SPOKEN WORD...

I ventured out on Saturday, ignored the towering grass pretending to be lawn and the call of the lawn mower, and went to the Word Tree, the first for the year. And what a way for the Word Tree to begin with both features Ross Gillett and Ross Donlon delivering a variety of poetry that made the audience ooh, aah, nod in agreement then squirm in their seats, at the appropriate moments.


I do enjoy listening to feature poets...some are new to me and I get a 'wow' moment, others are favourites that I will listen to time after time, after time. But I also really enjoy the open mic.

To me it's a bit like a potplant potted up with a variety of colours and textures. The pot is the venue, the place where this all comes together. And then you have the plants. Often there will be a larger one in the centre, the feature, but to add that extra touch there are the surrounding plants, those that enhance and help to bring out the best in the feature plant.


And to me these are the open mic poets. They add and enhance the feature. Some dazzle with colour and show, others are more subtle, add a texture that wasn't there before. Together they form a pleasing whole, with texture and colour and show and movement. 

And boy do they inspire....I always come away with my head whirling with memories, wondering how I could put them down, place them so they make a poem not merely a string of thoughts. 



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