Friday, 31st January

I place a stone
on top of the cairn
breathless but content.

*

About writing small stones this month:
I’ve found the practice to be a four-fold challenge. First, there was the challenge of paying proper attention. Then, once I’d made a mental note of which things that day had jolted me into wakefulness, came the challenge of choosing which of them to write about. Next I had the challenge of working out what it was I wanted to say. Finally there was the challenge of choosing the words I wanted to use to say it. On most days I struggled with one or more of these challenges. On a few days, like today, I struggled with all of them. I’ve managed to write a small stone every day this month, although some of them are a bit ‘cheaty’, because the writing isn’t really observational.

Thursday, 30th January

I was wearing this jacket 
when my husband told me, 
'We can't be together any more'. 
It's black,
but down the lapels and around the cuffs
pastel rose buds are blooming.

Wednesday, 29th January

getting to know silence
is like peeling away
the layers of an onion

Tuesday, 28th January

flying home at dusk
heard but not seen
a skein of geese

Monday, 27th January

in the copse at the back of the car park
a heap of clothing, plastic bags and fluttering silver foil
a stench that flips my guts
a realisation that flips my heart

Sunday, 26th January

without my help
the orchid blooms

Saturday, 25th January

I listen to an audiobook on my phone.

The cat is perplexed by the person in my pocket.