Dave Kurley
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badvibrations62.bsky.social
Dave Kurley
@badvibrations62.bsky.social
820 followers 1.5K following 650 posts
Poet, writer, photographer. All my own work. All my own photos. All my own teeth, too. No DMs, please - unless I know you personally.

First book of poems: ‘Irritating the Silver Lining’ - available to order online.

Visit my website: www.davekurley.net
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badvibrations62.bsky.social
Dave Kurley @badvibrations62.bsky.social · 6d
Received my copy of Rites & Trials today. I have two poems in here: Fourth and Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting - they are alongside some brilliant work by excellent poets - thank you to @alanparrywriter.co.uk for picking my stuff to go with them!

#poems #poetry #anthology #thebrokenspine
Me in my office, with pictures created by my wife behind me, resplendent in my Breton top, happy because I am holding a copy of Rites & Trials in my hand!
Reposted by Dave Kurley
zoomburst.substack.com
#PoemsAbout #Imps A true story...
Old Holborn My Dad had a dead imp In an old tobacco tin He kept it under lock and key In the shed out back My mother wouldn’t allow it in the house He seldom let us see it If we found him working in the shed And pleaded with him for long enough He would prize the lid off the tin Revealing the little wizened creature within Its ribs visible under shrivelled leather skin Yellow teeth peeping between grimaced lips Was it a mouse? No tail Was it a bat? No wings Where did he get it? His grandfather found it Under a sourapple tree No more questions He snapped the lid tight closed Clearing out the shed after he died I found that old tobacco tin I took it home and opened it up To examine the shut fast sunken eyes The clawed fingers The tiny strands of coppery hair Here’s the tin, see I left it open that night On the kitchen table I climbed the stairs to bed, alone And never saw that imp again But sometimes when the house falls silent I hear a scratching and a shuffling And, every now and then A tiny rattling laughter
December 5, 2025 at 9:32 AM
Reposted by Dave Kurley
janedougherty47.bsky.social
Almost every week I think this prompt isn't for me. Then something appears. For #PoemsAbout #Imps @alanparrywriter.co.uk @thebrokenspine.co.uk
December 5, 2025 at 10:14 AM
Reposted by Dave Kurley
paulwritespoems.bsky.social
For #PoemsAbout #Imps here’s my quick take on the prompt. I wanted something fun for the festive season.

This is Elf & Safety

@thebrokenspine.co.uk
@alanparrywriter.co.uk
Elf & Safety This is an urgent public service broadcast: Don’t drink too much imp ale I implore you otherwise you may end up impaled or impotent or even more sinister— impressive. You cannot act with impunity imp ale will make you impetuous and imprudent. Let this message imprint on your mind, implausible as it is. Don’t drink too much imp ale for fear of impishness, impotence and impalement. This emergency broadcast was brought to you by the Council of Elves.
December 5, 2025 at 10:34 AM
badvibrations62.bsky.social
#PoemsAbout #Imps Here's a rewrite of one I wrote a couple of years ago - published in Booklet 6 of The Lockdown Legacy, and included in my wife's Curious Cabinet touring exhibition. Thanks as ever to @alanparrywriter.co.uk for consistent inspiration! @thebrokenspine.co.uk
#poems #poetrycommunity
The background is a photo of the bottom edge of the side of my bed and the darkness underneath. The laminate floor disappears into shadow. It Was Under the Bed It waited It waited for an opportunity It waited for an opportunity at night It waited for an opportunity at night, when the target was visible It waited for an opportunity at night, when the target was visible, having shed her Peppa Pig slippers It waited for an opportunity at night, when the target was visible, having shed her Peppa Pig slippers, to grab her by the ankle It missed It missed the opportunity It missed the opportunity because she was too quick It missed the opportunity because she was too quick, and it groaned with disappointment It caught its breath It caught its breath because she screamed It caught its breath because she screamed: ‘Mommy!’ It caught its breath because she screamed: ‘Mommy! I heard something - it’s under the bed!’ It disappeared But it would be back © Dave Kurley 2022-5
December 5, 2025 at 10:43 AM
badvibrations62.bsky.social
Received my copy of Rites & Trials today. I have two poems in here: Fourth and Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting - they are alongside some brilliant work by excellent poets - thank you to @alanparrywriter.co.uk for picking my stuff to go with them!

