(E Major) And she was Grist to his mill And he was Grit to her pearl And she was Salve to his burn And he was Soil to her furrow And she was Touch to […]
Three Poems

The Jennifer Arthur last seen at a posh college dealing ironically: first to go. The Peter who wore out his supports and said, while I tried not to fidget, “They’ll share their words of wisdom, even give you money, but time? Not so much.” Louise who discovered a talent for big and dirty simulations. Paula […]
The Lady Captain’s Prize

Seán and Deirdre were in their sixties now. He’d taken early retirement from the bank and she no longer gave piano lessons, though she went out to golf with such regularity that an elderly neighbour, Mrs Furlong, could not be dissuaded that Deirdre Brennan had a job. They were still Mass-goers, but now went to […]
Benevolence

Because time is an unfathomable thing I can’t tell you how long I’ve been here, basting in shame, under the mother’s eaves for eight or maybe ten days? I am six or seven again and beholding to her. I know not to give cheek nor answer back. Monday to Thursday it’s the dry end of […]
Sofa

‘Here the heart May give a useful lesson to the head’ — William Cowper, The Task, Book VI, ll85-86 Horsehair. In the 70s in a one-up-one-down shared with George (upstairs), who ironed his curly hair straight and favoured the cravat of Edward Fox in The Day of the Jackal. Back- to-back on the […]