1st October is National Poetry Day – let’s celebrate
Lundy is a natural place for poetry, either reading it or writing it. An island of big skies, changing weather, cliffs, and sea. A place where you notice small things. A bird calling, such as a Stonechat, from the rocks; the sound of the wind around you; a seal appearing in the bay; or the sudden arrival of people from the boat can change how you experience the island.
Living here means that I often notice things that I might otherwise walk past. Sometimes those observations become a photograph, sometimes a few words in a notebook, and very occasionally they become a poem.
I don’t see myself as a poet, but I enjoy putting observations into words. Poetry gives me permission to slow down and look at something differently.
Paul Connolly and Humble Observatory
Of course, some poets are far more accomplished than me.
Paul Connolly is one of them. You can find his poems through Humble Observatory, and I enjoy reading them because they are observational, often witty, and full of humour. I have used them to liven up several guided walks.
Poetry doesn’t always have to be serious or profound. Sometimes it can simply make you look at something familiar in a slightly different way – or make you smile.
By the way, there is an Anthology of the Poems of Lundy, by Roger Allen. I do have a copy of this book, donated to me by Sue Waterfield; however, I think it is in my mainland home. You can buy a copy – details through the LFS.
The Door-to-Door Poet
Then there is the Door-to-Door Poet.
Rowan McCabe visited in 2019 to read a poem or two; you may have met him. Interesting that he chose a place like Lundy to knock on doors! I think he realised when he got here that he needed a different approach—reciting in the Shop, Tavern and the Oldenburg instead.
The idea of taking poetry directly to people appeals to me. Poetry can sometimes seem as though it belongs in books, classrooms or on a stage, but there is something rather wonderful about bringing it into everyday life and unexpected places.
Poetry can also be a way of remembering people.
When visitors become poets
One of my favourite connections between poetry and Lundy has been watching visitors try their hand at writing their own.
Customers have written haikus while visiting the island, using the traditional three-line form to capture something they noticed during their time here.
A haiku is a poem of 17 syllables in 3 lines, with 5 syllables in the first line, 7 syllables in the second line and 5 syllables in the last line.
Haiku feels wonderfully appropriate for Lundy. You don’t need many words to describe an island. Sometimes three lines are enough.A few words about the sea, the weather, a bird or a walk can bring back an entire experience.
I love that these are written by people who would describe themselves as poets. They are visitors who have stopped for long enough to notice something and put that moment into words.
A visitor asked me if I had a copy of the Haikus, as his friend had recently passed away and the Haiku she wrote on Lundy was read at her Funeral. This demonstrates the strength of poetry. (I have added the Haiku PDF to the end of this post)
Poetry in the Landscape
This is perhaps what poetry means to me.
It isn’t necessarily about being a poet. It is about paying attention.
My own creative practice is often connected to Landscape, whether through walking, photography, making, collecting words or writing. Poetry gives me another way of making that connection.
Living on Lundy provides endless material: the changing weather, the sound of the sea, the wildlife, the old buildings, the people who have lived here before us and the visitors who arrive for a few days and leave with their own memories.
My own Lundy poems
I don’t think of myself as a poet. But if I give myself time, I enjoy writing poems. Poetry doesn’t always need to be complicated. Sometimes it is just a way of noticing. I wrote this one while on shift at the Tavern Bar last night. I was noticing the ‘things’ that had found themselves on the Tavern walls.
If you fancy writing a haiku for National Poetry Day, you can post it in the comments section. I would love to read them.
When a visitor buys you a book of Poetry.
I feel very honoured to have correspondence with visitors who become friends. I gifted a book to someone, and they sent me a copy of a book by Lemn Sissay, Let the Light Pour In: Morning Poems. It’s a delightful book of short poems.
“Then came October, Winter’s First Kiss, The Frost upon, Summer’s lips.“
Remembering Wendy Mitchell
One story that has stayed with me is that of Wendy Mitchell, a young poet whose connection with Lundy ended tragically in 1952. I’ve been on the edge of cliffs looking for Manx Shearwaters; I appreciate the risk.
Wendy was twenty-two and helped Peter Davis, the island’s bird warden and her fiancé, as he worked on the cliffs catching and ringing seabirds. As Peter descended a cliff on a rope, Wendy helped hold it at the top. She slipped and fell to her death.
You’ve probably come across her memorial plaque if you are a Lundy Letterbox fan! I wrote about this in a post last year to celebrate World Postcard Day.
Enjoy National Poetry Day and I encourage you to put pen to paper today.
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