THOM BOULTON
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Nonsensical

20/6/2020

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Through the devising and resourcing of online lessons, I have managed to rediscover nonsense poetry again. As children we are exposed to the wonderful world of abstract thought and communication but then as we get older, rules come along and start beating us into conformity and such.

Nonsense poetry is incredible. It's like reading or listening to poetry in another language, where you might catch the odd word you know but everything else flies over your head. Some nonsense poetry is so good at obscuring the meaning that you'd get more sense discussing the Highlander film series with an a Martian called Alan.


The great thing about that is it forces you as a reader or listener to fill in the blanks (most good poetry does this anyway!) Nonsense relies on the interpretation of rhythm, rhyme, assonance, oddity and general silliness, to get a feel for what the writer was trying to convey.

I've written a few examples below and I'm putting the challenge out there to have a go yourselves. As always, share what you make and I'll post it to the Poetry Club wall. - Thom

Guires 1
Ghaster fan the simm,
zighs an oblescroot blode,
bunds fark as a frouse,
shanks lautie fanner noad.

Note: In this one I summoned Lewis Carrol. The original poem was comprised of four lines of hyperbole. I substituted the words for nonsense words that I felt sounded or conveyed the meaning of the original words.

Guires 2
She spakes to his farce smile,
'act naturally when we're alone together'

a deafening silence sits under the carpet,

'will you?' escaped her passive aggressive mouth,
'definitely maybe' he befogged, clearly confused by the way she was standing.

Note: In this one I used oxymorons to add nonsense, whilst playing with the verbs to make them seem awkward (the whole vibe of the conversation).





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Wednesday Writes on Radio Devon #1

9/4/2020

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During the current crisis, I have had the wonderful honour of working with Abby Davies at BBC Radio Devon. Abby and I have been in contact via the marvels of modern technology and somehow managed to organise a regular poetry feature each week. The feature (which we've named Wednesday Writes) goes out at 11.15am on the mid-morning show, and is a great showcase for local writers. It is the chance for talented poets to share their own work whilst also helping to inspire and enthuse listeners to pick up the pen themselves. So far we have had Robert Garnham and Kat Savage take to the waves, and Abby has kindly shared some of the submitted work received from listeners following those shows. They are below so you can read them yourselves. - Thom
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Thom Boulton
Wednesday 18th March 2020
www.thomboulton.com
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 Robert Garnham
Wednesday 1st April 2020
www.professorofwhimsy.com
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Kat Savage
​Wednesday 8th April 2020
​www.facebook.com/fiercesister/

Poems submitted by the listeners of Radio Devon
Poem
I hope you're not going out like that!
You'll catch your death of cold
It's like talking to a brick wall.
I can see you won't be told.

Have you got your mobile
just in case you're late?
Who is this guy you're meeting?
What's the name of this "hot date"?

Please don't have too much to drink
and go acting like a fool,
and if he wants more than a kiss,
remember, play it cool.

If you have a daughter then
you'll know what I'm about
except, she's the one who's staying in.
It's me that's going out!

Margaret Long
I Sat With You Today
I
sat with you today
I sat and held your hand
Although you could not see me
I know you’d understand

It was a great honour
To be with you today
On your final journey
To the Lord I prayed

What an amazing life you’ve had
Spanning four and ninety years
It would be very selfish
If I sat and shed a tear

You were the best of Dads
A son could ever have
Teaching me to cope with life
So, I really can’t be sad

That final journey now you’ve made
I hope you find great peace
In God’s care you now reside
Marcus Neville Peter PEACE

Stuart (Exeter)
Poem
One day it all changed, things were not the same
The whole world was affected, but who was to blame
People pointing their fingers, without any care
Bringing negative feelings with negative stares
So how will we manage, what does it mean
How will we triumph, over Covid 19
The people are dying , all over the land
We cannot give hugs or hold on to a hand
Of a loved one who’s dying, we cannot be near
The world we have now is a world filled with fear
Anxiety whispered with its voice of persistence
Don’t get too close, please keep your distance
The feeling within us is to stay home and hide
But we need to get shopping, we must go outside
We put on our gloves, and some will wear masks
Just so we can complete ,the simplest of tasks
It’s tearing our countries apart like a plough
These things that we valued, they matter not now
Hold on to your families, keep your loved ones inside
Lose the anger, the hate, the fear and the pride
We must all stand together and keep ourselves strong
So the plague that threatens us, will not last so long
So stay in your house, don’t try and tempt fate
You don’t want to be thinking, I did, but too late
Phone your friends who are lonely,
Check on those that are ill
Will we get through this?
Together we will.


Vicki Lucas
What Summer Means To Me.

