The tower pictured above is of the Tyndale Monument. This is situated north of Bristol, on the Cotswolds escarpment, above the village of North Nibley. The tower was built in Victorian times, for it was only then that people realised the extent of Tyndale’s influence over, and contribution to, the English of the King James’s Bible. At that time, North… continue reading
Tag arts
The Parrot, the Cage and the Pulpit
… The Soaring Bird
The soaring bird did ok last night. It soared all round the Clifton branch of Waterstones. So did the name of the late Pat Boyden, to whom the book is dedicated. Even Maybot and the American Minotaur made an appearance, since this is the world we live in now, but they were each well in control for a change… continue reading
Of Animal and Other Meetings Book Launch
The book itself is already online and for sale on this blog to the right of the home page.
It is a collaboration between me, the author of the poems, and the members/artists of the Portugal Prints community, who produced the illustrations. Portugal Prints is based in Camden and run by Brent, Camden and Westminster Mind. PP community members and… continue reading
Parrot on the People’s March
The people marching in London today were without a prime minister, or a leader of the opposition, or for that matter an effective political party to represent their interests. With jumped up fantasists from the bottom league running this nation, the people out on the streets today were giants and restored the nation’s honour, reminding the world and ourselves of… continue reading
National Poetry Day
The UK’s National Poetry Day took place on Thursday 4th October. The given theme was “change” – which seemed topical enough. I took real and enormous pleasure in spending some of the day in St Katherine’s School in Pill, on the outskirts of Bristol. I was acting as poet-in-very-temporary-residence, a public position with a slightly hazy job description, but one… continue reading
… The Parrot Seeks a Cage
Here is that parrot again, bird of paradise, thundering from his cage in rhyme royal, claiming his liberty to speak his truth. He fears for his young and sees no true or worthy leaders anywhere, merely creatures of self-interest seeking their own gain from our flounderings in the valley of the shadow…
Or put it another way : where’s the… continue reading
Parrot Addenda
Since the Summer of 2018, I have been writing a series of stanzas in rhyme royal, mostly on the subject of Brexit. Each has been written as a separate item, rather than as part of a longer poem. They were produced in response to, and often very soon after, various events and announcements that occurred during the weeks concerned, in… continue reading
The Crier Frets
They keep coming, still in Rhyme Royal. Once it was the parrot who begged liberty to speak. But now he’s become the town crier, in a cage, caught in a storm. Today’s stanza was brought to mind by a good piece by Matthew d’Ancona. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/aug/05/networked-far-right-tommy-robinson It was featured in The Guardian, today.… continue reading