What a delightful few days it’s been. Thursday evening found a group of us heading over the Marble Mountain (Takaka Hill) to Live Poets at the Mussel Inn in Golden Bay. We were off to launch Boulder Writers 3, the latest collection from this group of Golden Bay/Nelson poets. We received a grand welcome from Jo Bell, the organiser, and the folks at the ‘Mussel’. Not surprising that a number of writers and performers have kick started their ‘public’ career at this venue, including yours truly. See the link below http://gbweekly.co.nz/2011/12/1/boulder-writers-anthology
Last night was Live Poets at The Freehouse in Nelson which has now made a home for us in the yurt…a real one from Mongolia, which sits in their front yard. Two visitors from overseas in Wellington, started the ball bowling..Mark Pirie entertained us with a mix of his own and others writing including a selection from his cricket anthology, A Tingling Catch: A century of NZ cricket poems 1864-2009. Poems from Laura Solomon’s new anthology, ‘In Vitro’ , followed. The one about Janet Frame as she might have been if the lobotomy had been performed, was entertaining and thought-provoking.
At the above venues there were a great variety of poems performed in the open mic section. To me the combination of young and old, new and experienced poets always makes for a stimulating session and this abounded at both.
Here’s a poem I wrote not long after my mum died. It was anthologised in an anthology of Golden Bay Live Poets around 1997 and first read at the Mussel Inn
Missing You
It’s not as
I imagined
your passing on.
I thought you’d drop in often
for a chat.
Your chair’s still here.
I thought we might meet
in the garden
and talk
about the new spring growth.
But we don’t.
I thought you’d at least drop a line
‘settling in everyone sends love.’
Instead there’s nothing
but spaces
spaces where you sat
and walked
and slept.
and in my heart a deep hollow.
(c) Helen McKinlay
That’s enough for this week. Cheers Helen
gurglewords 