Your kiss
peppered on the wind
breathtaking
when you give in
. . . so give in.
© N Nazir 2023
Written for Sammi Scribbles Weekend Writing Prompt (Breathtaking, 14 words), and The Sunday Muse (image as shown).
Tag: music
A Poem for Glenn
After hearing the sad news yesterday about the recent passing of dVerse poet Glenn Buttkus, I wanted to reshare a poem I’d written in 2021, which had been inspired by one of his photos and a line from one of his poems. It’s out of season but that’s no matter.
From my experience, he was always a good-humoured, vibrant character with an infectious warmth, and I’d had the pleasure of hearing him read a number of times. I particularly loved his more fierce anti-hate-crime, anti-establishment poems. You can read more about him and his poems over at the dVerse page.
Anyway, here’s the poem, shared for dVerse Open Link Night, hosted by Lillian.
And a song for you, Glenn. RIP ❤
Messy Misfits Club & Truthtellers #Publication
I had a little arts publication recently with Messy Misfits Club, which I’m delighted to tell you about. I’m unable to share the whole issue but I’ve attached screen shots of my work for you.
I originally created these paintings for an arts challenge I did in 2021 (Inktober). Meander was a response to the prompt word knot, and Ultra Violet was a response to the prompt word Lush, both created using ink, watercolour and gel pen on paper.
Then, a couple of months ago, MMC had an arts callout for their 4th issue under the theme Dreamscape and I thought I’d send a few pieces their way. I wasn’t sure if they really fit the theme. But you know how things just kind of loom out at you all of a sudden during dreams? I figured they had that sort of quality about them. And the above two pieces were accepted so it worked out fine.
It’s quite a young zine so I felt like a bit of a dino amongst the other contributors! But what the hell. Nobody cares about that really. It’s a lovely issue with some great poems and artwork throughout. Kind of punk meets chewing gum. You can purchase a print copy, or request a free digital copy, via their website under the Shop tab.
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I also had the wonderful news recently that my two erasure poems Nomad and Revelation, originally published in Issue viii of Free Verse Revolution: Guinevere, have also been published in Free Verse’s annual anthology featuring the best work of the year under the theme Truthtellers. I’m so pleased to be part of this anthology, it’s packed full of beautiful work and it’s lovely to be picked for it. You may purchase a print copy here if you wish. However, if any of my longstanding fellow bloggers are over their spending limit this month but would still love to read a copy, (cause you simply can’t buy everyone’s new book / journal / chapbook, right? Who’s made of money like that?) message me via the contact form and I can email you a digital copy for free.
On another note, I’ve been listening to a lot of Joanna Newson recently. Here’s The Book of Right-on from her album The Milk-Eyed Mender (2004). Finger-plucking awesome!
A Heaving Petticoats Poem
It’s true, I said, I’m musically promiscuous
but I thought you were too?
Surely we belong together?
What a gorgeous catastrophe,
you replied, how we flamenco like this
but never meet, not really.
Then let’s rewrite the script, I urged
let’s go one cerulean afternoon
to the cottonwoods
where the bees wallow
and make like a samba in the zinnias.
No one need ever know! Besides
I wore my peignoir for you
and the moment is already cyanic.
You give me some kind of all-overishness
damn you! you declared, but got up
gruntled, took my hand
and led me there.
© N Nazir 2023
Written for Shay’s Word Garden where Shay brings us inspiration with award-winning poet Alicia Suskin Ostriker, with the word list taken from her poetry collection The Crack in Everything (words used: gorgeous, catastrophe, flamenco, cerulean, cottonwoods, bees, samba, zinnias).
Written also for Sammi Scribbles Writing Prompt: Script, 100 words.
*This is really a belated Throwback Thursday 🙂 But has also been my earworm this week.
Sunra Rainz 