THERE IS WONDER

 

 Juncture 25, the poetry group I facilitate, appeared at the Purbeck Literary Festival last night, and in the afternoon I ran a poetry workshop. I'd like to thank all the people who attended and contributed so creatively. I would also like to thank the cafe Not just Sundaes who so professionally and warmly hosted the event.
The evening was a great success as was the workshop.

As an opening exercise, just to get the brain working, I asked the group to think of a postcard, describe the picture on the front and to write what was on the reverse. It did not have to be to a real person.
This was mine:

Blue sky, anonymous sand dunes. A four wheeler driving down the dune at a steep angle, sand pluming from the wheels.
And written on the back:
you never did this
but would have loved to
if it was free and in another's car
you could have whispered 
simple words from starved lungs
of the science and the skills required
but you never did

that's life in'it

The main exercise was to write a poem as a series of instructions. A task I had recently set Juncture 25. 
My own initial reaction was to reach back to my engineering days, I don't understand why, but as I had done so last time, my response was to write about Tai Chi.

this sequence of movement

each posture elegantly named

whose aim is to stretch a specific set of ligaments

slowly

you may claim the act of exercise as excuse

yet still ponder why you do it

but the diaphragm controls the breath

[each an end and beginning in itself]

centred

palms may tingle

hands cut through fabric air

the chi as thick as soup

so focus

there is oneness

there is wonder

Before this I had half sketched out a poem about Engineer's Blue. I completed a rough draft today, not sure about the layout, but i think it captures the fact I was not a happy apprentice.

industrial woad

thick and navy

engineers blue

can stain fingers beyond

soap and water rescue

designed to reveal the high points

so you

the killjoy

can scrap them away

just as factory life

steals your day

It just occurred to me that a title for it could be Engineer's Blues.
Here is I Jah Man singing Jah Heavy Load. Inspiring stuff indeed.