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
**********************************
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
**********************************
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
**********************************
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
**********************************
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
**********************************
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
**********************************
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
**********************************
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 SĂŁo 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
**********************************
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
**********************************
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
**********************************
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
**********************************
~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
**********************************
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
**********************************
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
**********************************
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
**********************************
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