H – How to give birth to an Alien 

How to give birth to an Alien is a poem that I wrote from a prompt  to write about ‘birth’ and ‘alien’ and this is what I came up with. This was written in 2011. How to give birth to an Alien was first published in Ink Pantry’s Field of Words and later, on OAPSchat.com

How to give birth to an alien
Start with the species, what is desired?
Think. Are tentacles, legs and heads required?

What about shape, square, blobby or round?
Seek, search, discover, selections found.

The grey scrawny male with bright black slit eyes
or the white winged torso that’s dressed in disguise.

The green blob of jelly out for a jog
or the red skinned sly serpent afraid of the fog?

Duck sparkling stars whilst riding dark skies,
set down on the world, take caution, be wise.

Befriend beastly species, set seduction in play,
beguile and bewitch, to get your own way.

Mission accomplished, return home to earth,
linger nine months for the alien’s birth.

You have your agenda and know what to do…
‘How to give birth to an alien?’ …I haven’t a clue.

What about shape, square, blobby or round?
Seek, search, discover, selections found.

The grey scrawny male with bright black slit eyes
or the white winged torso that’s dressed in disguise.

The green blob of jelly out for a jog
or the red skinned sly serpent afraid of the fog?

Duck sparkling stars whilst riding dark skies,
set down on the world, take caution, be wise.

Befriend beastly species, set seduction in play,
beguile and bewitch, to get your own way.

Mission accomplished, return home to earth,
linger nine months for the alien’s birth.

You have your agenda and know what to do…
‘How to give birth to an alien?’ …I haven’t a clue.

G – Grandad’s Garden 

Grandad’s Garden was my winning poem in the student category with Brighton and Hove Arts Council in 2017. Grandad’s Garden was published on the BHAC website and later on OAPSchat website.

Grandad’s Garden

I turn the cone upside down,
it changes to a flower,
like the dahlias
in Grandad’s garden
where creepy earwigs
hide inside.

I paint my pinecone fiery orange,
use a green-striped straw for the stem,

wrap it in mistletoe paper,
place it under the tree
as a special present
for Mummy
on Christmas Day,

to make her smile,
cos she cries in bed, every night,
since Grandad died.

F – Farmyard Fugue

Farmyard Fugue is another of mine and it’s a jargon poem. Jargon poems were introduced to me by Poet and Tutor, Alison Chisholm when I attended her workshops at Swanwick Writer’ Summer School.  The exercise was to take jargon from one subject and use it in another. I think you should be able to spot easily enough which two subjects I chose. It was great fun. Why not try a jargon poem yourself?

Farmyard Fugue was previously published by Reach Magazine and later on the OAPSchat website.

Farmyard Fugue

Black belly sheep
‘baa baa’ in harmony
across Madrigal Meadow
to key signature ‘C.’

Belgian Blue cow moos,
an impromptu solo,
trills triad green pastures,
hooves stamp staccato.

Bourbon red turkey triplets
harmonise alto and tenor,
horns blow perfect pitch
to Moolight Sonata.

Stallion quartet pluck strings,
sweep sticks across cellos,
neigh in unison to finale,
bow heads glissando.

E – Eclipse

This is another one of my poems and was inspired by the Eclipse. Eclipse was first published by Reach Magazine and later on the OAPSchat website.

Eclipse

Set in slow motion
the moon’s silhouette
cloaks the plate of the sun.

The moon grazes
the sweltering star,
a solitaire band emerges,
black,
broken beams chase the dark.

Blackbirds,
magpies,
crows,
loom in circles,
dance in formation,
shriek erratic screams.

Atmosphere chills.

The moon’s shadow slithers away
–to reveal a daylight sky.

D – Double Treat

Back with us today is Colin Ward with his Haiku, Dreams

Dreams

I lie, still awake,
wondering at a life spent
stood still in my dreams.

***

I promised a double treat so here’s the next D

D – Dickinson as in Emily Dickinson

Here are some quotes from or about this talented poet.

Emily Dickinson (1830-86) was an American poet and one of my favourites.

‘Dickinson’s poetry is set in that immediate moment of existence, with little nostalgia for a more overtly poetic medieval past.’ (Helen McNeil – Emily Dickinson, 1986)

‘Friday I tasted life. It was a vast morsel. A circus passed the house – still I feel the red in my mind though the drums are out.’ Emily Dickinson in Letters, (Everyman’s Library Pocket Poets, 2011)

‘Hope is the thing with feathers’ Emily Dickinson – read it here

Read more about Emily Dickinson here

C – Colin 

Colin Ward is a fellow writer who is my special guest today and tomorrow.

Here’s his first poem, They Were Told.

They Were Told comes from his debut poetry collection Ripples which can be found here.

