A poem written in support of the campaign to secure pardons for the 300+ British and Irish soldiers who were executed by their own side in the 1914-18 war.  The campaign was subsequently successful in 2006. 

Read more at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/4798025.stm

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/books/part-one-the-truth-behind-the-irish-soldiers-shot-at-dawn-28489320.html

Shot At Dawn

From SEX & LOVE & ROCK&ROLL (Burning Eye, 2013)

http://longfella.co.uk/sexandloveandrockandroll.html

I'm half Irish. Neither Catholic nor Protestant. Unchristened. This is a poem about growing up with an Irish name and a confused identity in the early 1970s when The Troubles filled the news and racist Irish jokes were on tea-time tv. It's also about male, working-class emotional inarticulacy, especially in the days before Trisha.

Englishman, Irishman

Poet Tony Walsh, aka Longfella, reads the foreword/manifesto from his debut poetry collection, SEX & LOVE & ROCK&ROLL, published by Burning Eye in 2013.



Signed copies, with free UK P&P available from: http://longfella.co.uk/sexandloveandrockandroll.html

@LongfellaPoet

A Manifesto: from SEX & LOVE & ROCK&ROLL

A poem about women in prison and the many different emotions which the annual event of Mother's Day must evoke.  

The poem was inspired when I was due to perform in a women's prison and spoke with the prison correspondent of a uk broadsheet newspaper.  He was telling me about levels of mental ill health in prisons, levels of self -harm and suicide in the women's prison and how these levels peak around Mothers' Day.  This caused me to think about the issues and inspired this powerful poem which many people have found to move them deeply. (NB contains strong language.)  I've since worked in the same prison a number of times and the connections and breakthroughs that I've seen women have in my poetry workshops have made these some of the most rewarding days I've ever had as a writer and educator.

I've been prompted to upload the poem today by the following article which reports that 4 out of 5 women in the prison experience one or more mental health issues.   http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1469452_mental-health-issues-hit-4-out-of-5-inmates-at-styal-womens-prison.  

Now published in my debut full poetry collection, SEX & LOVE & ROCK&ROLL, available to buy now at: http://longfella.co.uk/sexandloveandrockandroll.html

Mother's Day

Now published in my debut full poetry collection, SEX & LOVE & ROCK&ROLL. Available to buy now at: http://longfella.co.uk/sexandloveandrockandroll.html

A tribute poem to the late, great and hugely influential DJ John Peel. I wrote this (on site, under pressure!) when I was website Poet In Residence for Glastonbury Festival 2011 and first performed it live on BBC6Music during an interview with Cerys Matthews. I later performed it on the Jo Whiley show on BBC Radio 2 and Jo also played it on John Peel Day and segued straight from the poem's climactic nod to the Undertones' Teenage Kicks to that iconic tune - John Peel's favourite song and the basis for the inscription on his headstone. Such an honour!  The poem's title "Teenage Kicker Conspiracy" is of, course, a reference to both the Undertones and The Mighty Fall as John famously referred to his other favourite band.

My idea for the poem was that I'd heard John eulogised for his support to a myriad of music scenes, but never for his massive support to poetry, particularly performance poetry.  I grew up listening to Peel and it was there that I first heard poets like John Cooper Clarke, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Ivor Cutler, John Hegley, Attila the Stockbroker and Joolz plus dozens of lyricists who were a massive influence on my writing and indeed my life.  And so to quote the end of the poem:

"...You see, music is grateful and they've had chance to show it
But I'd like to say thanks on behalf of the poets

And you told us of Walters, The Kop and your wife
While every night this dj was saving my life
And you’re missed on the wireless and Glastonbury telly
And it’s just not the same without Peel in his wellies
So I just wanna tell you, wanna tell you tonight 
And say thanks for the kicks, John, mate, right through the night
Well alright!"

My full interview on BBC6Music and the live rendition of the poem can still be heard on the BBC Best of Glastonbury website at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00ht7c0 Hilariously, on John Peel Day it was showing in the Top 5 most played with Beyonce, Coldplay, Me, U2 and Elbow!  I'd like to think that John would have had a little chuckle at that.

Cheers, John.  RIP, sir. And THANK YOU!


Keeping It Peel: Teenage Kicker Conspiracy

A poem written following a workshop led by Denise Hayes of Newman University College at the NAWE conference in York in November 2012. Denise introduced us to the Spanish poetic form of "greguerias" popularised by Ramon Gomez de la Serna.  It's a miniature form which, for me, sits somewhere between haiku, senryuu, kennings, metaphors, similes and aphorisms.  The idea, in one aspect of the form, is to give succinct, witty definitions of things. Denise provided us with a copy of an index of  a book of greguerias and encouraged us to work through the subjects listed. I was doing so when I got fixated on the topic of breath.  My labours gave rise to this poem which is, in effect, a series of greguerias.

Because the form is so concise, it lends itself very well to the social media platform, Twitter.
You can read examples and tweet your own at: @Gregueria1 - a page which Denise maintains.  Denise can also be found at: @Dennysaze I'm on Twitter myself at @LongfellaPoet

The text of the poem is included below. I hope that you like it and that it inspires you (pun intended!) to write some of your own.  I'm addicted now!

