Doorway Writing Group 2017

Our July writing group was quiet but fruitful. Four guests took a keen interest in this month’s crossword, ably aided and abetted by various volunteers.
At the writing table, we spoke about the trials of writing on demand: always a challenge. We agreed that the ‘you will now sit down and write for an hour’ approach only really works for the most disciplined among us. We discussed the paradoxical relationship between tiredness and creativity. If you’re trying to make yourself write something when you’re tired, you often get nowhere but why is it then that some of our best, or most exciting, ideas come late at night, in the middle of the night or early in the morning when we are actually pretty short of sleep? And we all know how incredibly hard it can be to resist the urge to ‘obey the Muse’ and start writing at such times. No wonder we creative types are so often all over the place!
On the subject of creative types then, you are cordially invited to feast on this month’s contributions from J and K. Bon appétit!

Station to Station (a poem by J)

The stars revolve, an old tuning dial
wandering through the sky from
dusk till dawn
constellations, station to station
chanting the universal symphony
playing the music of the spheres.
Tuning in to the uncharted frequencies
of the imagination
exploring the brittle silence of the night
wrapped in mystery senses orphaned in the darkness
keenly awaiting the birth of the world.

The Zigzag Army of the Homeless (a poem by J)

We shall find them on the benches
We shall find them on the street
until everybody has a home
or at least a bite to eat

The ragged troops have mustered
drilling for the change
sending out observers
and keeping out of range

The orders are pretty vague
the ranks are vaguer still
there’s no chance of promotion
and only time to kill.

The Next Best Thing (a poem by J)
The world is going crazy
for the next best thing
in the pharmacological playground
it’s the only thing that swings

We are brought up to believe
that only the best will win
but in the meantime we are keenly
pursuing the next best thing

The next best thing
never satisfies
The next best thing
is a warning to the wise
Just believing in the best
forgetting all the rest
Substitution is no solution
to what will really pass the test.

Djakarta Circus Memories – Part 2 (by K)
Djakarta in those days was a city of two halves, the rich and modern who lived alongside the poor and traditional. Labour saving was unheard of, even to the extent that wheelbarrows didn’t exist. Instead they had four handles so that it could be carried by two people. In effect a sedan chair to carry bricks. The circus ground was close to the disused racecourse – although disused it was still being maintained and mown frequently. Quite why this was, I never discovered since most people agreed that horse racing would never be allowed again.