Committed writers dedicated to working together to produce excellent poems, short stories, drama, life writing, and creative non-fiction

Why not contact us for more details about our small, mutually supportive monthly meetings? Don't be shy. No need to be brave!

Sheila 01823 67 28 46 sheilarogers4322@yahoo.com

Valerie 01884 84 04 22 valtay@btinternet.com

Sunday 28 November 2010

A Poet's Tool Kit

I will wear it heart-side out;
I will slide it deftly into the pocket
of my jeans.  It will be small. 

It will be lightweight and strong
pliable as a paperback novella
waterproof and hard-wearing.

There will be space enough to carry
an A4 hard-backed spiral-bound
notebook, with plain and ruled paper,

a fountain pen filled with blue-black ink,
a dictionary, a packet of crayons,
a pencil sharpener, and a rubber eraser.

It will hold the whole company of poets.

There will be Solitude

for the ‘where I’m at’ space:
the place I hide, concealed, cocooned
held safe in a still womb.

There will be Silence

so I can listen out for, try to
hear the rhythm of breathing
and the thrust of a heart-beat

There will be Room

to spread my precious hoard
of words out on the blanket I clutch
for comfort and temporary shelter.

And Nimble fingers

to manipulate their sound
and the shapes they make

as I arrange and rearrange
organise notes on manuscript paper

I will need a structure as I move towards
and alongside releasing and reframing
the something – neither rhetoric, nor prose.

An authentic style to convey the signals,
and communicate the evidence
to carry the message - the intentness and about-ness

over a fragile bridge – in order to tell
you and me both
what I have discovered.

I must have patience and time
to resist the lure of
commodification.

I need the right voice to sing out
or whisper soft into
night’s dark reaches

A tuning fork
to ensure my resonance
is true

A handbag mirror
to reflect
the epiphany

and test that this witness
of what is in the blood
can get up, stand unaided


walk off the page.


© Sophia Roberts
all rights reserved

Monday 15 November 2010

Towards Michaelmas

Through the empty trees
summer's cygnets sashay past
Grey swans on the turn


© Sophia Roberts
all rights reserved

Ashes

Leaves spill, sway, stagger
Two steps forward, three steps back
Summer’s embers dance

© Sophia Roberts
all rights reserved