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Nicky Hetherington
Flowers of Youth
The scarlet pimpernel
lurked in every hedgerow.
Eyebright scoured
the verges for him.
‘Forget me not’
was whispered
from secret locations.
A shepherds purse
could not pay
the ransom.
Tongueless bells
tinkled silently
in the woodlands
as lilies wept
in the valley.
© Nicky Hetherington
(Previously published in Iota magazine.)
Haiku
Storm-scattered debris
surfs swollen winter river
into sculptor’s hands.
© Nicky Hetherington
2nd Prize in Writing Magazine's Haiku Competition 2017
Moral Compass
I don’t use sat nav.
Should I?
Should I let a machine
do my thinking for me?
Make my decisions for me?
Would it be more
reliable
less … susceptible
to human error.
Clear, calculating
cold hard facts:
road works
traffic jams
toll booths
comfort stops.
No scenic routes
no mystery tours
no losing your way
no finding yourself.
You used to be
the moral compass
by which I could
test my own
ensure it was still true.
No distraction
from other attractions
fluctuating magnetisms
schisms.
Now you are lost
and I am lost.
But I will not use sat nav.
I will seek the landmarks
we both knew.
I will ask the stars
for guidance.
I will find myself
anew.
© Nicky Hetherington
First published in Roundyhouse