Karen
 Francis

Imposter Syndrome is a ‘Know-it-all Mean Girl’

Further off                                                                                          at the end of the tightrope there is at least the semblance of safety –              enticing, luring the next step towards it if I could just break the...

Elephant wrangling

I watch as everyone shuffles restlessly, suddenly aware of the unpleasant stench engulfing the room, watch as they surreptitiously look out of the corner of their eyes as they try to catch sight of the culprit- the elephant in the room and decide whether   to...

Today is a Choose Day, but choose carefully because

Today is a Choose Day, but choose carefully because I suspect some might think reading my poems will enable you to know me – that if I choose to engage you with the aerial ebb and flow of gregarious starlings in murmuration, synchronous across stark headland, or...

Where I am more grit than pearl

A speck of grit that evolved pearl-like amongst the other small, shelled, sea creatures along the Jurassic coast waters, I come from salt and deep waters.   My first home gave me a window upon blue-purple-green dancing tides golden sands and brought the tang of...

January Weather Report

Today begins pigeon grey but featherless-still, with bone-ache chill clinging to the skeletal fingers of scrawny trees and it looks fit to linger through the day – and not even the desperate endeavours and frantic flutterings of the small brave bands of winged...