Poetry
You Can’t Cook a Poem Like An Egg!
Ingredients:
* Words, freshly laid in your heart’s hearing
ensure they’re free range
not stopped by the glottal of mundane life
* Freshly squeezed passion
* An abundance of ideas
* Emotions – a pint or two
* Sprinkling of commas
* Teaspoon of full stops
* Time measureless
* One Laptop or PC
* Notepad and pen
Preparation:
Close the door,
switch off the mobile
and yesterday’s unfinished tasks.
Remove the mask of doing, doer
sit carefully and comfortably
undisturbed,
fresh tea, coffee, a glass of wine to hand.
Caution: keep the critic out of The Poet’s Kitchen.
Instructions:
Pour ideas into your creative bowl.
Crack open the words and stir gently.
Pour in emotions engaged in memories.
Add a smidgen of colourful vocabulary
tho’ this isn’t always necessary.
Mix, taste, adjust.
Leave to stand.
Sip tea,
Stand, stretch, have a pee!
Dream and drift,
As you sift
these first stirrings.
Go walkabout!
Listen to the cat purr; count raindrops,
Ponder, reflect but remember,
you can’t cook a poem like an egg.
Let it simmer in the slow heat
of your unconscious mind.
Return.
Sieve cold commas, fruity full stops,
exuberant exclamation marks, one or two will do.
Read.
Now carefully lay your mixture on to your laptop or PC.
Set at one and half line spacing.
It is now in need of some correction
stirred by your laid back reflection;
type, delete,
ignore being neat.
It is now in need of more correction,
stirred by your critic’s interjection;
type, delete, try being neat.
Use butter greased verse cutters,
Stifle the critic’s mutters.
Save.
Turn down the flame of your inspiration.
Hungrily print out,
Smothering the doubt
that your poem is half baked.
Read.
Nod sagely, sip dregs of wine.
Relax.
You know you’ve cooked your poem.
Serve with no garnish, just as it is.
When Poetry Collides With Business
When poetry collides with business
there is a sound of heartbeat drumming,
cymbals rockin’,
rappers joshing,
as the rhythm riffs releases the work mask,
an emergence of blocks to the immediate task
cuts through
muddle knotted tired thinking,
yells of
‘lifebelts ahoy we may be sinking’.
When business collides with poetry,
tilts the wheel to traverse the overwhelm,
lowers the mainsail of the mundane –
heave ho the anchor of ‘let’s stay the same’;
heed the squall shout:
‘no time to take stock!’
dodge the drench
of intellectual shock,
there’s a compass shift
to dream and drift,
mid brain engages,
soft hands the tiller
away from:
‘that’s a useful time filler’!
When poetry collides with business
solutions spray, soar, sparkle spun –
teams set sail on turbulent oceans
to the phoenix rise of love in motion,
united in a spirit flowing
to the treasure buried they are going,
released from the stuck internal mess
calling to a sunrise of success.
Shout The Sun
(for Liam, aged 11)
This was written to help a young friend through a tough time but its guidance is as applicable to grown ups as it is to children!
When life is tough
and full of stuff
not wanted,
scheme a dream!
Hullabaloo!
Yip yap!
Rip rap!
Twist and shout!
There’ll be no doubt
you’ll win through.
When you’re stuck
in a rut
with a belly
full of jelly
that turns you inside up,
take a drop of joy,
become your favourite toy.
Leap and lark
from dawn til dark,
look up not down,
be the clown.
Wander barefoot in the sand,
feel the fun inside your hand!
Plick pluck it,
tuck it
under your chin,
take a break,
be a snake,
wiggle your toe,
then let go!
Shout the sun!
Be your fun!
Sparkle star on the beach,
nothing is ever out of reach.