Dec. 17, 2019
I’m in my bed recovering from a bug that has knocked me flat. Before this, it got the rest of the family and, from the word on the street, people are taking weeks to recover. While I’m in this nowhere space I thought it was a good time to produce the next blog. I have just finished the next leg of the Masters at Manchester Metropolitan University. We had a writing workshop with the former poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy. It was an exhilarating experience. A bunch of lovely talented writers submitted work and we offered each other useful feedback together with the pearls of wisdom from Carol Ann. She is the most encouraging and supportive teacher. One of the things she did was task us with writing a specific form, Sonnet, Sestina etc. as an exercise in process and shaping.
Sestinas are strange animals. Invented by Arnaut Daniel in the twelfth century and taken up by the troubadours to show off their mastery. They are lively and complex and witty. Seven stanzas, thirty-nine lines using six keywords at the end of each line of the stanza. This pattern repeats in each subsequent stanza in a revolving manner.
At the same time, I was invited to speak to a Pathologist Conference as a patient advocate. As part of that conference, they spoke about a piece of research in the UK which sought to discover the public’s perception of pathologists. There were some keywords in the research which I took as my keywords in the Sestina.
Coincidentally, last year there was an extraordinary exhibition of sculptures in the Maeght Foundation, St Paul du Vance, created by Jan Fabre made from Carrera marble of brains. I have included one of them.
So, as usual, read, enjoy, share, send some feedback.
Latest comments
25.11 | 22:15
Grief is experience through the mundane. Simple but powerful. The accompanying image really compliments the poem.
07.11 | 11:14
Hi Peter,
A great observation! Social media can be a scary place... I also need to reduce my time there
Hugs,
John.x
06.11 | 16:24
A great one, Peter, in the context you describe. I don't read social media myself, I doubt my equilibrium could stand it. 'The balance of his mind disturbed' yes, I think it would be.
06.11 | 15:59
Yes, gossip is a weapon of mass destruction.
In my business as well as personal life I have zero tolerance.
Echoes of the Old on the New Battlefields
Warrior chiefs of the GAA were early on the field to prepare:
Posts and cones positioned to mark territories
Very young novices came later by parents’ chariots
clad and shod for the ensuing battles
Firstly, paced for speed, resilience and flexibility,
then marked off into opposing teams
Each warrior chief led a young squad of hopefuls
in further exercises to bring them to fit levels
There followed a huddle, an exhortation rant,
responded with clamour of intent and enthusiasm
Skirmishes began, speed across the field, hunt for the ball,
to be delivered as the goal, or to be prevented at all costs
Warrior chiefs egged on, instructed, altered the field of play
the young ’uns complied with fighting spirit
For every fall and hurt spells were cast on the side line
till fitness returned and they were entered back into play
Scores mounted, roars enhanced, casualties grew,
novices flagged and regrouped across the fields
Between bouts came the talks of encouragement
Stay back, pass, pass, pass, keep the pace.
Old hands passing skill onto new palms with dedication,
a gift of generous wisdom gladly given
Peter Clarke
20th April 2024