Commonword Blogs

'Blog us a poem'. Tis a reply to that (request).

Didn't think I'd do it

Peers of the realm may these days lie more easily in their beds of a Sunday morning ...
Instead of worrying what the Papers may or may not say
They're now free for more excruciating play

[An oldish joke goes: Daddy!! Daddy! you're in the news!! (Good News) (Bad news - it's the News of the World)]

A Wedding: Manchester Mela always combines brilliance with chaos. It’s drenching hot. Round about 1pm, as the streets are already in party mode, a cavalcade of wedding cars comes swaggering up. The wedding goers stage an impromptu wedding dance session in the middle of the road. My four year old daughter loves it. She’s got a grandstand view as she’s on my shoulders.

Or just very short poems. Actually I'm interested in at what point something becomes a poem and my way of investigating this is to write poems that if they were any shorter wouldn't be poems. The question are what makes something a poem, and also is it possible to agree that a piece is or isn't a poem? I have a feeling some of what I consider poetry other people wouldn't.

More alive this place now.I know I don't have to write a blog everyday. And when I don't blog I don't write apart from that. Mainly the writing now as I've said is tytping up into proper order one's backcatalogue! Priority. Write up 3 or 4 today

Pete Kalu siad 'blog us a poem' few days ago, I said No ungraciously. Came near to putting something on here poem-style. I've not the time to have crafted something properly so I thought, it was to be lines thrown on here - which given loads loads of time could be fashioned...

And that was the first lesson I learnt in Novel writing. Apparently, you have 3 minutes. Probably less. In that time the words on the first page of your first chapter need to have reached out, grabbed the reader by the collar and shook the life out of them. Beat them. Spat on them. Raped them. Abused them. Or lured them with the promise of… anything that isn’t normal. It seems people are less willing to spend fictional time with normal people, let alone fork out £7.99 to do so.
All first drafts are excrement said Hemmingway.

The Novel starts in 2002 after a chance encounter with a stolen Marechera.
Almost every Zimbabwean writer of my generation has either worshipped or imitated Marechera at any one point. I was one of them. I was 16, reeling from the discovery of the dark foundations underpinning my relationship with the world. 16 and shocked by my place in the mother country - African at best, Zimbabwean at worst. I6; fresh out of the Zimbabwean school curriculum, free to read as I pleased:

The Kunda Sisters did an extract their new show Blue Black Sister last Saturday at the Royal Exchange Manchester. It was a multi media spoken word piece using projected photographic art work and motion picture.

It went really well, the tickets were sold out a week in advance! it was really hard work and we all gav it everything w had and it paid off. We had fantastic feedback and it was well worth the sweat.

Hopefully, we should be doing a full length version next year.

Best Moment:
A large glass of wine after a rapturous applause

Worst Moment:

Bosnian ex-leader caught bang-to-rights after 10 years on the run. With long beard, kind-of Moses look he was difficult to spot in his alternative practitioner restyling. All Alternative therapists with facial hair - of either sex - might instantly have started feeling paranoid. When Saddam first left the palaces and President Bush was after him etc; he'd left no official notification of his itinerary, my friend at work, Ron Limb would say 'he might be working here'.

The guys I go to see, couple of them, big enough names I s'pose, have their housekeeping in good order so to express it.

It's not just if you fancy it; it's probably vital. Everything typed-out, must be the way. When you're at a jig, gig pardon me I'm doing, the folder might well be with me everything, in it. One can 'forget' important bits otherwise

Yeah, writing these is orienting

Simply, so. The last few have been about the value of these can't help noticing

See you soon. If I write a blog I can't escape the thought I should be writing. If I don't write a blog I can escape the thought I should be writing. Simply.

See u soon

20 days or so since the blog-diary's been going; realised it's longest I've kept up a journal probably

Great exercise it's meant to be for several reasons. Always most interesting seeing these old scraps of broken-off unkept-up dairies. Got something out of it for sure

On to some work - see you soon

I was in two minds about mentioning the passer-by in the last photo, but since you ask, Ghostly! She is most likely a student- there are many around Rusholme. She looks boldly into the camera, with some amusement on her face: Why is some Rasta guy photographing an empty bench early in the morning? People told me Rusholme was full of crazies but...

Get into something Today.

Passed-up on Manky Poets Chorlton last night. Won't always do that I 'spect.

Seconds ago I hit the Banish button on an email that'd got past the spam filter. It was a CON one; where they up front say 'This isn't a get rich quick scheme'. It's the only kind I'm interested in they should know.

