Showing posts with label manx radio. Show all posts
Showing posts with label manx radio. Show all posts

Kate

When discussing women who can change the world
I would be remiss not to mention this girl.
She is witty, bold and beautiful. She loves debates.
You can keep your Catherine, it’s Kate that’s great.

Optimistic to the point of rebelliousness,
she brings out the best in the worst of us.
She is naughty and notorious, not B.I.G at all;
a pocket-sized and perfectly formed know-it-all.
She puts effort in the details, so you’d better pay attention
or you’ll miss the little touches that betray strength of affection.

We went for a quick coffee the first time we met
which stretched into hours, days, months and a set
of brand new wrinkles for my happy-creased face
which deepen every time we talk, ‘cause she’s ace.

Some people have suggested she has bats in her belfry
But I reckon she should be on Made in Chelsea.
Is that it, Kate? Is your secret out?
Is that what moving away’s all about?
Are you trading in Alex, Chris, Ed, Beth and Jo
for Binky, afternoon tea and prosecco?

All joking aside, I know we all wish you the best
and support your decision ‘bout what to do with the rest
of your life. You’ve adventures ahead
and you can always come back, when all’s said
and done. This island has open arms.
We’ve all fallen under the spell of your charms;
of your perfect diction, your painful puns,
and your clues for quizzes that leave people stumped.

You stand five foot eight (in your seven inch heels)
but we’re eye to eye on the issues that are real.
Shine your light in dark places, start the conversation.
Don’t accept pauses, repetition, deviation.
In the game of life you’ll find that no one has a clue
so you just have to do what’s right for you.

As a mark of respect from the Empire of Whimsy
I hereby grant right of indefinite entry.
(I’m hoping she’ll reciprocate, I must confess.
Her micronation’s spelled: [are you ready?]
N E T H E R L A N D S)

One last thing, Kate, you’d better keep a blog
so I can keep up to date with you and Frank the Dog.


Destined for greatness and determined to achieve,
I will shed my tears privately when you leave.
You’re not just cool, you’re cool-cool-cool.
You’re a credit to your parents, your island and your school.

You’re a treasured-ever friend of the rarest sort,

so go – explore – conquer – and report.

                                                                                                                                                   

I was lucky enough to meet award-winning journalist and all round wondrous soul Kate Holland through poetry work, friend connections and the general magic of the island around about this time last year.

 She has been working at Manx Radio presenting the Women Today program along with Beth Espey and Jo Pack for the last year. She has now decided to fly this little island nest. Today was her last day and as a surprise, a secret show was planned. I wrote and performed the above for her.  

Love you Kate. Have a magnificent time. 
Xxxx

International Women's Day 2015

Yesterday was International Women's Day.

To mark this occasion I was invited up to Manx Radio to take part in a live challenge as part of a Women Today special program.  This year's theme for Women's Day is "Make it Happen" and the challenge was to Make something Happen in the two hours we were on the air.

The challenge was to write a poem.  In two hours.  With specific items. And then, half way through the challenge, extra words were added to be included.

(I don't know if any of you guys knows Triple J in Australia and the Song in an Hour challenge with the group Tripod, but it was a bit like that. Those guys are absolutely hilarious. If you don't know them you should check them out.)

The items:
The Venus symbol.
A ring.

The words to be included:
Yesterday, today, tomorrow.

I had a whale of a time and can't wait for the next challenge. Pressure calls the muse wonderfully well. The resulting poem is below. Huge thank yous to everyone on the Women Today team, but especially Kate Holland for being a star. Xxxx


For International Women’s Day
I’m sitting here on Women Today.
Challenge set and yet I find
confusion in these female signs.
Venus: lollipop with cross
since renaissance thaw of cultural frost
has meant the 51%
in shorthand for illiteracy’s argument.
Distaff, mirror, domesticity,
spinning the fabric of life through history.
The Norse Gods though, gave Freya this power;
Spinning the clouds while from raindrops men cowered.
The archetypal figures of fate-
Lachesis, Clotho, Atropos make
us realise the strength held within
the masterminding of the tangled skein.
And if life’s a tapestry as sang Carole King
What now do we think of the gilded ring?
The fourth finger on the sinister hand
Has a vein to the heart, or so folk understand
In times gone by... (Look, I know, I tried.
My tenses are out, but time’s not on my side.)
Miniature yokes of marital oppression
Or religious symbol of soul felt confession
Or one to bring them, and in the darkness bind them
Or heirlooms passed down with memories inside them.
What change do they make, these circles of fidelity?
Do you wake up one morning and believe in eternity?
And if you do, don’t you think you should start
on the immediate world making your mark?
We’re talking today about Making It Happen
in reality, not just in worlds we’ve imagined.
The movement was started in 1909
by New York socialists supporting a strike
of the Union of Ladies’ Garment Workers.
Great shouts will grow from grass root murmurs.
The advancements we've made in society over all
in a century of campaigns, of fighting, of appall -
- ing misdeeds and practices we’re trying to assign
to yesterdays. To the unenlightened times.
To change the world there’s a secret trick
that I learned while working on a cross-stitch.
It’s that tiny actions eventually make
tomorrow’s reality yours to take.
Even one step is one step closer.
Take your time, keep the faith, retain your composure.
You won’t believe when they all combine
how far you can go, one step at a time.
Identifying lacks is all very well
but unless you do something, don’t bother to tell
me you’re bored, you’re unhappy, there’s nothing to do.
This is opportunity.  It’s up to you
to fill in that gap; to give your life meaning;
to refuse to do anything you find demeaning.
The theme for this year is most motivational.
Look out for figures unassuming and inspirational.
How much did your mother give up for you?
And those people doing what you want to do
have just accepted the greater timeline.
They don’t give up in the face of bad signs.
So Women Today celebrate femininity.
Embrace your power.  Salute your divinity.
Do that thing you've always wanted to do.
Make no excuses, just steps to the new.

Women Today on Manx Radio.

Today I had a great time on the Manx Radio program Women Today, talking about all things poetry, the Oscars and performing some of my poems. You can listen to a recording of the full show here:

Yes! I want to listen to awesome women! 


Many thanks to the whole team. As for writing a poem about my experience... well, you'll just have to wait and see.

Xxxx