It’s Irksome - Diana Pritchard

this shadow that follows
cancels out my moves
taunts and teases
traces my extremities
from my nose to my toes
making out that I lie
like poor Pinocchio
I’m no Narcissus
seeking self-reflection
I have no beauty
but see my ageing mother
in all the windows
so have no need of shadow.

Diana Pritchard

This is an Ekphrastic poem based on a painting of an Indonesian Shadow Puppet - Kresna, Wayang Kulit Purwa, Central Java.

Image : Nurmalinda Maharfar Wikipedia

Rodents - Diana Pritchard

A rodent is a creature who endures
a never-ending need to chew and gnaw.
Incisors growing constantly ensures
a strong developmental, ageless jaw.
A squirrel with a bushy tail must chomp
through gathered nuts from oak or pine or beech
while beavers busy making dams leave stumps
of trees they fell with axe-like accuracy.
They build their cosy lodge above their lake
while mice move into homes of someone else
and scratch at night to keep us all awake
and raid the larder leaving signs and smells.
It’s rampant rats we fear the most, it seems,
who find their way into our dreaded dreams.

Diana Pritchard


Image : Pixabay - Glavo