Singing as the Darkness Lifts

  Nigel Kent's Review of  ‘Welcome to the Museum of a Lif e’  by Sue Finch You know that you’re in the presence of a special talent when you read a collection, and you realise that you have never experienced anything like it before. That was the case for me when I first read Welcome to The Museum of a Life by Sue Finch (Black Eyes Publishing UK, 2024). The collection is split into 7 parts: a foyer, 5 galleries and a gift shop. Each of the galleries contains exhibits, such as a blue apple, a pelican dancing on a patio, a blade of ice and a pound coin, which provide the subjects of anecdotes, sometimes fantastical and sometimes sharply authentic, but always providing the reader with a profound insight into the nature of the human condition. As in a conventional museum, these exhibits are organised into themed galleries. In Gallery One, we meet exhibits on the subject of childhood. It is portrayed as a time of irrational fea...

  ONLY TIME   Stones. This morning the slightly warm wind carries the scent of seaside stones. I imagine it blew the smell in overnight when the gusts were strong, but it could be the stones on the paths.   PodBean Link for those who like to listen I have a love of glasses and cups, and often match the drinking vessel to my mood or a particular time of day. I realised this week that I might be overthinking things when I felt myself falter when selecting the glass for my first pint of water of the day. I wasn’t sure whether I was going to be mostly ‘coach’ or mostly ‘poet’! There was quite a conversation going on in my head about whether I was going to start the day by redrafting some poems, writing a blurb or updating the coaching section of my website! In order to break the inertia I decided it would be best to use my ‘special sister’ tankard and crack on with the day. Alt text describes this week’s photo as a group of glass...

  A MARMALADE SANDWICH WITH PADDINGTON   This morning the air has been blown to freshness by the strong winds, and I love alt text’s suggestion for this week’s photo: A person sitting on a bench with a bear and a cookie! PodBean Link for those who like to listen to this blog. When I heard that a Paddington Bear bench had been installed in Chester I was excited to go and see it. I loved watching the cartoons when I was little and enjoyed the empathy I felt for the little bear as he explored things. Marmalade sandwiches are not really a thing for me – I often eat marmalade on toast, but not in a sandwich. However, it felt a fitting thing to do to make a marmalade sandwich to eat on the bench with Paddington. I took a bite before sitting down so my sandwich matched the shape of his. It was delicious and Kath and I enjoyed sharing it on the way home afterwards. There will be more of these kinds of sandwiches in my days.   Last wee...

My thanks to Nigel Kent for inviting me to drop-in and talk about a specific poem from 'Welcome to the Museum of a Life'. There are plenty of drop-ins on Nigel's site so it is well worth having a delve to read what writers say about their work followed by the review of the work by Nigel. Drop-in by Sue Finch This week I’m particularly excited to welcome Sue Finch to reflect upon a poem from her acclaimed collection, Welcome to the Museum of a Life (Black Eyes Publishing, 2024). I Don’t Know , is featured in Gallery 2 in my second full poetry collection, Welcome to the Museum of a Life . This gallery is a gallery of the unspoken which seems fitting for a poem which is about the grief I experienced when my Nan died. I thought of it as a quiet, contemplative poem when I selected it for publication and was surprised and pleased when both Julie Stevens and Susan Richardson engaged with it shortly after the book was released. The poem beg...

  A GROUP OF FRUIT STACKED ON A GAME BOARD PodBean Link for those who like to listen. This morning the air surrounds me with the scent of a newly cooled fridge. There is a cleanness there that matches the sparkle of the three stars I can see in the sky.   Alt text says this week’s picture is: a group of fruit stacked on top of a game board. I doff my cap to that. I say it is indeed the Ludo board with three apples in a totem pole arrangement. At the bottom is ‘Cox’s Orange Pippin of the Year’ (My mum bought us the tree and I like to select the best apple of the harvest and celebrate that one first) next is a pretend red apple and on the top is a blue ‘apple for my mum’.   On Saturday I sang in the car park in town. Not just a snippet of a song as I parked the car. Not part of a line while getting a ticket from the machine. Real singing. I sang in a marquee, as part of a choir.   I love the fact that rehearsals have led t...

BE MORE JAGUAR     PodBean Link for those who like to listen This morning the air seems to hold the scent of violets. Like last week’s scent, I am unsure where this comes from, but I find myself and enjoying the fact that I have been breathing the Monday morning air and noting its smell for 57 weeks.   Last night brought immersion in words and the company of good poets at a visit to Port Sunlight for the Wirral Poetry Festival. It was good to listen to some poems I had heard or read before and enjoyed as well as many that were new to me. Five poets at two events, time to talk with like-minded people, news of events I might enjoy, and a jar of honey. I loved hearing Martin Figura and Helen Ivory referred to as 'the king and queen of poetry'. And I loved being there for their superb readings.   Alt text is not offering me a suggestion for this week’s photo montage. I say it is four photos, two of the head of a bea...