Erosion

A garden once planted in spring,
bearing life in shade and sun,
now tangled with weeds and blight.

A hearty yield once sustained
by dew and noon rains,
now forgets in autumn light.

Basket of Gold, having bloomed
and stretched for sun,
now shrivel, scorched by drought.

Honeysuckle, a trespasser in flora,
once nurtured monarchs
and bees.

Once a bounty of bliss,
now wild bramble
on depleted soil.

Wisdom of soils and seedlings,
now crumbles to dust.
Her secret garden.

-Barbara Leonhard

Act V, Scene IV Of My Mother’s Life

My mother disintegrates;
little by little she sloughs off her skin,

sheds minute pieces of herself
into the sunlit shafts of spiralling air.

I watch as she dredges through the
sludge of memory for something solid,

something to serve as a handhold
to keep her balanced as she

navigates the slippery path
between one moment and the next.

Her eyes, half-closed, are obscured by
cobwebs; she struggles to focus,

the past too far away, things close to hand
inexplicably unfamiliar.

She is a house unoccupied, dust gathering
in the corners of the cooling rooms.

-Beth Brooke (Third of her series of poems. See earlier days for the other two)

Bios and Links

-Barbara Leonhard’s

work is published in Anti-Heroin Chic, Free Verse Revolution, October Hill Magazine, Vita Brevis, Silver Birch Press, Amethyst Review, PhoebeMD: Medicine & Poetry, among others. Barbara won prizes and awards for her poetry in the anthology Well Versed 2021 and Spillwords, where she was voted Author of the Month of October 2021, nominated Author of the Year for 2021, and recognized as a Spillwords Socialite of the Year in 2021. You can follow Barbara on her blog site, https://www.extraordinarysunshineweaver.com.

-Beth Brooke

was born and did important parts of her growing in the Middle East. The landscapes of both these places are strong influences on her writing. She has had work published in a number of online journals and has been placed in a couple of small poetry competitions. She loves writing poems and sharing them with other people.

Day Four #WorkHappy

-Dave Garbutt postcard poem

Bios and Links

-Dave Garbutt

has been writing poems since he was 17 and has still not learned to give up. His poems have been published in The Brown Envelope Anthology, and magazines (Horizon, Writers & Readers) most recently on XRcreative and forthcoming in the Deronda review. His poem ‘ripped’ was long listed in the Rialto Nature & Place competition 2021. In August 2021 he took part in the Postcard Poetry Festival and the chap book that came from that is available at the postcard festival website. https://ppf.cascadiapoeticslab.org/2021/11/08/dave-garbutt-interview/.

He was born less than a mile from where Keats lived in N London and sometimes describes himself as ‘a failed biologist, like Keats’, in the 70’s he moved to Reading until till moving to Switzerland (in 1994), where he still lives. He has found the time since the pandemic very productive as many workshops and groups opened up to non-locals as they moved to Zoom. 

Dave retired from the science and IT world in 2016 and he is active on Twitter, FaceBook, Medium.com, Flickr (he had a solo exhibition of his photographs in March 2017). He leads monthly bird walks around the Birs river in NW Switzerland. His tag is @DavGar51.

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We Play Patience

Side by side we sit.
I shuffle the cards,
begin the business
of setting out,
a pattern programmed
into muscle memory
over years of boring Sunday afternoons,
injunctions to be quiet while Father slept.

Seven columns, each
one card longer
than the last
and each with one card turned.
We begin, she makes her survey:
Red queen on that black king, put the ace here,
I think that’s it.

I count the other cards in sets of three,
cheat a little so that the play continues.
How much she relishes
this small ability,
orders these fifty-two soldiers
into their four battalions,
graded and
under her command.
A moment of power where
there is otherwise none.

-Beth Brooke (Second in her series of poems on her mum’s dementia)

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-31607"

-Margaret Royall

-Paul Brookes

Bios And Links

-Beth Brooke

is a recently retired teacher and education consultant. She lives in Dorset but was born and did important parts of her growing in the Middle East. The landscapes of both these places are strong influences on her writing. She has had work published in a number of online journals and has been placed in a couple of small poetry competitions. She loves writing poems and sharing them with other people.

