Author Archives: colinhopkirk

Kendo Nagasaki masked mystery man.  ‘Oriental’ judo champ  from Stoke-on-Trent. Jackie Pallo a dancing bouffant blonde in silver boots. As hard as nails. Mick McManus  with cauliflower ears. Small black-buttoned eyes  that burned with temporary hate. Johnny ‘ Black’ Kwango from the Ballet Negres. Light and fast and wild as jazz. Deadly as a snake.

Behind darkened glass cocooned inside their 4×4 two small children wait. Gucci’s pushed back, a woman  (the nanny or their mother?) leans around. A bell rings. It is time. A window glides down. A rear door opens. You notice as they step into the light – these children  have the eyes of deer.  

If you stood quite still right at the edge feet firmly planted about a yard apart breathing steady the sun at your shoulder then leaned out  being careful not to fall looked into the water saw someone you half knew looking back. What would you ask of them ?  

It’s in their faces. Drawn to this highly polished car this old red Chrysler  sauntering  appearing nonchalant as if acutely aware of being watched they take turns to peer  through polished windows at the immaculately restored interior nod approvingly stand back to admire the chrome you rarely see these days steal a touch  when they thinkContinue reading “Old Red Chrysler”

We were mock-fighting me and Robbo the hardest kid in school. I made the mistake  of kicking his knee to one side of the patella watched him collapse fold in slow-mo agony like Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon. He hated that the thought of people looking  any sign of weakness. They weren’t looking atContinue reading “Mock Fighting”

They came in illustrated boxes plastic pieces  attached to plastic sprues. Impatient boys  snapped off sections  of fuselage  wings  tail planes forgotten pilots  slotted in somehow afterthoughts  canopied with too much glue. Colour makes things real Khaki drab  Quaker grey  Duck-egg blue. Dogfights  cotton-hung  from bedroom ceilings  Hurricane  Messerschmitt  Yakevlov-Yak. Dreams of flying  aces high Continue reading “Airfix”

A friend of mine, a fellow poet, recently set us a challenge to write a 14 word poem. See what you can do? It doesn’t have to be great, but it does make you think about your writing. Try and not take too much time over it. Here’s what I came up with. The BrickworksContinue reading “14 word poetry challenge”

The car hit the forty or so cans we had carefully spaced just over the brow  and slid or rather skated down the hill weaving  raising sparks brake lights blazing. It made a tearing sound. Somehow it made the bend. We laughed not really laughing and walked home in the dark through fine rain.

It’s complicated. It’s not as easy as you think. You know when something  feels wrong? You have this memory. You’re not sure if its real  or if maybe you just dreamed it and it stuck  like some dreams do. Changed over time. Became the truth  or your version of it. Who knows?  Maybe your sisterContinue reading “It’s complicated”

He can’t help it of course it’s in his nature  deep in the marrow. Wildfire still burns in amber eyes. Muscle memory shudders under fur. Tail-end flicking Old Tom sits mouthing obscenities  at invisible birds.