Photosynthesis
has never been
so toxic.
The tree is cloaked
with rusted steel.
Oil trickles
from wounds
in the metal,
congealing,
clotting.
The leaves reek
of petrol fumes,
the withered branches
droop from the heat
of leaded starch,
piston-roots thrumming,
powering the engine
beneath the trunk,
pumping up oil
which soaked in
when it fell from
soot-infested clouds.
Saturday 27 May 2017
Sunday 21 May 2017
Memoirs of a Galápagos Tortoise
I am the remnant.
The last time I saw
the seafaring apes of old,
they were lugging
my cousins in crates
onto their oak vessels
to become living larders,
till there was just me
and no others.
The goats, the goats,
of all the creatures
to pilfer my own larder.
Servants of the seafarers,
they pillaged the green,
everything above shell height.
So I wallow in my pool
on the isle of Santa Cruz,
the last of the Pinta Island tortoises,
but not entirely alone.
They gave me two companions
with dome-shaped shells
instead of a saddle like mine.
Every egg they've collected
was a hollow curiosity.
I hid from them for decades,
now here I rest, diminishing
into a monument to something.
I'm just content
to drift into sleep.
(This poem was inspired by the story of Lonesome George, the last of the Pinta Island subspecies of the Galápagos giant tortoises. Stay tuned for more poetry coming soon.)
The last time I saw
the seafaring apes of old,
they were lugging
my cousins in crates
onto their oak vessels
to become living larders,
till there was just me
and no others.
The goats, the goats,
of all the creatures
to pilfer my own larder.
Servants of the seafarers,
they pillaged the green,
everything above shell height.
So I wallow in my pool
on the isle of Santa Cruz,
the last of the Pinta Island tortoises,
but not entirely alone.
They gave me two companions
with dome-shaped shells
instead of a saddle like mine.
Every egg they've collected
was a hollow curiosity.
I hid from them for decades,
now here I rest, diminishing
into a monument to something.
I'm just content
to drift into sleep.
(This poem was inspired by the story of Lonesome George, the last of the Pinta Island subspecies of the Galápagos giant tortoises. Stay tuned for more poetry coming soon.)
Wednesday 17 May 2017
Frynwys Features #2: Labradors and Lamborghinis
I feel I've said it enough times on this blog to make it redundant, but Frynwys, as a centre of activity, is often as silent as a church. Still, as I demonstrated in the first installment of this recurring feature, things do happen in the village from time to time, and since my last bulletin a few more interesting things have occurred. Mind you, when I say a few, I mean it in the literal sense because it was hard to find enough to fill this segment.
So what's the most striking thing that's happened in Frynwys of late? Well, I suppose there's been an improvement of sorts to the infrastructure, though not in the way you might think. It seems that local volunteers working with the wildlife wardens have dug up a new gravel path on the field near the pond. The path is usually been in mud which takes ages to dry once it gets soaked by a rainstorm. Now with the new gravel in, traversing it is a bit easier. I've noticed in recent weeks that local schools are sending kids down there with their teachers, armed with spades, shovels and the like; presumably to help the wardens with maintaining it. It is quite strange to see entire classes of school kids trapesing through the fields, but at least the community is getting involved with something in the village.
In other news, there's been a rare car sighted on the village hall road; rare in the sense that the car in question is of the expensive kind you don't see in Frynwys at all. As I was walking past the road leading to the village hall and the shop, I caught sight of an orange Lamborghini turn to the right and roar off with a loud blast of the exhaust. I'm guessing it was a Gallardo judging by the shape of the taillights. I know for a fact that no one in Frynwys owns a supercar; the closest is probably the old Lotus on Taliesin Close. Whoever owned the Lamborghini probably came from one of the outlying towns, maybe Pontypool or Caerleon, and stopped by the shop to pick up some milk. I am of course speculating; any self-respecting Lamborghini owner probably has a fridge stacked with milk. Still, it was quite nice to see a car painted in orange for a change.
Speaking of bright orange, we move up one space in the colour spectrum to red, as the local Labour councillor campaigned in the village ahead of the council elections. They arrived on my street with a couple of campaigners to try and spread their message, but when they arrived at my house my mother answered the door. She has been less than impressed with the local council's record, especially on education, and she let the councillor know it. The councillor responded with the same question-dodging tactics most (if not all) politicians use, pointing out that improvements had taken place without providing concrete examples. Needless to say, my mother was less than impressed, and I think you can guess who she didn't vote for at the election.
