WHISPERS’ MARCH SPECIAL ACTIVITY—FROM LONDON AIRPORT

This Month's activity was to read the poem 'London Airport' and compose a poem, of no more than six lines, that you would put into the 'literature bin'!

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London Airport

Last night in London airport

I saw a wooden bin

labelled UNWANTED LITERATURE

IS TO BE PLACED HEREIN.

So I wrote a poem

and popped it in.

The poem was written by Christoper Logue, born 1926, and appeared in the POEMS OF THE UNDERGROUND, first published in 1991. The underground system for London, started publishing a whole variety of works, in the small advertising spaces in the carriages.

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Dear Whispers’ Friends,

Our talented, Ralph Stott, did an amazing job putting this activity column together.  His thoughts and grouping of poems enhance this reading experience.  Thank you, Ralph!!  I would also like to thank all of our contributors for sharing their creative experiences.  If you missed the deadline, or would like to add another poem, please share them in the comments section. I hope you enjoy this column as much as I did.  

                                                 --Karen O’Leary, Whispers’ Editor

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The Big Bellied Bird

(In a new Light)

(haiku)

grounded

straight line winds possible tornados

maybe

By Barbara Tate

We Are Experiencing a Little Turbulence . . .

The plane rattled and

bounced as if it was

being battered by

a jackhammer

on steroids.

By Robert P. Hansen

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Waiting

We sat on the runway awhile

had us lined up single file

I read War & Peace

will miracles cease

not moving, not even a mile.

By Barbara Tate

Time

I never

have time enough

to get started

on all that I want to do ...

my idling time

is what I'm best at

By Anne Curran

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Take-off

The wheels of this plane

Have but changed my fate

A thousand miles from home

Travelling back to the dome

The sun shines a topaz hope

On the sky's upward slope

By Sheikha A.

Seashells and spiders

cockle shells fall

from a cobweb-shrouded

wind chime hanging

from her washing line

letting go of memories

of summer romance at the beach

By Anne Curran

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Big Bellied Bird

The big bellied bird

lowered her tongue,

swallowed us whole,

screeched in satisfaction.

Powerful wings lifted her into the sky.

Five hours until we land.

By Lenora Rain-Lee Good

a poem from Ken…

Nocturne of shadow

rising with a Flamingo

into a reddish haze

a flight from Gibraltar

now drifting on down

London! here we are!

By Ken Allan Dronsfield

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Flight to Irian Jaya

An old Piper plane

holes in the bottom

best view to the jungle

a one life experience

By Gert W. Knop

Terra firma, where are you?

One hand on my stomach,

one clamped over my mouth,

and too many people belted into

this bucking propeller plane––

By Marjorie Rommel

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The Bus Depot

Grey Hound

Waits for no one

A rented box contains

Smart phone, credit cards, love poem

Transport

By Sara Kendrick

The Note

Compost

Bin held the note

Written in poetic form

Love poured out upon the blank page

Decayed

By Sara Kendrick

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From Caracas and Back Again

we ascend to explosive bursts

circle, fuel flowing over the wings

praying to avoid a closer walk--

emergency vehicles await our return

we kneel, kissing the ground

café con leche brings us around

By Elizabeth Howard

From São Paulo to Atlanta

the elderly Brazilian across the aisle

raises her forefinger and smiles

a nine hour night, cold and cramped--

disembarking, her in a wheelchair

she grasps my hand, a kiss on the cheek

an embrace, all the words we cannot speak

By Elizabeth Howard

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The Vicissitudes of Modern Air Travel

I relax and sip my martini cruising at 40000 feet.

If only my bags arrive with me, all will be complete!

I arrive in Tokyo and watch the carousel go 'round and 'round.

Although it made many circuits, my luggage could not be found.

Here I sit forlorn in the terminal in Tokyo, Japan.

Alas, my shirts and drawers ended up in Kyrgyzstan!

By Robert L. Hinshaw

Finding Light

To travel light

I cast burdens off

They deny our flight till night

We find darkness stretch

As sleep delivers us to arrive

Dawn's edge with peace and smiles.

By Su'eddie Vershima Agema

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Every Second

Heathrow

Airshow!

By Brian Strand

Crowded Skies

Can't hear

I fear!

By Brian Strand

Third Runway?

No Way

We say!

By Brian Strand

cup of juice

free bag of peanuts

airline treat.

By David Fox

Airline Seats

Now can it be true, or just a whim.

"Did I hear the middle seat cry, SLIM."

By Mary A. Couch

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Third Runway?

No Way

We say!

By Brian Strand

Haiku

birds with silver wings

soar across the azure sky

land on concrete lake

By Mary A. Couch

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~Tarmac~

Morning mist

hazy, lazy sun

taxi on down

tarmac dance

takeoff done.

