Poetry and Prose Round-up: Clear Blue Skies

I’m writing my first poetry and prose round-up from the garden in 24 degrees centigrade – living in Scotland I can assure you this is not a common occurrence!  It has been wonderful spending our summer (and the school holidays) outdoors and in the fresh air. The Scottish schools return the week after next so with our lazy days approaching an end it seemed appropriate to write this…

Sun – warmer this year round,
days on end and little rain since holidays began.

Clear wide eyes –
not a cloud for miles around and running far and wide,
deepest ocean, cobalt blue reflected in the sky.

Your skin – pale and new,
golden tinge and breathing in the summer air and hue,
stretch and change and easy days and break from spent cocoon.

Cotton coloured butterflies and new-found sunny view.

It’s amazing what a little sunshine can do for the mood and on that note I’m thoroughly enjoying the voice of And Baby Makes Three who sums up the sweet simplicity of the season in Welcome To Summer. Equally savouring sunny days with the celebration of her son turning 1 year old is Write Like No-One’s Watching with her heart-grabbing poem Don’t Let Me Forget.

Haiku V from Blueberetmum celebrates a growing bond between son and father, whilst Thicker Than Water from Tealady Mumbles and Skeletons At Midnight from Secrets Of The Sandpit are both moving and loyal salutes of friendship.

Edspire stopped me in my tracks with her poignant and bittersweet poem If Baby Tilda Had A Voice which is a beautiful example of the depth of honesty and emotion she has embraced through writing in the face of tragedy. Mum In A Hurry encouraged us to check out her recently compiled poetry e-book Keeping The Shadows At Bay, Part 1 of which is a collection of poems from her teenage years. The evocative Storm by Little E and Bean is a beautifully written story of personal growth as a mother.

A warm, dry summer sees us in the fresh air and the same can be said for the poetry of a few #Prose4T regulars who have undoubtedly raised the bar with their stunning live readings of their work. We have Storybramble to thank for kick-starting the trend and her excellent recorded piece When I Was Wee has since been selected to feature as part of a poetry installation at The Edinburgh Festival. Vevisos has embraced the theme and her live piece Questions is testament to the added meaning our words are leant when voice and writer are brought to life. Stephanie of Storybramble is in the process of organising an on-line live mic night and is encouraging bloggers to get involved. If you’d love to find your voice for performance or would enjoy being part of an on-line audience, you can read more about Stephanie’s plans here.

Catching The Magic beautifully describes a summer In Transition whilst Mrs Teepot gives us a double take on Insomnia.

Several bloggers have taken part these last few weeks in a creative writing challenge I set called Summer Of Words. Blueberetmum, Dragonsfly Poppy, Emily Tealady, Instinctive Mum, Fab Forty Mum, Fathers Grief, Firefly Phil, Storybramble & myself have all embarked on an organic novel writing experiment. I believe the results to date are to be applauded and you can investigate them further here.

Gin & Cornflakes made her own moving short story debut with Even Then…, whilst Life As It Is continued her beautiful series of correspondence to her young daughters with A Letter To Esme Grace.

Fever runs high this time of year and Supper & Syntax kept us guessing at an illicit love affair with Once Upon A Text Message. In that vain I stumbled across the wonderful poem Crab by Lovely2Cu which will resonate with those who have been in love and known their fingers burned.

I’d love to take the opportunity to introduce you to Mark Cooper, who alongside 2 friends has compiled The Inner Sea – a stunning collection of poetry celebrating our rich and complex relationship with the coast. And lastly to finish with a hauntingly beautiful archive post from EmmaandIssac – A Good Night.

As ever I’d encourage our writers of poetry and prose to promote their work via Vevisos and her Thursday link-up Prose For Thought, which is developing a small but fast growing creative community. Or to tweet posts as #poetry or #prose to help Vicky & I trace them come round-up time.

Enjoy the summer and enjoy the sun!

About Helen Braid

Helen is a graphic designer who is lucky to live on the beautiful Scottish West Coast with her husband and their 2 young children. Since launching her blog All At Sea, Helen has focused on developing her poetry and prose. She is inspired by all things coastal and has a 5 year plan to relocate to the beach. Helen writes about family life and is author of blog series ‘Stories Of The Sea’, which is a whimsical collection of nautical tales. She has a quiet belief in angels and tries, whenever possible, to recognise beauty in the stuff of everyday.

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