#poems #poetry #anthology #thebrokenspine
Me in my office, with pictures created by my wife behind me, resplendent in my Breton top, happy because I am holding a copy of Rites & Trials in my hand!
December 3, 2025 at 12:10 PM
badvibrations62.bsky.social
Yuletide bloggage: in which I point you in the direction of my seasonally affected poetry, and rave about @thebrokenspine.co.uk's latest Slimline poetry anthology, Rites & Trials - and I am lucky enough to have two poems included in said volume! www.davekurley.net/blogstuff/ti...
That Time of Year… — Stuff by Dave Kurley
t’s the first of December - officially the start of the inevitable and inexorable build-up to Christmas (unless you work in a supermarket, in which case you’ve probably been stocking the shelves with ...
www.davekurley.net
December 1, 2025 at 10:24 PM
badvibrations62.bsky.social
More blogwork - this time about the book launch. We did it! The place was packed, the j oint was jumping, there was applause, there was laughter, there were many, many readers.
It. Was. Awesome. www.davekurley.net/blogstuff/op...
#blog #writers #openmic #booklaunch #greatnight #wordplay
The Writhing Event - in pictures — Stuff by Dave Kurley
A superb book launch on Saturday - the place was packed, the joint was jumping! Here are some of the readers...
www.davekurley.net
November 24, 2025 at 11:16 PM
Reposted by Dave Kurley
thebrokenspine.co.uk
Two new drops before month’s end. Couldn’t be more different. Couldn’t be more us.

#SootAndBoots – our first seasonal fiction set – hits in hardback & paperback. Wintry stories with dirt under their nails.

#RitesAndTrials Coming-of-age poems stitched with class, becoming, longing, & defiance.
A book cover for Soot & Boots: An Anthology of Short Festive Fiction by The Broken Spine. The right-hand side shows an illustration of a pair of worn, frost-covered black boots with fur at the top, standing on a cold wooden floor against a textured, wintry blue-grey wall. The title “Soot & Boots” appears above the boots in large, pale, glowing letters. At the bottom, the Broken Spine publisher logo is present. The left-hand side, presented as the back cover, features centred white text on a dark green background. The text describes the anthology as a gritty, unsentimental seasonal fiction collection filled with longing and winter magic. It highlights contributions from writers including Sadie Maskery, Ellen Harrold, Victoria Harris, and Jordan River, and notes that the anthology is edited by Alan Parry. A bright yellow rectangle sits near the bottom, reserved for a barcode. A book cover for Rites & Trials: Coming of Age Poetry, part of The Broken Spine’s Slimline series. The right-hand panel features an abstract, atmospheric illustration: a silhouetted profile of a person facing right, rendered in deep black, set against a vivid red circular shape that resembles a sun or moon. Dark plant leaves overlap the silhouette, creating layered shadows. The background blends burnt orange and textured black. The title “Rites & Trials” appears in white, with “SLIMLINE” in a rounded rectangular frame. The left-hand panel shows the back cover text on a white rounded-rectangle box set against a dark background. The text describes the anthology as a stitched-together testament to becoming, naming contributors such as Molli Russell, Sam Szanto, Debbie Ross, Dave Kurley, Mana Misaghi, Rachel Burrows, Simon Maddrell, and others. The description highlights themes of class, faith, queerness, desire, and family, and characterises the poems as intimate, raw, and reaching toward connection. The Broken Spine logo sits at the bottom of the right-hand panel.
November 22, 2025 at 11:02 PM
badvibrations62.bsky.social
More bloggage - this week, about the launch of 'Writhing: An Anthology', a collection of 40 pieces by the Wordplay Writers Club (I've got three pieces in there). If you're anywhere near Caldas da Rainha on Saturday, it would be great to see you!

