Tag: language
-
The Bird of Paradise Danced Last Night
Posted:
The poet John Skelton lived in the reign of Henry 8th. He apparently wrote his satirical poem “Speak, Parrot” in the precincts of Westminster, from the sanctuary still precariously available in the minster there. In the poem, Galathea is a lady in waiting who plies the parrot with almonds and dates, as she tries to…
-
The Parrot, the Cage and the Pulpit
Posted:
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…
-
The Soaring Bird
Posted:
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…
-
Of Animal and Other Meetings Book Launch
Posted:
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.…
-
National Poetry Day
Posted:
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…
-
Parrot Finds Honour Lying Forgotten Among Our Ruins…
Posted:
… and knows that honour must be the foundation of any future we might have. The Background : This latest little poem records actual events and an eloquent speech in the UK’s House of Commons in the Spring of 2015. For a video of an excerpt of the speech, see : https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-32073791 For an article…