National Poetry Day 2021, Theme of 'Choice'

 

Upper left: Basil Brown's (reconstructed) shepherd's hut at NT Sutton Hoo, Suffolk

Upper right: drystone beehive cell (for a monk) in the grounds of Kilmartin Museum, Scotland

Lower left: reconstruction of a Provençal 'borrie' for oxen (and shepherds, apparently), The Eden Project, Cornwall

Lower right: beach huts on the shore at Southwold, Suffolk

 *

I have often envied writers who have or have had a 'shed' at their disposal for writing, reading and contemplation, whether the structure has been a driftwood hut, a remote bothy or a garden gazebo. Dylan Thomas and the Reverend R.S. Hawker both had writing huts with coastal views. I would definitely opt for one of these.  

Of course, it isn't only writers who have huts. The photograph below shows a hut on Romney Marsh in Kent, provided for the 'lookers', folk who were asked to care for huge flocks of sheep on behalf of the land owners, who considered the marsh an unhealthy place in which to live. 

Unlike the shepherds, who only minded a single flock, lookers were responsible for sheep belonging to more than one owner. The workers were based at their huts by day, and at lambing times found themselves camping out in them overnight. 

It seems ironic to me that the hut in the photo below, designed for these lookers, seems so devoid of windows. I see there is a stable-style door; I do not remember if there was a window at the back. Perhaps this hut was mainly used for the storage of tools and other equipment. The chimney suggests an internal fire place. 

 

Driftwood by Starlight (The Seventh Quarry Press, June 2021), my poetry collection, includes my poem 'Hawker's Hut' (p.29); Parson Hawker's driftwood structure nestles in the cliff above the sea at Morwenstow in Cornwall. 

'Hawker's Hut' was read out at Ipswich Library today as part of Suffolk Poetry Society's National Poetry Day reading on the theme of 'choice'.

Lookers' huts on Romney Marsh in Kent, like the one in the photograph above, are mentioned in my poem, 'Lost' (p.12). This poem also has an allusion to the poet, Edward Thomas. 

 

Driftwood by Starlight (The Seventh Quarry Press, June 2021) can be purchased online, here. The cost is £6.99/$10.

A Poem in Reach Poetry

David striding out...

I was delighted to open the April edition of Reach Poetry (Indigo Dreams Publishing) and find that my 'Lost' poem had been published. It begins in Kent on the expanse known as Romney Marsh, where there is a shepherd's hut* in the form of the small brick structure in the photo above, known as the Looker's (or Lookers') Hut. These lookers were responsible for the sheep. You can read more about them here.



* For a couple of shepherds' huts on wheels, this time in Suffolk, you can click here to see one of my Christmas posts...

Creative Corner (4): Seth's Bundle for May Day

1 May 2009: Reveal Time
Stage 2 in Seth's Bundle Project!
Above: two for the price of one ... my bundle has come adrift.

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May...
Sonnet 18, Shakespeare

Welcome to my corner of Seth Apter's (Disintegration Art Project) DisCo - and if you would like to know more, do take a look at Seth's blog, The Altered Page.

Some weeks ago I read about an unusual project on Weaver's blog. I followed the link, and asked Seth if I could join in the fun. I followed his instructions, and set up a bundle of odds and ends in my garden. I went into 'Womble' mode, and tried to re-use 'eco-friendly' materials such as lavender and moulted animal hair. I decided to dilute some turmeric powder for a splash of colour, rather than paint, because it seemed more garden-friendly. I made two handles out of palm fronds, and hung the bundle on a branch of my hydrangea, and waited for the elements to do their worst (or perhaps I should say their best).

We have a prevailing south-westerly wind in South Wales; and sure enough, it was not long before my bundle was blown in two. We usually have heavy rain - and we have had a few heavy showers - but after a very cold winter, we have actually had a beautiful late spring. I now have two bundles instead of one, but other than that, there has not been as much disintegration as I had expected. The turmeric dye has turned from a cheerful hot-sun yellow to a dilute murky brown. The leaves, of course, have grown a lot on the hydrangea: when the dew is not so heavy, I will have to go exploring to see whether there are any earthworms, snails or woodlice under the part that has fallen to the ground.

When I was growing up in Kent (the Garden of England), we used to go to school in an excited frame of mind on May Day. Our teachers led us out to the flowering cherry tree, where we would wash our faces in the dew and dance round the Maypole (I don't think it was quite as long ago as the picture implies!). Speaking of Seth's (Disintegration Art Project) DisCo, I can assure you that our jaunty Maypole steps were a far cry from a student dance! Did you know that St Andrew Undershaft in the City of London is named after the maypole that was kept under its eaves? It was brought out each spring until the student riots of 1517.

At school on May Day we would recite that evocative poem about the loveliest of trees, 'The Cherry Tree' by A. E. Housman. The poem deals with the subject of growing old and the passing of time. Little did I imagine that two-score years later (as opposed to the three-score and ten of the poem), I would be celebrating 1 May with a disintegrating bundle of art! Thank you, Weaver, for the tip-off.

• Seth Apter's blog, The Altered Page
• My original bundle
• Lavinia Greenlaw: The Housman Lecture at the 2009 Guardian Hay Festival in May.
• Do take a look at Matt Merritt's blog, Polyolbion, and his book, Troy Town (I hope to post more comments on this soon).
• Crafty Green Poet tells me it is Decorative Dumpster Day!
• Make sure that you are Seeing the Changes with Professor P. Brain in South Wales.