Nice Idea Honey…

After Saturday’s book group – see Wendy’s great review of our unusual choice  – we  got talking with Judith about France and about a french themed poetry event planned at NeST (a great venue) in Barnard Castle for March 2013.

I started blogging when I went to Agde in the South of France to write for two months (four years ago now) and fell in love with the place. I was especially captivated by the Canal du Midi which runs alongside this ancient town. The NeST event will have an open mic. I’ve never done open mic before but as there’s a first time for everything  I’m planning on having a go and reading some of my french poems – they were written some time ago now – early poems – but for me they have a certain charm that brings back that very special time and place which seemed so full of possibilities. Here is an extract from Nice Idea Honey – a poem which came to me when I was walking along the canal

Nice Idea Honey

If I asked you to
come and live with me 
on the Canal du Midi,
in a boat past sailing,
under plain trees dappled with age

come…and live with me
among pale flowers
irises and bankside washing,
in the distant clunk of freight
if I asked you, would you say
nice idea honey, but…

If I asked you to
come and live with me 
on the Canal Du Midi
by the vineyards of summer
with the nightingales, fishermen,
dogs, and mad-eyed young men

if I asked you to buy a bicycle and flee
would you still say nice idea honey but...