-Margaret  Royall

has six books of poetry published. She has appeared widely in print, in webzines and  poetry anthologies. She has won or been short-listed in several competitions and her collection ‘Where Flora Sings’, published by Hedgehog Press, was nominated for the Laurel Prize in 2021. Her latest collection, ‘Immersed in Blue’ was published in January 2022 by Impspired Press. She leads a women’s poetry group in Nottinghamshire and takes part in open mic sessions online and in person. She is currently working on a third poetry collection.

Website: https://margaretroyall.com/ Twitter:@RoyallMargaret

Seeking the Scent

Does anyone else do that, I wonder?
Sniff inside envelopes as soon they’re opened
for the scent of the letter-writer’s home?
I do – Great-Aunt Shirley’s near Exeter,
Grandma’s flat in Ripon;
my penfriend’s in Solihull
where l have never been,
whom I’ve not met.
Their soap, their perfume, their pot-pourri.

It isn’t there of course,
like the pot of gold
at the foot of the rainbow.
The letter has passed
through the postman’s hands
and many others before mine.
The only scent is of glue
which I can no longer tell myself
my correspondent will have licked.

-Peter J. Connelly

-Dave Garbutt Postcard Poem

Bios And Links

-Dave Garbutt

has been writing poems since he was 17 and has still not learned to give up. His poems have been published in The Brown Envelope Anthology, and magazines (Horizon, Writers & Readers) most recently on XRcreative and forthcoming in the Deronda review. His poem ‘ripped’ was long listed in the Rialto Nature & Place competition 2021. In August 2021 he took part in the Postcard Poetry Festival and the chap book that came from that is available at the postcard festival website. https://ppf.cascadiapoeticslab.org/2021/11/08/dave-garbutt-interview/.

He was born less than a mile from where Keats lived in N London and sometimes describes himself as ‘a failed biologist, like Keats’, in the 70’s he moved to Reading until till moving to Switzerland (in 1994), where he still lives. He has found the time since the pandemic very productive as many workshops and groups opened up to non-locals as they moved to Zoom.

Dave retired from the science and IT world in 2016 and he is active on Twitter, FaceBook, Medium.com, Flickr (he had a solo exhibition of his photographs in March 2017). He leads monthly bird walks around the Birs river in NW Switzerland. His tag is @DavGar51.

-Peter J Donnelly

lives in York where he works as a hospital secretary. He has a degree in English Literature and a MA in Creative Writing from the University of Wales Lampeter. He has been published in various magazines and anthologies including Dreich and Writer’s Egg, where some of these poems have previously appeared. Last year he won second prize in the Ripon Poetry Festival competition.

Day Two
two lovers in wheelchairs, knee to knee

they’ve made me chairman of the board but I’m not up to it
you’ll be great at the job is your room warm enough
what happened to my first wife she was nice
we’ve been married sixty years the Queen sent a card
it’s so good to see you where is this
Magnolia Court you’ve been ill
I’m in London for the new job
Magnolia Court
I’ve only got a fiver for cabs can you lend me some
you’ve got all you need a room and meals
don’t want to be here
it’s all right
this isn’t funny
hold my hand
what’s going on
hush my love
can’t do this anymore
come here
I don’t want to
be

-Lesley Curwen (She says: A poem about my aunt and uncle in their two wheelchairs.)

-Beth Brooke (First in a series that I will post daily throughout the week)

Requiem for a Cellist

She rocks rhythmically in her chair,
Her eyes dulled by grief, skeletal fingers
clutching rosary beads, chanting over and over
‘Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine’

Dementia gnaws away at her brain
She clenches her fists, howls
like a caged wolf, searching
desperately for her beloved ‘cello

Then as if by magic it appears, a Stradivari,
propped up by the Steinway grand,
pleading to be picked up and played again
Its bow sprawled across the piano lid,
resin box still unopened

A sudden draft from the open window
breathes life back into the stale air.
Haunting sounds unlock iconic images,
transporting her to lovers’ beds, concert halls,
summer gardens and back-street alleys,
a heady rush of half-remembered liaisons,
ecstasy and pain intertwined

Final chords crescendo then trail away
into the invading gloom of a winter twilight
One last brave ‘da capo’- then finally silence

Her weary frame crumples in dismay
She attempts to rise from her chair, pleads
one last time: ‘Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine’

First published in my 2nd poetry collection, ‘Where Flora Sings’

-Margaret Royall

Bio and Links

-Beth Brooke

is a recently retired teacher and education consultant. She lives in Dorset but was born and did important parts of her growing in the Middle East. The landscapes of both these places are strong influences on her writing. She has had work published in a number of online journals and has been placed in a couple of small poetry competitions. She loves writing poems and sharing them with other people.

