Ladies Lounge

It's always a lovely thing when some unexpected appreciation lands - especially these days when Beryl is so rarely out. But even better when that appreciation is news of having been some kind of inspiration to other people's writing and creativity.

I recently received a message from local poet and facilitator Harula Ladd, which included these very heartening words

"i Just wanted to let you know, I used a poem of yours, "Womanifesto", in a workshop this morning and the women loved it!! Proper loved it!! They wrote their own group poem"

I got the group's permission to share some of the piece they'd written, and so here's a few select lines from the fabulous work of the Ladies lounge. I definitely agree with many of the sentiments:

Less/More

Less chains in my head

Less fear that I dread

Less worry about the morrow

More joy through the sorrow

More water, less rain

More picture, less frame

More love, less hate

More peace, less state

More laughter, less crime

More freedom, less mine!

Less pull, more push

Less noise, more hush

Less fear if I cry

More life, lest I die

If you haven't heard it, here's another chance to listen to the poem it was inspired-by

Harula brought me into the group a few weeks later as a guest artist - and I had the most wonderful time coaching the women in new writing and performance. They wrote some profound things, especailly in reference to the difficult life-experiences many of them had been through.

It felt like an such honour to be trusted, and to facilitate a sharing which was the first time most of them had stood up. It's one of my favourite things to truly hear people, speaking about their diverse real-lives in beautifully crafted language.