22nd July 2016

Hi All

It’s been a busy time for me as your Community Poet.

I hosted an Open Mic Evening at Gayton Library earlier this week. It was such a hot evening that I didn’t expect too many poets to turn up, but we’re a resilient bunch and there were about twenty of us. Simon is a vivacious story teller and we were entranced with his tales. Also good to see Angela, Joy, Samuel, Heather, Vicki, John, Sharon, Marilyn and many others.

Kenton Library launched their Summer Reading Challenge with The Big Friendly Read and I was invited to run a workshop with some of the children. They wrote poetry and some beautiful pictures were drawn and coloured in. In particular I’d mention Krishay, Joshita, Tiana, Manish, Dhruvi, Tahani, Hasnaa, Abdun, Baasit and Neha.

Manish also entered this month’s Poetry Competition, The Holiday, with a poem about when he went to France with his family. He illustrated it too with a French flag.

And of course, there’s the Poetry Competition. It’s been a wonderful month for poetry with lots of entries on The Holiday. Far too many entrants to mention them all but our runners-up were John Clarke, Naomi Caplin, J D Milaric, Jeffery Edmunds, Peter Collins and Patricia J Tausz.

However, I’m delighted to tell you that our extremely worthy winner this month is Joy Brooks. After reading her poem, I’m sure you’ll agree with me that not only is it well crafted, it’s jolly funny too.

THE HOLIDAY by Joy Brooks

This holiday I’ve taken, is not what it should be,

The hotel stands with forty floors, my suite’s on thirty three,

The lift is out of order, there is no one on the desk,

I’ve been flying here for four hours, I need to take a rest,

The porter says to ‘Please stay calm’ to go and get a drink,

But the bar is full with everyone who are trying to check in,

My luggage is beside me, from the window there’s no beach,

But a view of the new hotel that should be finished by next week,

The menu in the restaurant I cannot understand,

What on earth is (Deep fried clod covered in rich sand)

Now the lift is working, I’m up here looking out,

The sea is in the distance and its blue there is no doubt,

I’ll have to make the best of it, I’m heading down to eat,

I think I’ll try the Deep fried clod, well, it may go down a treat.

I’ll let you see a few other entries in a further blog, but for today, just enjoy Joy’s poem.

Next month’s subject is Pets. Doesn’t mean you have to have one or even like them. Do they make you sneeze or is your home overloaded with cats on every surface? Whatever you think of them, please put your thoughts in a poem of not more than twenty lines by the 18th August.

Enjoy the sun!

Judy