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Regular news and insight from our many poets, writers, educators and facilitators

20 February 2024

Posted by By Carla Hall

Response

This week in Mayflower Creative Writers, Holly prepared the writers for their performances in the upcoming festival: LIT FEST 2024. The excitement was rife as some regulars from last year’s community showcase were eager to perform again, encouraging others to join them.


To get the group inspired, Holly shared videos from the poets due to perform at LIT FEST 2024.


On a laptop, the poems of Tim Tim Cheng (VERVE Poetry Press), Ellora Sutton (VERVE Poetry Press) and Joelle Taylor filled the room.

 

  • VERVE Poetry Press’s Tim Tim Cheng -  ‘The Fourth Bridge’ (A Love Letter from Hong Kong to Edinborough)

  • VERVE Poetry Press’s Ellora Sutton - ‘Cassandra’

  • Joelle taylor - ‘No Man’s Land’


Holly asked everyone to jot down an interesting line from each video, with a particular emphasis on imagery and thematic description. Once a line had been chosen, the group were instructed to create a poem using the inspiring line as the title. Here were some of the group’s outstanding one liners from their poems on response to the corresponding poem: 


Ellora Sutton, Cassandra: 


  • Pale Veins of Climbing Roses

  • Grief of a House Falling Apart 

  • Under the unbearable weight of what forever means.


Tim Tim Cheng, The Fourth Bridge - 


  • Hand in hand the residue of sweets sticking us together

  • Sea of Grey. 

  • Sun's rays waltzing across the shop window 


Joelle Taylor, No Man’s Land


  • His beard looked like barbed wire

  • Spikes are digging into foreheads like they’re rigid with my fear.


Carla’s response to Joelle Taylor’s No Man’s Land:


Breathe leaves my body yet how can that be

When this knotted mass of flesh can’t even see beyond her knee


Shadows wonder to her right away from the chair leg

Can she tilt her neck up slowly, just to mirror hands that beg


“Hold it right… here,” they hear him whisper in my ear

Spikes are digging into foreheads like they’re rigid with my fear.


No sights’ a sign of power but I'll laugh before them all.

We can’t bare to move our heads but I can punch and make him fall. 


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