BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU PACK
‘Be careful what you pack’ my daughter warned her voice the colour of bruised damsons
a battered suitcase yawned on the bed
gulping items hastily placed there dreams not yet spent wrapped in a sock sweet stories of life’s lessons
ladled into a jar promises of a future embroidered on a handkerchief the clutter and tangle of relationships hidden in pockets emotional ties
(and spaces for surprises) woven into a silk scarf footprints of my babies and my babies’ babies sewn into my bra
we walked away from earth watered with my husband’s sweat from laughter tangled in trees outside our door from joy and love ingrained in the walls of our home
Born in the North-East of England, poet and novelist Kriss Nichol moved to Scotland in 2003 and lives in a converted stables, writing poetry, short stories and novels. Born in Stannington, Morpeth, Northumberland, she currently lives in Newton Stewart.
She lived in Nepal for six months whilst working for VSO. She has an MA in Creative Writing at Northumbria University. She won third Prize in the Scottish Writers Centre short story competition for writing groups She loves travelling, meeting new people, exploring new cultures, and using these experiences in her work.
This year Kriss travelled to Italy through a grant from Dumfries and Galloway Unlimited, who also funded a mentor for the poetry sequence she's working on.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KrissNicholWriter/
Twitter: @KrissNichol
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