This poem in my ekphrastic series is inspired not by one art source, but by two. Both works of art — a painting, and a short story — were completed within a decade of each other. More on the short…
inspiration
The Philosophers’ Meal – A Poem
Can you imagine the conversation at this dinner table? Well, I tried to. Another in my ekphrastic poetry series. My of my ekphrastic poetry here. More on free verse here. The Enlightenment At the Thursday night dinner of philosophers,it was…
An Easter Haiku
I don’t know what it was about this boy’s face that caught my eye. Or maybe it was the apple on the floor? The half-eaten cake? That gesture which seems to declare, “Mine!”. I just tried to have fun with…
Still Life with Ham – A Poem
I love the challenge of ekphrastic poetry, responding to works of art with words. This is the start of a series of poetry posts, some more serious than others, in which I engage on food-related themes. I ensure all the…
Once upon a time …
The Pedigree of Honey
Finding value where you least expect it is always wonderful. Finding value and beauty in the small things, or the overlooked everyday things, is something I try to remember to do when I can, especially when life’s throwing a few…
Snaps for Salad!
I love stumbling upon excellent salads. Personally, I always prefer hot foods, even in warm weather (the European in me), but an excellent salad is enough to make me … Neither too lean, nor too complicated; tasty but not drowning…
Easy Spice Lamb Backstrap Dinner
Before we get to the easy spice lamb backstrap dinner, let’s talk about the elephant in the room. The vast majority of dinners cooked by home cooks day in, day out, aren’t Instagrammable. They’re nutritious, simple, practical, and hopefully quick….
Oranges and Sunsets Poems
Posting these purely for the love of oranges and sunsets. Brought to you by the colour orange. Oranges Come buy my fine oranges, sauce for your veal,And charming, when squeezed in a pot of brown ale;Well roasted, with sugar and…
Jelly Shots and A Poem
I’ve only made these once, and every time I see this photo, I’m reminded of Covid lockdowns. These red, white and blue jelly shots were a novelty treat, enjoyed in September, 2021, to mark a football match. Our city was…
Celebrating Citrus Haiku in the 1600s
Food and poetry go together. Like emotion and metaphor. Like appetisers and champagne. Like boogity-boogity-boogity-shooby-shoowop-shabop (name that tune!). I so much enjoyed celebrating melons in the 1600s, I’m doing it again, celebrating citrus haiku with Japanese poet, Basho. lemon flowersrecalling…
Celebrating Melons in the 1600s
Two themes I keep finding myself returning to on this site are simplicity, and finding beauty in the old, or everyday items we might otherwise overlook. Which is why I was so struck when I read this paragraph about Japan’s…
