Perhaps, or maybe I should say most likely, you haven’t heard of Wallgnarps. Grandad came from London, England 60 years ago. He’s been telling his children and grandchildren all about Wallgnarps ever since. Well actually he’s been telling anyone who will listen, be it his children, grandchildren, or the unsuspecting young woman sitting next to him on the plane.

Wallgnarps, Grandad will tell you, are little creatures that hang upside down on the little stonewall laneways throughout England. They are similar to bats in that they hang upside down, fuzzy or I should say furry like a mouse and without the wings. They hang by their tails like American opossums. Some can be the size of a fist, but they can grow larger, to roughly the size of a small melon. It can be rather unnerving to come across one, especially if you have never seen one before.

Imagine yourself walking casually down an old country lane in Devon, it’s a beautiful sunny day. Who am I kidding, it’s more likely gray and cloudy and threatening to rain – a lovely day as I was saying. Imagine, you are strolling down the lane, hugging close to the wall as you go around the curve, you hear the roar of the engine of an oncoming motorist. You don’t want to be hit, the locals have a reputation for speeding down the lanes, so you pause to wait for the old Land Rover to pass.

In that short space of time, before the old jalopy skirts around you, you get a creepy feeling that something is inches from your right shoulder. You don’t want to lose site of the vehicle, but what… is… that… thing? You want to jump away, but if you do you’ll land right in the path of the car barreling down on you.

Really your back should be pressed up against the wall, so Mister Andretti doesn’t run over your feet as he careens down the road. But that thing…? It has huge eyes – dark and piercing, staring you down, and it starts squeaking a high-pitched warning – you’ve come too close. Its fur is a light brown to match the stone wall. Its little clawed feet grasp the wall and its tail is wrapped around the vines of the ivy that climbs and intertwines itself with the blackberry brambles that hang over the wall from the farmer’s fields.

What you don’t know is what it will do? Will it bite? Jump on you? Climb in your hair and scratch your face? Or even worse maybe it has rabies! I really can’t tell you. I’ve never come across one myself. They are so rare.

My father, Grandad, is the only one who really knows. He’s been telling people about them ever since he was roped into being Dungeon Master in a game of D&D back in 1985. And yes, he did tell some poor college student on the plane to lookout for them on her next trip to England!

Original flash fiction essay written by Laura Lane first published in Flash Fiction Friday in 2020

The post “Wallgnarps” Flash Fiction by Laura Lane first appeared on Laura Lane.

The water pivots
one moment serene
being pulled
from the space above
then pivots
into freefall
like thousands of its friends
all launching themselves
from the safety of the plane
to the freedom of the air
as they skydive down
to their next adventure
tumbling as they land
not on hard earth
but into the pool below
tossed under the surface
then floating serenely on
until pulled once more

Original poem by Laura Lane, First published in the Minnow Literary Magazine 2022

The post “Waterfall” poem by Laura Lane first appeared on Laura Lane.

The rice began to squirm

tiny almost imperceptible movements

playing tricks on my fragile mind

precariously perched on the edge

of a terrestrial sidewalk

Original poem by Laura Lane, First published in Versification Ezine 2021

The post “Unhinged” Poem by Laura Lane first appeared on Laura Lane.

Small of stature
long dark hair
friend of a friend
a little forlorn
look in his eyes
that sadness it
penetrates deep into the soul

I drove by
He was standing there
against that wall
he peered into the car
I waved
Climb inside
Where do you want to go?
Do you need a ride?

I knew that street
that corner
standing against that wall
I knew those boys weren’t
peering into cars
looking for me
they were peering into
cars looking for ….

But this friend of a friend
Why him? Why there?
Do you have a place
to stay tonight?
No? That’s terrible!
Working the streets
no place to go
Have you eaten?
No? That’s terrible!
Working the streets
no place to go

I have a little food
I’ll share with you
and a couch
and a blanket
Stay with me tonight

But where is he now?
His name was Steve
I look for him
on that corner now
Where did he go?

His name was Steve
Don’t tell me things happen
No! That’s terrible!
Working the streets
no place to go

Original poem by Laura Lane, First published in the Hamilton Mountain Writers Guild Anthology Volume V 2021

The post “His Name was Steve” poem by Laura Lane first appeared on Laura Lane.

