Outdoor Poetry event!
Looking forward to being able to share poetry for the first time in a non-zoom context, since before the pandemic began. Four weeks from today in an open space, not far from home, with a number of other local poets/writers,…
Category Poems & Poetry
Two poems to be published by Hybriddreich for the Family Too Anthology
Delighted to confirm that two of my poems have been accepted by Hybriddreich for the August Dreich Family Too Anthology Twitter @Dreich25197318
NORTHERN ECHOES
A poem from earlier in the year, reflecting that whilst we in the North may have had our historic differences, we have so much more in common than those down in the ‘south’ espoused by certain politicians. Northern Echoes Somewhere…
Enchufe
A poem after Denise Levertov. Her classic question and answer poem about Vietnam was a start point. My subject however, was a reflection on my walking from Seville to Santiago and my writing of that experience, in Show Me The…
AGAR
This poem takes me back to Winter Sunday evenings in my mid-teens. My mother seemed to have a love affair with health food and natural ingredients and used seaweed based agar agar as a setting agent. I was the eldest…
The Empire Strides Forwards
The Empire Strides Forward
Everything has become
silent................
Wild Blue Angel
50 years ago on the 31st August, I was one of around 600,000 people who spent a glorious weekend on the Isle of Wight in the company of such legends as; Free, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Judy Collins, Leonard Cohen,…
Open Mic events
Last night I had the privilege of being able to share some of my poems at the indomitable Runcible Spoon Zoom night hosted by Kathleen Stafford. 15 or 16 brilliant open mic-ers interspersed with four headline poets. The sensual words…
Love Story – a black out poem
I created a black out poem as part of an exercise within a Writing Group I am involved in.I used Page 184 from SHOW ME THE WAY TO SANTIAGO and managed to create a Love Poem.Here are the words that…
Saltaire Poetry Competition – My entry will be included!
I have just heard that my entry for the competition will be included in the Anthology that will be available before Christmas The River In February you raged,cut a widening swathethrough watery green fields,carved intricate patterns in sludge left behind,unearthed…
Zoom Events – Updates
I thoroughly enjoyed my return to ‘open mic’ land on Monday with the wonderful David Driver hosting an exclamation of local poets. Up coming this Saturday is an Open Mic with BIASAN, an event that is part of the Bradford…
Normality
So, you want to go back to normal when this is all overWhere our NHS is underfundedAnd under-prepared for what is neededYou want a normality that seesKey workers on zero hours contractsOr paid the minimum wageYou want to take for…
LEST WE FORGET
I wrote this with tears of both sorrow and anger in my eyes!
Poem of the Day 29/03/20
Encouraging the dog to bark Social distancing in the park Going out on my bike for a ride Acting like I’ve something to hide Setting off on a gentle run With my gloves and face mask on plans go well…
Graveyard
I spent time with Alyson Rhodes, as part of a workshop looking at inspiration for writing that can be derived from a cemetery (Bingley Cemetery on this occasion). The second of the two workshops was cancelled due to Coronavirus. However,…
Where has all the truth gone
Great night from many splendid poets from near and far at HEART in Headingley.
Thought I'd post one of the three poems I read tonight, entitled Where has all the truth gone.........
DARKNESS
This poem was written in memory of a dear friend, who struggled with depression and anxiety for many years. Sadly he is no longer with us.