Longfella

War Poetry

longfella

Albert

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

02 Dulce Et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen

05 Base Details by Siegfried Sassoon

04 The Send-Off by Wilfred Owen

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

A poem in celebration of libraries and the importance of working class and women's voices getting heard.

Now included in my debut full poetry collection,SEX & LOVE & ROCK&ROLL available now from: http://longfella.co.uk/sexandloveandrockandroll.html

Tiny Dreams

A poem in support of the poets, writers and artists who stand up for truth and justice, often at considerable personal risk. 

Written in 2006, it was submitted in Sept 2012 to EnglishPEN's project "Catechism: Poems For Pussy Riot" - supporting the Russian punk feminist collective, three of whose members were jailed for a protest against Putin and his use of the Russian Orthodox Church as a tool of the state.

The text and audio of the poem can also be found on the EnglishPEN website, under a Creative Commons licence, at  http://www.englishpen.org/poems-for-pussy-riot-because-the-poets-know-by-tony-walsh/

The anthology, containing many fresh and daring poems from 100+ great writers, is launched on 1/10/12 - the date of Pussy Riot's appeal. 

Please take a look at the work of PEN groups nationally and internationally - campaigning for the rights to write and read freely and campaigning for persecuted writers.  

To find out more about Pussy Riot, a good place to start is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pussy_Riot

Now included in my debut full collection, SEX & LOVE & ROCK&ROLL available at: http://longfella.co.uk/sexandloveandrockandroll.html

Another of my poems about the inspirational power of punk/rock music can be seen on youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPSdjXjC8jA&feature=relmfu


Because The Poets Know

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

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!

Shot At Dawn

Tony Walsh: Longfella