NATIONAL POETRY DAY WINNERS ANNOUNCED

INCLUDES MY COMMENTS ON THE RESULT OF THE CHOSEN POEMS FOR THE
NATIONAL POETRY DAY

I am on my theme of fairness, without prejudice and still respecting the privilege and our personal right to think what we choose. How we represent that in any art form is an individual choice. Cartoons can hit home like a cloud burst drenching the washing on the garden line. The artists use very unflattering caricatures that must hurt to convey a message. I love them and retain the feeling of respect and sympathy for the victim.

The written word I choose to use. The way it is presented has moved over the centuries and recent decades into various forms. Some have been short lived ideas and writers have experimented, rebelled against form and wrote how they wanted to present their ideas. It hasn't always been poetic although ee cummings style does have some merit for me.

We are blessed with ‘loads’ of writers and styles that can suit us or not. For me words need to fit together in a rhythm that moves along the line and into the next one. Poetry is a moving item and should be poetic. Prose poems can do this, but not all.

I have read the winning poem of the National Poetry Day by Susannah Hart called ‘Rereading the Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy’. Well, that’s some title. The judges, all three acclaimed poets, who said, amongst other things “mimics the language of the bureaucratic document while cunningly manipulating the impersonal and timeless phrasing”. Sounds good, that, doesn't it?
They also commented that when reading it that it was one sentence. It needed commas which were liberally scattered around through the numerous lines arranged as though it actually was a poem.

If I wanted to know about safeguarding children I would actually read the policy and not this attempt. I have read some of the others and not been impressed so maybe in that pile of 16,000 entries I might find something poetic.

I despair. Even to the point of writing about it and writing poems. I feel like giving up.

National Poetry Day Winners - Go on google it.

Then I remembered a group of poets in Ledbury who wrote ‘In Plain Sight’, a collection of poems inspired by the historic Alleys and Yards of Ledbury. Real people writing about places they loved. It showed through those emotions. Now refreshed. Fit to fight on for another day.

Prejudice: I hate it

I wrote this a few years ago
and in response to ‘no touching’
which clearly echoes, to me,
a polarised view I though I would
follow on with this one


Prejudice

Prejudice I hate you
subliminally or overtly

you subvert the reality
inventing the non-truth

cosseting it in your mind
nurturing it until it grows
into a monster

until it blows
all reason aside

you’re a head case
a slathering beast
emitting combinations
so debase
of opaque hatred
without cease

traipsing out of that
blinkered hole
of deceit

there is nothing recent
in your venom or decent

a descent into that blackness
where two worlds collide
you could hide
but there is
the hideousness

of anger exploding
telling a story
of misrepresentations of hate

a view of inner fury
where there can be no debate

Prejudice: fuels hate

THE RIGHT TO SPEAK OUT FREELY

CORPSEWORDS

don't even think it

you shouldn't say that

you shouldn't write that

you cannot publish that

we've heard all that
Joyce & Ulysses
packaged in plain brown
paper in plain sight
defied America & Comstock
and words found a way
to remain to this day

killers are still out there
words can fall like confetti
without any pity
at a ‘shotgun wedding’
banishing hope & freedom
to the ‘petit-coat’ fringes

my words our words
killed by closed minds

we mean no harm
offer no violence
label no-one

a view-point expressed
not to be suppressed
a right to be free
with words to speak
out as others cannot
as freedom is only on
this side of the wall

freedom
not a fiefdom
for a few words

POETS, WRITERS, OPINION AND PROTEST

A PLATFORM FOR FEMALE WRITERS TO BE HEARD - COMMISSIONED BY LEDBURY POETRY FESTIVAL

Following on from my previous post of 27th March I am still contemplating what to think about and what to do with LPF and their intention to offer a series of commissions with the aim to give female voices space to speak. My God! I could be deafened!

Well that rules me out then? Or does it? It only rules me out of their commissions because I still have the right to speak my piece and I hold that as a precious right. Gender for me does not come into it except to try a re-create the balance.

At the same I, and all of us, should protect the complete right to think what we like and write what we choose but without any intention to cause harm to others, harm to the environment and not-to-be-finger-pointing- abusive to anyone. I know that this last sentence might need clarification as the propensity for some individuals to feel offended seems to be common. I defend the right to write what I, and we like, within the confines of the above.

Research on poetryschool.com gives information on Phoebe Stuckes. You can google that too and apparently she is ‘acclaimed’. It tells a lot about her and you can read some of her poems. Enjoy what you will.

