When Achilles’ Heart Ripens

Worn on the sleeve or exposed at the heel, once the organ has surfaced it is ready to bleed. Transfusion will occur. — Following on from my experiment earlier this week with clichés, today’s verse explores idioms. It is also influenced by my current read – an engrossing book about ancient Rome and Jerusalem, in which

It is sometimes easier to siphon off blood on Tuesdays

“Blood letting“. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons. “From a Stone” engages with the frustrations of bringing forth a poem when it feels like drawing blood from an inanimate source. Like “Glomurelonephritis” this is one of the rare instances where my personal health experiences feature in a poem. For 31 years I have lived

Glomerulonephritis

On and off for thirty years, the lone glow of green on a square rarely reaches a dark 2g a day most of the time its tenure is lime to yellow: the tiniest trace of proteinuria which is a fancy way of expressing I basically piss out the good stuff with regularity. In body awareness

From a Stone

I have small veins that have been drawn in sinks of scalding water and vigorous smacking. Stopped at the upper arm and with a pumping fist, the supply is best tapped by the finest needle. It is sometimes easier to siphon off blood on Tuesdays for doctors’ records than write poems twice a week. —