Wave Silo

These few lines were composed for Stephen and Sandra Cole, members of the Bardic College of Ynys Witrin, on the occasion of their handfasting on the Fair Field at Glastonbury Tor today. They are pictured here 'jumping the broomstick' as part of the ceremony. Stephen is British and Sandra is from Mexico - by extension, this short verse is meant for everyone in a cross-border relationship. This love has beaten national notions This love has overcome the ocean This love has defeated Theresa May This love has conquered all, today. - The mention in the third line of this short verse, of the name of our current Home Secretary in the United Kingdom, Theresa May, has a particular relevance in this country and at this time - but I hope that Bards and others will feel able to recite these lines at all times and in all places to honour the additional challenges that couples in cross-border relationships must face. The name 'Theresa May' here stands for all national officials a

Sat in the court room Where they were deciding The immigration status of our distant family members, All I could think was - The animal carvings, The stained glass windows, The dignified procedure, The grandeur of the court... ...how I wished she was there to see it too.

Saturday February 6th - National Libraries Day Lots of things going on in Somerset Libraries and around the UK for National Libraries Day. As Bard of Glastonbury, I'll be reading poems from the books on the shelves in Glastonbury [Public] Library all day. Come and find me for a one-to-one reading (or one-to-several if I get a crowd). 10am - 4pm (but I'll take breaks when I feel like it!). Street Library is also launching a creative writing competition the same day, which I'm picking the poetry winner for. From noon on the same day there is a fundraising tribute to David Bowie taking place in the shop window of Cancer Research UK on Glastonbury High Street. I'll be reading 'I Was Pianos' - my cut-up tribute to Bowie - as part of the event. Wednesday February 24th - Read Aloud Day I'm taking part in World Read Aloud Day for Library of Avalon . I'm not sure exactly what format this will take... but it will definitely involve me reading aloud...

“This is the way I do cut-ups - I don’t know if it’s like the way Brion Gysin does his, or Burroughs does his, I don’t know. But this is the way I do it” - David Bowie I Was Pianos (After W.H. Auden's 'Funeral Blues') Coffin, doves, black and dead, Cut off the wood, Pour away the mourners: Everyone's in gloves tonight And every dog's in love. Would the stars see me now? Pack up the traffic. Bring out the ocean. At noon I want a juicy rest With nothing overhead. Let the white necks of policemen Sing songs to my wrong. Stop the turning circle, Put out my telephone. Silence all the midnight, The midnight from my bone. Put crepe bows round the message: "Can Sunday come?" I was pianos. Let aeroplanes wear moaning, With a sky-working week. I thought: South, sun, Cotton, West, my East, Scribbling on the clocks, And my public He was good, and... With my muffled talk, Dismantle the moon. For now, prevent the last. Come North, barking, and drum f

Back in September 2015, I launched my writing residency at Library of Avalon. Part of the idea of the residency was that I would report back on what I was doing... well, we're three sessions in, so long past due for an update. At my first session proper (after a small workshop on the launch afternoon), on 23rd September, I was taken aback by the popularity of the event. I'd pictured myself sat quietly and more or less in solitude in a corner at the Library, taking my time to explore... in fact, I had a good half a dozen other people there with me - mostly for the whole three hours. I was coming in with what I hoped was an open mind as to the possibility of what might happen - in fact, this is the approach I try to take each session. I don't go in with anything much of a plan. I go to see what I will find. And - I found these people. So, for most of the session, we chatted, introducing ourselves to each other and casually sharing thoughts about writing. At one point, one