GETTING SLOWER

Monday 26th March 2018

Lots planned for today but computer getting slower. I put a poem on a childhood neighbour’s 84 anti-suicide campaign Facebook post: ‘Sorry’ from Tightrope Walker. I’ll include it in my Gong Fu Poets set on Thursday in Coxhoe. Probably going to grim a few people out, but hey-ho. Doing stuff that shows where I’ve come from. Will pull another book together if it kills me. But need all the college stuff sorted. 11.24 pm.

Tuesday 27th March 2018

Stress! When does the paperwork ever fucking end? Someone posted on Facebook a picture of Samuel Beckett seated in a sparse room. One comment: ‘Miserable bastard.’ Mine: ‘Genius? Nah, but coming from a family of loners and shut-ins and eccentrics myself, I’d say Beckett pretty much nailed it.’ Went to The Empire this evening to see The Shape of Water. Basically, a sixties government science building cleaning operative who can’t speak falls in love with a reptile. Quite bizarre, requiring considerable suspension of disbelief. But the lead character was very endearing and I think that’s what made it for me. If set in the present or the future it would have been less credible. But I thought it was pretty good. Walked back home then chatted online with Jenni. Had eggy bread with Branston pickle; hot chocolate then bed. 11.25 pm.

Wednesday 28th March 2018

Every day the mind fluctuates: find more gainful creative employment or say: Fuck It, I’m going back to stacking shelves for a living! Did Morning Pages, made two spined notebooks, packed wheelie case and prepped bag for evening class, dropped off paperwork at College. Good to have curry and rice at Waddy. Evening session was Take Three Nouns, Different Moods, Point of View, flash fiction from last lines. No idea how tomorrow will go. Rehearsing much of the day, I reckon. 10.45 pm.

Thursday 29th March 2018

At Jen’s much of the day, but out for supplies. Then more rehearsals. Gong Fu Poets was a good gig, but didn’t make notes whilst there so can’t remember much of what others performed. Jenni did lots of short poems and was funny and ended with We Are Not Silent Poets. Jeff Price always does entertaining sets: lots of humour, musical nostalgia, joys of parenting, etc - all well introduced. Good of him to drive us there and back. Sky Hawkins came with us. Jade Gadd read a set of promising autobiographical new work. Slam poetry isn’t really my thing at present, but I was impressed by Sophie Sparham’s ability to chop and change her set at random from a huge armful of manuscripts, and still deliver pretty much from memory. Many thanks to Tony Gadd and family, and all at the Wabi-Sabi Academy for being so good to us. 

11.44 pm.

Friday 30th March 2018

Watched the run-up to the big Corrie finale in bed. Rest of the day measured out in mugs of Ribena, slabs of stollen, chocolates and black forest gateaux tarts. Watched Stephen King’s The Langoliers film. Jenni made us a nice dinner – pots, carrots, peas and pie. Saw bits about Jesus on a kids’ TV programme teaching them not to view Sunday as International Chocolate Dy. It was quite funny. Caught the end of the Likely Lads film and saw all the contestants on The Chase knocked out, one by one. Glanced at some nonsense about Russia on The One Show. End of Corrie this evening a bit disappointing: I’d much rather see Phelan get his comeuppance in court; drowning isn’t good enough. Maybe he’ll escape death and show up a bit later. Taggart was a drugs-related murder. And now it’s The Jazz Singer. I did fuck-all constructive today. 10.47 pm.

Saturday 31st March 2018

Checked out GloPoWriMo site for tomorrow. Warm-up prompt was love letter to an object. Done it before with ‘Dear Olivetti’ typewriter and ‘Dear Zoo Pitbull’ trials bike poems, so didn’t bother a third time. Me and Jenni mainly watching TV and eating lots of cakes and chocolate. Out briefly for more supplies. Watched The Voice semi-final and a ‘20 Things That Shocked the Eighties’ programme. Ate pizza and chips, drank hot chocolate, scrolled Facebook. Lazy weekend. 10.20 pm.

Sunday 1st April 2018

As well as GloPoWriMo, I’m trying to do a bit of flash fiction each day this month, and themed journal prompts. Took a while to get a poem together this morning, but pleased with online draft. Being a typical lazy Sunday, Jenni and I have watched lots of murder TV and quiz shows, also Larry Grayson biography. Listened to Jesus Christ Superstar radio documentary. Happy International Chocolate Day! 11.02 pm.