Alison Clayton-Smith

Citrus Veins

I remember beautiful sunny days. Hacking rhododendrons, or ‘rhodies’ as we called them, from the land to halt their invasive run across the Lakes. I remember laughter and hard, physical work. Time in the pub. Playing darts and winning. Evening walks. A romance even, unexpected in a week, but filling me with adult teenage hope.

the tick
I removed from my arm
left toxic waste
another hour ticks by
resigned to lying down

And I remember rhododendrons hate lime.

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About the Author

Alison Clayton-Smith started writing tanka and tanka prose earlier this year. Her work has so far been published in cho, Blithe Spirit and Drifting Sands Haibun. She lives in the UK and her blog is And Then There Were Stories.

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