I was really pleased to have two of my poems in this lovely book from Trowbridge Poetry Stanza – Herding Cats and Song of Ham’s Wife, both of which were published in Falling and Flying. We were asked for poems of optimism and hope.
The poems in Looking Up are marvellous, carefully crafted by members of Trowbridge Poetry Stanza. But the clever addition is that sales of the books are raising money for Dorothy House hospice care, the only adult hospice in the region offering palliative and end of life care. They also support their patients’ families and carers. They have to fundraise £4 for every £1 received from the UK government.
So by purchasing a copy of Looking Up you are not only buying a collection of inspiring poems for yourself or a poetry-loving friend, but you’re supporting a charity that does so much for families and people with a palliative care need.
For a copy contact Trowbridge Poetry Stanza on trowbridgestanza.substack.com
Here is one of my two poems included in the anthology:
HERDING CATS
Some days words sit up on sheds
licking their fur. They look down
disdainfully, refuse to be tempted
onto the page.
Words stake out their territories,
go wandering off
in search of some elusive scent.
They sulk and disappear
for days on end, returning
well-fed by another hand to occupy
the best armchair in the house.
Words spit and scratch when cornered.
They yowl all night, give birth
secretly in the shoe cupboard.
Yet on good days the slightest sound
of spoon on tin will bring them in.
Then words will curl tails around your legs,
doze on sunny windowsills,
end the day contented on your lap,
purring as if they had never been away.
First published in Acumen, issue 101, Sept. 2021
