Often on the participatory walks that I lead, we include the reading or writing of poetry. This serves as a way of connecting with the landscape. This is not a new concept. Many of the great poets of the 18th century, such as Wordsworth, Coleridge, and Blake, strode across the landscape writing romantic poetry.

Writing Poetry

The form of poetry we write are haiku’s; short 3 unrhyming lines poems, which originate from Japan. The first line of a Haiku has 5 syllables, the second line has 7 and the third 5 again.

One particular walk with a group was on Lundy at Midsummer. We walked around the Standing Stones. Each time we reached a stone, each walker wrote words. They associated these words with the stone and that moment in time. We each then used these words to create a collection of Haiku’s.

Having collected these Haikus from the participants I produced a booklet titled; A Ginko walk Standing Stones, Lundy,. A Ginko walks refers to a walk in nature where you write about what you see. The professionally produced booklet contains a map of the standing stones. It is available as a limited print run at the Lundy craft market.

Alternatively if you wish to view online a pdf is available here.

Reading Poetry

As well as writing poetry, we sometimes read poetry aloud. Recent walks have featured poems written on Lundy by Paul Connolly. These poems are extracted from his book, My Humble Observatory. The book is available in most of the properties and in the Lundy Shop.

There is some evidence that reading poetry aloud contributes to our health in that it connects to the parasympathetic nervous system, slowing and calming us through rhythmic reading of words.  

if you are visiting Lundy, take a notebook with you on a walk and try writing some Haikus. I would always love to read them if you care to share them with me.

Email. Jane.sharkey@live.co.uk

Reference:

Connolly, P., (2020). My Humble Observatory: A Collection of Lundy Poems. Rocket Pole.

Ginkgo Walks and Why You Should Try Them (2017). [Online]. Available at https://thesidewalklotus.wordpress.com/2017/09/23/ginkgo-walks-and-why-you-should-try-them/. [Accessed on 01/08/2024]