TIMESHARE LIGHTNING

(Inhale)

Breath is only scent from heaven 
Breath is only tiny bigbangs 
Breath is only sparkled space-time
Breath is only up and atoms 

Breath is only smoke from sunsets
Breath is only mist from history
Breath is only steam from dreamers
Breath is only wind chimera

Breath is only gale force nature 
Breath is only DNA-bombs
Breath is only Hurricangels
Breath is only whirlwinds whispered

Breath is only timeshare lightning
Breath is only breathing bleeding
Breath is only borrowed ether 
Breath is only life expiring

Breath is only life expiring
Breath is only life expiring
Breath is only life expiring
Breath is only life expiring

(Exhale)


Timeshare Lightning

As with my recent Soundcloud poem "Timeshare Lightning" this poem is an attempt at the "gregueria" form inspired by a workshop led by Denise Hayes at the NAWE conference, 2012. This poem is further inspired by the master of the form, Ramon Gomez de la Serna and his gregueria  “Las puertas se enfadan con el viento” which translates as "doors get angry with the wind."

In combining these attempts at gregueria into a single piece, it struck me that this could make an excellent writing workshop or warm-up for writers of all levels.  What does the hair think of the comb?  Do fish and chips hate each other? Are locks scared of keys? The exercise could generate a series of one-line gregueria which could perhaps then be combined into solo or group pieces. Perhaps set a theme: animals, plants, household objects, etc. 

I hope that you enjoy the exercise as much as I have, it's certainly stretched me from my normal style of writing.  Thanks, Denise!

Checkout @gregueria1 and @Dennysaze on Twitter and use #gregueria for your examples


THE SUN AND THE SHADOWS 

(After Ramon Gomez de la Serna: “Las puertas se enfadan con el viento” or “Doors get angry with the wind.”)


The sun hates the shadows, how they hide from her seek.
The trees love the snowflakes, better kissers than rain.

The chair hates the cushions. “I can do this myself!”
The frost loves the spiders, for their crystals on silk. 

The knife hates the fork for she steals, tastes the glory.
The mirrors love steam for the rest; light relief. 

The hair hates the hat. “Oh, to play with the wind!”
The lamp-posts love dogs.  Oh, such dullness, alone.

The floor hates the carpet. “Let them clomp! Let them dance!”
The tissues love lipstick; there are worse ways to go.

(c) Tony Walsh | Longfella 2012 | www.longfella.co.uk | @LongfellaPoet


The Sun and the Shadows

A poem about growing up poor in the seventies. 

From my debut full poetry collection, SEX & LOVE & ROCK&ROLL. Signed copies with free p&p available now via: http://longfella.co.uk/sexandloveandrockandroll.html 

Posh Things

I said no prayers at my mother's funeral. I sang no hymns.

My Mum died in the spring of 2008 after ten years of very serious and complex illness. She was 65. On the morning that she died, the long, suburban road to the hospital (Hope Hospital, Salford) revealed itself to be lined with cherry blossom trees; they'd bloomed into life that sunny morning. It was beautiful. It felt symbolic and I vowed to myself there and then to remember my Mum every year when the trees are in blossom. In truth, I think about her every day; just...more so... when the trees are smiling. 

I was reading a lot of science books at the time, learning about how all matter is connected; how atoms are constantly re-re-cycled, including those that our bodies are all made of. We ARE made of stars, everything is. A short list of elements combine in different quantities to make ALL things.  Bury us with a tree shoot and our atoms nourish its roots, we bloom from its branches. Life goes on.

For me the poem is a scientific, atheist piece but, such is the territory that science and religion fight over, it could equally interpreted to be about a deity. My brother and his wife are both church ministers. My sister-in-law, Kate, conducted the funeral (beautifully) and a dozen of their minister friends were in attendance to show their support.

Around this time, my reading and watching my Mum's prolonged suffering had cemented my agnosticism into an atheism which dared to speak its name. I spoke its name as part of my introduction to the assembled mourners.  

I said no prayers at my mother's funeral. I sang no hymns. I read a poem.

.

Now published at: http://longfella.co.uk/sexandloveandrockandroll.html



 

LIFE GOES ON (For Elaine)

Hi  I'm Tony Walsh - Longfella, a Manchester (UK) based poet, writer and artist in education.  In 2011 I was website poet-in-residence for the world renowned Glastonbury Festival from where my work featured on BBC1, BBCRadio2, BBC6Music and in the rock magazine Q. I have been invited to perform everywhere from The British Library to The Palace of Science and Culture in Warsaw, Poland for The British Council.   From the Royal Shakespeare Company 50th anniversary celebrations to festivals, prisons, schools, colleges, universities, conferences and on the steps of St Paul's Cathedral for OccupyLSX. Further info, all links, sales etc via my website at www.longfella.co.uk. Cheers!

Popular tracks by Tony Walsh: Longfella