My dear friends, I have today for your delectation something rather special. It struck me how many wonderful, famous and celebrated poets are women compared to say artists in the world of painting.
This is something I’ve also noticed within our own circle, and so I feel both honoured & privileged to have been given permission by the following poets to recite their work. Below is just a small sample of the amazing art to be found and enjoyed.
If you’ve a favourite piece you’d like read I’m always looking to expand my ‘Alchemists of word’ section. Don’t be shy or humble for I’m not a critic or academic, just someone who loves the written word.
VIKTORIA AT MY BLEEDING WORDS
Ashes Ashes – by Viktoria
The dimming cinders of my spirit
Lay glowing feebly in the night
The smoke escaped my every merit
The arsonist: life’s pain and plight
My vessel’s blood rolled with a smolder
My passioned breath – a fev’rish dream
Here I have died, my ash grows colder
The air still vibrates with my scream.
And yet a tale, I dare remember
Intangible, deep as the skies
That I exist still in these embers
And that a phoenix I shall rise.
I’ll rise, and soar above my ashes
The pain I felt – a memory
The blaze, my death, might come in flashes
But stay a dying reverie.
I’ll rise, but I am dust in limbo
The fire scents my senses stir
I’ll wait to cool, then from this pyre
I’ll rise. And be the firebird.
MIRIAM AT MY WINDOW
Deny the Heart – by Miriam
Friendship, love, care
are they but one?
Philia, Agape, Eros
blending to a singular Self, one without the other
the circle is broken;
A sickle moon.
Love born by the spirit,
Sensuality Kindness, aren’t they part,
of being complete?
How can we then deny?
Close the heart in a safety box?
so as not to get hurt,
kill what we are
what we can be; Fearing Life itself.
The little bird in your hand
rescued but stunned,
tender is our love, as is holding a child,
so trusting and soft;
Who with a smile wins our hearts,
as a loved ones kiss on your neck
whilst you pen your lines.
VANESSA AT SAY NO TO CLOWNS
Unseasoning the season – Vanessa
The immutable reality of change
the longing to keep “before” in range,
it’s cratered the cortex of my being
and reverse refracted all my seeing,
my inner core blinded by the white ,
lasering the absence on my sight,
the snow in sympathetic silence
weakening the contrast in my blindness,
reaching for the knowing of the past
the sewing pain of beauty will not last,
or the hope is, it will, in fact, diminish
and these lines, for now, remain unfinished…
WITH by VANESSA FLOWER. (music chosen by Vanessa).
WITH
outstretched heart
I catch the evening as it floats in,
on peppered bird song
and the undulating breeze, salted-
these tiny sepulchres
vibrating with lament,
precious, sacrosanct lyrics of being
funeralled forever
in creation’s sighs
LYNN AT L BURTON WRITES
For a giggle I sent our Colleen, Lynn my attempt at a ‘Southern drawl’, tongue in cheek and great fun, y’all. How about a tyke accent Lynn ? heehee.
Three Times – by Lynn
Diner silence
echoes a salt shaker tap
across chequered tiles,
nudges the writer and jazz musician
tucked in a window booth.
Event snippets
trail back on sunbeams and soda straws.
– three straws lined up in a straight row –
I imagine them writing verse,
putting to music my companion’s eccentricities,
voicing a slow tune
as she folds and unfolds paper napkins,
announces that the menu is backwards
and everyone needs a friend like Betty.
Betty isn’t her name. Or mine. She replaces the salt.
Nigel, thank you so much for this beautiful reading you have given four of us. It is generosity of spirit that gives this honour to other writers.
It is an interesting point you take up in the beginning about there being many female writers today. You know as well as many of us that in the past women were not allowed to publish in their own name and used either a male family member or a male name pseudonym.
Painting art is also showing big increase among women and a high percentage in art classes are women. Maybe hidden talents bursting out with more equality in society.?
Bless
miriam
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Thank you very much Miriam, I hope my post promotes equality in some small way. My best to you.
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Such a beautiful custom of reading and sharing other poets. I’m thankful that not only am I among the shared, but also that I got to discover new poets. Thank you!
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Most welcome Viktoria.
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Your readings, with their musical settings, does justice to these lovely poems, Nigel. (N.B. I love that opening phrase of yours – straight from the Leeds Music Hall Of Varieties !!!).
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Thank you Roland, astute as always, the City Varieties’ were an early influence, I loved the increasing groans from the audience that drove the compere to greater heights of extravagant vocabulary. I remember asking Dad whether they were all ‘real’ words, happy days!
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Thank you so much Nigel! Such a lovely, gracious idea. And the post is beautiful!! Your reading, and the other poems! I’m honoured to be here!
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Most welcome Vanessa
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PS haha I enjoyed your southern drawl. That was great!
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Hmm how polite of you !! heehee
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😁
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Reblogged this on say no to clowns and commented:
So Nigel, has done a lovely thing of reading a few poems, including a couple of mine, to honour the contribution to the poetry world by women poets. I love how he does his readings, and feel moved to be a part of this beautiful post (with a dignified giggle at the end 🙂 )
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My humble thanks .
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Nooo, thank you. 😁
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This is special indeed. Thank you, Nige for the thoughtful care you take in putting these spoken word pieces together. You always pick the perfect accompanying music and I adore “Blue Velvet”. I’m new to Viktoria’s work but I’m sure I’ll be revisiting her blog to find more gems such as the one you’ve presented here. Miriam and Vanessa are always a joy to read. Lots of giggles on your ‘Southern drawl’. Ha! That’s great! Me, a tyke accent? I’ll take you up on that.
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Than kyou lynn, ill message u later, dr messed up meds, will be okk but bout to crash into wthdrawls cant get right dose for 2hr
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Ok Nige, feel better.
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Brilliant post Nigel and wonderful readings of these very talented poets. I was unaware of Viktoria so will have a look at her work. Thank you for putting this collection together and sharing. Are you sure that wasn’t a Lancashire drawl?
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Thank you mate, no it’s not a ‘Lanc – Lad’ accent, as well you know! Though to be fair it was barely American, but in my defence I had only vague childhood recollections of the ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ on TV to go on. I don’t think Jon Culshaw has anything to worry about haha!
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Amazing poetry. Thank you.
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Most kind of you John.
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You are welcome Nigel.
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Reblogged this on johncoyote and commented:
Please read the amazing poetry.
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Thank you John, that is most kind.
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You are welcome Nigel. Powerful and worthwhile poetry.
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What a gesture kind Sir! And what an array of talent and originality here. Thank you!
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