Commonword Blogs

It pleases me that the poetry reading is in a library. I imagine a small audience and when I walk into the room on time to find only fellow poet Nabila and her family, the emptiness lends an air of confidence to the soul. It hovers, expands. 30 minutes later the same soul has shrunk at the sight of the growing audience. The event begins and Anjum introduces Nabila. Beside me sit Kervin Charles and Tachia Newall, both experienced poets. I watch her as she stands up, smiles, reads. I hear nothing of the poetry I normally enjoy.

I grew up by this river, and my feelings for it are so shifting and fathomless that I feel I will write poems about it some day. The thought first struck me when I came across Langston Hughes 'river' poem. I thought it was one of the most moving poems of all time. How could I ever describe a river after having read Langston's poem? And yet, and yet.

Well, I knew it was at least a couple of weeks since I'd last (and first) posted on this blog, but said post is dated 2nd of July! Surely it's not been over a month since I wrote something here? No, fortunately it's just a technical glitch, which I don't know how to rectify, making me look slacker than I am. As if I need any help. But yes, it has been a few weeks since I wrote, well, anything really.

Last Monday just gone I was at the Central Library. At lunchtime they had a couple of Lithuanian poets there.We're honoured to have thes people come over for us to sample their stuff (Then they went to Edinburgh after)

I would have gone anyway but I was especially enthused as a man I read a lot of passed on just recently. Solzhenitsyn. I was keen to tie up what S is supposed to have done with his writings, one particular poet who was writing in Russia at Solzhenitsyn's time, and what these Lithuanian chaps were about

Please bear with me folks. I do have a 'proper entry' - pressed for time this minute tho.( Pressed for time)

Just saw the tale of Lorna Page, her real name presumably. Just had her 1st book published at 93.

Will leave it at that...

Ed!

I base the novel on fact. Little boys and girls forced to watch the rapes of their mothers, sisters and grandmothers by soldiers of a new African government. The questions: What is the psychological effect of this on these boys? How does this affect their future relationships with not only women but also their own penises? I dig deeper: Why do soldiers in conflict resort to rape in the first place? Is this just an army-taught tactic or the result of Me Tarzan you jane social engineering? If it is then does it have to be an endless cycle? If not then who will put a stop to it?

A friend recently gave me her tongue in cheek decoding of the terms’ meanings. What do you think? Add any further definitions via ‘comments’!:

Established writer
One who is able to pay utility bills without recourse to Cash Generator or night time working.
One who receives royalty payments that would afford a half decent second hand car out of Loot.
One who has received over fifty rejection letters from publishers.

Emerging Writer

Jordan, the model, paid out six thousand
At some lah-di-dah function - horses and stuff
They turned her down.
Is it that maybe, she hadn't paid them enough?

Then again
I recall a couple of years back
Having coughed-up twelve grand for a similar do
Was informed the tickets must have got lost in the post
I didn't fuss tho.
Would you?

It's only money.

My Mother died in 1995. I was very young.
Months later, I sat in a classroom trying to describe the scene. My first attempt at independent creative writing.
Fast Forward to May, 2008. I’m in London, reaching for my vibrating phone. The message pops up on the screen before fading into the background: Yahoo Email. Anjum Malik. Usual niceties. Point: Poetry Reading in Rochdale. Pete said you dabble. Interested?

Scrubbed Up,
Karadzic bears a stunning resemblance
To an ex-leading politico - now one of our Peers
Should he beat the rap over in wherever
I wouldn't bet against him having a future here.