For the final bit of news, I've also noticed an increase in the number of dogs in the area (pets, not wild ones, obviously). Like many villages and towns in South Wales, Frynwys already has a lot of dog owners amongst its population, but it seems that more people than ever now own a dog judging by the number of them I've seen walking around. The most notable additions have been Labradors and spaniels of varying shades, but there are several other breeds, most often terriers. Due to the fact that Frynwys is quite rural, it's a great environment for dogs, as they have plenty of fields and small wooded areas to run around in, although the recent outbreak of Alabama rot is a real cause for concern. Although rare, there have been an increasing number of cases across the UK, and the most recent case in Wales happened in Magor, Monmouthshire. The cause is as yet unknown, but hopefully vets can find a way to treat it soon and bring a halt to the casualties this terrible disease has already inflicted.
That's it for this installment of Frynwys Features. As I speak the village has returned to being its usual quiet self, but if anything out of the ordinary happens I will cover it in a future installment. Keep an eye out for incoming poems in the next few days. Hope you're all doing well and I'll see you again.
So what's the most striking thing that's happened in Frynwys of late? Well, I suppose there's been an improvement of sorts to the infrastructure, though not in the way you might think. It seems that local volunteers working with the wildlife wardens have dug up a new gravel path on the field near the pond. The path is usually been in mud which takes ages to dry once it gets soaked by a rainstorm. Now with the new gravel in, traversing it is a bit easier. I've noticed in recent weeks that local schools are sending kids down there with their teachers, armed with spades, shovels and the like; presumably to help the wardens with maintaining it. It is quite strange to see entire classes of school kids trapesing through the fields, but at least the community is getting involved with something in the village.
In other news, there's been a rare car sighted on the village hall road; rare in the sense that the car in question is of the expensive kind you don't see in Frynwys at all. As I was walking past the road leading to the village hall and the shop, I caught sight of an orange Lamborghini turn to the right and roar off with a loud blast of the exhaust. I'm guessing it was a Gallardo judging by the shape of the taillights. I know for a fact that no one in Frynwys owns a supercar; the closest is probably the old Lotus on Taliesin Close. Whoever owned the Lamborghini probably came from one of the outlying towns, maybe Pontypool or Caerleon, and stopped by the shop to pick up some milk. I am of course speculating; any self-respecting Lamborghini owner probably has a fridge stacked with milk. Still, it was quite nice to see a car painted in orange for a change.
Speaking of bright orange, we move up one space in the colour spectrum to red, as the local Labour councillor campaigned in the village ahead of the council elections. They arrived on my street with a couple of campaigners to try and spread their message, but when they arrived at my house my mother answered the door. She has been less than impressed with the local council's record, especially on education, and she let the councillor know it. The councillor responded with the same question-dodging tactics most (if not all) politicians use, pointing out that improvements had taken place without providing concrete examples. Needless to say, my mother was less than impressed, and I think you can guess who she didn't vote for at the election.
For the final bit of news, I've also noticed an increase in the number of dogs in the area (pets, not wild ones, obviously). Like many villages and towns in South Wales, Frynwys already has a lot of dog owners amongst its population, but it seems that more people than ever now own a dog judging by the number of them I've seen walking around. The most notable additions have been Labradors and spaniels of varying shades, but there are several other breeds, most often terriers. Due to the fact that Frynwys is quite rural, it's a great environment for dogs, as they have plenty of fields and small wooded areas to run around in, although the recent outbreak of Alabama rot is a real cause for concern. Although rare, there have been an increasing number of cases across the UK, and the most recent case in Wales happened in Magor, Monmouthshire. The cause is as yet unknown, but hopefully vets can find a way to treat it soon and bring a halt to the casualties this terrible disease has already inflicted.
That's it for this installment of Frynwys Features. As I speak the village has returned to being its usual quiet self, but if anything out of the ordinary happens I will cover it in a future installment. Keep an eye out for incoming poems in the next few days. Hope you're all doing well and I'll see you again.
Wednesday 10 May 2017
New Poetry Video Live and Other Updates
Hi guys.
Just wanted to let you know that a video version of 'Sonnet from Stratford', a poem I wrote for NaPoWriMo, has just gone live. Click on the link here to watch it. I hope you enjoy it.
In other news, I have almost completed the next installment of Frynwys Features, which is a fairly tricky task due to the slow nature of news in the village. Still, despite the rather dull pace of life here, there are still stories to be found and you'll be finding out what those are in due course.
I can also confirm that more poetry is in the works, along with an analysis of Owen Sheers' 'Mametz Wood', in preparation for my own poem about the battle. I'm hoping to do more features about individual poets on this blog so be sure to stick around for that.
Those are all the updates I can think of for now, but if there are any more I'll be sure to let you know.
Anyways, enjoy the new video and I'll see you all soon.
Just wanted to let you know that a video version of 'Sonnet from Stratford', a poem I wrote for NaPoWriMo, has just gone live. Click on the link here to watch it. I hope you enjoy it.