Silently I listen to the beating of my heart

the peace moves around me

flows through me

caresses my soul

gratitude envelopes me

then evolves into peace once more

my heart has been touched

and my soul has been healed

silently I thank the Lord

again, in the quiet of the night

Original poem by Laura Lane, First published in the Brock University Unesco Poetry Contest Ebook 2020

The post “Peace” Poem by Laura Lane first appeared on Laura Lane.

Row upon row

                        standing sentinel

wind swept snow covered

            feet firmly rooted

reverent heads bowed to the winter sun

ears stung by bitter cold

            cradled in brittle fingers

                                    hardened casualties of time

Forlorn heroes solemnly maintaining their rank

            fighting against the wind’s forceful blow

            never abandoning fealty sown in the field

a duty planted deep within the tilled soil

bravely thrusting up like new recruits

their sweet prize protected from every element

courageously loyal to the land

the seasons having stolen the victory

harvest is the last relief

Original poem by Laura Lane, First published in the Niagara Community News 2010 and Brock University Unesco Poetry Contest Ebook 2020

The post “Guardians of the Land” poem by Laura Lane first appeared on Laura Lane.

A shimmering blanket of snow

lays there peaceful and cold

enveloping the house in its chilly embrace

covered in little sparkling diamonds

its edges folded precariously over the eves

eagerly awaiting the opportunity to tumble

slowly crashing like a wave

in one swift motion

so it can smother the flowerbeds below

covering them until spring.

Original poem by Laura Lane, First published in the Niagara Community News 2010

The post “Winter Blanket” Poem by Laura Lane first appeared on Laura Lane.

I am the Light

            blazing down on the desert sand

            glowing florescent at the bottom of the ocean

            filling the night sky as a canopy of little diamonds

I am as tiny as a firefly

            and as powerful as a laser beam

I flood the stage with colour

and gently peek through the clouds

I prompt the birds to sing, warm the earth and wake the flowers

I gaze shyly over the horizon during the northern yuletide

I dry out the creek beds at the peak of the drought

I am  …the aurora borealis dancing across the northern sky

            the eerie calm that peers through as the eye of the hurricane

            the torch creating puppeteer shadows on bedroom walls

            the rainbow of colours reflected over the waterfall

            the lightening that strikes during thunderous summer storms

I keep the children awake on summer evenings that seem to last forever

I warm the sunbathing kitten in windowsill

            and dry the fresh laundered clothes on the line

I brighten the face of the moon and can be seen in the flicker of the candle

I tan your skin and bleach your hair

I am the sunrise and the sunset

I am the Light

Original poem by Laura Lane, First published in the Hamilton Mountain Writers Guild Anthology Volume 3 Arising 2019

The post “I am the Light” Poem by Laura Lane first appeared on Laura Lane.

I am the Earth

I am the desert oasis

            the rainforest jungle

            and the snow-capped mountains

I am the sand from which sandcastles are made

I am the stones over which the babbling brooks run

I am the prairie field out of which the thanksgiving is harvested

            my branches cradle the tree fort in my arms

my herbs give seasoning to the savory stew

my flowers are laid to rest on the open tomb

my evergreen holds the tinsel

my petals fill the vase

perfect pebbles skim across the surface of the water

majestic mountains rise up from out of the sea

I am the aroma of lilacs and cherry trees blossoms in the spring

            the feeling of warm mud oozing between toes in summer

            the sound of the crunch of dried fallen leaves in autumn

            the sight of boughs bending under the weight of the storm in winter

I am the Earth

Original poem by Laura Lane, First published in the Hamilton Mountain Writers Guild Anthology Volume 3 Arising 2019

The post “I am the Earth” Poem by Laura Lane first appeared on Laura Lane.

I am the waves

sweeping gracefully across the pond

            tossing the storm swept seas

rolling over the vast ocean

constant like the rising and setting of the sun

pushing with the pull of the moon

I crash upon the rocks during a stormy night

or lap against the lakeshore on a gentle day

I rise to great heights when hit by the force of a quake

or ripple when struck by skimming stones

I tumble over the edges pushed by toy boats in the middle of the tub

I can capsize a handcrafted canoe

            sink a millionaire’s yacht

            or shorn apart a majestic tall ship

My tides cover all in their path and recede to reveal even the tiniest treasures

my sounds can sooth

my strength can drown

my power can be harnessed

I bring excitement to those seeking the thrill

I bring fear to those caught unaware

I bring peace to those seeking solace

I am the waves

Original poem by Laura Lane, First published in the Hamilton Mountain Writers Guild Anthology Volume 3 Arising

The post “I am the Waves” Poem by Laura Lane first appeared on Laura Lane.