What summer means to me,
Lots of blooms on the tree.
Lots of plants and loads of flowers,
Blowing dandelions every hour.
Going surfing by the sea,
Different places we can be.
Putting sun-cream on my face and hands,
Then going off to play in the beautiful golden sands.
Zipping up a wetsuit whilst breathing in,
I’ve got a new one now-that ones in the bin.
There’s nothing that bad about the sea,
But sand in my sandwiches-not for me!!
Watching dad sail around the Hoe,
While mum is shouting at him, “Go, Go, Go!”
Seeing the swallows come and arrive,
And watching their babies, grow and thrive.
So what does summer mean to me,
Well happiness and family.

Lily Hambly

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Surmountable Shelf (feat. Ron Padgett)

3/4/2020

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Ah, the surmountable shelf. How often do we hear about piles of books, great towers of literature looming over us? We buy, we place in the pile, and then we never get the time to read! With a bit of shifting, who needs Ikea? Make a dining room table out of the classics, or even prop up  the television using various fantasy and crime novels.

However, the surmountable shelf is achievable! One glorious book at a time. Here, I'll recommend a good read that is easy to dip in and out of, but feel free to comment and make your own suggestions as well. The feature for this post is Ron Padgett's Alone And Not Alone, an incredibly fun book to read. Ron's poetry reminds me of micropop, in the sense of its playfulness and sometimes childlike outlook. Don't be fooled though, Ron goes deep into philosophy and deep into himself, revealing the thoughts of a man facing his age. The poems are clever, easy to read, and most importantly, fun.

Possibly one of my favourite reads in recent years and has cheated its way to my all-time treasures list.
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Poetry 101 - Where to Start?

29/3/2020

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In this article I will cover one possible approach to poetry that new writers (or those encouraging younger writers) might take as a step into writing poetry. Remember that there are countless processes and to not feel too rigid with any one method. Inject you and your rituals where possible, and leech from others so that you can develop your own style.

Where to start?

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Start with a situation. Poetry is all about communicating ideas. The poet is trying to express their observations, comments, thoughts or feelings, whilst hoping to influence the readers in whatever way possible. Some poetry aims specifically but like paintings, it is all down to the perceptions of the viewer.

Think of a situation or put yourself into a situation. Sit with it. In my poem Love Speaks Not With Words, l took a simple breakfast at a cafe to write a love poem. There is no grandeur, just a moment in which I could unpack feelings. When you're writing ensure you have a situation to convey your idea.

Techniques after ideas!

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​Once you have an idea it is time to start making notes. Don't rush into clever lines (unless it comes naturally) just jot down any random thoughts and words as they come. This could be descriptive words or it may be unusual observations.

Look for what you wouldn't normally see. You've paused a moment, take it in and comment on it. You might draw or write key words, possibly even write the odd phrase. Remember there is no pressure in making notes. Make as little or as many as you want.

Google synonyms.

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Now you have some notes it is time to use google! There are people with impressive vocabularies, people with smaller vocabularies, and those of us with a memory like a plank of wood. If, like me, you are a plank of wood, then google is your best friend. Poetry is about playing with language and the use of synonyms allows this. Find a key word that you want a better word for, eg shadow then type into google and search. Suddenly your brain will be jogged with a list of alternatives. I suggest using one that you know from the list but also allow yourself to discover words you haven't used before. When entering the example 'shadow' you get all sorts such as, silhouette, umbra, pall etc. From here you might discover a fantastic image you can use.

Take pall for instance, it has several meanings but one that really stands out is the fact it is a cloth used to drape over coffins. Suddenly you have a new image to use in your poem and it all came from looking up a word! Experiment with this but don't overuse synonyms. Clever words are not as important as content and imagery!

Technique time!

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With some ideas in place it is time to start developing them into phrases for your poem. It can help to write a phrase with a technique in mind although you may find a phrase just develops on its own as your brain naturally plays with patterns and language. Below are a list of techniques by definition.

These are the basics and have no age restriction. Personally, I feel these are the best for young writers and new writers to start with as they are quite easy to attempt, yet they have the chance for depth as well.


simile
- comparing one thing to another using the words like, as (try not to be cliche though)
alliteration - the use of the same letter or sounds with words in close proximity
onomatopoeia - a word that phonetically resembles the thing it describes
rhyme - commonly seen as the repetition of the final stressed syllable/sound (try and rhyme within a line like this)
personification - making something seem human when it is not

Structure.

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Keep it free. Some poets like a from but this can be restrictive and challenging (depending on the form). Stay in free verse as it allows more creativity and expression. One line may be only one word or you might go a bit 'prosey' and write a chunk.

​Poetic licence means you can do what you want. I often feel that writing is like carving, sometimes it is better to go with the grain of the wood then force it another way. There I go with wood references again. Let's hope a pun doesn't show up at some point!

Edit-Edit-Edit!

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It is important to edit. No, scratch that, essential. Once you have a draft, leave it alone. Revisit the piece and read it again. See what works and what doesn't and don't be afraid to delete lines or add more. You need to be happy with what you produce but sometimes it is better to shave a 15 line poem down to 3 lines if everything else is just waffle or repetitive. Be cruel!

That's it for now. A beginning. This gives you the basics to start writing. And wood you believe it? I didn't add a pun! ​- Thom

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