They Were Told

by Colin Ward 

They were told they’d troop with honour
to defend our nation’s grace;
how fortitude would be enough
to save the human race.

They were trained to fight with courage
being free would fuel their fire,
justify the loss of souls
with peace upon the pyre.

They were led to death with orders,
belief in righteous cries
to qualify the stolen truths
which bleed through tearful eyes.

***

About Colin

After releasing my debut novel in August of last year and achieved fantastic reviews so far, I now have the paperback version on Amazon to make it easier for everyone to get a copy.
I have also released my debut poetry collection, Ripples, in Kindle and paperback.

I’ve been writing for about twenty years or so now. For many years I wrote plays and musicals, especially as part of being a Drama teacher in my previous life. Now I have gone full power into the world of writing and have released my debut novel – “To Die For”. The Crime Fiction genre was the natural place for me to go, with my interest in crime (fictional only…nothing to see hear, officer…) and especially because in 2013-2014 I discovered my favourite Authors.

Simon Kernick’s “Deadline” was my first venture into the genre, and I was hooked. It then followed with Mark Billingham, Michael Robotham, Lisa Ballantyne, Adam Creed, and so on. There are unashamed influences of all of these in my debut, and I am happy with that.

Indie writing is my passion, and my new label “In As Many Words” is all about building up that kind of supportive community. One where we should not all have to wait for someone else to tell us our story is worth telling.

Where you can find Colin:

In As Many Words

Twitter:

Facebook:

B  – Broken Bone in Bucuresti 

This is another poem of mine and tells the tale of when I broke my  hip back in 2014 on the stairs of a Romanian underground while on a course with Brighton University as part of my MA in Creative Writing. Broken Bone in Bucaresti was written about eighteen months later when I tried to make light of my accident. It was first published in Writing Magazine and later on OAPSchat website.

Enjoy.

Broken Bone in Bucuresti

Racing to catch
a Nicolae Grigorescu,
Metro train, I stumble
down a stair:

I hear the snap—

throbs screech in my groin,
my voice is alien.

Heads fold around me,
I turn
away
to avoid their stare,
my eyes clench. I throw up.

Someone presses my wrist,
someone else holds my hand.

Jabbering in code,
little green men
ease me onto a stretcher,

elevate me, feet first,
towards cold blue sky—

fists scrunch,
heart skips double-unders—

The bone cutter
roars,
splinters
scatter,
rivets
groan,
screws
tighten.

Six days lost in a strange land:
frail attempts at iPad translation
cue howls of laughter.

I hobble flamingo style,
sticks at my side, into a mad-driver’s bubble
on an endless terror ride.

On board the plane at last,
I reclaim my breath—

Feast on a cheese roll and white wine—
Let the healing begin.

A – Addict

I was alerted about the A-Z Blog Challenge by fellow writer, Anita Hunt, Piskie Dreams and thought, Yes, why not? I’m always up for a challenge. So I signed up today to produce a blog for each day throughout the month of April. However, Sunday’s don’t count, except the first one, April 1st. This leaves 26 days for 26 letters – A-Z.

My theme will be:

Poetry 

So it may be a poem or a fact about poetry. Pop Poetry in your diary for April and join me on my blog.

Don’t forget to check out Anita’s A-Z on Piskie Dreams too. Her theme of ‘Make Do and Mend@ Reuse; Recycle and Spend Less‘ is not to be missed.

I’m looking forward to meeting Anita for the first time when we join around two or three hundred other writers at Swanwick Writers’ Summer School this August.

Are you up for the A-Z Blog Challenge this April?

As it’s World Poetry Day I thought I would share my Seagull Sequence. I wrote this in 2015 after watching the seagulls invade on my local lake over three consecutive weeks. I hope you enjoy it.

Seagull Sequence 

Wrong Turn

Seagulls flock
in snow coats
above the jewelled lake,

a wrong turn
inland
away from the sea.

High amongst clouds,
formations dance
without sound

flip up and down,
stop, turn around, split,
aim for invasion.

White wings fall
like tissue paper
on rippled waves.

Invasion from Brighton

Gallant geese evacuate,
driven out by snowy invaders,
seagulls squawk to claim their victory.

Mottled mallard and widgeon
scatter to sheltered bays,
concealed from flocks of snow-white birds
that hover above the storm-kissed lake.

Red-beaked moorhens veiled from view,
bide their time for militant gulls to rocket away
and evacuees return.

Water Harmony

Triumphant geese
return to fold,
wings spread,
joyful gabble.

Yellow croci spring
up in green,
pink camellias cluster
the circle of sun-washed water.

Coots and moorhens
boasting red and white beaks
chug along
creating ripples.

Mallard and widgeon
emerge from hiding,
a pure white
feathered duck in tow.