Congratulations to Chris Morgan on his appointment as the new City of Birmingham Poet Laureate. Well Done and have a great year! From a well deserved holiday of snorkeling, photographing butterflies & birds & underwater life ...  to a year of workshops, readings, commissions and appearances.  Great to spend time with you both the other day. Enjoy the year, Chris!

Chris sent this quote: 'I've been trying to think of something useful for your website. Dunno. I've thoroughly enjoyed attending & participating in things you've organised, and you've done some wonderful workshops for my classes. All I can think of is a poem of mine from an early workshop at my Tuesday evening class. Remember when you brought a hundredweight of materials and a spinning wheel? See the date.'

 SPELLSTITCH
 
All hail, rag-hag, mistress of masque,

you cast off your fishnets to trap

the chosen man your needle’s condemned.
 

Beat your Singers into Apple Macs,

weave words into concealing glamours.

The darker the materials the stronger

 
the magic, half-opaqued between

the lacy shadows of its filmic self.

Rosethorn, needleprick, spellcaste love:


would kissing the velvet solve it all?

Underground, underwear, pen is in furs.

Morph scissors into knife; stabslash;


rusty corduroys conceal the bloodspots.

Havoc rains its rags all round,

rages vermillion, crimson, rouge;

 
or close tight wounds with spoken stitches.

But the dyeing cauldrons of your mind

dress up your thoughts in funeral blues.

(21st December 2002)  by  Chris Morgan