At our previous meetings
At our February meeting our theme was food and feasting.
Among other poems we shared were 'The Clean Platter' by Ogden Nash, 'This is just to say' by William Carlos Williams, 'Scotch Broth' by Robert Crawford, 'Blue Berries' by Robert Frost, and 'Fish and Chips' by Mark R. Slaughter.
Two members shared poems they had written.
Toast.
One of the foodstuffs I like the most
Is modest, accessible, reliable toast.
There's something to suit everyone in society
Though simple, it's open to immense variety.
Cheese on toast, beans on toast, simple is good
Have both together if you're in the mood.
Toast is tolerant of all kinds of clutter
Jam, Marmite, marmalade, peanut butter.
Boiled eggs and soldiers set you up for the day
Toast and butter at bedtime keep the munchies away.
If you're an insomniac and up in the night
Decaff tea and toast will keep you just right.
If you're post-op or nauseous or down with the flu
Toast is a kind food that will come to your rescue
But if you're well, it can dress up and shine at a party
With smoked salmon, or pate it can look quite tarty.
Toast is liberal, it enhances all kinds of bread
Smashed avocado on sourdough is very on trend
For rye, spelt, white and stoneground let's hear it
But French Toast's an imposter so don't go near it.
You can scorch your toast to different degrees
Pale, golden brown, tawny, what ever you please.
But if you prefer it on the very dark side
Beware of the dangers of acrylamide.
Lizzie Merritt
Blackberries
What a day! blithe and merry
I went out picking blackberries,
Dark and glistening there they stood,
Inviting my reach for pie or 'pud',
Eagerly I picked this fruit,
As precious as a burglar's loot.
The tin filled up to overflowing
No time to think of going
Home, where joy of seeing fruits of labour
Was shred with those I knew would savour
All the pleasures, all the tastes
That Nature gives us, without waste.
Then later, came the crippling blow!
They'd gone! The bushes where I'd picked
Cut down by Philistinic Council tricks.
Why had they done the deed?
Did they care about the likes of me
Who had waited for next season's chance
To see the ripened berries dance.
The natural ways are wearing thin,
And other ways are coming in.
Cyberspace blackberries are not for picking;
And we will see the timebomb ticking,
As man advances with delusion
To a world where Nature's an illusion.
Bob Taylor
At our March meeting Brian and Jennie Hannaford led our discussion of how poets engage with their themes and with their readers. We thought about metre, rhyme and form. 'It's not what you say. It's the way that you say it!'
At our April meeting we explored the theme 'We are not out of the woods yet'. Pauline started our morning by quoting Margaret Fishback 'Lines for a budding poet'. and talked of her appreciation of the Sunday morning Radio 4 programme 'Something Understood'.
We listened to Bob Dylan singing 'It ain't dark yet' and discussed the merits of his recent award of the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Kate Tempest's 'The Point' was read and her work appreciated. It can be seen on UTube. Other works discussed included Dylan Thomas 'That sanity be kept', Sean O'Brian 'Audiology', John Clare 'Flitting' and A.E.Housman 'How clear. how lovely bright'
Bob T. read his 'The unmade bed' and Lizzie her 'Not out of the woods yet.'
Our May meeting gave an opportunity to explore 'Time and Tide'. Among other poems we considered:
‘Flowers and Moonlight on the Spring River’ Yang-ti ( trans. Arthur Whaley)
‘The Mayfly’ Mary Ann Hoberman
‘Time is’ Henry Van Dyke
‘The Coming of Wisdom With Time’ W.B.Yates
‘Time, You Old Gypsy Man’ Ralph Hodgson
‘I come from Salem County’ Charles Causey
‘Time and Tide’ Denis Bruce
‘Lord, I have time’ Michel Quoist
‘The Slow Starter’ Louis MacNeice
‘The Tides of Time’ Aly Isaacs
‘To the Virgins, Make Much of Time’ Robert Herrick
‘The Cockney Amorist’ John Betjeman
The poetry led into a philosophical discussion of sorts! The seriousness of many of the poems chosen was lightened upon occasion and we left smiling and heartened!