Mabh Savage
Words and the world passing by; how it sings to me; how I clamour back.
Post Box Poets: The Return!
I really love this venue in Chorlton, Manchester (UK) and was delighted to be making a return to find out what vernacular vivacity was on offer for this month’s Post Box Poets. I was mightily surprised to find myself reading in the second half of the event! This event is the brain child of The Quiet Compere, Sarah L Dixon. An accomplished poet herself, she has found a wonderful space for speakers and listeners alike to gather and be happy. The talent on offer is mind blowing, and the variety in style and topic keeps the evening moving along so fast, I can’t quite believe it when it finishes.
Every poet brought something unique to the floor. Sarah herself has stories of tweets and grey rainbows, and is utterly gripping to listen to. Hannah Mackay spoke about a twenty year gone relationship and the resonance still recurring. Sarah Maxwell moved from sad but beautiful musings to amusing anecdotes about holidaying, with some lovely, avian metaphors thrown in.
John Darwin impressed firstly by not having any paper to carry (always jealous of those that can memorise!) and then by moving from humour to painful poignancy effortlessly. I don’t think any of us will now forget the phrase ‘I just like art galleries and getting pissed’. My favourite was ‘Cuckoo’, which to me just spoke of the callous nature of humanity via a very local snapshot.
Jonathan Eyre brings his poetry to life with a performance style that speaks of the theater; every word spoken just so to leave the perfect imprint on the listeners mind. His poem about ME I heard for the second time tonight, and if anything it only moved me more upon repetition. Pat Selden sat and talked to us as if we were confidantes; short funny bursts of what seemed spontaneity interspersed with longer stories and musings, traveling from music to politics and stopping off on a few places between. Highly entertaining.
With the Tories in town, it was no surprise there were a fair few political offerings. Neil Fawcett inspired a few wet eyes with the story of Jack, slave to the wage; very relevant in our current cutback culture. Freda Davis spoke heatedly about the entropy stemming from so called enterprise, and boy, were there some cheers at this!
Janine Pinion proved her intense powers of imagination as she took us with her on an adventure to become smaller than the rain; simply delightful.
Martin Vosper finished off the night speaking of a love not yet found, superheroes (where we find a poem within a poem) and the beauty of nature; he mixes humour, observation and wit to deliver a range of subjects that not only inspire laughs but thoughtfulness.
Oh yeah, and I read as well. I don’t know about everyone else but I enjoyed myself? To read a bit of the poetry I performed last night click here and here, which are two halves that last night I rolled into one for the first time ever. To the lady who said my poems are like ‘listening to a painting’: I love you! And thanks. Here’s to the next Post Box Poets!
Mabh Savage 