You say don't fight fire with fire

But I can't help it

I am fire

Like white ash,

I look harmless,

But burn the the touch.

My fire always burns,

It's all I have to keep me warm,

Don't tell me not to fight,

Don't tell me what to do,

'Cause just like fire,

I don't listen.

The universe stretches

in every direction,

but I can't even fathom

the extent of the

oceans here.

The unknown.

Life is deep and dark

and full of

strange things

swimming around

your ankles.

I imagine the

Christian God

to look like

Mister Clean

wearing a toga.

Wading through

the Milky Way.

Schools of comets

darting like minnows

around his feet.

Splashing dark matter

onto everything

close by.

I want to play God.

To make change

with the movements

of my legs.

To be big enough

to skew the axis

of planets.

I lie in bed.

Typing this into my phone.

Wondering how I

will even make it

to the edge of the mattress.

How I will manage today

without a wave of panic.

How I will learn

not to be a black hole.

Dont forget.

The writers of war,

medium of reality,

etching history onto paper,

in its raw and exposing form.

The street sweepers,

who glide away the morning leaves,

with their brooms singing,

The store clerks,

handling the world's goods,

in possession of a secret,

to the mystery of,

the circulating world.

The waiters,

balancing the plate of burden on one hand,

and hope on the other,

as they serve.

The mailman,

who from coming home,

finds himself alone,

with no letters for himself.

Stop for a while,

and appreciate,

take in all their stories.

And dont forget.

Wowzers! Where did that week go? Well, yes it went fast but we all know what that means. It’s Friday and we get to showcase and shine a light on another talented and very lovely Proser.

She has written two of our most read blog pieces and is a very active Proser, always flying the flag for us. She is Anna Boswell, AKA Anna. Boz. Bozatron. Bozza. You may well know her under her Proser username, which is @ABoswell

Anna lives in Norwich, England and describes herself as “Passionate. Compassionate. Adventurous.” She is a Marketing and Customer Experience person by day, and an NLP Coach by night. Sounds snazzy. Seriously, if you haven’t read her blog pieces yet, then get yourself over to the blog site and check them out. And so, without further ado, we give you @ABoswell

P: What is your relationship with writing and how has it evolved?

A: I never felt like I was very good at anything much in school, except for chess, and creative writing. And that was down to Wilfred Rowe. Legendary Headmaster of Morrison County Primary School in Liverpool. This man made chess a compulsory subject, back in 1988. I liked how I could sit and analyse my next move. If I took the Rook in one direction, it may well capture the opponent's Queen, but then my King would be vulnerable. I spent so much time considering chess moves, I think it had an influence later on, when I began writing.

Characters and stories gave me an infinite amount of choice. Unlimited paths to take and adventures to seek. When I studied for my English Literature exam, the two books we read were Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' and George Orwell's '1984'. Both these books have had a significant impact upon me. The first made me realise that through writing, you can access entirely new worlds, whilst creating unaccountable mischief and magic. I was utterly enchanted by Titania, Queen of the Fairies. On the other hand, Orwell's 1984 awakened the activist within me. It showed me the compelling, gut-wrenching power, that written words had to deliver a message, to uncover truth, to challenge consciousness, and to communicate with the world.

In February 2015, twenty years later, I discovered Prose. A place that actively encourages people to write, to develop, and to experiment. It reignited my love of short stories and poems, and before I knew it, I was writing almost daily. In the past twelve months, because of Prose, my writing has evolved probably the most dramatically, compared to any other period in my life. Words, and writing, have been my light, my dark, my creative balance, my therapist, my best friend, my passion, my humour, my freedom.

P: What value does reading add to both your personal and professional life?

A: Another part of my imagination lights up, with each new poem and each new book I read. It allows me to time travel. It gives me connections to people and places and experiences, I'd never have know. It's an access all areas V.I.P. pass, to other realms of wisdom.

It means I can say things like “Wanna hear something brilliant?! So, our observable universe is 84 billion light years across. Which effectively means it would take 84 billion years, travelling at the speed of light... to get from one side of the universe to the other. AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT! But once, a long long time ago, milliseconds after the big bang, all of that universe was contained in something the size of a pea. A PEA!” - Now, that kinda shit doesn't only impress people down the pub, I've used that in the boardroom. And for those interested, that came from reading the latest New Scientist book, 'Nothing'.

