Tuesday 26 August 2014

Off again

This time to London and taking my bug with me.

Yes, it's been over a week of coughing and spluttering and feeling pretty awful and, on the understanding that I'll feel no better nor worse, I'm heading on the train for 24 hours of meetings and probably a very nice dinner to ameliorate the way I feel about the meetings and the bug.

I'm leaving Mountain Man at home, also coughing and spluttering, with a very bouncy dog. Odi has no sympathy with illness whatsoever and just wants to play, play, play.

There is one good thing though about train travel, which affords not just time away from an exuberant hound, but also time to think about a poem that needs written.

A month or so back I did an online course with The Poetry School. And very good it was too. Painful, but good. Painful in the sense that for me to write a poem in a week for 5 weeks was like pulling hen's teeth, but I managed and the group I was with were not just excellent poets, but brilliant critiquers. We decided we wanted to stay together as an online group and yesterday was the first assignment deadline. It passed. I'd thought lots and lots, but nothing came, so I'm determined to spend some of my train time not thinking about the accountant I have to meet with first thing tomorrow, nor all the sensible business-type questions I need to ask, nor the other people I need to see/be nice to /ask sensible questions of etc etc, but thinking of words to put on a page that actually go together and have a poetic quality about them.

Mmmm... maybe the alien world of business might be the easier option after all!

2 comments:

  1. I find train travel good for writing. There's something both meditative and stimulating about the rhythm of the train and the scenery flashing by. Hope you find your muse and lose the bug soon.

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    1. Thanks Karen. The bug is on it's way out slowly and I did get a bit of a muse, but only for the first line!!

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