My lovely friend Anthony has a new book of poems. I managed to get to a reading in the fantastic Bike Shed Bar earlier in the week
Ant’s book, Riddance, is his “poetic account of the experience of diagnosis, treatment, misdiagnosis of relapse, and coming to terms with survival from this disease.”
The loss of my dad to cancer when I was in my early 20’s means this subject is one I still find difficult. Listening to Ant though, was a joy, for the hope it offered. And that he was there reading.
I am looking forward to re-reading Riddance, reading it and allowing the full weight of the words to rest. And, I suggest you do the same.
On the poetry front, I have recently discovered Listener the Band. Listener offer a mix of spoken word, trumpets, percussion and guitar that I never encountered before. Their album Wooden Heart is really quite something.
our lives are a bridge for us to give, I want to build a better bridge
from every wrong we’ve done to each other, if I forgive will you forgive?
cause one day we’re gonna close our eyes for death or rest
and abandon ourself, this weak mind and breath
and the columns we made, and roots we grew down deep
will be pulled and gathered in to firewood, and burnt for heat
but when the tension shifts, and these braces turn
I’ll try and build a better bridge
and when all our piers burn, and the hinges miss
I’m gonna build a better bridge
our hearts are abridged, let’s build bridges to each other
so we don’t take ourselves under
Check out this amazing live version of Failing in love with glaciers
Motorbikes. Well, this is a long story, one that is re-emerging like a mid life crisis!
Back when I was a lad, and working in mountain biking, one of the highlights was to be able to jump on a scrambler and belt along forest tracks, fixing signage, safety tape and so on. Given my ‘bike’ skills were acquired when at 17 I had a Honda CB50 I fixed up and rode for a season, I was never in to big air, but there is something really quite magical about riding a bike. Later, and when living in France I frequently rode pillion with some locals who befriended us! There is something about experiencing wheelies at 200 KPH that stays with you.
Well, my inexperienced hidden biker is trying to get out. Like I said, it may be the mid life crisis but whatever it is, it has arrived with a desire to get my bike licence and buy a Triumph Bonneville T100. Sigh.
Not entirely practical, quite how it would fit in with life or how I might acquire the finance (maybe a Kickstarter project?) are just two of the questions that need significant attention, if this is ever going to go anywhere.