(Secretary’s Report Oct 2007)

 

(excuse me) clearing last year with a cough                                        

let’s start, not end, where we left off

last month with triple rhyming Haynes’s

mouth-musical Epistle to Patience,

a splendid audience came, read well, and then were listeners,

said John, of gratifying excellence.

 

Prizes, for Caroline and Jemma , were the news                                           (Price, Borg)

For C., Bridport and Tonbridge,

for J., New Writing Ventures -

4 and one ½ K between them? For poets’ sake, that’s rich.

 

Some hone

their pomes at our monthly ‘shops                                                  (workshops, 1^st Tuesday of the month)

others (not lonely with their muse) and yet alone

rattle their brains until the penny drops.

 

The outdoor July meeting in Dunorlan Park? -

3 made it, chatting until dark.

1 more than last year but… OK,

Next year the meeting’s an at-home,

on the front lawn in my garden

and if you don’t like champers and smoked salmon

don’t bother to come.

 

We had a pre-show party in Carluccio’s

feting the coming out of Sue’s                                                                             (Wicks)

“De-iced ” from which, in June, our ‘guest’, she read

and we in her reflected (melting) glory bathed.

 

A different Patience came and led                                                                     (Agbabi)

our workshop all one Saturday in June.

Some were inspired, all pleased, most educated,

but not the pig borne shoulder high across the room -

to poetry he was sadly dead,

(perhaps he’ll turn up in a Graham poem).                                                      (Mummery)

 

May might, ought even’ve been too awful,

rescued by Sue and Clive (and me).                                                                  (Wicks, Eastwood)

At least the reading wasn’t dreadful

(though now I see the poet in the poetry).

 

In April , not ever the cruellest of months,

Langley puzzled some but enthralled others.                                              (Roger, R.F.)

Hearing his voice, his style

and readings from his journal

made, all the difference to me

and clear why he’s a special with the LRB.                                            (London Review of Books)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Your ‘Folio’ has the open comp. results                                                         (March)

adjudged by Szirtes,                                                                                      

beautifully organised by Sarah                                                                                           (Williams)

George we know - good judge, good reader;

what he promises he does deliver

                                                                                            

 

 

in Feb, Gorgeous Michele,                                                                 (Roberts)

you know her for the novel

check out the poetry, dude; emotional, rare,

the writing beautiful, every square

inch of human heart bare, powerful,

tender.

I guess I liked it.                                           

 

‘… off us own bees’                                                                       (honey…   Kidderminster expression)

in January we chose

a trio

Jenkins, Smith C., Woodrow,                                               (Hilary, Catherine, Phillip)

class, wit and beauty

a fragrant pot-pourri

(and, bless you, all for free). 

 

Party ! Party! Party!                                                                            (December )

And the wrecking crew broke in on Mary Barry;

Well, Not. But what I must write up

Is Mary won ‘The Folio’ Cup.

 

Patience Agbabi wowed

a good, a very good, November crowd.

If you’ve never heard and seen L’Agbabi in full spate;

You’ve Missed Something mate.

 

The yawn yawn A

GM was worth it for the second half we

heard, we saw Patsy McCarthy                                                                            (Patricia)

from Agenda;

what a magazine, what style, what history-

why you , yes You, are not subscribing is a mystery.

 

That’s it, except

there was a writers’ week in Devon

(and most of it I missed), you would expect

some rain but there was also sun.

I found a ram’s horn and a poem.

This year there is, at Wells, another one ,

as you’d expect,(thanks  John),                                                                               (Arnold)

 

and thanks to everyone who does: the hosts,

the helpers and the handmen, the handmaidens,

the chiefs, the Indians,

those who pour,

the readers from the floor,

all bums on seats who listen

with such attention and intelligence,

the guests…

 

let’s end here at the circle’s start

with your responsiveness,

such, said John Haynes,

that he could feel it.