The old man and the fish When I was a child, I travelled home from school on noisy, crowded buses, filled with raging passengers, impatient conductors and led by oblivious drivers. As you can imagine, these are spaces where fellow-feeling is rare. The other human … Continue readingTHE FISH, THE FOOD CART, THE OFFAL AND THE GUT’S MEMORIES
An unloved raincloud Ged, apprentice wizard, walked with Ogion, his mentor, through the mountains, as they meandered their way to Ogion’s home. It was a long and silent walk, with a mage who wasn’t too fond of speech and a teenage apprentice who did his … Continue readingA Walk in the Forest at Night and the Silence of Wizards
The day before everything changed forever It was only almost a year ago, only just March 2020, on the day before a curfew that everybody knew was only just the start, that I spent my last day of free movement doing little things. I bought … Continue readingElegies, Lost Worlds and the Overwhelming Intrusions of Insects at Night
The argument for uselessness When I was in school, we had rare occasions when we could Ask Questions. These were excitable, noisy occasions, because we could finally play the game of Embarrass the Teacher. Sooner or later, when all else failed, when reasonable explanations were … Continue readingSchools, Poems, Stones and Other Useful Things
Marvel-apoca-unpoca-stutter-lypse The most recent version of the apocalypse that seeped into public consciousness was Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War. Instead of saving the world (sorry, universe) before it ended, the Avengers had to wait a whole sequel to re-pocalyp/unpocalyp (or just repopulate) the universe. Keep in … Continue readingMarvel, Ragnarok and Other Stories of the Apocalypse
Sportspersons, they’re public figures, aren’t they? They embody this collective fascination with the human body and its capacities, and just like watching a good choreography gives you little twinges in your body, watching a beautiful run seems to release some lactic acid, free your joints. … Continue readingKala