Vivien Foulkes-James is a prolific writer hailing from North West England, with a keen focus on poetry and short fiction. Her evocative and thought-provoking work has been widely published in numerous poetry journals, magazines, and online platforms. She has achieved significant recognition, with her pieces gracing the pages of The Galway Review 11, as well as being featured in prestigious anthologies such as The Morecambe Poetry Festival and For the Silent. Vivien’s writing is celebrated for its lyrical beauty and emotional depth, capturing the essence of the human experience in both verse and narrative. Through her contributions to the literary world, she continues to inspire and connect with readers across various mediums.

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Aftermath

How to survive this very bleak mid-winter?
With all hope smashed,
feeling battered, bruised.
Outside the landscape is harsh and bitter.

I’ll lose myself in music,
hide between the pages of a book,
converse with cats.
A thaw must come, but when?
Until then, cocoon, hunker down,
switch off the news.

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Vivien Foulkes-James
13 December 2019

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Hope or After the Aftermath

Amid the general celebrations,
my astonishment at what had occurred
and after fourteen years under the cosh,
I realise now it is
after the aftermath.

Finally, the electorate woke up
to the lies, the deceit, the scandals,
the self-aggrandisement of a
government lining their own
and their cronies’ pockets
while the country is on its knees.

Finally, they voted for change.

I find myself humming a jolly tune,
walking with a new spring in my step.

Switch on the news.

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Vivien Foulkes-James
5 July 2024

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