Poetry and Music Night at The George
Theme: 'Magic and Mystery.' Part of the Bradford on Avon Arts Festival.

Readers Carrie Etter, Alan Summers, Karen Hoy, me + open mike slots.

A great night. My longest set at 10 minutes - 'Fable', 'Adventures', 'Your Timing', 'Evening Out', 'Miso', 'Dream', 'Ceremony', 'Rites'.

The audience included Piers, Barbara, Olly + students from Bath English Language College, Luidmilla and Toru from International House, Steve.

Olly asked for a hard copy of 'Evening Out', and a female member of the darts team asked for 'Fable'.

People responded most to the poems with the longest introductions eg the mention of Polish students over-using the phrase 'for me' in 'Adventures.'

Drinks with Jim, Alan and Jim's niece Margaret till small hours.

Rob played 'I'm not going back to Falmouth.'

Jim You have a lot of intense intellectual energy, and if you don't find an outlet for it ... it will fuck you up.

Karen I love the way you have groupies (nodding to Toru and Luidmilla).

Rob It's good just to listen to your voice.

Alan passed the hat and bought us drinks.

Introductions

'Fable' This is a poem about abuse of trust, even a mother's to her child.

'Adventures' When I think of mystery I think of Tintin. When I was at school, the nurse had a copy of Tintin and the Shooting Star in the sick bay. I used to kick off my shoes and read it in bed and I felt better. I also had a Polish student who frequently said 'For me ...' instead of 'in my opinion', and it made me think about that phrase.

'Your Timing' A new poem.

'Evening Out' An update on tales of mortals stumbling upon Diana bathing naked in a waterfall.

'Miso' When you are in Iceland you write of home. My brother lives in Australia so I write about him.

'Dream' I also have guilt dreams about my brother.

'Ceremony' I think any rite of passage makes you more of an adult, even the death of a cat.

'Rites' This is about two colleagues.