KATHY:

A Day At the Seaside (Age Six)

Splashing about in the sea
Oh what fun for me
Never wanting to leave

Though my costume did cleave
To my sunburnt back

The costume was cut away
I never knew then how much I would pay
For my day at the sea

Now with a back full of freckles
Except for the white cross of the strap

of a seventy year old scar
of a six year old's
costume

No more carefree
Splashing in the sea for me!




PATSY:

Postcard Perfect

Years ago in Morroco
I saw women
Drawing water from the well

It looked wonderful
To see young girls
Old women, children

Dressed in their beautiful clothes
Gracefully carrying water
On their heads every day

This year we have a drought
And a hose pipe ban and
I am the one carrying water

My arms ache with the load
It isn't so
picture perfect.




JEAN:

I came along a public walkway today, and
the cleaner was sweeping up rubbish which so
easily could have been put in a waste bin
by those who do not care, he said to me
look at this, which was dog waste and
plastic bottles, and I agreed it was a mess.

Life on earth is getting worse unless
We can make a stand
For life awareness all around


BITHI'S POEM:

FROM MY WINDOW


From my window I see my Garden, it needs tidy up
I like to be in my garden because it needs me.
In my Garden, I see a robin who sings non-stop
To cheer me up



KIM:

Birds Versus Bush, 2006



in our garden
at Chenies Street Chambers
it has taken four years
but the wood pigeons, blue tits
and blackbirds have returned

after fifty odd years
of Camden Council spraying poison
to stop everthing from living or growing
in what they called a Courtyard
and we now call a Garden

sometimes the choice of a word
can change your world

rosemary, lavender, coriander,
jasmine, willow trees, wormeries,
a playground and baby frogs in our frogpond,
but first we planted a sign:
The name of our Garden is Organic .

in our Garden, life is good
but in Washington
our Great Downing Street Twits
Tony Brown and Gordon Blair
still flutter round Bush

finding more permanent ways
to move lives on

think
hard
about
our
garden

and about
the seeds
we grow
sometimes the choice of a word
can change lives

sometimes the choice of a world
changes everything




EPI'S POEM:

Let's Work Together to Fight the Drought


Summertime is here again
The mighty sun starts shining

Over me and London Town
Oh, what a lovely feeling -

I love the sudden change
From wind and rain to sunny days

But this time we have to watch out
To prevent the drought.

Let us tighten our taps all around
The house and in our gardens

Love plants, but choose them well
Knowing that everything needs water for life

So Let's Work Together
To fight the Drought.




BRENDA:

Yesterday in Marks & Spencer
I could not find unpackaged food

Just out of hospital at the National
where food is looked at forlornly
by six patients in a ward, unable to eat
we are sickened as tray after tray
Is brought and then swished away

Sometimes the only choice is not choosing

In the "interests of health and hygiene"
they do not recycle, re-use
or even reduce
the amount of mashed potato
plopped limply on each plate.

Yesterday, down the street from Marks and Spencer
a man in the street twirled round
on his blankets until he could lie
just right on the pavement beneath
the cash point machine. Close to him, a young woman
rigid on the bus stop bench
a bright parcel on her lap, chooses crisps delicately
from a plastic package.




THE WORD FOR WATER:
A COMMUNAL POEM


ISLAM:

We must remember:
Another name for Water
Is Life

KATHY:

A Day at the Seaside (Age six)

Splashing about in the sea
oh what fun for me
Never wanting to leave
Though my costume did cleave
To my sunburnt back

The costume was cut away
I never knew how much I would pay
For my day at the seaside

now with a back full of freckles
Except for the white cross
Of the strap of a seventy year old scar
of a six year old's
costume

NISHA'S POEM:

Water I drink
Water I bathe
Water I wash
From cradle to grave

Water I save
Water I waste not
Without water we
Cannot survive.

JEAN:

Water Leaks.
Life Blood
Running away.

EPI'S POEM:

Everyone
And everything
Needs water for life
Let's Work Together
To fight the Drought.

KATHY:

I always shower
Never bathe
Oh what a 'green'
Way to behave!



PATSY:
I hear the Fleet
River flowing by
I see so few birds
Flying so high

Global Warming
Global Warning
                          Why?

ISLAM:

Some Bengali Words for Water:
Jawl
Bari
Aab
Shailid (Shalil)
Jeeban
Neerr
Paani

These are all words for water
But we must always remember:

The word for Water
Is Life.

Workshop Poets For This Reading:
Eppi e Caredda 
Bithi Das
Patsy Futatsugi
Nisha Mansoor
Serajul Islam Molla
Kathy Randle
Jean Watt

Poetry Editor:
Kim Morrissey

Guest Poet:
Brenda Niskala
(Canada)