scenery. The history, that’s so closely tied to England. The food. The Food!! Amazing. So…
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6 May: dVerse Quadrille
Forty-Four Blooming Words a populationof self-seeded daisieson French verges. common,persistent,blooming anyway. no gardener names them,no border holds them;they take what is given. small faces turnto passing cars,white as breath,bright as forgetting, rooted where chancedecidedbeauty isenough. Written for dVerse Poets’ Quadrille: bloom ©Misky 2006-2026.
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5 May: Journal of Thoughts
The Captain A child sinks a shipwithout hesitation. The crew must be saved.The story requires it. The captain goes downwith quiet agreement; no trial,no question,no second thought. It is not cruelty. It is order in a child’s mind. A hand lifts survivorsfrom the water,sets them safely asideon the bathtub’s rim. The rest is allowedto disappear.…
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The Old Woman With No Cat
The Cat’s Nocturnal Quest (Or: a brief romance in three acts) ACT I: THE EXIT“Don’t wait up, old woman,” he purrs,tail held high like a banner of mischief.“I have… errands.Of a personal nature.Involves a wicked womanand a well-stocked pantry.” ACT II: THE RETURNDawn finds him back on the windowsill,whiskers tipped with cream,a single sardine tin…
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0205: Journal of Thoughts
5:30am, 2 May — Newhaven Ferry Terminal the house still holds nightin its corners. kettle breath,zips closing,the quiet certaintyof leaving. by eight,the ferry will loosen the landfrom beneath us. sea wideninglike a thoughtwe’ve decided to follow. I have packedfor French rain,for winds that speak lightly, and left a small, deliberate space for tins of sardinesin…
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0105: Journal of Thoughts
7:30pm, 1 May (Beltane) Car Packed and Ready once,I would have lain awakeon the edge of leaving, maps bright behind my eyes,the pull of elsewherelike a tide I couldn’t ignore. now, I sleep. because the road is known,the ferry a familiar hingebetween two roomsthat I have lived in long enoughto forget which one is mine.…
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Ten Things of Thankful
This week: spring has taken hold, sunlight laid wide across the days, green things rising without hesitation, and the air almost startled by its own scent and colour. St Malo offers rain and a lingering chill during our little holiday, but with Brittany short of rain, we’ll carry an umbrella gladly and call it part…
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AprPAD — Day 30
How to Bend a Spoon somehowher younger self still knows —step back into her shadow. “the apples will be abundant this year,” she says,changing the subject.“ripe before autumn.” she watches the sun drink from a puddle,summer not quite here. “you’re not special,” he says.“such foolishness.doula-foola.nonsense —humming to a fallen bird,as if it hears you.” a…
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AprPAD — Day 29
A Pocketful of Reasons the birds began first,then wind in the high leaves and suddenlythe whole forestwas louder than thinking. some bloodlines,my grandmother said,keep watchwhere the seen worldthins. perhaps that is whybirds sing harderin the trees, and small creaturesfind uswhen they are leaving. they seem to know. in my pocketa silence I can’t namefeathers, still…
It's Still Life 