Thursday 6 July 2023

New collection, 'akal', published to mark my 35th year of working in community arts. 

This rarely produced volume (selling quicker that I thought) contains 70 poems (35 x 2 - geddit?),each one is based on a weekly, live Kundalini meditation.

The launch was at Middle Street Resource Centre, Beeston, Notts on 20th June 2023; I stepped into the universe of creativity that same day in 1988. 



Akal is published by Big White Shed and costs £14.99 plus P and P.

Monday 27 October 2014

Transported - a celebration of Phase 2. Commissioned poems from 24th October 2014


taking the south

red dog and whine
we make the time
to take the south for a walk
it's dinner - it's nosh
(an anerican gosh)
o how i wish she could talk

where

the dog's forgot
and stands quite still
perhaps the dog has had
its fill
but not this one- dementia  done
but then he walks
and like us
realises where we are going

ever after

you're the pink
i'll shout it louder
if you can hear above the laughter
but volume's shaking
you're my earth quaking
            ever after

the trance

the hippo decided to dance
and whirled itself into a trance
and i'll make a bet
that you'd smell the sweat
that would stink worse than any old pants

at the bowl

whatever's purring at the bowl
escaped from risk - from out the hole
we give you space - we give you play
you keep our thunderstorms at bay

wisdom - book

what's written there within the page
is life of work - mywords for you
from out the green - we find our sage
what books provide is wisdom true

purple

in the water - purple water
there she swims my purple daughter
purple dogs have been and gone
here she shines - my purple sun

freshly bathed in purple too
off to bed for dreams come true

chocolate

you're my chocolate supplies
(my perfect surprise)
my help - the love of my life
my years thirty six
(i think that we've clicked)
we'll go for another - and then
you're still my
perfect surprise
            my chocolate supplies
                        my help
                                    the love of my life

it's said about the dog

we'll walk the extra milo
we like to see the red
you rhyme with cappuccino
we love your extra kilos
you're human - there it's sad

Tuesday 1 July 2014

roses - carnations - bread

and we're definitely not blue - we're us
our thirty minutes perfect for the three
we're roses - carnations  - bread (we don't fuss)
five years we are - we answer back you see

our thirty minutes perfect for the three

we are spice girls and turquois - quips and cats
our question goes - how happy then are we?
the husbands take the brunt - - so that is that

we're roses - carnations  - bread (we don't fuss)
we're whisky - gardening - crafts and puzzles too
we're like the river witham - that's because
we babble - laugh and joke - - we're in our youth

five years we are - we answer back you see
our thirty minutes perfect for the three


dave wood

Sunday 29 June 2014

no title

although i live next door
i love you still
i'm saved because you're near -
the healing process starts
as soon as i sense your beeswax and the lavender
and how you fill our hearts -

i knw you're sleeping - ringed by churchyard yews
if you were human - how i'd love to talk
although you're famous - one of only six
i feel such peaceful comfort near your bricks


lynn parker

wendy the great

if you want to know the answer -
ask my mum
i am her biggest fan - sir!
- ask my mum
she always knows what to say
when you've had a rubbish day
she'll make it feel o.k
- ask my mum

if you want to knit a dream,
ask my mum
make cakes with good fresh cream
- ask my mum
she's always bright and calm
cinnamon candles are her balm
she'll sort things out without a
qualm...
that's my mum

lynn parker
this sporting life

whatever this poem is - 

it's not as perfect as you
ten out of ten for all your d.i.y
for caring when the shelf's about to fall
and when the j.c.b is crashing through
it's time you drove yourself towards
a new direction -
culture - say - or sculpting - try
to press the red instead of always green

dear squirrel - when you climb the next high tree

make sure the one who shares your branch is me


lynn parker 
raspberries for scarborough

time for the sea
that's you and me
there's gran - grandad and twice
and freya here - we've packed the gear
we hope the weather's ever nice

time to snooze
o freya cat
then time to hit the sea
an ice cream dream 
the scarborough scene
that's him and you and me

so me and grans and grandads
and cousin elsie too
we'll squeeze into the caravan
and practise raspberries...
           tttttthhhhhhhhhhrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrppppppppp!


dave wood