-Margaret Royall

is a Laurel Prize nominated poet. She has been shortlisted for several poetry prizes and won the Hedgehog Press’ collection competition 2020. She has two poetry collections:

Fording The Stream and Where Flora Sings, a memoir in prose and verse, The Road To Cleethorpes Pier and a new pamphlet, Earth Magicke out April 2021. She has been widely published online and in print, most recently: Hedgehog Press, The Blue Nib, Impspired & forthcoming in Sarasvati and Dreich.

She performs regularly at open mic events and facilitates a women’s poetry group in Nottinghamshire.

Website: https://margaretroyall.com

Twitter: RoyallMargaret

Instagram : meggiepoet

Facebook Author Page: Facebook.com/margaretbrowningroyall

Day Two

-image by Dave Garbutt

Favourite pen(s) Pilot Capless, Twsbi Eco, and Cult Pens compact with a stub 1.1mm nib. Pencil: Uni Kuru Toga sleeve, Kokuyo enpitsu sharp MS P501, 1.3mm. I write my first drafts with them and edit before typing up.

TL;DR is capless is eminently practical, reservoir will last a day at a conference, writes beautifully with the gold nib, capless makes it great for whipping out of a pocket and just writing, no cap to lose,the stub gives a lovely sharp line.

…the Eco is much cheaper and almost as good. And it has a cap. The has more flex than is usual fir a steel nib. The Lamy studio I also use a nib with same width but it makes a wider line and the Lamy nibs I find too stiff.

-images by Dave Garbutt

Pens

Some of them have stood for five years
in my purple Penguin mug
with a quote from Virginia Woolf
that I long ago stopped drinking from.

Grandad’s black and gold Paper Mate
I’ve never bothered to buy a refill for,
free gifts sent in the post by Red Cross,
leaving presents from temping jobs.

The blue Fountain Pentel I bought in Aberaeron,
used by a poet to sign my copy of her book.
It’s nearly run out but I’ll still have the ink
once I’ve thrown away the pen.

Others I’m sure I’ve never used,
maybe never will.
They make my guests think
I write more than I do

standing there like an artist’s paintbrushes,
befriended by a pencil that’s hardly ever sharpened
and a brass letter-opener
with a handle of the Welsh flag.

-Peter Donnelly

Bios and Links

-Dave Garbutt

has been writing poems since he was 17 and has still not learned to give up. His poems have been published in The Brown Envelope Anthology, and magazines (Horizon, Writers & Readers) most recently on XRcreative and forthcoming in the Deronda review. His poem ‘ripped’ was long listed in the Rialto Nature & Place competition 2021. In August 2021 he took part in the Postcard Poetry Festival and the chap book that came from that is available at the postcard festival website. https://ppf.cascadiapoeticslab.org/2021/11/08/dave-garbutt-interview/.

He was born less than a mile from where Keats lived in N London and sometimes describes himself as ‘a failed biologist, like Keats’, in the 70’s he moved to Reading until till moving to Switzerland (in 1994), where he still lives. He has found the time since the pandemic very productive as many workshops and groups opened up to non-locals as they moved to Zoom. 

Dave retired from the science and IT world in 2016 and he is active on Twitter, FaceBook, Medium.com, Flickr (he had a solo exhibition of his photographs in March 2017). He leads monthly bird walks around the Birs river in NW Switzerland. His tag is @DavGar51.

-Peter J Donnelly

lives in York where he works as a hospital secretary. He has a degree in English Literature and a MA in Creative Writing from the University of Wales Lampeter. He has been published in various magazines and anthologies including Dreich and Writer’s Egg, where some of these poems have previously appeared. Last year he won second prize in the Ripon Poetry Festival competition.

-Sallyanne Rock

is from the Black Country. Her poetry has been published in various journals and anthologies including Eye Flash, Away With Words, Anthropocene, Finished Creatures, Dear Damsels and 100 Voices. Her work has been displayed alongside The Women’s Quilt at National Trust The Workhouse, Southwell. She was awarded the Creative Future Gold Prize for Poetry in 2019. Her debut pamphlet, Salt & Metal, is published by Fawn Press. Find her on Twitter @sallrockspoetry.

