The Nymph of the Ouse

If I could spend one day with Virginia Woolf,
I would sail to St. Ives in her lovely boat,
alight at the lighthouse which she cherished most
and contemplate the waves of her literary shores.

If I could spend an evening with Virginia Woolf,
I would go to Oxbridge to consume some gorgeous food,
then saunter with her on the turf
that was once denied to her foot,
without hearing a single, admonishing voice.

If I could ask a favour of Virginia Woolf,
I would entreat her not to fill her pockets
with heavy stones,
not to interrupt the streams of consciousness,
that connect the masses with literary gold.

Star Seeds

With webs of nerves attuned to the spheres,
they see multiple numbers on clocks and screens,
and think of themselves as missionaries.

Estranged from human beings and milieus
by outlandish traits,
they are considered by most people as lonely freaks.

Telepathic,
with myriads of Déjà vus,
they also see dreams that always come true.

Intractable

Like a frantic wind that is unsure which direction to take,
my little dog whimsically zigzags its way,
sniffing the scattered refuse of residents and pedestrians –
be it a rotting chicken bone,
a poisoned mouse,
or the carcass of a bird
that was not lucky enough to obtain a burial place-
straining all my muscles in the process of arduous feats,
and trying the utmost of my patience.

This is how each morning begins,
with a repetition in the afternoon and early evening,
a battle of wills,
in which I always give in.

Dr Susie Gharib is a graduate of the University of Strathclyde with a PhD on the work of D.H. Lawrence. Her poetry and fiction have appeared in Adelaide Literary Magazine, Green Hills Literary Lantern, A New Ulster, Crossways, The Curlew, The Pennsylvania Literary Journal, Ink Pantry, Mad Swirl, Miller’s Pond Poetry Magazine, and Down in the Dirt.

Susie’s first book (adapted for film), Classic Adaptations, includes Charlotte Bronte’s Villette, Virginia Woolf’s The Waves, and D.H. Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover.

You can find more of Susie’s work here on Ink Pantry.