Being a university student was liberating: choosing when and what to attend and how to respond without the dictates of subject teachers or examinations encouraged self-expression. But herein lay a problem: first-year university was also
Siren in the distanceSiren in the distance
He awoke to the deep distance a faraway siren sewing its sound into the dark night beyond the window and listened The cut of sound edged the room, grew louder and helped itself to the
UniqueUnique
“Every leopard is unique.” And in case the class needed more, “No other leopard has the same pattern of spots. They’re like us: no person has the same fingerprints as another.” Brought up on the
TravellingTravelling
Field squared by field follow the white dots of sheep as the course of low-grounded traintrack cuts hill and bridges water. Roads lose speed and trucks get lost in breached trees that dapple shadows on
On the subject of ageingOn the subject of ageing
Growing up snub-nosed, red-cheeked and below average height, I looked young for my age. And have stayed that way into my seventh decade, though confirmation of that is now needed from more than one source.
night callnight call
the green light of left words flashes a cold message through the hours since sleep held the night and muffled the call of low hours. Now is not the time to lift the piece touch
SereinSerein
From above, a drop, brief as a comma, spaced from the next by a breath of time not cold, not wet, a touch on the wrist and a sound – tick – or not quite
Marking my territoryMarking my territory
Some decades ago, an ethologist, Robert Ardrey, gained much exposure with the idea of the “territorial imperative”. His study of animal behaviour led him to the conclusion that the strongest drive in the beast was
The final laughThe final laugh
Over the two decades when I marked the final examinations for Matriculation, major changes occurred. In the early years, I was able to port home large bundles of unmarked scripts which I would even pull
I break the silenceI break the silence
It has been close to thirty years since I watched the film The Silence of the Lambs. It is a day I shall never forget. What led to it was a sequence of events, beginning