The writer Georgina Parfitt, delivered another super session today involving a fascinating poem by Nobel Prize Winner, Louise Gluck. The poem is available to read here: https://poets.org/poem/red-poppy-0
As a prompt the members of the Phoenix Writing Group in Horwich were asked to begin a piece of free writing with the opening: ‘The great thing is…’ How liberating to be both great and perhaps not-so-great at the same time.
As I have said many times before to students and myself, setting a time limit for writing is enormously freeing as you write without censorship.
So here is my effort from today. Try the exercise it’s fun!
The great thing is that life is temporary. It comes to a halt. Not only through death but through the practice pauses we try out as we move along life’s road. Keep awake and notice the calming effect of life’s lay-bys. Pull over and step aside from the traffic: take out a sandwich and chew very, very slowly. Ignore your messages. Refuse invitations to join up, book, or even talk. Keep chewing.
For one of the great things in life is shaped like this: two dots. one above the other. The order does not matter. The long pause does:
