poetry

Current Disturbance- a poem

Hi there, One last poem I had forgotten about from my trip to the Tate Britain. This one is based on Mona Hatoum’s installation made up of wood and wire coops with light bulbs flaring and switching on and off. The electrical hum put me in mind of David Lynch, as did the varying contrast […]

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The Field of Waterloo- a poem

Hi there, Another day, another poem. This one is based on JMW Turner’s beautiful picture, The Field of Waterloo (1818). I’d never noticed this picture before I saw it last weekend. Lovely. The Field of Waterloo Minister to them,The fallen; intermingled colours,Joined in death as an endless host,Indistinguishable,Red favours adorn them all, Kindled light of […]

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Miss Lloyd- a poem

Hi there, Another poem with a very different subject from the Tate. This is based on James Tissot’s painting from 1876, Summer (Portrait). Miss Lloyd Stay, You cannot come,It cannot be,I dress for another,Promenade for anotherStay your declarations,Your protestations,Your talk of love,Feelings are useless to me,Useless as the shade I carry,That cannot halt the punishing […]

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Weathered – a poem

Hi there, Another poem with a very different subject from the Tate. This is based on John Everett Millais’ painting from 1874, The Northwest Passage. Weathered He cannot tell it,Aged Captain wants for wordsDaughter reads instead the tale,Of each knot tied, each wave ridden,Feeling through pages stained with salt spray, His record; this man,Removed from […]

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Into Jalalabad – a poem

Hi there, A second poem with a very different subject from the Tate. This is based on Elizabeth Butler’s painting from 1879, The Remnants of an Army. Just a couple of haikus. Into Jalalabad Beaten beyond hope,Ragged mount can bear no more,Return him in shame. Dust disturbed for nought,Settled after marching feet,Shifting now for what? […]

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The Doctor – a poem

Hi there, Got some inspiration today. I spent the day editing The Ardenna Crossing: A Thousand White Fragments, but also had the chance to mooch around The Tate Britain for a good while, taking in some pictures and generating some ideas. I have a few to come, but this is the first, based on Luke […]

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A Couple of Random poems

I happened to have a bit of time and came up with these. Lacking inspiration, I chose random words out of books on a shelf, wrote them down on lines one under the other, then made lines out of each them. This was the result. I’ve HIGHLIGHTED the individual words that I started with: don’t […]

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Live Performance in Staines – 12 November

Hi all, I’ll be in Staines on the evening of 12th November performing one of my poems at the Laureate’s Lounge Open Mic event. Details are below. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0afgjPfG31wemg8t1DUS4qRvikbhzJs2JGZdMVzFr5YobbyVdySNHhwVyZdGW4rAbl&id=61558521552784 Use the link above to find tickets. General admission is free I think. Hope to see some of you there. Cheers, Richard

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