Thursday 5th October is National Poetry Day. The NPD website has lots of information and some wonderful resources to explore.
The theme for this year is 'Refuge'. A refuge is place of safety or shelter - and each person's sense of refuge will be different: from fleeing an unsafe country to a walk in woodlands where you can clear your mind. For some children it is just a small, quiet space where they can sit quietly and self-regulate.
My Space
This is my space –
My quiet space, my safe space,
My ‘slide inside and hide’ space,
My secret place, my special space,
My ‘mustn’t see me cry’ space.
When my world’s gone lumpy
And I’m feeling down and grumpy
‘Cos the dog just sits there howling
And my dad is cross and scowling
And my sister won’t stop yelling
And my mum is always telling me
That I should go and tidy up my room…
My space fits my shape,
Helps me find my own escape,
Lets me take a little break -
When I’ve got a people-ache.
© J H Rice
Poetry has been described in many different ways but, for me, it's the place where words come to exercise, play and have fun. The great joy of writing a poem is that you have to work with it rather than telling it what to do, as you might with any other form of writing. I allow my poems to grow from the page: sometimes they're funny, sometimes they rhyme, sometimes they may even be dark and a bit mysterious.
You can hear me reading a few of my poems on The Dirigible Balloon by clicking here.
...and you can see me reading a poem (with a far too inquisitive pony) by clicking here: