The Poet Continues…..to walk the walk….

Walking the walk......

I saw a man walking today.
We were in the Chrysler 300c, heading to Aldi’s
Via
The deviation
Because of roadworks on  Canwick Hill.

I was coming to a low level bridge
In Washingborough
And saw him
In and out  of the corner
Of an eye.

Why he registered,
I don’t know for sure.

Went on our way,
Shopped at Aldi’s for £64.08p
And got our deisel at Tesco’s.
With the voucher, we saved over £8.00.

We travelled back towards Nocton
Without a hitch at Cannock Hill.

On the outskirts of Branston,
There he was
Again.

The man at the bridge.
How could he have walked so far?
Where was he going?

He was tall, grey haired, long haired
Curley haired,
Dressed mostly in black.
Looked like an ex-rocker.
Head held high aimed at the Horizon.

Was my flitting feeling of jealousy
Something to do with his purpose and gait?
What gracious thoughts had he magiced
Whilst I had been raiding some shelves.

Did I see a pencil sticking out of his top pocket

© Vernon Goddard.

Pimento Poets: A new poem from Paul Mein.

A hero, on the beach, with his granddaughter.



My granddaughter roams, barefoot,
on pooled and seaweed-slippy rocks,
gathering mussels, cockles,
razor clams and small crabs
in a hessian sack, ready for the meal
I promised her.

The pot already boils
on the driftwood fire I made earlier,
hunkered between boulders,
the sea quieted,
the wind calmed,
the voices in my head fogged.

I watch child and tide, one for
carelessness, the other for craftiness.

Catching on the salt air, smoke from the cooking fires,
                       the hum-busy of mothers at the washing place.

I look out distant
to the pounding sea,
grey relentless energy,
shifting presence
breaking rainbowed
on tireless hidden reefs...

...see, through light's bendings,
shades of my long-ago crew
sailing guideless, dark-blind
through sheet-tearing tempest
or rowing backbroken on
oily, becalmed waters,
cracking out 'land ho'
through parched lips,
gapped and scurvied gums,
pale against weather-struck faces,
hard-pulling with saltcracked hands
against an outgoing tide...

my eyes fill, spill from the corners,
trickle to salt-lie on my lips.


“Why are you crying, grandad?”
the child asks. Unnoticed,
she has beaten the tide in
its race to meet me.
I tell her I'm not really;
this is something which happens
sometimes to men who are old and tired.
“But you're not old, grandad,”
her faith in my immortality unshakeable.
“So why are you crying?”

...and I tell her that
their spring is not ours,
their winter dying not the same,
their motion in our space and time
suspended...

But she is busy
showing me the contents
of her forage sack,
asking, “Is the fire on?
Can we cook these now?”
We hold hands on the way back -

I sense her more careful of me,
as if  something settled in her world
has moved slightly, unexpectedly.

I'm pleased to get out of the wind,
away from the sight of open sea,
my vision limited to the fire,
the roil of water in the pot,
my granddaughter watching,
waiting her portion.



©  Paul Mein    20/10/14

Pimento Poets: A poem by Ron Booth.

Dance with me………..

Dance with death the voice says
Take the blade and dance with me,
I will end your misery;
Take this chance and dance with me,
My music can be so soothing
As we are slowly moving
To the tune I play.
Dance with me untill the end
I will calm your troubled mind,
So unwind and let me soothe you,
Let me move you
As we dance to emotion
you will have this notion
Of ending time,
So dance with me.
The blade is inviting,
Exciting me into dancing deaths tune.
I swoon and sway as I dance away,
In this hypnotic trance; I dance.
Dancing on into the night,
As death whispers in my ear
"your life will soon be ending."
Dance with me untill the end
I will calm your troubled mind,
So unwind and let me soothe you,
Let me move you
As we dance to emotion
You will have this notion
Of ending time,
So dance with me.
With blade in hand I say goodbye
As I'm invited to do deaths calling.
No more tormented by lifes undoing
Screwing me up inside my head.
Life has been so unkind,
So I unwind and prepare to be free.
Dance with me untill the end
I will calm your troubled mind,
So unwind and let me soothe you,
Let me move you
As we dance to emotion
You will have this notion
Of ending time,
So dance with me.
Dance with me no more!
The door has been opened
Step over and come on in,
Welcome to deaths glory
Oh how, they will tell your story;
Of someone with a troubled mind.

© Ron Booth
17.3.2014

St Mary Magdalene Church, Lincoln, UK.

English: St Mary Magdalene. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The event at St Mary Magdalene Church  by Pimento Poets accompanied by the Hungate Singers on Sunday 2nd November, was a considerable success.

A 'full house' were treated to some beautiful singing and poetry all commemorating the First World War.

Meet the Poets: Vernon Goddard

                                                                 

                                                                    Vernon Goddard


Vernon is Welsh, married, a grandfather and currently living in Nocton. His poetry is mainly about childhood, places he has lived, people he has met. His current themes are around memory, relationships, family and the passing of time.

He has worked in education as Teacher, Lecturer, Principal of Cowbridge Community College and Director of Dyffryn Conference Centre and Botanical Gardens. Towards the end of his career he joined Lloyds Bank as Senior Manager, Operations, running its Management Centre in Surrey. At the time of the merger with TSB he ran all their Training establishments at Kingswood, Solihull, Telford and Guildford. At the time of retirement, on Millenium night, he project managed the Year 2000 operation for the Bank.

His favourite poets are John Clare, T.S.Eliot, Dylan Thomas, John Betjeman, and Ted Hughes.

The Pimento group of poets has been an ideal  platform for developing and expanding his work and the further understanding of the nature and purposes of the written word.

Meet the Poets: The Pimento Poets….at the Drill Hall, Lincoln - 25th October, 2014.

Paul , Sue, Nic, Vernon, Susan, John and Maureen......performing for Pimento poets....at the Drill hall as part of the Sound Festival, Lincoln.....

This Sunday: 2nd November at St Mary Magdalene Church starting at 3.00 pm…...

SUNDAY 2 NOVEMBER,  3.00 - 5.00pm                                                         

(including interval with tea & cake)

‘Long Time Passing’ – A Century of Wars

PIMENTO POETS with HUNGATE SINGERS

At  ST MARY MAGDALENE CHURCH, BAILGATE,  LINCOLN  LN1 3AR

(on the corner of Castle Square, near the Tourist Information Centre) 

An afternoon of Poetry & Song including popular songs from WW1 & WW2, folk songs and original poetry from Pimento Poets’ new book, ‘Long Time Passing’.

No need to book, just come along!   Retiring Collection.

Pimento Poets at the Drill Hall on 25th October, 2014…..

From left to right:

Back row: John, Susan, Paul and Vernon.
Front row: Nic, Sue and Maureen.

Smiles all round from the Pimento poets before their readings at the Drill Hall as part of the Sound Festival, Lincoln.

Long Time Passing - A century of Wars…….Sunday, 2nd November 2014…….Starts at 3 p.m…...

English: Flower of a Poppy (Papaver rhoeas) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

‘Long Time Passing’ – A Century of Wars

PIMENTO POETS with HUNGATE SINGERS

At  ST MARY MAGDALENE CHURCH, BAILGATE,  LINCOLN  LN1 3AR

(on the corner of Castle Square, near the Tourist Information Centre) 

An afternoon of Poetry & Song including popular songs from WW1 & WW2, folk songs and original poetry from Pimento Poets’ new book, ‘Long Time Passing’.

No need to book, just come along!   Retiring Collection.