P: Can you describe your current literary ventures and what can we look forward to in future posts?

A: I'd love to write more about topics that are really important to me, that oppose animal cruelty, injustice and inequality, ideally to support movements and organisations that tackle such issues. I guess that's the Orwellian inspired activist in me!

Currently, I continue to write articles around how NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) can help people to overcome challenges, and would welcome any suggestions from Prosers as to subjects that might be useful to them. I've also had the opportunity to interview some really interesting people, about specific topics for which they are an expert, finding out what drives them, with the view to encouraging other people to be able to do the same, through articles and blog posts.

I have a personal challenge/ambition to deliver a poem at an open mic poetry night in London, with some people I've connected with through Prose. And with a shot of confidence and a dash of vodka, it'd be fun to do something like this more regularly. So, I want to play around much more with rhythmical structure when it comes to poems on Prose. In fact, I have some books on this very topic that I intend to devour!

I suppose I'm meant to say that I'd like to write a book. I would. Of course. And I've got a story. But, this isn't my priority. There's so much more I want to achieve first, that I think will help equip me. I'm in training.

P: What do you love about TheProse.com?

A: The no holds barred, uncensored, non-judgemental freedom. The genuine encouragement, ability to experiment and opportunity to develop. The creative challenges, the Prose publications and the extensive, treasure filled, reading library. And then, there's the people. The absolutely fucking phenomenal people. Irons up.

P: Is there one book that you would recommend everybody should read before they die?

A: Where the Wild Things Are – Maurice Sendak

P: Do you have an unsung hero who got you into reading and/or writing?

A: In 1998, Jim Smith, a close family friend (no longer with us), gave me a gift. It was a Robert Frost poetry book. I've read and re-read both the book, and the letter he wrote enclosed within it, over forty times. His letter said he'd had this passing impulse to buy it for me. It was that passing impulse that instigated a butterfly effect. And that has made all the difference.

P: Is there one quote, from a writer or otherwise, that sums you up?

A: “There is no reason why anyone should understand how it works… and of course no reason why anyone should care … unless you are curious, in which case I love you, for curiosity about the world and all its corners is a beautiful thing.” - Stephen Fry

P: Favourite music to write and/or read to?

A: The Doors.

P: You climb out of a time machine into a dystopian future with no books. What do you tell them?

A: This is a tough question, I mean, I'd have to reinvent books. Obviously. And then I could share all manner of things, couldn't I? Can they read? These dwellers of the dystopian future? If not, I'm starting up reading classes n'all. Then I'm re-hashing 1984, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Where the Wild Things Are..... A 1984 Midsummer's Wild Thing. It's gonna be huge.

So there you have it. We’ll leave Anna to rewrite the future in her beautifully crazy way. Follow and interact with her on here, as well as on Twitter where she resides as @_bozatron xx

If you are active on Prose and want to be featured or want to someone on Prose to be featured, do please let us know at info@theprose.com. Until next time, Prosers.

When the darkened Moon Rises

My Sad taffy heart Wanes

With the Earth's heavy Gravity

The Starless night pulls

The Never-ending Darkness

Loses me into its Hole

And It Reminds me Of You

You Thriving On

Our Emotional Despair

Fogged with its Despondency

And ruminating Sorrow

But Stoically I Reminisce

Of The Moments Before

My

Heart

Broke

And Maybe that former reality

Is What I really Crave

Those Moments Before

Everything went black

We are dolls

Collecting hearts and collecting dust

Crushing ours and breaking parts 

Watching the hanging stars above

Upon this globe we call our home

Until we forget our lines and fall

Waiting for a silent applause

I will not become part of a statistic.

I will not become part of a statistic.

I will not become part of a statistic.

I will not become part of a statistic.

I will work to change this statistic.

I will help others not to become this statistic.

I will not become this statistic.

I will join the day with darkness,

bloodshed framed within my smile

and my dead calcium-heart is

bright like shades of bone.

my good deeds are bouquets

of barbwire rose and my words

are sweet venom corroding

the eyes of your defenses.

I am the unattainable grey,

satisfied in the approaching spring

of my loving mayhem blooming.

volcanoes will announce

our ascent into love

and sever the void

between earth and sky

with a blade of ash

we will dance upon

the toxic divide

while the world

chokes on our confetti

you will sparkle

as I twirl you above

the molten clouds

beyond the flames

of disaster beneath

always in sunlight

and liquid air