The world, pink poppies and the rain

There was a packed audience at The Folly for the third Settle Session of the year. The poems shared gave us insights into what others notice about the world, their reactions to it and what touches them deeply.

Poets Isobel Thrilling and Pauline Yarwood drew from their extensive writing. 

Isobel’s selection came from observations during childhood about a North York moors mining village, her interest in quantum physics, disturbing ‘pink’ poppies and how to look more favourably on rain ‘there’s an art to listening to rain’.

Pauline’s poems responsed to living in The Lyth Valley, ‘the importance of nature over human concerns’, the rebukes of family in ‘Mary Ann’ and injustice with ‘Clinical Notes’, ‘the careless shredding of his life’.

Barbara Bowman read Hugh Crane’s ‘Forgetfulness’ and Robert Frost’s ‘The Road Not Taken’. 

John Rose focused on teenage rebellion with Irene Rawnsley’s ‘Purple Shoes’ and Ian MacMillan’s unentitled ‘can’t be bothered to give a title’. Kathy Swinscoe and

Olwyn Bolger connected with childhood for Walter de la Mere’s ‘The Listener’ and ‘I saw three Witches’; and from a much treasured childhood poetry book ‘Stars and Primroses’ for Laurence Binyon’s ‘The Little Dancers’ and Edward Thomas’ ‘Adelstrop’.

Sarah Wiltshire 9th September 2016