Creative Tuesday

priorities and new poems

Part of my plan for this year is to dedicate Tuesday to my own work and writing. Whilst I’ve always tried to put aside some time for my own work, for the last few years this has been confined to Friday morning as a “treat” for doing client work. Switching things round mean that I can give the same attention to both elements of my writing and so far, it’s working really well.  I feel more focused on both aspects rather than feeling frustrated that I’ve let my own project slide so far down the list. Prioritising my own work feels like a luxury but in reality, both aspects of my writing stand to benefit from this small shift.

Photo by Estée Janssens on Unsplash

The first part of today was spent on my journal as well as reading the final few poems of Tormentil by Ian Humphrey. After has been spent on a new course by Jean Atkin which has the splendid title Magnificent Apparel and is all about the role and relevance of clothing. Our first week was built around the idea of clothing without apologies and included poems by Grace Nicholls and Angela Readman. From these readings and prompts I’ve written two poems. They are not finished by any means but at this stage that is not the point.What I’ve enjoyed is the opportunity to take my imagination in a different direction – I love to write about nature but have felt a little stuck lately. I am hopeful the new poems and prompts will continue to help me access thoughts and ideas I tend to shy away from. Here’s one of the poems from this week’s notes.

Hallelujah for 50 ft Woman – Angela Readman

Hallelujah to lasses who got too big for their boots,
and stepped outside the fitting rooms of their mother’s eyes.

Their breasts pocket tattoos of anyone who skipped
a beat. You’ll spot such a girl, strolling: 50ft tall,
a milkman’s moon spotting sequins on her skirt.

You don’t have to know if she’s going dancing too soon,
or skated over the hours you slept. She will look
through flat windows at her sunburnt neighbours,
faces pink as the contents of a bubblegum machine.

You may feel the girl’s sigh make your furniture
paper. It is a dollhouse, our world. She breathes
and everything moves. Try to keep up to her stride.

Consider the size of the act of her crushing no one,
carefully side-stepping policemen, helmets glinting
bottlecaps, megaphones like flies. There’s no weapon

she can drop. She has none but herself, fingers
trailing frosty hotel roofs like wedding cakes left out
for pigeons. Put faith in the smallness of yourself,

sweat by the quay as she slips off her shoes, cools
a foot in the river outside the opera house – a mirror
for fog and sky-fancying girls. Be like the gulls, coast

on the waves her toes dip and dab, cry her praises.
Be afraid, one move can kill us. Call her name.
Let us be ants on her palm, lifted to meet her eye.

Angela Readman, The Book of Tides, 2016, Nine Arches Press

I adore Angela’s work. She’s one of the first poets I encountered on my return to poetry in 2017  (I hadn’t written any poems for around 25 years despite being a prolific teenage writer). I find her work both magical and relatable. If I can write just one poem as good as this, I will be happy.I’m not sure I’m there with my piece about a hero/ine made from ink, but I am sure that I loved writing it and loved letting my imagination free. I’m looking forward to feedback from Jean, redrafting and refining.

Are poetry prompts really that useful?

I think so. Occasionally a poem will emerge without one but I find a poetry prompt helps me to tap into what I want to say. I frequently stray far from the original concept and occasionally cringe at the sideways steps my writing can take from the initial prompt but not enough to curtail the way the words want to go. I love having a new course to work with and have developed a routine where I plunge in to several new courses at the start of the year then spend the spring and summer reviewing and redrafting, spotting themes and threads of ideas. I realise I crave this kind of routine and structure and it’s only once I have a framework that I feel safe to delve into the chaotic, creative side of myself.

Wild Wednesday

As well as poetry, today has been all about Bagpuss and other gems from the seventies.  I’ve been thinking about the role these song-filled programmes have played in developing my love of writing (and singing however bad I may be) and how these might tie in to the Wild Feeling that is the inspiration for this publication. I’ve a few tweaks to make but fingers crossed the finished article will be published tomorrow. Hope you enjoy it!

Poetry Film

My intention was to spend time on the ninth poetry film from Dust. Health will not allow it today, but I am gathering thoughts and hope it will become reality next week.

Until next time

Kathryn

xx