I’ve almost totally abandoned the plan to do this every week now, given it’s been three weeks (again) since the last check in, and even that was more of a placeholder. Perhaps that’s fine, I think it probably is.
We went to the Peak District for half term, we had a lovely time in among the snow, the wind, the rain (as a Twilight Singers fan I’m now duty bound to link to Feathers, even if I am slightly misquoting the lyrics), but the weather sort of curtailed our outings. This did give me time to complete and submit my review of Stewart Carswell’s first collection, Earthworks, for London Grip. My thanks, as ever, to Michael for taking it and being so quick to publish it.
I really have to start saying no to reviews, but some how I still have 4 to do. I did start another while I was away. It’s only 350 words, and I got half way through and now I think I have to start again. Get on with it, Riches.!!
I woke up to some ace news yesterday, a mag that I have admired for a while have agreed to take one of my poems (pending acceptance of edit suggestions). I am working through their totally sensible suggestions at present, and hopefully it will all be good. I’ve gone from rarely getting editorial feedback to having a fair bit (albeit not massive) of late. I like it, I think. More news on this soon, I hope. No chickens are being counted in the making of this paragraph.
I also had the chance to catch up on some* reading while I was off. I say some, it was nowhere near enough. Every time I finish a magazine, a new one arrives, and that seems to take the place of reading the books that are piling up. It’s not exactly the end of the world though, is it?
In doing that reading I came across this poem in Stand 19.3. I can’t quite put my finger on why I like it, but I love it. Perhaps it’s a recognition of the “Illiad-long, bottom of the stairs phone conversation”, either way, here it is. It’s by Jonathan Tulloch, who appears to be better known as a novelist, but I note his bio here at Acumen suggests he’s only just turned to poetry. BACK THE FUCK OFF, TULLOCH…!!*
More and More Northern English Carpets of the 1970s
are being lost every day. Soon there’ll be none left.
Their too-vivid electric colors quenched in landfill,
their unrealistic hothouse flowers rotting seedlessly
by the fly-tipped farmer’s gate. Some happy few might
be recycled, their surprisingly soft teddy-bear innards
hardened into plant pots, wheel trims, washing machine
parts. But what kind of life is that for those who
bore the hopes and dreams and moccasins and fake fur
Lu ease mule slippers of a generation? Perhaps
it’s even worse for those carpets rolled up and forgotten
in lofts, watching the dust fall and waiting in vain for
sweepers and early electric wasp-nest bag hoovers,
unable to explain grandparent coal fires, horn rimmed
glasses, space hoppers and Eddie Waring, to the boxes of glib,
still-in-use Christmas decs, current suitcases and tents.
And what happened to the lifelong friends of all those
disappearing, yet unmagic carpets? The standard lamps
and half-supped mugs. The lanky telephone tables, (keepers
of the lost art of the Illiad-long, bottom-of-the stairs phone
conversation). The random hearthrugs. The button separated
forever from the blue Woolworth’s ladybird dressing gown?
All the dust of the hooverers’ countless day dreams?
Where now does Nannie’s clothes horse graze?
* I’m joking, please keep going
THE (LAST THREE) WEEKS IN STATS
c.35K running. The mojo isn’t there, but I can feel it coming back. A conversation with a mate who is training for the London Marathon has kick started things. This week has seen 25K, with 13 coming today, so I feel like I am on my way back
6 hour drive to Derbyshire
1 x trip to Bakewell
1 trip to Eyam
1 x trip to Buxton
22 cats on the farm
4 horses
A host of golden daffodils
0 massive hangovers
1 kitten had “the op”, 1 to go soon
2 x drilling to fit bathroom fixtures
2 weekends of solid graft in the garden
15ish (at least) journeys to dance lessons and back for Flo
Many LFTs
1 rejections: The Stinging Fly
0 poems finished:
2 poems worked on: Nature Abhors a Vacuum, Trajectory, The Summer Job
0 poems published:
1 submissions: Poetry Wales
1 acceptance: Can’t say yet
17 poems currently out for submission.
74 Published poems
38 Poems* finished by unpublished
25 poems* in various states of undress
554 Rejected poems* Eg I’ve decided they are not good enough
0 reviews finished:
4 reviews to write: How the fuck did that happen…I keep finishing them and then they keep coming.
2 day without cigarettes…I was doing so well, Oh well, back to it. As in giving up, not back to smoking.
0 Days since drinking
0 sleepless nights:
1 more week that I’m not having an affair with Eva Green
* To date, not this week. Christ!!
TITLE GIVEAWAY
Nothing to offer, sorry
READ/SEEN/HEARD/ETC
Read
Frogmore Papers: 97
Stand: 19.3
Christopher Horton: Perfect Timing
Sarah Westcott: Bloom
Poetry Wales #57.3
Zooms:
Recording the latest Grandbags Funeral
Music
The Dead Tongues: Dust
Akira Kosemura/Hisaki Kato: One Day You Will Reach The Sea
Florence & The Machine: High As hope, How Big…
Fleetwood Mac: Bare Trees
Fontaines DC: Dogrel, A Hero’s Death
Christian Lee Hutson: Quitters
Unwed Sailor: Truth or Consequences
Akira Kosemura: One Day, Jackjeane OST
The Soft Pack: ST, Strapped
The Prisoners: A Taste OF Pink, The Last Fourfathers
Windrush Radio: Riverside Rhythms
Massacre Massacre: Bunkaa 1
The Solarflares: Psychedelic Tantrum
Exposions In The Sky: Live, Earth Not Cold Dead Place
Sun’s Signature: Golden Air
Van Morrison: Veedon Fleece
Superchunk: Wild Loneliness
Jane Weaver: Flock
The Sea and the Cake: One Day
Richard Hawley: Coles Corner
Wilco: kicking Television
Aldous Harding: Warm Chris
Angel Olsen: All Mirrors
Cassandra Jenkins: A Phenomenal Overview
Courtney Barnett: Things Take Time
Hiss Golden Messenger: Terms of Surrender
Laura Gibson: La Grande
Wet Leg: ST
Band of Horses: Things Are Great
Grizzly Bear: Veckatimest, Shields
Beth Orton: Comfort Of Strangers, Daybreaker
Pearl Jam: Riot Act
John Coltrane: The Definitive Coltrane
Echo & The Bunnymen: Ocean Rain, Siberia, Meteorites
Krystal Clear: Connected EP
Nightports & Matthew Bourne: ST
Sault: Air
The Cure: Anniversary
Jefrey Cantu-Delesma: On The Echoing Green
Ride: This Is Not A Safe Place
Sea Power: Sea of Brass
The Feminine Complex: Hide and Seek
David Christian & The Pinecone Orchestra: For Those We Met On The Way
Bright Eyes: I’m Wide Awake
Spiritualized: Everything Was Beautiful
The Cure; 4.13 Dream, Wish, Show, Entreat
Yo La Tengo: I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One
The Archers
Five Live: Arsenal Vs Man U
Watched
Criminal Minds
The Walking Dead
Saturday Night Takeaway
In For A Penny
Skyfall
SAS: Who Dares Wins
Married At First Sight:Australia
Liverpool vs Man City FA Cup Semi-final
Storyville: Truffle Hunters
Ordered
Nothing
Arrived
Poetry Review
Poetry Wales
Kim Moore: All The Men
Lizzie Parker: In Her Shambles
Poetry Scotland
Wear The Fox Hat 