@lesleyjayneb
Writer of novels, short stories, flash fiction and the occasional Haiku. Debut novel, A Year Without a Summer, published 7th May 2026 by barnardpublishing.co.uk Rep’d by Intersaga.co.uk https://lesleyjayneb.substack.com
#vss365 #magnanimous
Ma’s magnanimous nature came to the fore put at each birthday party. A room full of gunky kids would test most parents, but Ma revelled in the sticky mess, her inner child glimpsed in her smile.
The bountiful cornucopia of a child’s imagination too often is left to rot. #vss365
Sad but true 😥
#vss365 #bountiful
When sleep eludes she’s told to count sheep, an old wives tale for sure but she’ll try anything, although the bountiful flock of woolly wanderers were hard to keep track of. After an hour she gave up, went home and slept like a log.
#vss365 #lethargy
A dealer in time, lethargy stalks his prey, intent on stealing energy. A thief of enthusiasm, he leaves behind his calling card of fatigue – a practised purveyor of daylight robbery.
#vss365 #cataract
The cloth cascades across her face. A cataract for her grief, or so the mourners believe. Their vision blurred by the opaque linen, non see the smirk of her lips beneath the veil.
#vss365 #splendor
Winter’s wet has left the garden oozing mud. But through the slimy surface, spring’s splendour finds its way. March’s magnificent trumpet call is finally here.
#vss365 #timid
Years of bad choices made her fearful of taking another chance, but she refused to be timid - determined one day her luck would change.
#vss35 #quest
He knew his quest meant crossing the raging water, a treacherous river filled with serpents. He steeled himself, took a deep breath and jumped in before his mum could call him in for tea.
Thanks for hosting Danielle, loved your word choices – really got me thinking 🙏🏻😊
#vss365 #obsessed
A childhood crush, parents mused at the posters on the wall. A foolish fascination, friends called the teenage fan letters. Obsessed the judge said, signing the restraining order.
#vss365 #velocity
Your words pierce my mind, with a velocity hard to catch, harder to comprehend. They settle in my chest where I feel their force, a lance through my heart. 💔
#vss35 #orbital
She broke free from the swirl of girls spilling from classrooms and ran to the tree-lined perimeter of the field. From her orbital view, she saw Penelope and her entourage cut a strip through the crowd and slipped behind the trunks hoping to stay out of sight until the bell sounded.
#vss365 #stellar
The earth was not enough, he wanted to own the stars, but the realtor convinced him to procure unseen would be folly. As he blasted into space the world changed the locks, congratulating the agent on a stellar deal.
#vss365 #knowingly
The attic had been her favourite room, a confined space where her great aunt had told stories of seafarers and smuggling. Fuel for the fire of her young imagination. Any secrets to be concealed would have deliberately been stored there. A place only she would knowingly search.
The #crazed wind made off with our umbrella, while you were reciting Rumi in the rain. We couldn’t save the pages, his ink running down the page, his words like smoke on water. Fat, lazy drops hung from your lips and cheeks, and I relished the taste of your silence.
#vss365
#vss365 #crazed
The gallery offered an escape from the frenzy of work. For half an hour she stared at still life until her eyes crazed. She could almost taste the tropical fruit. There was something to be said for this new trend of hyper-focused attention. It was time she booked a holiday.
#vss365 #blatant
Even at night the house remained restless, constant creaks and groans as the ancient beams shifted. A blatant noise to keep her sleepless. Or were they trying to tell her something. What secrets lay within these walls?
#vss365 #beastly
The dry summer raged on. Windows remained shut, drapes drawn. Plants withered and parched animals sought shelter from the heat. A dead rat, we thought, as a beastly odour leached through the walls. But the stench persisted long beyond the decay of a rodent.
#vss365 #mystified
She checked her Garmin, mystified by the number of steps recorded, the elevated heart-rate throughout the night. Wondering if her childhood tendency to somnambulate had returned, she fixed a bolt to the door – but night after night the numbers rose.
#poetry
When broken waves
Bounce #bouncy on seas
To shores of forgotten promises
Shadowing tides gasp
To reach the sky for mercy
Before hearts sink forever-lie
Treasures under the sea
Precious so out of grasp
Broken promises broken sea shells
Sandcastles tear away
#vss365 📸 Astragal
#vss365 #bouncy
The snow crunching beneath her skis, she glided onto the slope with the grace of a downhill Olympian, or so she imagined. The moguls meant for a bouncy ride, all style abandoned as her limbs put on their own exuberant show.
#vss365 #mountainous
The gang of adventurers launched into the mountainous terrain with shrieks and hollers. Chairs, sofas, coffee tables were no match for the band of intrepid toddlers fuelled with ice-cream and birthday cake. Next year, she swore, she’d hire a bouncy castle.
A bank full of snowdrops
We fall #enchanted under their spell. Delicate white heads push up through the frozen ground and despite frost and snow and ice, they prove that if we can be resilient and persevere, Spring will be right along. We just need to be patient a little longer. #vss365
#vss365 #enchanted
They called the ancient woods bewitched, told fairytales to delight young minds, built treehouses, sent their children to play, to wonder, to sleep beneath the stars, unaware of the spell cast on those who roost in enchanted trees, destined never to grow up.
#vss365 #miniscule
She scanned subway walls for his tag, walked the city streets, searching, hoping. Sometimes kids don’t want to be found people told her but he was her boy, she would never give up on him. Whenever she spotted the minuscule skull sprayed in dark corners, she breathed again.
These words speak to my soul ☺️ thank you Daniel 🙏🏻
#vss365 #kiss
Did she imagine it? The brush of his lips against her flushed cheek, the desire in those whispered words, the smile that lingered. Was he toying with her? She watches as he greets his other guests. How lovely to see you, he repeats, but the kiss, the kiss was for her alone.
Wonderfully raw 👏 Congratulations 🎉
Ha, so true 👏