the accommodations made by dracao and cat (but not the dog)

dracoais a white ferret it is nottrueto say that heand the cat-named cat –are friendsbut . . . the dogthat lives across the platformhatesboth of themso the friendof my enemy . . . well this could behomefor a long time it has alreadygone a monthby now deep undergroundin the kharkivrailway stationaccommodationsmustbe made ~ Emma Graham-Harrison, …

from odesa to kyiv the little world (is shrinking)

picture it is a camp beddingand baggage tramp people pillarsto mark outdomiciles clear-pathsdown the centre aisle amenitieslost in the distance trainson either side it is the kharkivsubway picture for a long timeI cannot seethe cat with the blueof a railway carriage with the purple hueof a suitcase it is –I think –part-cheshire picture a mansitsright …

a canto a canto (a canto for the ukraine)

cantocantocanto mariupolhas died cantocantocanto burnedwhilestill alive cantocantocanto missilesin the night cantocantocanto praying praying prayingfor the light ~ kirill iliya a little girlunnamed a woman –a body –with her anklestiedtogetheras neatlyanyone can dofor the deadin a time like this . . . what kindof timeis this . . . a tarpaulinis a shapethat is a body …

they are closing shevchenko’s eyes (so he does not have to see)

shevchenkowas a poetyou know he wrote his versein ukrainian over therethey named streetsand squaresand universitiesin his honour built statues a poet kharkiv’s monumentis sixteen metrestall and –in that place in thatcity centre –he has the extra honourof a crane lifting sandbags surroundingand engulfinghis rather sternvisage covering his eyesto protect himfrom whata poetshould nothave to see …

the kharkiv humoresque is beautiful (underground)

three violins one cello one bass do you knowbach . . . orchestral suitenumber 3 alsodvorak the humoresques aboutan hour . . . a little less hush now . . . listen ~ this is the subwayin kharkiv there will benomusic festthis year this year of invasionandof so muchdestruction laterit will bea bomb shelterbut . …

leaving krasylivka (and the ukraine)

I am preparingto leavethe ukraine yet . . . I am drawnto return to look again ~ picture small housingin the foreground shells of high riseaccommodation –gap-toothedand destroyed –hauntin the middle distance two peopleon a hilltopgaze –forlorn –at the smokebillowing upfrom a missile strike picture a tunnel a basement the kindthat might serveas a cool …

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – New Book on the Shelves and Advance Review -#Poetry #Fantasy – The Garden Black and other speculations (Free Verse Poetry) by Frank Prem

Thank you, Sally Cronin for a wonderful review of The Garden Black. This collection is a step toward the surreal and the speculative and I’m delighted that Sally has enjoyed her reading of it.

Follow the link to pop over the The Smorgasbord Magazine Blog and see check out the review.

Thank you, again, Sally.

~

Here is the Amazon link:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09TX294WX

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

Delighted to share the news of the latest poetry collection by Frank Prem – The Garden Black and other speculations (Free Verse Poetry) – On pre-order for April 29th 2022 in Ebook – 15th April in print.

About the book

The Garden Black poetry collection is a venture into fantasy and speculative fiction based on the dual themes of rain forest and fantasy.

. The rainforest becomes a desert, and then the sea.

. A man in a satellite orbits the earth while playing his violin and pondering. A girl gazes up at the passing light and dances.

. Od Ovo – a youth who is from here, raises the dust of frustrated boredom on a mining asteroid, and cannot believe traveller tales of places where water falls from the sky.

. What colour are the flowers in the Reaper’s garden? They are all colours . . . They are…

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The New Asylum, in a negative space

Working with negative spaces - 25/03/2023 All I have to show for a day's work. I've been taking pictures of negative (empty) spaces with a view to filling them up with my own paraphernalia. The New Asylum seems appropriate for this challenge. The above is a poor effort, but I've learned much. ~Book Link~ ~

love (in zaporizhzhia)

an old caris . . . a protective device womenturn metalinto armour for their soldierboys in zaporizhzhiathey have sewing machinesthat will dothat job the khakithat will cover steelis wornby presidentswhile sending outtheirsocial media messagesin old carpartsand olive cloth ~ will body armourdeflecta slug turna missileaway . . . no no I don’t thinkthat it will …

dmytro who died now lives in the lychakiv (and other places)

no one heardthe gunssaluteas they firedabove his grave no one he knewwas awarethat hehad died his colleaguesput him in the ground with a ribbonfor his cross and the emptysoundof earthstriking the coffin dmytro lives in the lychakivin lvivfor evermore dmytro lives as a photographheldby his mother dmytro lives as the spiritthat flies blueof the skyand …