than butter run on the odds. All or nothing down payment on fate. My wife was a bet between the only three men all among a gaggle of women. She were vivacious and talkative. “Bet you can’t bed her.” They said. “I don’t gamble.” I replied. “Only a bit of fun. What you got to lose? Look she’s on her tod, now. Go on.” So I did. We chatted all breaks all lunches. She told me about her tattooed boyfriend. “She’s taken lads.” was my excuse. Then she left but there were plenty of other lasses so how come I weren’t chatted up? Five years later when she were free and I asked her to marry me, she told me. “I’d got dabs on you so jimmied the odds. Gave ’em all Scarborough warning. Told them to keep their mitts off.”

via Daily Prompt: Better

“My Mam Is Nothing If” ever grateful for publication by Visual Verse

https://t.co/bcGXRHWIWZ

goes he walks the dogs in Wombwell Woods, lets them off the lead after he potters round the golf course. Returns to a glass of red at the wooden picnic table in his back garden. Destress is what it is. Better than heart tremors, shivers, a mouth falling as if it has lost support and all else tightens a twisted tourniquet of work targets and penalties.

via Daily Prompt: Lifestyle

The blue book arrived tied with frayed white ribbon, like a gift. You have to unwrap it, or ease the tied ribbon off the glossy cover. The only capital letters in the book are on the flyleaf where it begins “I am a painter who writes…” and later “I have worked full time as an artist since 1999..” and ” Quite patient, hold my tongue” and finally “It is not all you see on the surface…” The books title is ‘.pinned.” as if the full stop operates as a device to pin out the word like stitches.
Opening the pages there are words on one side and a photograph on the other. All the photos are slightly fuzzy and of parts of things. In the words she speaks of “stitches” being like crosses or kisses. It is a wonderful way of speaking of passion and hurt.
Both photos and words live on long after you have read the book. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Only available from the publisher 20/20 Vision Publishing

when he got dizzy and had to sit on a form dedicated to dead folk. He says “Can you see the chip shop on top of Moel Famau?” as we look across the Dee to his memory climbing the mighty mountain with his friend Pete, Scout Troop Leader of the kestrels, two ground sheets and six sticks to keep out the weather, and asking to stay in farmers barns under warm straw and now try to catch elusive breath up slight gradients almost thin as a stick. “Chip shop, Dad?” “It’s an old castle, son.”

via Daily Prompt: Panicked

in serenity. A young boy died dabbling below this surface he never rose from.

Police dove and dragged depths his mam and siblings still cannot fathom.

via Photo Challenge: Danger!

so fine as learning to say “No.” with conviction and confidence when all about adamant for a “Yes”, teaching your sinew to listen, recognise that small voice as uniquely your own and no one else’s, to bring that instinct, that reason to front so everyone else can hear your point of view clearly and quietly.

via Daily Prompt: None

Many thanks to Kathy Kieth of Medusa’s Kitchen for featuring seven of my poems

http://medusaskitchen.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05/payment-is-always-due.html?m=1

“New Folk (From ‘My Maths’ chapbook #Dyscalculia)” featured thankyou to Jake in The Creative Cafe

https://thecreative.cafe/new-folk-from-my-maths-chapbook-dyscalculia-46d28d683bac

“Your Damned Anthropocene” kindly featured by Jamie G. Dedes
“Wonderlust Rain Forest” … poems and other works by readers in response to Wednesday’s Writing Prompt https://jamiededes.com/2017/05/02/wonderlust-rain-forest/ via @JamieDedes