#writing #writhing #Poetry #shortstories #blog
Book Launch - Writhing: An Anthology — Stuff by Dave Kurley
This Saturday (22/11/25), if you’re anywhere near Caldas da Rainha, central Portugal - why not come to a book launch at the Palco Café, Centro Cultural e Congressos?
www.davekurley.net
November 17, 2025 at 10:18 PM
badvibrations62.bsky.social
open.substack.com/pub/sixtyodd...
87. Paul Connolly
Internationally published poet with a marvellous reading voice.
open.substack.com
November 17, 2025 at 2:40 PM
Reposted by Dave Kurley
alanparrywriter.co.uk
This is the full text of #IWant — a poem from my WIP #FuckMeLikeGraffiti, which dives headfirst into the sexual self. It’s about love, lust, and the edges of intimacy. You can hear me read it over on TikTok.

#PoemsAbout #Desire #Sexuality #AltLit #SpokenWord #IndiePoet #PoetryCommunity
A poem titled I Want appears in black text on a white background. The poem reads: I Want you pulling at the edges of me i want us to forget our names i want to see videos of you tying yourself in knots i want your red flowers pinching my breath i want senseless talk & you playing goofy with me i want your leg against mine i want your hand at the back of my neck feeling the pulse i want your head on my chest— asleep i want you thinking of me all day A continuation of the poem I Want is shown in black text on a white background, spread across two columns. The text reads: i want the idiot hots & your filthy mouth i want you to hand yourself over to be filled & overcome i want a comfortable silence to fold around us like bedsheets i want weekends spent lying on each other i want the small things to sit at your feet to watch you eat i want to hold your waist i want your hair wet & messy in a hotel room in tallinn i want you to tell me how we oughta spend the night i want to know the one thing i said you can’t let go of i want the migraines & the hard-ons i want the marks you leave i want you naked & tired with dark circles around your eyes i want you sweaty & stressed i want you to wear me down like water on stone slow & smooth i want to drown in your ocean-floor eyes i want us to become shadows on the wall i want you to take fistfuls of me to shake my teeth loose The final lines of the poem I Want appear in black text on a white background. The text reads: & i want to wake up sore
November 14, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Reposted by Dave Kurley
alanparrywriter.co.uk
Too long for me to post the text really, this is my #PoemsAbout #Desire

I read my poem, I Want, here.

vm.tiktok.com/ZNdENbt9c/
TikTok - Make Your Day
vm.tiktok.com
November 13, 2025 at 11:49 PM
Reposted by Dave Kurley
sueimnw.bsky.social
For this week's #PoemsAbout #Desire with thanks to @alanparrywriter.co.uk @thebrokenspine.co.uk and all those participating.
November 14, 2025 at 7:00 AM
Reposted by Dave Kurley
bethosmond.bsky.social
Good morning #poemsabout crew, here’s a poem about someone wanting something for the #desire prompt @alanparrywriter.co.uk
A poem for the today programme
November 14, 2025 at 7:59 AM
Reposted by Dave Kurley
rburrows.bsky.social
More snails I’m afraid! #PoemsAbout #Desire @thebrokenspine.co.uk @alanparrywriter.co.uk Happy Friday!
#parasite #poetry
November 14, 2025 at 6:35 AM
Reposted by Dave Kurley
thewombwellrainbow.bsky.social
For #poemsabout #desire @thebrokenspine.co.uk @alanparrywriter.co.uk Three faces of desire:
Allow Me to see the skull in your passion the teeth in your desire to caress the bones of your delight the sinews of your breath to delve the niches of longing the cleft of floods My Freezing Desire for you clichés my words. We shiver as we touch. Each caress brings striations of ice over skin, blood bubbles to the surface. Our cold air stretches our lungs makes it hard to breathe. My body is alabaster, yours marble. Sex is a fridge turned up highest. Someday we must defrost. We Must Damage Each to feel anything for one another. I take this razor and cut your cheek until it bleeds. You reply with a needles stab in my leg. The blood drips as we continue our intimate conversation. Clearly this is most intense love and desire.
November 14, 2025 at 7:39 AM
badvibrations62.bsky.social
#PoemsAbout #Desire - back after a short break, with a short poem. Thanks to @alanparrywriter.co.uk at @thebrokenspine.co.uk for this week's prompt.

