love, loss and letterpress

My newly purchased wooden Caslon font arrived today. A full font of upper and lower case letters. 

It really is lovely.

I used some it immediately.

I am taking part in a project with The Print Shed in Madley, that requires an edition of 25 prints, 

20cm by 20cm, and with the deadline looming, today was my last chance to get something done.

It isn't what I had been planning, but the print is in memory of my late friend Dinah, and I wrote the poem yesterday while driving in the car, thinking of those who are left behind when someone passes on.  She was very elegant and beautiful, and it was good to make her name the first word printed with my elegant and beautiful new font.

Here's the poem;

 

time is still flowing, but

seasons are different now

never quite spring again

paeony. sudden departure. summer flowers.

                            I have had three  paeony flowers in a pot on the mantelpiece.

This morning the flowers had dropped nearly all their petals.

I know they are only flowers but their sudden departure was rather upsetting,

then I saw one of them had left me a heart on the sitting room floor.

poem. almost enough.

  in the garden a

bird sings the sky
is blue there is
no noise from traffic the
tree whispers leaves are
shining the air is
warm what a beautiful
quiet place

Poem. slicing onions. different recipe.

I just realised the truth of it, onions no longer bring tears when I am slicing them. A little like realising that something that was once very important no longer matters. Or it could just be that red onions are milder than the others.

Here I am taking the photo. Note the cat lying in his winter position on the radiator behind me.

www.francescakay.co.uk

Haiku. Completion Day

Written after clearing my late Aunt's house, and closing the front door for the last time.

www.francescakay.co.uk

A Travelling Snowman.

 Here is a rather wistful snowman on top of a car in Hay on Wye yesterday.

I think snowmen are probably always conscious of the brevity of their lives, but this one has more than just the thaw to think about.

Dealing with loss 2

              I have been looking for a way to present haiku, and feel that a lino cut image might be it.