My dear homeland, with fields so wide
And rivers that carve through vast, silent tide
On green hills where the calm winds flow
I left my heart in your soil below

Where wheat grows tall, and autumn turns gold
I, far from you, in the cold snow unfold
The distant peaks, where bears are hunted still
Sing in the breeze, a sweet, wistful thrill

Oh, my homeland, why did I leave thee?
With fo...

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Merseyside poets and musicians headed to the historic Bidston Observatory on Thursday to perform a tribute to space and the planets.

Their new online anthology entitled: A Universe Of Poetry, was inspired by the building and its long history. Editors Barry Woods and Michelle Wright, who are local to the area, wanted to create a community project that embraced one of the Wirral's most importan...

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Merseyside poets have launched a free online anthology entitled 'A Universe Of Poetry'. The work is available to view on the Facebook platform, and will be part of a live upcoming event at the famous Bidston Observatory Artistic Research Centre on the Wirral Peninsula on August 15th this year.

Editors Barry Woods and Michelle Wright specifically curated the project for the observatory, with a t...

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Merseyside poets and musicians performed their environmental anthology last week at Liverpool’s beautiful Victorian Palm House in Sefton Park. Led by Michelle Wright, Barry Woods and Ali Harwood, the event covered ocean pollution, global warming and rainforest reduction, with contributions from many local poets and some first time writers from local schools.

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Merseyside poets, singers and musicians are getting together to perform a handful of events inspired by John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

Organised by Wirral poets Michelle Wright and Barry Woods, the events highlight current conflicts around the world and feature work from their new community anthology ‘Poets for Peace’, which is available to read for free on Facebook.

‘We are u...

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Merseyside poets, singers and musicians have come together to perform a gig for Peace at the Williamson Art Gallery in Birkenhead.

Organised by Wirral poets Michelle Wright and Barry Woods, the event highlighted current conflicts around the world and featured work from their new community anthology ‘Poets for Peace’, which is available to read for free on Facebook.

‘We are uni...

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A brand new anthology of Christmas poems has been launched as a Facebook project.

‘A Mersey Christmas’  features work by local poets who frequent the spoken word poetry circuits around Birkenhead and Liverpool, and is available to read free.

Curated by Wirral poets Barry Woods and Michelle Wright the collection is their fourth creative writing project and a Christmas gift to the people of th...

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WORLD IN LOCKDOWN

A patchwork-style poem written by the people of Merseyside during England's first Coronavirus lockdown 2020

Curated by Barry Woods

Assisted by Michelle Wright

(c) Copyright contributors 2020 (listed at the end)

World in Lockdown

We're earning o...

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The World in Lockdown People's Poem is now part of the RLB 360 Capsule of Culture, which remembers the year 2020 and its defining moments.

The project was chosen by a judging panel of local and Liverpool-born celebrities.

Thanks to everybody who shared their words last year.

The time capsule will be stored in the Royal Liver Building permanently from today.

A big thanks to my co-creato...

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someone’s forgotten cottage

walking in the woods

I discovered

an old deserted cottage

weeds and thicket grew all around

the windows were gone

old curtains blew in the

breeze seeming to enjoy their

almost freedom

old chairs sitting in front

of the cottage wasting away

in the rain sun and snow

if I look hard enough might

I get a glimpse...

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a pair of old cowboy boots (1950s)

Kenny and I always wanted

a pair of cowboy boots

there was no money for such

a childish wish

one day walking

in the woods

we stumbled upon a trash dump

someone richer than us

had discarded what

we considered treasures

we found old comic books

an old alarm clock

that worked, once we banged

it ...

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scary night sounds

he hears the night woods

soft sounds as well as scary

different from day woods

he lies in his cold bed

in cold room

hears frozen trees

grinding against each other

in the cold night wind

a hard unpleasant sound

hears distant sounds

far away in the hills

is it the sound of a wolf

or a coyote seeking a mate

owl...

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thinking of a poet

in a new england village

an old man wandered

the road towards me

thick crop of frosted hair

snowflakes started to fall

he shuffled along

looking here

looking there

a flight of geese

flew in a perfect V pattern

south

he watched them disappear

then walked

towards me slowly

a bit confused

hello ...

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The film version of the poetry anthology 'The Quality of Mersey' had its premiere with Wirral Festival of Firsts earlier this month. The film showcases eight poems, beginning at the source and then ending at the river's mouth.