Again I defend the right to write what we do. Readers do not have to agree with anything; they don't have to like it either and they can be troubled by it because it does not fit in with their own personal views. So, what do I think about her writing? Quite simple really. I am troubled. Is it protest in any form and we should accept it? Well why not?

If all writing is within the same parameters then what could happen? I suggest, boredom and of course that could lead to some exceptional writing and off we go again.

Back to Stuckes (and please no shout-outs about her name) I am troubled by some of her words in ‘No Touching’ and apart from not understanding much of it, (I'll try again later) I quote these lines.
“I sewed dolls of the police who kept us apart and burnt them in a bonfire on top of the hill”

Anarchy is only kept at bay by our consent of the way that we are policed and in ‘no touching’ we have to remain just outside touching distance. And to burn that symbol of authority is a big scream out about authority. Some persons will need it more than others, I suggest. And as my son points out there is only one red flag or is she going really left wing and hoisting their red flag to fly in our faces. Not really polite that, but I can remain polite. I will let my poetry speak for me.

I have relevant poems that I will add later

Ledbury Poetry Festival Face Book Post

MISOGYNISTS NO, ONLY MISANDRISTS NEED APPLY?

I had not intended to write anything like this during the morning as I had other things to do. Then via the wonderful medium of Face Book I read Ledbury Poetry Society’s post and I felt the ‘ire’ rising. Am I to be grateful that they are ‘gifting’ me a poem or is that gift only intended to one half of the population?

Quoting Ledbury Poetry “….Female poets writing in direct and immediate response to the here and now. Sometimes it feels as if strong female voices are still not heard enough……….So this series of commissions aims to give female voices space to speak……

According to them there is not enough female voices out there and that they need to be heard more and be much stronger. I would urge them, (not to get out more and I do know that's a cliche), but to watch any politics show which is being hosted by Jo Coburn with Laura Kuenssberg, Helen Lewis and even female Labour Members of Parliament present. There are many other programmes too. And if you look at the credits you will find there are people of both sexes involved. The list could be endless!

I am aware that in centuries and decades past female representation was severely restricted to the point of nil and even hidden. J.K. Rowling I can use as a modern day example as initials do not indicate gender and who the hell is Robert Galbraith anyway? Before you go on and leap to any conclusion I will tell you I have seen the films, been to Hogsmeade and read her detective series. I loved it all, and I have seen her speak, spoken to her when she signed my book and I consider her to be a star.

And now the final point as I will be presumptuous and say that the debut for Phoebe Stuckes Book and especially with the title ‘Platinum Blonde’ is a big fat tongue in the cheek moment!

Equality lost again today.

SPAIN BY DECREE IS IN LOCK-DOWN

WRITING DURING THE LOCK-DOWN
We live in San Miguel de Salinas just inland from TORREVIEJA and about 45 minutes driving time south of Alicante Airport. Due to eye surgery and now a Government Decree this is my third week of enforced confinement. The good news is that I am able to use the IPad and write whatever I like. Our writing group, San Miguel Writers (including the rump of Stanza Mar Menor) have developed a penchant for haiku. The beauty of this form is it is quick, short and can record an event in only a few lines. San Miguel has introduced a daily minute of applause at 8pm signaled by (they love their pyrotechnics) a rocket. The clapping comes from the area of the Town Hall and easily heard from our house. I clap and I am the only one is sight doing it. I find it up-lifting. The first event was on Wednesday 18th and this is my take on it.


Hand Clap Sounds Around San Miguel

It was for tonight
in our town at eight o'clock
the applause defies

Yesterday I wrote this

An eight o'clock boom
Open the door, hear applause
We are one again

Who knows when the epidemic will have run for, but for everyone's sanity some social interaction is vital. Sadly here, no one is allowed to run, even on their on, and walking is restricted to what is essential.

My blog is about birding too and that is non-existent now and so it is what I can write. Bryan Thomas on his site, birding costa blanca- see top right of my screen-has commented. We are
all missing this migration.

WILL DEAN AND BLACK RIVER

Isn’t it great when a new book arrives. Hard back of course with a yellow and black sleeve. It feels so good. BLACK RIVER by WILL DEAN is lying on the table defying me to pick it up.

It's a third crime novel in his series where Tuva, the lone-wolf-journalist sets out to restore peace and harmony. So far she has failed to bring all the killers to justice in this Swedish forest. The location for his stories adds that something extra.

On the front cover Ann Cleeves proclaims ‘BRILLIANT’ and the only clues are, until you read it that is. are ONE KIDNAPPING. ONE LIAR. ONE CHANCE.

His first in the series was RED SNOW and then DARK PINES. We have all three and hopefully his latest will be signed at Harrogate Crime Writers in July.