Friday 8 October 2010

A Faded Poem

This week National Poetry Day saw a swarm of writing by all ages and abilities. Great stuff.

Over at Writing Magazine and Writers' News, members-only online forum Talkback (blimey - what a mouthful!) the editors launched an impromptu poetry comp on the theme of 'home'. Mine didn't win but was in good company with entries from Lee Hughes and Anthony Cowin.

After announcing the (very worthy) winner, ed, Jonathan Tefler said "There were other great ones too though, and I must admit I nearly had to wipe away a tear at LilyC's (but I'm just a sentimental old fool really)." Aw, cheers Jonathan!

My poem The One Thing was inspired that very same day after walking past a nursery school with glorious roses in its garden, deep pink leaves layered like skirts on the blooms. As I passed, a curly-locked girl came out, scratching and digging at her scalp...

THE ONE THING

She’s a skinny ballerina,
dancing, desperate with thrall.
Today she’s here,
tomorrow, and the next,
there’s an absence as
she fails to grace
her classroom chair.

Eight years old.
Darling of the corner shop,
Mummy’s money.
Grown-up girl does it all,
sweeps the floor,
washes dishes,
cares without care.

Teacher spots the crawling hair,
lice the size
of planets in
Delilah’s fine red curls,
Appalled, she sends her home.
The letter
says it all.

Breaking down the family door
they find the truth,
how she’s survived
on pizza,
squeezy cheese.
The washing up’s all done,
ironing, left creased.

With Mummy dressed in rose-pink satin,
curled up in cold
arms Delilah scratches
at her scalp.
Mummy gone, the nits -
one thing
she couldn’t do herself.
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Their Dark Masters Cover

Mark Anthony Crittenden's done a great job for the final cover of Red Skies Press' forthcoming Their Dark Masters.



This anthology promises to be something else. Authors include Gregory Miller, Barry J. Northern, Mark A. Crittenden, Paul Anderson, Rebecca L. Brown, Marissa Farrar, Erik Boman, Lee Hughes, Tyree Campbell and Lily Childs.

Can't wait.
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Lily's Friday Prediction

So... gotta choose last week's winner, huh? OK (drum roll brbrbrbrbrbrbrbr dudun.) The winner is... me! No, not really. Hell, I've already spent the last five hours judging a fiction comp; but this is much harder because the genre is ma thang.

As always there were some great entries; Chris Allinotte's bloomin' spider - do you have to do that to me Chris? Great stuff! Joleen's slaughterhouse party - loved it. My London chav twat tale - mmmn, not sure. David Barber's brilliant two blokes - so simple, I couldn't do that in a million years. Sue Harding's ultimate delight - ale and libraries. Excellent! Col Bury dropped in with his Brummie fuckwit - splendid stuff.

Seriously... David Barber wins for making me laugh out loud. This week I want to recoil in horror. Your words are:

  • Anonymous
  • Moulin Rouge
  • Transparent

Usual rules, plus a couple of requests. 100 words max flash fiction or poetry using all of the words above. Please post in the Comments box below. If you tweet, please tweet about your entry when it's in. Chars.
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Lily Childs is a writer of horror, esoteric, mystery and chilling fiction.

If you see her dancing outside in a thunder storm - don't try to bring her in. She's safe.