Humans, just figures in headlights and rear-view mirrors:
targets, possessions, poisons.
Trading familiarity for quantity,
no purpose, no own route,
no added aroma.
Weighted down, heave and hard as metal.
…….
Design the new cycle –
Job? Serve, embrace, listen.
___
This is what I call fun! Although I ended up with a rather dystopian poem.
I would love to do this in the proper cut-words-our-of-newspapars way but I don’t have any at hand. Instead I used a book (no scissors were called into action). I bought this book about three years ago and is still pristine as the day it came home with me. It is called ‘Periodic Tales: The Curious Lives of the Elements‘ by Hugh Aldersay-Williams. And I have no idea why I haven’t read it yet. I don’t have an explanation.
I was very torn whether or not to include a comment on this poem or not. Especially because instead of talking about the environmental crisis we are in and which I’ve tried to express in my poem – I actually wanted to mention fingers as tools for communication. I did a writing course few year back and there was a girl (whose name I don’t remember and it is driving me absolutely crazy) who was and I guess still is a puppeteer. She also was and I hope still is an amazingly talented poet. I loved her poems. I will never forget a line she wrote ‘my hand is a naked puppet’ and it was the first thing that popped in my head when I read the assignment for today. I’m sure you know someone who ‘talks with their hands’, use them to emphasise emotion and when you are in different country and don’t speak the language – how many times have you used the pointing technique? Fingers have their own voice – whether it is the official sign language or one that we use without even realising.
I jumped on the busy train to Brighton
Gatwick airport – finally got seat
Mildly lost my way to hostel
But not too lost to hurt my feet
The bunk bed squeaked with every turn
Scared to move, just wished for sleep
My bed fellow’s and mine ears burned
Both nervous about - BEEP BEEP BEEP
I was up at six, pretty ready if you ask
Changed into my running gear
Mind focussed to task
Made my porridge and my tea
The morning was frosty but sunny
And the Brighton beach serene
Crowds started to gather quickly
Soon the pens resembled sardines
Ten, nine, eight and so on till start
The elite sprinted - we not so much
Four minutes when we finally crossed the start
Off we went with James, our 2hours pacers lad
First mile, damn it’s crowded -
kept following the purple flag
Mile two and the ascend started
And didn’t finish till 4 and half
Narrow routes and elbows fights
Everyone wanted to go downhill fast
I said good bye to the pacer group
found a gap and zigzagged past
I chose my pace and stuck to it
Mile five, the gel was out
Mile six – almost half way there
Seventh came and went
I chose my pace and stuck to it
Except when the cold wind bit
My wind jacket's bound too tight
Round my waist, had to stop to clear the mess
Mile eight I felt bit bored
Water station after ninth
Sipped and sucked another gel
Blackcurrant! What was I thinking?
Mile ten, just three too go
Mile eleven, almost home
Mile twelve when I saw the purple flag
So I sped up
Mile thirteen and my lugs now hurt
I could see the finish line
Few more steps and I’ll have my medal
Here I go - my first sub 2 half!
__
Ok, I admit I lost the ballad-y feel pretty early on and I am very much distracted and happy about my first sub two hours half marathon – that was yesterday 1:58:42 in Brighton so please forgive me 🙂
I seek the sadness in the crowd of seven faces
I'm surprised by so many.
As a child I prayed every night
I asked God for forgiveness that only I could give
- but how do you forgive fear?
I stand inside this dead house sheltering
my heart colder than the frigid limbs hidden
in the coffin
Maybe one day I will forgive
but not today. The dead body will not change it.
Then I remember.
You are still alive.
––––
I’m having so much fun attending this writing class – I’m looking forward to the weekend just to read some of the other poems and meet new people. I have only managed a fraction so far and I am impressed by the talent that is here. Well done you folks!