Naturally to get past one there's mock honesty.

Mandela's Birthday

Yesterday, might have gone to FREED UP(Poetry night at the Green Room).

Anyway, todays...

Why Energized? Newspapers I do not read. The nearest I get to their fare really is from glancing at the Headlines from Hotmail/MSN. Most intrigued by Header about Hot Metal Monk.

Certainly worth reading that. 62 year-old Monk (with a bunch of young chaps) is on his second Heavy Metal album

When he turned-up, audition-wise; they had their doubts. Dispelled in minutes. Yep, Brother Metal as he's been dubbed seems as though he's the real deal folks.

Writing a blog has brought into accurate alignment a couple of points made on different days. Not my Philosophy of Life/Living but in that area most definitely.

And, visit to Commonword yesterday evening very good

See you soon

Missed yesterday's. Busyness. Tonight's (at Commonword) looks alright; should! be there.

Cheers

Meant to scope out some gigs, one or so I s'pose for this week. Lost in work. Noted that Anwen's LAMPList has Central Library listing. Will have seen it earlier,..Getting back to work now. A Rich poet is the last thing anybody wants/needs to be Less close attendance to the day job will be nice...

Trailed, yes. Earlier I spoke of a bit I'd meant to write. It's been playing over (and over) in my mind.

We'll see. And near the end of a re-playing I thought on the fact that shepherds get spoken of here and there, fairly often. Many many places throughout the musical universe

I don't believe tenders of goats get any kind of look-in at all. Except Richard Rogers penned a ditty.

Pakistan.
The photo is of one of the Pro Democracy protest that took place on the streets of Islamabad in October 07. The people there were brave, to risk jobs, security in the name of Democracy.

I stayed in a small village about 100 miles from Islamabad with a friend. In the dusk, we were walking, pretty much aimlessly, perhaps he was calling on a few friends. Below are some impressions. I often keep scrapbooks of impressions, and use them later when I write a short story or something...

The buzz of electricity on the cable overhead

Realish.

Today visit Central Lib. Poetry thing 6:00 to 7:30 - some such timing

Over the weekend suss Real Stuff, Writeoutloud/Lamplist. Actual Working

Goatta Go. Wondered remotely where writing a blog might provide an alibi. Better just live a morally pure life and the likes...

Goatta Go

There is something about this bench. A futuristic steel thing, dropped outside a sighing local pub and a hoarded off patch of derelict land, the hoarding lurching into the back of the sitter. Its one of the few places you can sit outside in Rusholme without smoking a shisha pipe. Early morning, there was an man there, nestled between the pub and the screaming dance posters, very early morning, just him there, and me walking towars him on my way to the bus stop.

I'm seldom moved.

Rogers has done it - was very moved by something he said/way he said it

The chap who co-wrote musicals

It was my intention to take-off one of his writings.

Distracted by yesterday's encounter

Important

(Making space for chats)

He's written glancingly, tangentially of a '4 legged friend' who has been referenced by me occasionally here

Scrambled, or brief note, then I'll leave

Had it in mind to check the schedule for Commonword-Wednesday evening, 9th. Was catching-up on work. Didn't do it

I was going to put this in the blog for tomorrow. I can't wait to write it up, write it down, out of the way

I met up with a friend I was concerned I might not meet again possibly.
We worked at a place mentioned earlier in these...

To cap a great meet she tells me of a shop she's visited, at Trinity Square apparently. For the lady with a lot

BRA-VISSIMO

We need to keep this store's signage around forever

Goatta-go

FOREVER GREEN is the venue I went to and reported on on resuming the blog. It's not only a perfect location for events artistic but quaintly (and quite prettily) placed. Most fascinating to me was that you're very near to it and local people are unable to direct you. "I've lived here all my lilfe and I've never heard of it" kind of business. On the shortish windy lane where it is one guy knew exactly where it was. Twenty to 30 yards from him the person asked had heard of it but didn't want to tell me wrong.

Any unusual or hard-to-locate venues any of us have been to?

Listen to Al Green's 'Amazing Grace' before you're older. Please

Yesterday I heard it on a radio station. Nice, gorgeo..Get a copy...

Another thing: promise broken folks. I said I wouldn't be quoting those FANTASMAGORICAL! FACTS Books at you

I won't do this too much - promise!

The value of arms exports to the UK economy annually is £6bn

The value of exports from the Creative Industries, to the UK economy annually is £90bn.

The sublime to ...this which let's presume is thoroughly authenticated: