poets who lunch

Down to the Bristol Old Vic yesterday, for Poetry Can's monthly 'Can Openers' lunchtime event. The guest poet was Sally Jenkinson. She went down a storm, which was not surprising as she is really good. And it was nice to see a quote from Holly of The Lovely Eggs on the cover of Sally's book, Sweat-Borne Secrets. You can respect a band who get Richard Brautigan into one of their songs.

I read a squib I wrote a couple of weeks ago, when Deborah and Pameli were talking about the task that they'd been set in their workshop, of writing a metaphysical poem."That sounds like fun," I thought. Poetry as therapy....

To Her Once Mistress

Like unto a telly set was our life together,

And you it was th’remote control that wielded;

What now the programme we should watch, or whether

To the pub to go; and me the one who yielded.

But now, your batteries flat, the telly long since landfilled,

I fly, in spirit aerial, unlicensed and unchannelled.

Three Hares in Devon churches: a map

get a copy of this map here

(edit, added June 2020: I have updated my map, and you can see the newer version here)

The image of three hares sharing three ears can be found all the way from here to China, where the earliest examples are found. But Devon, and especially Dartmoor, is particularly rich in them.

I've been visiting the churches where the hares can be found; the search has taken me to some beautiful places. Deborah Harvey has written a poem about them, which you can read here. Some of her poem features on the map...

Here are places where you can find the hares in the churches, but do take a torch!

Ashreigney
Bradford
Broadclyst
Chagford
Cheriton Bishop
Iddesleigh
Ilsington
Kelly
Newton St Cyres
North Bovey
Paignton
Sampford Courtenay
South Tawton
Spreyton
Tavistock
Throwleigh
Widecombe

Here is photographer Chris Chapman's Three Hares Project, with lots of excellent pictures.

The map is available as an A5 print, over on my Etsy shop.