SLQ November Competition

Sentinel's quarterly magazine competition  is an impartially run, fair crack of the whip for poets weighing up their annual spend on prizes. I'm judging for the second time - and I remember from the process a few years ago many poems I picked up, put down, picked up again. It's a responsibility.  Entry numbers, I think, range from 100 to 300+: And in his report the judge will endeavour to give credit where it's due.  I'm all ears. 

October Online

A sprinkling of poems on popular ezines this month, Today Nine Muses Press, tomorrow, scheduled for the beautiful Poetry Shed and a verse attached to this goat’s head in the Ekphrastic Review a week or two ago.  Everyone should try the Ekphrastic Review, & although they didn’t post my piece on El Bobo – that too is available in some good book shops.  Further ekphrastic platform challenges offered monthly on the Nine Muses site.  

At Harbour Books and the Poetry Cafe

 

That was a really good weekend on the poetic chase: Rosie invited me to Words on Waves at Harbour Books, Whitstable on Thursday, National poetry day, where we had good readers and a good crowd and then on Saturday we joined Quentin and Colin Pink at the Poetry Café.  Colin having stepped in at a morning’s notice.  Rosie had the wit to wear a bright scarf, I think we all acquitted ourselves pretty well. 

It was such an enthusiastic audience, there were more laughs all round than we anticipated and the PC basement loses it echo with a full house.  It’s a good spot.  Peter couldn't make it was the downside, there will be other times. 

Poetry Cafe, Saturday Night, 06 October

Episcopal Fag Packet

Time is running out for the smoker. There’s no use being a damn fool about it, nobody smokes anymore and between long looks and shorter breath,  I’m resigned to the blessed break, and  I figure to quit on the New year. And there’ll be less wine, and café food, the waist line already is shrinking…  On the way out, a reflection from last winter, a puff for the censers. I might change the title.

Episcopal fag packet

Look up from the packet’s spent, necrotic foot –
not exactly lolling on the table – to the spotlight taped
or roped, to a January tree. Consider then:

among addiction’s anti-advertising’s pics of death
and consequence, that over-egg the pudding,
in the last analysis, there is a failure to connect

with the inevitable turning of the seasons,
the turn we all expect. That is, when the tree
returns to green and nests sparrows sheltered

in its branches’ welcome, not the shiny, black, wet,
dripping thing it is today, it’s not disturbed a jot
by the spotlight’s accusations or the days grown short.

March Arrives

As gay as May, March arrives

            how pale the sun,
how we survive a nuclear age
with global warming’s sudden chill.
            How pale the sky,

starveling snow drifts around,
pin points of silver specks too delicate
and fine to be cheerful as the summer fireflies
heard about in books.
            No sound outside.

            Somewhere a fire burns,
burns the hearthstone out.
How we always say that sadness
will supply tomorrow:

            eyeing the sun,
stiffness of your little fingers
& the pricking of your thumbs,
yellow as an orange.

This before the snow came thick and fast. A quick steal from Shakespeare and Lermontov at the end there, by the way, good men in a crisis.

Greenwich, January

Without Peter, we peppered his poems across the proceedings.  Rosie emerged from the universal cough to deliver her linked verses a'shine with a devout accuracy, Quentin and I did our bit, spirits were high and books were sold.  Thank you Irena for setting up the event, celebrating the first anniversary of in-words.

It was also very nice Nnorom made it for half time - photo courtesy of SPM - and finally we meet!  The new year is full of promise.

Bright Scarf Poets, Tuesday 16 January, Greenwich

Tuesday January 16 at 7 for 7.30
West Greenwich Library, Greenwich High Road, SE10 8NN
Bright Scarf Poets – Quentin Cowdry, Dominic James, Rosie Johnston and Peter Pegnall. 

The poets will sing, the audience will be moved, on that i'll bet my hat, and what a groovy spot.  There will be time to chat and we'll all be booted out precisely at 9.30.  Perfect.
Make it if you can.

More details at in-words.  We hope this is the first of many collaborations to come. This event organised by Irina and Rosie.