When I was a young teenager, we once talked about nominative determinism in English class. Mr. Death made us laugh uneasily and then we fell silent. It was the last lesson of the day and of the year. After the summer break the new teacher did not know where Mr. Death had gone.
Tweets
In the pound store on Christmas Eve
Some people in the jeweller’s where he used to shop seemed to recognise him so he left. In the pound store the prices were still too high. He grabbed a handful of plastic earrings from a stand and bolted. They recognised him in the pound store too. Nobody gave chase.
Written in response to a request for a tweet-length story from @ellipsiszine 16/12/21
we were distant
we were distant
but our hearts quickened the same
blood pumped
sweat ran
in my mind
I breathed your breath
seasons change – do you?
sunrise streaks yellow
breeze from the sea to the mountains
the first drops of autumn
I slipped
I slipped in the shower
thinking of you
I tripped on the staircase
thinking of you
I think I can now quite unsafely say
I’ve fallen for you
in the shadow
in the shadow gold
cheekbones, hair and eyes
I breathe slow, breathless
the sunrise
the sunset is its promise;
the sunrise is its coming true

balance
I tried to walk the
line but tipped
over, hard.
Yes, I love you.
There I’ve said
it and now I
can’t
regain my
balance.
sky cloud sand sea
sky cloud sand sea
I am dreaming you are next to me
sky cloud rock sea
I am dreaming; you are next to me
you shone
you shone
I reflected
brighter
I knew
than the star
I saw
you were