By Ken Allan Dronsfield

Twin Towers (twister)

Through the clear towering sky.

Through their fall, the clear, deep-blue, towering sky remained.

By Ralph Stott

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Last Rejection at London Airport

ink smears with tears…stinging

remarks about my poetry awards

from a father who never cared

~~no more~~sliding my poem

for Father’s Day into the unwanted

bin, I buy a one-way ticket home

By Karen O'Leary

               *****

is it time

for branded literature, arranged,

to be traded only

and those pure from heart and soul

to be thrown into the waste bin of time?

By Aju Mukhopadhyay

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Landing

The wings of Icarus are real

Stiff on the white body of steel

Shuffle, hustle, voices rustle

Bags, cases and bodies bustle

The eagle lands on summer land

Paper fans held in dainty hands

By Sheikha A.

        ******

last minute raise

through deep drifting clouds

pale faces of passengers

By Gert Knop

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Waiting for a seat—

passenger in front of me

crams cymbals in the overhead bin.

By Kelley J. White

Crowded Skies

Can't hear

I fear!

By Brian Strand

Pediatrician:

I always choose the aisle with

a crying baby.

By Kelley J. White

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ETA:  Two Hours

This poem is silly.

This poem is bland.

It’s just time I’m killing

 while waiting to land.

By Robert P. Hansen

            ****

Flying

Into Kowloon

Past skyscrapers

Tall narrow streets

Man in top hat

By Ralph Stott

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First and Last Flight

as Icarus was falling fast,

he landed on a jet:

but then he tried a para jump-

they haven’t found him yet.

By Jack Horne

What if the Wright brothers had developed Aviophobia?

France to England: *Bleriot-rowed……………….Voila!

By Jack Horne/Ralph Stott

*Louis Bleriot, first person to fly the English Channel.

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Notes on arrangements:

All the poems work really well on their own. I’ve paired up authors and poems, in the edit: as each work complemented, each gave extra substance to the other author.

Barbara Tate/Robert  P. Hansen--I loved the contrast here of a similar experience. You can imagine them sitting next to each other on the plane!

Barbara Tate/Anne Curran--I liked putting together the frustration of ‘idling’ and the acceptance of this ‘idle time’, whilst the plane idles along!

Sheikha a. /Anne Curran--Something from Sheikha’s flight, changed the author’s fate? I put this together with Anne’s memory of a ‘beach romance’ with the uplifting tone and positivity of Sheikha’s soar!

Lenora Rain-Lee Good/Ken Allen Dronsfield--The imagination of Lenora’s bird was picked up on, by Ken’s parallel flamingo. Brilliant!

Gert Knop/Marjorie Rommel--Were they on the same flight! Great fun putting these poems together.

Sara Kendrick--Sara’s work worked with the link of the love poems in a steel box (rented)/decayed in a bin.

Elizabeth Howard--A stillness, in the heart of this activity poem: ‘all the words we cannot speak’.

Robert L. Hinshaw/ Su'eddie Vershima Agema--A ying-yang combination of talent here. Enjoyed the pairing of the two emotive responses to travel.

Brian Strand/David Fox/Mary A. Couch--This is a new form of short verse, as a trilogy, from Brian. There is some comfort: I have paired with David’s meagre reward! Meagre treats, followed by ‘slim seats’ from Mary’s poem.

Brian Strand/ Mary A. Couch--I have taken Brian’s march of protest and on its passage through the poem, linked arms with Mary’s haiku. The reference to the concrete lake is formidable for both works.

Ken Allen Dronsfield/Ralph Stott--I’ve paired Ken’s trust of flight with a horror; but hope and trust will never die.

Karen O'Leary/ Aju Mukhopadhyay--These two poems, speak volumes, a ‘branded’ and ‘personal’ juxtaposition?

Sheikha A. Gert Knop--I enjoyed Gert’s trepidation of clouds and pale faces with the noise and bustle of Sheikha’s ‘eagle’….ending with such a good final image of ‘dainty hands’.

Kelley J. White/Brian Strand/Kelley J. White--I’ve sandwiched ‘Crowded Skies’ with cymbals and crying babies.

Robert P. Hansen/Ralph Stott--I’ve match Robert’s ‘sillyness’ with the image of the topped hatted man. A good way to finish, without taking ourselves too seriously!

Jack Horne/Ralph Stott--Optional ending on a nonsense-collaborative!

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The edit, also follows loosely: the ground poems, before take-off, then up in the air, landing and back to earth!

I hope you like the work I have done, and agree with the format? My review notes are purely my opinions and trust they exemplify the huge talent, that the good people of Whispers have trusted me with.

Kind regards,

Ralph Stott

Whispers’ March Activity Editor