SUNDAY 2 NOVEMBER,  3.00 - 5.00pm                                                         

(including interval with tea & cake)

Pimento Poets perform at the Drill Hall Lincoln: SATURDAY 25th October, 2014

SATURDAY 25 OCTOBER,  10.30 - 12noon

LINCOLN DRILL HALL, Freeschool Lane, LINCOLN,  LN2 1EY

part of SONOPHILIA sound festival

Readings from ‘Long Time Passing’, plus Amie Slavin’s sound installation, ‘Other Ranks’, marking Remembrance Month in this First World War Centenary year.

www.sonophilia.co.uk 

Tel. Lincoln Drill Hall,  01522  873894 

An opportunity to hear the latest poertry from Pimento poets. Members will read from their latest publication: "Long Time Passing".

Selections from Paul Mein, Maureen Sutton, Nic Lance, Vernon Goddard, Susan Flower, John Malvert and Susan Wallace with an opportunity to question the poets about their work.

Meet the Poets.

I will be profiling members of the Pimento poets group over the next few weeks. Watch out for information concerning each of our writers and performers.

Long Time Passing - a century of wars.

World War I Daily Mail Official War Photograph, Series 21, No. 165, titled "The last state of Morval". The obverse carries the following information: "Passed by Censor" and "The Germans had turned this village into a veritable fortress. Our victorious soldiers found it in this terrible condition." (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

'Long Time Passing - a century of wars',  is a collection of poetry by members of the Pimento Poets in Lincoln.

It is edited by Nic Lance and Susan Wallace and contains poetry by Maureen Sutton, Susan Flower, Susan Harr, Colin Mason, Paul Mein, Nic Lance, Gerry Miller, Celia McCulloch, John Malvert, Vernon Goddard and Susan Wallace.

Pimento Poets will be performing some of this work during Autumn at various venues around Lincolnshire. Please see a previous posting for details. You are welcome to join us in our commemoration of the First World war.

Copies of the book are available to purchase at the Pimento Tearooms, 26-27 Steep Hill, Lincoln LN2 1LU

Pimento Poets' Events : Autumn 2014

PIMENTO POETS' EVENTS     AUTUMN 2014

WEDNESDAY 15 OCTOBER,  2.00 - 4.00pm

‘War Stories...’

SPILSBY THEATRE, Lincolnshire, as part of WOLDS WORDS FESTIVAL

Church Street, Spilsby  PE23 5DY

In E. Lincolnshire, between Horncastle & Skegness

Pimento Poets perform poignant war stories from their latest book ‘Long Time Passing’, reflecting on 100 years of wars since 1914 – from the Munitionettes on the Home Front to WW1 trenches, from D-Day to drones.  This dramatic story-telling begins with a previously unpublished first-hand account of WW1 which takes place just 22 days after the start of the war on the western front.  More stories gradually unfold and transport you...

Tickets online from www.woldswords.org.uk  via Event Brite and your tickets will be emailed to you.  

or  Tel.  07917 758008   (Mon- Friday, 9am to 5pm)

SATURDAY 25 OCTOBER,  10.30 - 12noon

LINCOLN DRILL HALL, Freeschool Lane, LINCOLN,  LN2 1EY

part of SONOPHILIA sound festival

Readings from ‘Long Time Passing’, plus Amie Slavin’s sound installation, ‘Other Ranks’, marking Remembrance Month in this First World War Centenary year.

www.sonophilia.co.uk 

Tel. Lincoln Drill Hall,  01522  873894 

SUNDAY 2 NOVEMBER,  3.00 - 5.00pm                                                         

(including interval with tea & cake)

‘Long Time Passing’ – A Century of Wars

PIMENTO POETS with HUNGATE SINGERS

At  ST MARY MAGDALENE CHURCH, BAILGATE,  LINCOLN  LN1 3AR

(on the corner of Castle Square, near the Tourist Information Centre) 

An afternoon of Poetry & Song including popular songs from WW1 & WW2, folk songs and original poetry from Pimento Poets’ new book, ‘Long Time Passing’.

No need to book, just come along!   Retiring Collection.