Happy Valentine’s Day to all! And in the slightly oxymoronic spirit of this day I have sandwiched a small pang of a poem between two celebrations of relationships and family. Deborah Wargate’s beautifully shaped poem takes the ordinary morning routine and infuses every detail with the warmth and joy of intimacy, her final image capturing the way that relationships are so often built on contrasting personalities. Like a small splinter lodged is Mr D’s poem; its direct use of the second person, “you”, rather insisting that we have all at one time or another denied ourselves the chance of happiness, perhaps out of blindness or fear. The final poem reveals a harmonious tableau of family in a domestic and natural setting, and sprinkles it over with the magic of new fallen snow. It reassures us that love can be realised and noticed afresh unexpectedly, that happiness in love can take us by surprise, warm our hearts and feel just right.
The shape of love
The leaving is part of it, the sideways look in the hall mirror to see if you are there
watching my back smiling love in your eyes.
The staying too, a kiss from your lips
lingering on my cheek, breasts, thighs.
Your warm hand stroking my every where.
Your song livening a morning shower and your
breath on my shoulder as I decide what to wear.
Your pleasure, whatever goes on or comes off, whatever size
I decide I am and your shrugged on look that I want to iron but know enough not to
for you are the rough wave that I want to churn my sands forever with great care.
By Deborah Wargate
Once again you’ve
run away as true
love knocked on your
door. The intent was
clear and although
you saw; you closed
your heart to the
knock on the door.
By Mr D
Enamoured
Resounding silence on this snow clad day
the garden smoothly iced like Christmas cake
traces of a bird’s footprints in places
indicate Robin looking for some food
has risen and breakfasted long ago
Early enough for us, breakfast is now
but the child has other ideas and runs
out across the snow, imprints of his feet
meet Robin’s and cause a small avalanche
love takes over as all falls into place.
By Penelope Cutler
A huge thank you to Felixstowe Café Poets for all their wonderful poetry over the past week! A special thanks must go to Alex Davis for her coordination of the project and insightful commentary on the selection. Felixstowe Café Poets are your local community poetry group providing meetings at a venue where working poets can read the poetry they write, poetry written by known published poets and sometimes look at a particular published poet’s work and discuss. They have also published an anthology of their work. They welcome lovers of poetry, writers of poetry, published or unpublished and they have a great time at their meetings in His Lordships Library at the Orwell Hotel on the 3rd Thursday of each month (entry fee is £2.50 per person per session). Make sure you see the Café Poets at the Festival in June as they bring you another brilliant event. Stay tuned for more details…
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