New 2009 poetry
The River Ure in Spate, January 2009
I have just been on an amazing visit up Wharf dale in search of waterfalls. I had not done that trip in winter and the landscape was very bare, beautiful and most of the rivers were near to flooding point. I do not think this photograph does the scene justice!
I seem to have had a dry period over the festive season when it comes to writing, but here is something that I have managed to finish. I began this poem in a workshop run by the fabulous Ann Sansom at a National Association for Writers in Education’s retreat last year. Ann asked the group to write in the first person from the point of view of a baby about to be born, and read us a poem by Sharon Olds. I hope this is not too derivative of Sharon Olds (who does this kind of intimate poem so well it is difficult to know where you start yourself after reading her work, I think!). Please leave me a comment if you have a view on this topic.
Worcester Park General Hospital
I’m kept in a box. I blink.
Smell hot plastic. Stretch out my hand
to watch a pattern of light redden.
I’m a glow-in-the-dark; half-fish
with slithery lungs in a ribcage supple as a slipper.
My skull’s pointed, yet to harden.
My hold on life is lax.
Mother’s face rises like a full moon
and her eyes cloud over with green.
I’ve lost her metronome heartbeat.
I’ve no idea of the comfort of her milk-tipped
nipple, nor the crook of her arm,
nor the rhythm of a walk in the park
with sycamore leaves to soften the sun’s stare.
Anne Caldwell
Happy New Year
I have done very little writing over the Christmas Period but lots of reading. I would recommend two new books of poetry that I have really enjoyed for different reasons.
The first is Womens’ Work (seren) with a great introduction by Eva Salzman/Amy Wack and the other is ‘Answering Back’ edited by Carol Ann Duffy - which includes poets responding to another published poet and was a great way in to re-thinking some old favourites as well as discovering new work by people really enjoy reading.
I have also just read ‘Waterlog’ by Roger Deakin and absolutely loved it. That’s it on the holiday reading front. I am back to work tomorrow.
Happenstance Launch Dec 08
It gave me great pleasure to take part in a wonderful event up in Edinburgh in December alongside a fantastic range of other poets published by Happenstance. Helena Nelson was a great compere and the event took place in a Thai Restaurant just down from the Scottish Poetry Library (that was experiencing flooding!)
I felt in the company of some great new friends and was amazed by the range and quality of the work. It felt invigorating to hear poetry from all over the UK at the same event. 
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About
Anne Caldwell is a poet and literature consultant. She works for NAWE and the Open University, Bolton University and runs workshops in schools and community settings.
Contact Tel. 07818 052108
email a.caldwell@nawe.co.uk
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Read This
'A Wilder Vein' edited by Linda Cracknell
