The Minotaur Dreams of Ariadne - Out Now!

. The Minotaur Dreams of Ariadne is my latest collection of haiku poetry and is now available for the princely sum of 99p! You couldn’t even buy a hosomaki for that price! Just click on the cover and, by a process of sorcery not yet fully understood by humankind, you will be miraculously transported over to Amazon where you can avail yourself of a smorgasbord of haiku penned by yours…

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Making Friends with Death.

. Making Friends With Death. By David Milligan-Croft. .  I made friends with Death a few years ago. She came to visit me in ICU. She brushed her cool fingers, softly down my cheek. “It’s not your time, child,” she’d whispered. Her voice was calm  and reassuring. I knew that when the time came, I would be ready. . * * * . Years later, I was walking to my car, past the…

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Are we having fun yet?

It’s been aeons since my last post. Well, a couple of months. But time is relative. As is my aunt. I endeavour to practise art in some shape or form every day. Sometimes, it’s drawing and painting. Other times it’s writing poetry or prose. Here are a few pieces of art I’ve been doing these past few months. I do it for the mindfulness aspect – the process rather than the result. I find…

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I thought I was a bird.

Eros and Psyche . I Thought I was a Bird By David Milligan-Croft . I think about you less and less, which is a blessing, considering the years  I have spent in myocardial purgatory. . Finally, you are slipping from my consciousness, into the maze of memories. . To be consigned to a vault marked: All hope abandon,  ye who enter here. . It was my own transgression. I climbed to…

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Eating with the Crows

Eating with the Crows By David Milligan-Croft. . I took some stale bread out to feed the crows. It was raining, so I didn’t think it would bloat them if it was already wet. I tore pieces off and scattered them on the grass. . The crows usually waited until I went back inside before leaving the safety of the branches. I dusted my hands on my trousers and glanced around, then went back…

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Christmas #1!

What’ll be at the coveted #1 slot this Christmas? Will it be, Last Christmas by Wham? Wizard’s I wish it could be Christmas every day? Or, my personal favourite, Go Tell the Bees, by David Milligan-Croft? Wait, what? That’s not a song. No, it’s a fantastic, moving and heartfelt new collection of poetry by David Milligan-Croft. Think of them as lyrics for the modern age. You can sing them if…

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Not Today

. Not Today. by David Milligan-Croft. . One day, My heart will stop beating. . One day, the electrical impulses firing in my brain will cease to flicker. . One day, my eyes will close never to witness another bird of paradise. . One day,  the bellows of my lungs will stoke the fire of my existence one last time. . One day, the blood in my veins will grind to a halt and…

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Where to buy Bees around the world

My new poetry collection, Go Tell the Bees is now available on Amazon around the globe if you would like a copy. Just click on your particular country link below and it will take you straight to my book. Many thanks. (And, remember, if you don’t buy a copy, a little fuzzy bee sheds tears of sour honey.) USA: amazon.com India: amazon.in Germany: amazon.de France: amazon.fr Spain:…

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War & Peace

Remember How ironic that thousands of people will march to commemorate those who have lost their lives in war and thousands will march to call for an end to war. Well, a ceasefire at least. The irony being, the Tory Home Secretary, Suella Braverman trying to pit them against each other by whipping up anti-Palestinian, anti-freedom of speech hatred. I am reminded of this poem by Wilfred Owen,…

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Go Tell the Bees - out now.

. My second collection of poetry, Go Tell the Bees, is now available on Amazon. The poems explore love, death, grief and heartbreak. Perfect for all the family! Ideal for a virtual Christmas stocking. Or a very real Kindle, tablet, laptop or smartphone. At 32,845 characters, it’s a measly 0.006 pence per letter! True, some of them have been used more than once, but not like this they haven’t.…

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You Know Nothing of the Darkness

. You know nothing of the darkness. by David Milligan-Croft. . You were born into this world on a glorious summer’s morning, when the days are long and the air is filled  with the scent of honeysuckle. . And you left it before Selene ever had a chance to drive her chariot over the horizon to welcome in the night. You know nothing of the darkness that came before, or after, you were…

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The Legacy of Ned Kelly

This poem is inspired by the brilliant novel by Peter Carey, True History of the Kelly Gang. Which is a visceral and gritty interpretation of the legend. There’s also the excellent film adaptation of the book by Justin Kurzel. (The image above is from the movie.) I recommend both. I didn’t start out trying to write a poem about Ned Kelly. It began as a piece of automatic writing and just sort of…

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Art is Medicine exhibition at Arc

The Art is Medicine exhibition opened with a special preview on Friday evening, then to the public at the Saturday Art Club. The exhibition showcases the work created by patients on Arden Ward, acute adult mental health unit at Stepping Hill Hospital, Pennine Care NHS FT. The exhibition aims to demonstrate how the arts can help in the treatment and recovery from mental illness and maintenance…

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Sol

. Sol by David Milligan-Croft . My love for you made me soar like an albatross! . Alas, I was Icarus; and you, you were the sun. . .

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Art is Medicine.

Art is Medicine is an exhibition of art by patients on Stepping Hill’s mental health wards Arden and Norbury. Saturday September 30th – Friday November 10th 2023. Engaging in arts activities for wellbeing is about the process, not the result. When a person engages in art their brain releases dopamine regardless of whether the resulting work is any good or not. It is the process of creating…

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Recount

. Recount by David Milligan-Croft. . One day, I shall have to return these borrowed atoms back to the Universe. . Once there, they will recount how they got to spend the briefest, most glorious moments in time, with you. . .

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Talking to the Bees

A pair of poems for you today. About very different subjects. But both observational. . Talking to the Bees by David Milligan-Croft. . It’s peaceful in the park under the late August sun. Bees bounce from flower to flower hoping to reap a late harvest. . There are so many bees I might as well  have pulled up a bench next to a beehive. . They don’t bother me though. Occasionally, a…

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