The Interviews

1. What inspired you to write poetry?

I started writing following a difficult relationship breakdown. I was devastated and struggling with the emotional turmoil. Rupi Kaur was just becoming really popular on Instagram and her short simple poems just resonated. I discovered Hollie McNish’s Nobody Told Me around the same time and I found the content and language really relatable. This led me to try to write a few poems myself – they were very raw and I had no real concept of the craft, but it helped me to feel better so I kept doing it. After that I started reading more widely and also connecting with the local poetry scene, going to readings, workshops etc. and at that point writing poetry became a regular thing.

2. Who introduced you to poetry?

I studied A Level English Literature, so that was my first real introduction to poetry. I remember mainly studying Plath, Hughes and Larkin. After college I hardly read any poetry until about 15-20 years later! I was introduced to contemporary poetry mainly through social media and getting involved in the local scene.

3. How aware were you of the dominating presence of older poets?

Not at all really. When I started reading poetry properly I was mainly reading contemporary poets. I feel like poetry is having a revival moment right now, and while the influence of older poets and the canon is always present, I don’t feel like they’re a dominating presence.

4. What is your daily writing routine?

As much as I’d like to, I don’t have one. A full time job and single-parenting two teens takes care of that! Instead I try to carve out as much writing time as I can whenever I can, although this is usually more like weekly than daily. If I have a project on the go I’ll squeeze writing and editing into any available free time.

5. What motivates you to write?

I tend to want to write if I’m moved by something; it could be an event, a story or a memory. Occasionally a poem will just start forming in my head and I have this panic to get it written down before it disappears and that is very motivating! I also love to hear other poets talk about poetry, and I sign up for as many panels and readings as I can. The passion of others always inspires me to develop my own practice.

6. What is your work ethic?

I’m a perfectionist, so I feel the need to work hard and turn in my best effort 100% of the time. I’m aware it’s not healthy and it means that when I’m getting towards the ‘finished’ stage of a poem or book I get a lot of anxiety around it, because I want it to be perfect (and nothing ever is!).

7. How do the writers you read when you were young influence you today?

I’m not sure I am influenced by writers I read when I was young. It’s the writers I’ve discovered in the last 5 years that have made the biggest impact on me and my own writing.

8. Who of today’s writers do you admire the most and why?

There are so many amazing people writing at the moment, it’s hard to narrow it down! I am always inspired by Andrew McMillan, Raymond Antrobus, Anthony Anaxagorou, and Salena Godden. It’s something about their outlook as well as their writing that inspires me; I feel like I can learn so much from them. They always speak with such honesty and passion, both on and off the page. I dearly love poets with a West Midlands or Black Country connection, especially those writing in the Black Country dialect like Emma Purshouse and Liz Berry. Casey Bailey, Roz Goddard and Roy McFarlane are also amazing poets with a local connection. I love to hear them read their work – it feels like coming home. Kim Moore and Helen Mort have been particularly inspiring in my own writing – both poets share with us such powerful insight on women, our place in our society, the male gaze, and the way we have suffered at the hands of a patriarchal system. Finally I have to mention the mighty Joelle Taylor, who is an absolute powerhouse. Just picking up one of her books makes me feel strong.

9. Why do you write?

I just love the whole process, beginning to end. From the initial idea to the scribbled draft, then the crafting of the piece, meticulously replacing one word with another until it works just right, playing with line breaks, changing the shape of the poem on the page, cutting whole stanzas, keeping one line and writing a whole new poem around it. Then the feeling of having written it, having the final form in front of you, and being able to share it with readers and for them to respond to it.

10. What would you say to someone who asked you “How do you become a writer?”

Sit down and start writing, as often as you can, and alongside that, read as much as possible. Consume writing that inspires you, and use that inspiration to build the foundation of your own practice. Sign up for workshops – there’s so much available online now. Join a writing group or sign up with a mentor to give you feedback and guidance. If you want to be published, start looking on social media for submission opportunities in magazines, etc. Find a community of other writers that you can become involved with, either locally or online. So much flows from engaging with the writing community – inspiration, opportunities and support.

11. Tell me about the writing projects you have on at the moment.

My debut pamphlet, ‘Salt & Metal’ has just been published by Fawn Press. It’s an exploration of being in an abusive relationship and the consequences of having lived through it, whilst also looking at the reclamation of the self and finding hope for the future.

Day One