In other news, I have almost completed the next installment of Frynwys Features, which is a fairly tricky task due to the slow nature of news in the village. Still, despite the rather dull pace of life here, there are still stories to be found and you'll be finding out what those are in due course.
I can also confirm that more poetry is in the works, along with an analysis of Owen Sheers' 'Mametz Wood', in preparation for my own poem about the battle. I'm hoping to do more features about individual poets on this blog so be sure to stick around for that.
Those are all the updates I can think of for now, but if there are any more I'll be sure to let you know.
Anyways, enjoy the new video and I'll see you all soon.
Monday 8 May 2017
The Tiger Poet vs. Bicester Village
Hi everyone, how's it going? It's been more than a week since the end of NaPoWriMo and I, like probably most aspiring poets out there, have been taking some time off. On the day after NaPoWriMo officially ended, I set out for the Cotswolds with the family, and spent a few days checking out village after village before heading further east where I stumbled upon Bicester, a town in between Oxford and London. I followed signs for an outlet called Bicester Village, and what I found required a blog post of its own.
I realise that what I'm about to say is probably redundant. It's not exactly original to express amazement at the affects of consumerism, but since I come from a village which has only one shop, I feel that I have to address it for my own sake if not for the wider world.
So what is Bicester Village for those who haven't heard? In short, it's a village outlet in the centre of Bicester itself, complete with its own railway station. I was later told that it's the second biggest outlet centre in the UK, the first being Oxford Street in London, which is in itself an achievement. You can calculate the scale of my ignorance when I tell you that I thought that Bicester would be a small place with a high street or two, not a town with an entire outlet complex. Equally ignorant of me was my assumption that Bicester Village would be similar to the shops at Centre Parcs. When we arrived, my assumptions were blown clean out of the water.
I have seen places like Bicester before, namely when I went to Florida as a child and walked through the Magic Kingdom at Disney World. The outlet has a distinctly American-style design and layout, with long streets packed to the brim with every brand imaginable, some of which I'd never heard of before. Indeed, there are so many brands I wouldn't be surprised if they have a greenhouse in which they grow new ones. It reminded me of the titular park in Jurassic World, which attempted to satirise the ever-increasing consumer culture which pervades modern society, while also contributing to it because of the huge amount of product placement.
For a poet from South Wales, this was all a bit overwhelming. When you arrive at Bicester Village, you don't have time to notice the rows of daffodils and bamboo lining the path at the entrance, because you become mesmerised by the sheer volume of money and products on display. It turns out the railway station is specifically designed to cater for the large number of tourists who come to shop at the centre, many of whom are Chinese. Apparently, after Buckingham Palace, the outlet centre is the most visited location in the UK by Chinese tourists. Given the glossy sheen of the place, the abundance of stock on display, and the five-star-hotel style of service, it's easy to see the attraction. Some of the cars in the car park even carried diplomatic number-plates, so the embassies clearly enjoy Bicester as well.
But for someone like me, the whole enterprise smacked of artifice. I completely understand why many people buy into (literally and metaphorically) the brand idea, as they are often quality goods which carry with them a level of prestige. However, in the end it is a triumph of presentation over substance; a bit like the many attempts to regenerate Newport. The moment everyone starts buying from expensive brands in an attempt to seem trendy, you end up in a situation where you can't distinguish one jacket or pair of jeans from another. It's a trick, one which convinces you that you need to own many things to be content. As many people have said over the years - much more comprehensively than me - the reverse is often true.
I'm aware I sound like someone who's just realised that the sky is blue, but after so long away from the kind of consumerism which abounds in Bicester Village, being exposed to it again was quite a shock. Still, having recovered from my brush with wealth and having returned from the Cotswolds, I can now get back to the business of poetry. Keep a look out for new features on Mametz Wood in preparation for my upcoming poem on the subject, as well as a new installment of Frynwys Features which will be on this blog soon.
Hope you're all having a great start to the summer!
I realise that what I'm about to say is probably redundant. It's not exactly original to express amazement at the affects of consumerism, but since I come from a village which has only one shop, I feel that I have to address it for my own sake if not for the wider world.
So what is Bicester Village for those who haven't heard? In short, it's a village outlet in the centre of Bicester itself, complete with its own railway station. I was later told that it's the second biggest outlet centre in the UK, the first being Oxford Street in London, which is in itself an achievement. You can calculate the scale of my ignorance when I tell you that I thought that Bicester would be a small place with a high street or two, not a town with an entire outlet complex. Equally ignorant of me was my assumption that Bicester Village would be similar to the shops at Centre Parcs. When we arrived, my assumptions were blown clean out of the water.
