Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Writing Magazine

    Feeling the love

    Jul 07, 2022 5 minutes

    FIRST PLACE £100

    WINNER

    Deborah Tomlin

    Lovers

    Her toes peep from the plaster,
    gently he puts on the sock.

    Go carefully, he had said,
    taking her hand. Slippery leaves.
    Still she went down.
    They heard the snap
    like the crackle of a bonfire.

    Shetells me all over again
    while Dad pops to the shops,
    buys a few bits for lunch.
    He comes back, makes more tea,
    answers the phone, gives her an aspirin,
    alert to her every grimace, sigh, look.
    The ambulance man
    brought my glove round you know.
    Yes, Mum, I say. Lovely of him.

    In the kitchen Dad tells me
    how he fears his cancer;
    loss of dignity, pain, how he will die –
    leaving Mum behind.
    I take out the rubbish, cry into the
    dustbin.

     she calls as I step back inside.He rolls his eyes, grabs another sock warmfrom the radiator. She nods.He leans towards her; they touch noses,smile into one another’s eyes,kiss again and againas if in an old black and white movieset for a happy ending.

    You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

    More from Writing Magazine

    Writing Magazine4 min read
    Survey Monkey
    Surveys are a handy technique if you want to collect factual information about individuals, their views, experiences, habits and self-reported behaviour. Although they’re more commonly used by nonfiction writers, they can benefit fiction writers too:
    Writing Magazine6 min read
    Help! I’ve Got A Saggy Middle
    Whether you’re writing a short story or novel, you’ll need to spend time ensuring you get your opening paragraphs right. You may even agonise over them, striving for that killer hook. After all, we’re told time and time again how important it is to g
    Writing Magazine6 min read
    Creative Content
    Most writers dream of making a living from their work. Only a tiny proportion do. In fact, barely 19% of published authors earn all of their income from writing according to the Society of Authors. In 2022, a published author’s median earnings were £

    Related Books & Audiobooks