Yesterday evening I submitted to all these with varying degrees of success with the exception of Belle Ombre (which I had never heard of and which seemed a contender for the new Agenda up its own (hare’s) arse award). I got something off to all the rest even the one that I was not supposed…
poetry
SELFIE @ 65
Self-regarding Self-effacing Selfie at 65 Teeth – some lost Eyes – scarred Piles- fixed Hernia – fixed Ears – Tinnitus Brain- forgets names Hands – scarred wrinkled Feet – chilblained Hair – grey thinner Optimism – constrained Politics – centrist was left Artwork – little Writing – occasional Music- listen not make Income – pensions…
NORFOLK IN SPRING
The taste of salt on the tongue Kids gone to uni now empty nester Husband in marketing doing well Always wanted to write Met a small press woman Now I got a pamphlet Next year a prize Discovering a new poet every day over coffee in Waterstones Elizabeth Bishop is amazing I really struggled with…
Dark Marilyn
DARK MARILYN Our sweet matter to anti-matterthe gilded cage gridded, blocks, containsepitome of class, pleasure and power Always six paces behind, a life of serviceI brushed by them one east end afternoonAs Charles and Nigella floated by Like peacocks emerging from a stairwellTheir expensive coats azure blue, bejewelledAt a secret view of Conran’s new restaurant…
Dark Weather Bookshelf
Here some of the seminal books that influenced me over the years.. This quickly got out of hand and a more rational attempt will be made later….Margaret Atwood’s Survival and Jonathan Bate’s book missing..
THAMES VALLEY TEXAS
I just read some of this volume at the Open Book reading is Thames Valley Texas (updates at link above or direct here https://shaunbelcher.com/writing/?cat=106) This is a kind of auto-biography of myself and my hometown of Didcot where I lived for a good part of 30 years. The title is a reference to the love…
#nationalpovertyday
New Poems: Dead Centre
DEAD CENTRE If England was a target and you were looking at cross hairsIn the centre of the cross hairs would probably be DidcotThe most normal town in England according to the pollstersThe 11th worst place to live according to crap towns My home town, the town my family still live in, die inA town…
Thames Valley Texas
I shall be reading from new Horseshoe Press pamphlet ‘Thames Valley Texas’ next Tuesday at the Organ Grinder on Open Books second birthday. Without the hard work of the T S Eliot of Bus Drivers there would be no Open Book so thank you Neil Fulwood here’s to the next two years… http://www.openbook.org.uk/
2nd Anniversary Reading at Open Book Tuesday October 3rd – better than Goose Fair
Date for your diary: Tuesday 3rd October 2023, from 8pm. Open mic, headline sets from Shaun Belcher and Tony Challis; plus special appearances from some mystery guests. So head to the Overlook Hotel, er, I mean The Organ Grinder, Nottingham and join in the fun. Anyone missing out will be “corrected”.