The film is available to watch here:

https://vimeo.com/465059978

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Seven little girls went too deep

Into the forest where shadows creep.

They found a path, which was never there

And wandered down without a care

In a clearing they heard a song;

A haunting tune to sing-along

It got right in their flesh & bones

A lullaby of dulcet tones 

Within their minds, there grew a cyst

Where danced the oldest, darkest witch

Who humm...

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I  once saw a wolf in the woods

Felt the cold glare of its emerald eyes 

I was alone and defenseless 

And scared 

Because I was just a child 

But wolf showed me mercy 

Like a noble king and not a dictator 

And left me with a warning never to return to his forest again

I once saw a wolf in a zoo

His foggy eyes week and winded on mine

I stood tall but ashamed 

Becaus...

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The World in Lockdown People's Poem is now online and free to read at:

https://www.facebook.com/worldinlockdownpoem/

Please give it a read!

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Wirral poets Barry Woods and Michelle Wright are curating a people's poem during the UK lockdown period. The poem is, at present, ten pages long and will be launched online on May 11th. 

Facebook@worldinlockdownpoem

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Supper is over and bed-time awaits

The moon has shrunk to a silver cowl

My bedroom window is rimmed with ice

As I watch and wait for the owl

Waiting for the owl waiting for the owl

The woods echo to its supernatural screech

Waiting for the owl waiting for the owl

That ghostly voice more vivid than speech

Is it always the same owl or has it a sibling?

Beak no do...

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In his dad's pickup

There to pick you up

You watched from your bedroom window.

He parked right where last year

The maple tree fell during a storm

And Dad called you down.

In a striped blue skirt and a navy sweater

You flew down the stairs

There he was, and together

You climbed into the pickup.

He gave you his hand

You were small, and it was high up.

After the mo...

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We were lame and we were young,

Walking in the woods,

While singing our song,

Never in my dreams, felt anything wrong,

Thought you were always coming along,

Do not remember where exactly I lost you,

My eyes searched for you in heavy fog,

I continued my journey amidst the rocks,

Shivered through-out the night,

Darkness was blocking my sight,

Always thought that you wer...

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version without the Welsh folklore

Under the yellow-green of sunlit beech

between banks of bluebells' hazy blue

where supple crosiers of new fern reach             

over verdant moss still damp with dew

a grassy lane runs beside the river

In the mystic quiet of a leafy dome

of grey bark ash, beech and mighty oak

a far cuckoo calls all walkers home

but we pass u...

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Under the yellow-green of sunlit beech

between banks of bluebells' hazy blue

where supple crosiers of new fern reach             

over verdant moss still damp with dew

a grassy lane runs beside the river

In the mystic quiet of a leafy dome

of grey bark ash, beech and mighty oak

a far cuckoo calls the dryads home

but we pass unseen by woodland folk

'til tylwyth teg w...

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If you're not careful you can get lost in the woods of your mind.
My piece of advice would be to bring with you a guide.

Someone to hold your hand and walk you through.
So that if something is lurking you have someone to hold onto.

Make sure the person you bring is trustworthy.
That they'll stick around when it starts to get scary.

Things go bump in the night and more-so in these woods...

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The landlord called this morning

Said that she could tell I just woke up. To call her back later.

The cold was different to me, this late morning
Hazy, paired with rain
Drizzled, Murky, Heavy air that swept through the knit of my hoodie.

The branches lay next to the garage in a consecutively non-organized fashion, taken back by hand a few times

 To the old burning pile ...

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Into the Wilderness

Into the wilderness we went. Edhweirft and Hwyrflung swirled above us, blowing and bustling through the treetops. Watching. Threatening. But maintaining a safe distance as the trees protected us

Scrunch

Crack

Squelch

Scrunch

Crack 

Squelch

... we went, as the gloam drew in. Druuuuuin!! Closer. Druuuuuuuuiiiiinnnn!!!!! Closer. It hugs, this gloa...

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Tiger! Tiger! Taking flight
In the woods at dead of night,
With Elin's fearsome hand and eye
Fixed on your rear end rushing by?

In what distant barmaid thighs
Burnt the fire of your eyes?
On what bed did you perspire?
What the kiss did light your fire?

And what temptress, & what tart.
Did twist the sinews of your heart?
And when your heart began to beat,
What transgression? what rude treat?

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