I have seen places like Bicester before, namely when I went to Florida as a child and walked through the Magic Kingdom at Disney World. The outlet has a distinctly American-style design and layout, with long streets packed to the brim with every brand imaginable, some of which I'd never heard of before. Indeed, there are so many brands I wouldn't be surprised if they have a greenhouse in which they grow new ones. It reminded me of the titular park in Jurassic World, which attempted to satirise the ever-increasing consumer culture which pervades modern society, while also contributing to it because of the huge amount of product placement.
For a poet from South Wales, this was all a bit overwhelming. When you arrive at Bicester Village, you don't have time to notice the rows of daffodils and bamboo lining the path at the entrance, because you become mesmerised by the sheer volume of money and products on display. It turns out the railway station is specifically designed to cater for the large number of tourists who come to shop at the centre, many of whom are Chinese. Apparently, after Buckingham Palace, the outlet centre is the most visited location in the UK by Chinese tourists. Given the glossy sheen of the place, the abundance of stock on display, and the five-star-hotel style of service, it's easy to see the attraction. Some of the cars in the car park even carried diplomatic number-plates, so the embassies clearly enjoy Bicester as well.
But for someone like me, the whole enterprise smacked of artifice. I completely understand why many people buy into (literally and metaphorically) the brand idea, as they are often quality goods which carry with them a level of prestige. However, in the end it is a triumph of presentation over substance; a bit like the many attempts to regenerate Newport. The moment everyone starts buying from expensive brands in an attempt to seem trendy, you end up in a situation where you can't distinguish one jacket or pair of jeans from another. It's a trick, one which convinces you that you need to own many things to be content. As many people have said over the years - much more comprehensively than me - the reverse is often true.
I'm aware I sound like someone who's just realised that the sky is blue, but after so long away from the kind of consumerism which abounds in Bicester Village, being exposed to it again was quite a shock. Still, having recovered from my brush with wealth and having returned from the Cotswolds, I can now get back to the business of poetry. Keep a look out for new features on Mametz Wood in preparation for my upcoming poem on the subject, as well as a new installment of Frynwys Features which will be on this blog soon.
Hope you're all having a great start to the summer!
Monday 1 May 2017
NaPoWriMo 2017 Completed
So that's it. After thirty days' ceaseless formulating and writing poems, I've finally completed NaPoWriMo 2017. It's been a long challenge indeed, but looking back on what I've written this last month, I can safely say it was an unqualified success (unqualified due to my inexperience at this kind of challenge).
What strikes me looking through my NaPoWriMo catalogue is how the challenge forces you to think on your feet while writing and searching for ideas. While I had my usual tropes to fall back on - tiger poems, animal poems, poems about Wales - I've branched out into new territory with some of the other poems I've done. We've had poems about catfish, we've had poems about chimpanzees, we've had poems about worms, we've had poems about Bugatti, we've had sonnets, and we've had poems written in trochaic octameter. All in all NaPoWriMo has forced me to go outside my comfort zone a bit, which is a great stage of development for any writer.
Due to the fact that NaPoWriMo isn't so much about quality as about quantity, the constant demand to produce a poem a day for a month has been a bit tiring. Still, I think it has strengthened my writing abilities, as it has with many others whose work I've been seeing. For my first completed NaPoWriMo, it's been quite a good ride and I look forward to taking the challenge on again when it comes around next year.
In the meantime, I've got a few things approaching fast on this blog. There will be more poems as usual in the next week or two, another instalment of my newest feature, Frynwys Features, and more updates on the long-gestating Mametz Wood project.
To all of you who participated in NaPoWriMo 2017, well done and good luck for the future!
What strikes me looking through my NaPoWriMo catalogue is how the challenge forces you to think on your feet while writing and searching for ideas. While I had my usual tropes to fall back on - tiger poems, animal poems, poems about Wales - I've branched out into new territory with some of the other poems I've done. We've had poems about catfish, we've had poems about chimpanzees, we've had poems about worms, we've had poems about Bugatti, we've had sonnets, and we've had poems written in trochaic octameter. All in all NaPoWriMo has forced me to go outside my comfort zone a bit, which is a great stage of development for any writer.
Due to the fact that NaPoWriMo isn't so much about quality as about quantity, the constant demand to produce a poem a day for a month has been a bit tiring. Still, I think it has strengthened my writing abilities, as it has with many others whose work I've been seeing. For my first completed NaPoWriMo, it's been quite a good ride and I look forward to taking the challenge on again when it comes around next year.
In the meantime, I've got a few things approaching fast on this blog. There will be more poems as usual in the next week or two, another instalment of my newest feature, Frynwys Features, and more updates on the long-gestating Mametz Wood project.
To all of you who participated in NaPoWriMo 2017, well done and good luck for the future!
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