A Lovely Afternoon aka A Recent Poetry Event

Saturday afternoon at the glorious emporium Thomas Tosh saw a wonderful reading by four poets, Jean Atkin, Vivien Jones, Fiona Russell and Jackie Galley. I have not typed their names in alphabetical order because, annoyingly, they did not stand in alphabetical order for this seminal photograph.

They read from their collaborative pamphlets, Soundscapes and goosechase.

Swimming Otters by Elizabeth Waugh.

Also notice how at Thomas Tosh you always get a free shortbread biscuit with your coffee.

Smiling people
I had a great time, and would thoroughly recommend both of the books. I'm afraid I have no idea how you get hold of them though. All four authors read beautifully, and it was a thought-provoking afternoon of changing voices and varying moods.

Below, with the author's permission, is Virgin Bird Watcher by Vivien Jones, from goosechase.

Virgin Bird Watcher

I’m not a novice.

I have a bird table,
a book, binoculars
and a camera.
I put out bread, wholemeal,
and make fatballs when I remember.
Once a pied flycatcher pair
occupied our nest box.

I’m not a novice.

We drive to Mersehead,
a ginger brown and frost day,
potholes under puddles,
the car rocking on the track.
I’m scanning the bird counts
on the smeary white board,
don’t quite get the abbreviations.

I’m not a novice.

I’m scanning the horizon,
seeing nothing; under my nose
a field of black walking sticks
stand up, beaks to the air,
a carpet of Canada geese
swinging like soul singers
move towards take-off.

I’m not a novice.

But I duck when their flight
clears the hedge in a brown wedge,
close enough for a feather count.
Their wheeling ascent sharpens,
all but one drop back, the rest tile
themselves – a V for vision –
an A for astonishment.

Vivien blogs at http://bassviol.blogspot.com/

She may well know how to get hold of copies.

I also got to share a scone with a shuglet.