Author Archives: memoirsofahusk
Banished
My last night in the bush. Last bath in a tin tub, perched on a ledge, way above the plain. By day you might see zebras as you wash away the dust. By night you lie back, gazing on shooting … Continue reading
Before the rain
Kids sit on the kerb, poking hot tar with dirty fingers, making scabby stretch marks. Girls with shiny hair drift by in bright sunny dresses, cut with paper patterns from cheap pretty cotton. It’s 1976, the long, hot, summer, and … Continue reading
A sinister cave, the Twins at St Clare’s & a rather radical departure
I don’t like caves. There’s one in Zambia I never want to see again, a jagged hole in a shard of grey rock that punctures a flat horizon. At night sometimes it hums. A jackal lives there – he ventures … Continue reading
Socks and drugs and rocks that roll
Baby elephants are cute, yes? Ever been knocked flying by one? I have. Through a fence. I was leaning on it at the time. He was being ‘introduced’ back into the wild. I’d been feeding him oranges. That’s gratitude for … Continue reading
Anyone for brains?
I’ve never eaten brains, but I did once watch someone do it. I remember the meal through a retrospective filter of nausea, not because of the brains, but because next morning I flew into Matsapha, Swaziland, in a small plane. … Continue reading
And the bandoneon played on
Have you ever heard of the bandoneon? It’s an instrument that messes with your head, a kind of accordion, a lethal mental weapon for the emotionally inclined. …I’m standing at the bar. The bartender’s giving me that look and polishing … Continue reading
Socks & spoons, sunsets & stones – a sibilant start to something
Did you really mean to be here? Hmm. I’m not convinced. But not wishing to disappoint in case you tripped over this site by accident and stopped to read, here’s a taste of things to come. Based on the premise … Continue reading
MEMOIRS OF A HUSK 