#poems #poetry #poetrycommunity

www.davekurley.net
Screenshot of my poem on Apple Notes - the desktop background is of some idyllic scene in the Californian countryside, redwood trees flanking the valley, a river cutting between, reflecting a pale sky.
November 14, 2025 at 8:15 AM
Reposted by Dave Kurley
thewombwellrainbow.bsky.social
Welcome To The Starbeck Orion, Issue 13, Day Twenty featuring the poetry of Tim Ellis:
the880.substack.com/p/welcome-to...
Welcome To The Starbeck Orion, Issue 13, Day Twenty featuring the poetry of Tim Ellis
A Feast of Word And Image
the880.substack.com
November 13, 2025 at 7:24 AM
Reposted by Dave Kurley
zoomburst.substack.com
Coming in late November... The tenth volume of Sixty Odd Poets - The Last Half Dozen... and the promise of a rebirth for the #SixtyOdd Press next year. #Poetry for all!
The cover of the forthcoming tenth volume of Sixty Odd Poets - the Last half Dozen Featuring Susan Darlington, Jim Murdoch, Neil Roystone, Eleanor Cantor, James Lee Jobe and Steve Williams.
November 12, 2025 at 7:37 AM
Reposted by Dave Kurley
thewombwellrainbow.bsky.social
Welcome To The Starbeck Orion, Issue 13, Day Nineteen featuring the poetry of Paul D. Proctor:
the880.substack.com/p/welcome-to...
Welcome To The Starbeck Orion, Issue 13, Day Nineteen featuring the poetry of Paul D. Proctor
A Feast Of Image And Word
the880.substack.com
November 12, 2025 at 7:40 AM
Reposted by Dave Kurley
thewombwellrainbow.bsky.social
Welcome To The Starbeck Orion, Issue 13, Day Eighteen featuring the poetry of Lawrence Freiesleben:
open.substack.com/pub/the880/p...
Welcome To The Starbeck Orion, Issue 13, Day Eighteen featuring the poetry of Lawrence Freiesleben
A Feast Of Image And Word
open.substack.com
November 11, 2025 at 8:44 AM
badvibrations62.bsky.social
I've blogged again: this time to showcase five poems that were included in the erbacce Journal no.71. It's out of print now, so I thought I'd put them on my website for you: www.davekurley.net/blogstuff/bl...

#blog #poetry #poems #poetrycommunity #website #stuffbydavekurley
erbacce stuff — Stuff by Dave Kurley
Five poems that were published in the erbacce Journal no. 71 in 2022
www.davekurley.net
November 10, 2025 at 10:08 PM
Reposted by Dave Kurley
thewombwellrainbow.bsky.social
Welcome To The Starbeck Orion, Issue 13, Day Seventeen featuring the poetry of C. Oulens:
the880.substack.com/p/welcome-to...
Welcome To The Starbeck Orion, Issue 13, Day Seventeen featuring the poetry of C. Oulens
A Feast Of Words And Image
the880.substack.com
November 10, 2025 at 7:04 AM
Reposted by Dave Kurley
thewombwellrainbow.bsky.social
Welcome To The Starbeck Orion, Issue 13, Day Fifteen featuring the poetry of Sean Coppinger
open.substack.com/pub/the880/p...
Welcome To The Starbeck Orion, Issue 13, Day Fifteen featuring the poetry of Sean Coppinger
A Feast Of Word And Image
open.substack.com
November 8, 2025 at 7:30 AM