World Poetry Day
I rather like the poem Fliss. I thought it was inventive. Particularly liked the lip-gloss petals. I went to a reading by Armitage at the Ledbury festival. He engaged with the audience, entertained, certainly earnest about the environment. What did you feel about the poem?
Bw
Phil
Bw
Phil
I'm glad you liked it, MacPhil; I did too. I'm going to copy-and-paste a bit of it, why not. Here we are:
Plum Tree Among the Skyscrapers by Simon Armitage [excerpt]
But she’s here to stay -
plum in the middle -
and today she’s fizzing
with light and colour,
outshining the smug sculptures
and blubbering fountains.
Scented and powdered
she’s staging
a one-tree show
with hi-viz blossoms
and lip-gloss petals;
she’ll season the pavements
and polished stones
with something like snow.
- - -
Now, I'd have suggested en-dashes where necessary in place of hyphens, just to be useful, you know. Also, perhaps 'hi-vis'? The 's' would've found a pleasant echo in the sss of blossoms, just trying to help, as usual. I love the idea of a travelling tree and my highlight is the 'mistle thrush beak' (^v^) (Word-Bird is pleased)
I've never been to a reading by Simon Armitage, but I've enjoyed a couple of episodes of 'The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed', which is on Radio 4. He always sounds very natural, which is great. Most recently, I listened to his chat with Chris Packham; the environment featured a lot there, as you'd expect.
Bw,
Fliss
Plum Tree Among the Skyscrapers by Simon Armitage [excerpt]
But she’s here to stay -
plum in the middle -
and today she’s fizzing
with light and colour,
outshining the smug sculptures
and blubbering fountains.
Scented and powdered
she’s staging
a one-tree show
with hi-viz blossoms
and lip-gloss petals;
she’ll season the pavements
and polished stones
with something like snow.
- - -
Now, I'd have suggested en-dashes where necessary in place of hyphens, just to be useful, you know. Also, perhaps 'hi-vis'? The 's' would've found a pleasant echo in the sss of blossoms, just trying to help, as usual. I love the idea of a travelling tree and my highlight is the 'mistle thrush beak' (^v^) (Word-Bird is pleased)
I've never been to a reading by Simon Armitage, but I've enjoyed a couple of episodes of 'The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed', which is on Radio 4. He always sounds very natural, which is great. Most recently, I listened to his chat with Chris Packham; the environment featured a lot there, as you'd expect.
Bw,
Fliss
Last edited by Leaf on Thu Mar 23, 2023 8:00 am, edited 1 time in total.
I do have a Selected edition of his poems, which I occasionally dip into for a read. He can be a bit dour.
cynical Fliss. Happily never at the 
Well, the cynicism is mostly directed at politics, MacPhil, and I'm not sure whether there's much call for that across the poetry journal-scape, ho hum...
I've edited the post and now it's time for breakfast, hooray! Porridge made up with tea, with bran flakes and apricots, apple juice, dark chocolate tablet, two mugs of tea and a bottle of water to wash it all down
I've edited the post and now it's time for breakfast, hooray! Porridge made up with tea, with bran flakes and apricots, apple juice, dark chocolate tablet, two mugs of tea and a bottle of water to wash it all down
wow quite a breakie Fliss. Mine's a full English at the 
Good choice, MacPhil!
Yes, we like breakfast time here. And lunchtime too, and the evening snackage. It's my mum's birthday on Sunday, cue an afternoon of tea and treats, just a week after the same sort of thing for Mother's Day
🫖
Yes, we like breakfast time here. And lunchtime too, and the evening snackage. It's my mum's birthday on Sunday, cue an afternoon of tea and treats, just a week after the same sort of thing for Mother's Day
🫖
