I rested above the path that followed the stream. My back leaned against the grassy hillside, and I tried to ignore the throbbing in my ankle. Bright green moss cloaked damp-bodied trees. Water-waving moss in the stream clung to the wet stones. It made crossing the stream hazardous. My steps across last year were confident with the guided group. Returning alone to Azerbaijan’s Hirkan National Park maybe wasn’t a good idea. It was simply because I wished we could have stopped a little longer in this or that spot to drink in the beauty of the rapids that spent their energy on the mountain. Now immobile, I had plenty of time to watch them meander down the hillside before splashing onto the rocks. I savoured the solitude and peace of the woodland. Tall chestnut oaks and ironwood trees emerged from lush green fern fronds that bobbed in the dripping Autumn…
The remnants of a future that almost was: What is a memento? A few months ago, I returned to my hometown for the Christmas…
Arthur Young had seen it first. Bounding down to the cove ahead of his father and his crew of two other cocklers he came…
A wind is moving the shrubs and tall trees around the red brick house swathed in English ivy and Virginia creeper. In the backyard…
It was a sleepy Sunday afternoon. The television sets in the various apartments nearby were silent. It seemed everybody was having an afternoon siesta.…
The beginning of last year brought a smile to our faces. We gained parenthood again after 11 years! The difference between our two kids…
Mr Amos’s playing was gentle now, though I knew he was only working up to the point where he’d be banging on the keys…
Winston laid his head on the car window, allowing it to slam repeatedly against the car door. It brought him a strange ease as…
Sarah and I sat outside the diner, milkshakes in hand— strawberry for her, chocolate for me. I never understood why people my age drank…
I slide the glass beaker with the back of my gloved hand. It flies over the edge of the bench. I’ve rehearsed my pitiful…
