For the birds

On Ditching Down we found ourselves
‘For the Birds’ – a mystery tour
Part of the Brighton Festival
at midnight, what was more

A trail of lights led up the hill
which we followed to the crest
all adding to the mystery
which put us to the test

And all was really quiet
as we delved into the trees
The darkness all consuming
The moment there to seize

Then gradually the sound of birds
or something up ahead
A whistling and a chirping
it could, I think, be said

What followed was incredible
magnificent and more
as we discovered installations
in the woods upon our tour

Celebrating feathered things
and magical to see
It was truly an experience
to fill our hearts with glee

©Jemverse

‘For the Birds‘ – a meditative and immersive journey through a secret South Downs woodland location – took place during the annual Brighton Arts Festival in May 2017.  It was a self-guided journey through a wild landscape at night, transforming woodland and downland with a series of thirty-something bespoke light and sound installations produced by some of the most dynamic sound artists currently working in the UK. It was, without a doubt, the most magical and beautiful experience I’ve had in a very long while. Truly breathtaking.

Photo – ‘Swanee Whistles’ by Kathy Hinde – Jempics

Mellifluous

There are quite a lot of sounds
that are pleasing to the ear
Mellifluous they may be called
Sweet and smooth to hear

For me, one in particular
made by a little chap
My small brown dog called ‘Obi’
and when he drinks with just a lap

©Jemverse

Photo – ‘Obi Wan-Kinobi’ looking gorgeous – Jempics

Comfort in Sound

I’m plagiarising something
today, but never mind
‘Cos there’s every best intention
and it’s not meant to be unkind
For I have (as to be honest)
done a thing I often do
Been listening to music
and the sounds I loved and knew
Albums I’ve not played a while
are a joy when they are found
For, as Feeder said some years ago
This is “comfort in sound”

©Jemverse

Photo – Jempics

A glimpse of Spring

I caught a glimpse of Spring
on the ground the other day
as a host of flowering crocuses
gathered there to say
that the sunshine’s getting warmer
so it’ll really not be long
before the sound from every meadow
is the voice of Springtime song

©Jemverse

Photo – crocus field – Nymans, mid-Sussex – Jempics

The song of every ocean

I know you’ve probably heard this
many times before
And the last thing that I want
is for it to be a bore

But the song I hear each morning
at the beginning of a day
Is something I must shout about
in each and every way

It’s the song of every ocean
sung by every sea
And as I live right next to one
it’s one that’s sung to me

It’s a song of many timbres
some are joyful, some are sad
But the melody will always
leave me feeling glad

So I just wanted one more time
to share the song with you
And hope that you’ll indulge me
and maybe hear a little too

©Jemverse

Music – sedoka

Life without music
is like a tree without leaves
sadly bereft in winter

and left without warmth
or the promise of summer
to awaken it to joy

©Jemverse

Photo – Rounder Records, Brighton (sadly no longer with us) – Jempics

Day 2 of 7 in the Jemverse ‘Six Lines’ event – a sedoka a day for 7 days.

A Sedoka is an unrhymed poem of Japanese origin comprising two three-lined Katauta. A Sedoka has a syllabic sequencing of 5/7/7, 5/7/7.

Leonard Cohen – tanka

Leonard Cohen plays
his music to the angels
in the small hours now
Melancholy fades away
as Leonard now rests in peace

©Jemverse

Photo – New York Times – GoogleImages

Day 6 of 7 in the Jemverse ‘Five Lines’ event – a tanka a day for 7 days.

A tanka is a five-line non-rhyming poem of Japanese origin dating back almost 1200 years. Using simile, metaphor and personification, the five lines must follow a syllabic sequence of 5, 7, 5, 7, 7.