November Meeting

Sandy reports: We had 8 people but only managed to get through 7 of the poems as there was a lot of interesting discussion.
Tim read 'Rhapsody on a Windy Night' (Eliot) which generated a lot of discussion. It's such a dark, atmospheric poem and was just right for such a dreary day. We all read Vicky's choice 'The Raven' (Poe) as it was quite long but once again very appropriate. Lawrence read 'Sweeney Among the Nightingales' (Eliot) which sparked much discussion too; although most of us liked it we still didn't understand it too well! Keely, the new lady, came and joined in a lot which was great. She brought 'Begin' (Brendan Kennelly) which was a nice contrast amongst all the doom and gloom.
'The Raven' and 'Rhapsody on a Windy Night' were particularly appropriate after halloween and for such a dismal, grey day.

Next meeting: 6th Dec. The topic is Parodies.

Special Topic for October was Gold.

Sandy reports: We had another great mix of poems at the last poetry meeting. My favourite was 'Gold' by Donald Hall which had so much under the surface. Nobody felt able to criticise it because of the circumstances under which it was written (his wife dying of cancer)- it is just so poignant. 'Churning Day' by Heaney is beautiful and brought up the old poetry vs. prose debate and Mark managed to stun us all again with 'Byzantium' by Yeats. Freda read 'Soybeans' which also sparked a lot of discussion. Lolly came along and brought a Carol Ann Duffy poem, 'Education for Leisure', which had recently been controversially banned from the school syllabus for potentially inciting and glorifying knife crime. As you can imagine this also raised some interesting discussion.

August's special topic

On 2nd August our topic is HAIKU. Further suggestions for meetings include a session on IAMBIC PENTAMETER.

April 07 - Favourite Poem

The Slave's Dream - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Lie in the dark and listen - Noel Coward
Roads - Edward Thomas
Mower to the Glow-worms - Andrew Marvell
Prophecy - Elinor Wylie
The Dream Song - John Berryman
For John Berryman - Robert Lowell
In Memoriam Easter 1915 - Edward Thomas
The Carpenter's Son - A E Housman

March 07 - Emotions

Drunk as Drink - Pablo Neruda
Groping - R S Thomas
Field of Hands - Tom Gunn
Sonnet 129 - William Shakespeare
Untitled - Emily Dickinson
We are Seven - William Wordsworth
Mowing - Robert Frost
The Wildman's Life - Anon.
The Perfect Life - Donald Hall
Song - Aubrey de Vere
Hope - Emily Dickinson
Bad Woman - Anon.
Self-pity - D H Lawrence
I didn't want you anyway (song lyric) - Hear'Say

January 07 - The Sea

Pibroch - Ted Hughes
The Seafarer - Anon.
Sir Patrick Speus - Anon.
Silence - Anne Rowe
Tempest - Beverley Maiden
The Old Ships - James Elroy Flecker
Crossing the Bar - Alfred Lord Tennyson
Destroyers in the Arctic - Alan Ross
The Song of the Wandering Aengus - W B Yeats
The Sea Question - Elizabeth Smither

December 06 - Favourite Poem

Child - Sylvia Plath
The Rolling English Road - G K Chesterton
Prize Winning Poem - Fleur Adcock
Remembrance - Sir Thomas Wyatt
A Musical Instrument - Elizabeth Barratt Browning
The Ice Cart - Wilfred Gibson
Solitude - Ella Wheeler Wilcox

November 06 - Spring

Verses from the Song of Solomon - King James's Bible
To the Tune of Annie Laurie - John Betjeman
Spring - T Nash
Spring Poem (flower shape) - J T Mori
4pm Spring Day - Greek poet (1936)
Snowdrop - Ted Hughes
Spring Song - John Dressel
Song of Songs
Loveliest of Trees - A E Housman
Between Meanings - Blooming
West Wind - John Masefield
Where to look - Sophie Hannah

October 06 - Favourite Poem

Autumn Poem - A E Housman
Dolls - Frederic Prokosch
Cargoes - John Masefield
Hope is a thing with feathers - Emily Dickinson

THE GROUP SO FAR:

Among recent topics, we have discussed poems on the themes of EMOTION, TIME, the SEA, and SPRING.

We have had presentations on Shakespeare's Sonnets, on How to Read a Poem, and on Free Verse.

More details of topics, and lists of poems already covered will be posted here as they become available.

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