Beautiful Words for Difficult Times

On Saturday 14th August, the second day of what promises to be an epic four weeks of The Nerve Centre, Val Walsh presented us with some poems and stories from Embrace, A Liverpool based womens group who perform across the city at Community Centers and Cafes. Some highlights of the poetry Val read are presented below. Following the poetry is a brief introduction to Embrace. Val will be at The Nerve Centre again between 3pm and 5pm on the 26th August for some more poetry and stories. 

As promised, here are some of the poems Val presented. 

Life Saving

You kept your hands clean,

by abstaining, doing nothing.

You evaded responsibility,

by hiding in the shadows.

You avoided rejection,

by not coming forward.

You played safe, by

withdrawing from the fray.

You betrayed your talent

by allowing your creativity

to sink without trace.

POETIC, CONTENT

Poetry turns language.

Squeezes fresh juice out of

familiar fruit. Pushes hope

outdoors, edging love on

to the street. Touching

strangers without intent.

Poetry forges fragile

communities in its wake.

Fashioning dreams for now.

Sticking around for tomorrow.

Preparing us for the long haul.

The Loving Touch

          There are people and situations that make you feel

          not just competent, but radiant. And that orbital glow

becomes in turn a gift to others. The circle of human

sustainability; the web of connection that makes dreams

and adventure possible; daring against all odds: reeking

havoc with self-doubt, negativity, subjection.

The micropolitics

 of social and political change

        involves the loving touch.                                                                        

 

EMBRACE is an informal group of diverse women poets, living and writing in and around Liverpool,

who perform together at local community events.

The team embodies women’s diversity: of lived experience and social positioning; and our multiple, complex identities, across, for example, differences of age, ethnicity, faith and social class. 

Through our writing and performance, we juxtapose and interweave our social and cultural differences and experience, including the trauma of separation, loss, illness and bereavement; our critical awareness of intimidation, exploitation and stigma; and our understanding of how women are affected by violence, occupation, asylum, war and exile.

We also draw on the joy of loving, parenting, caring, befriending, and the demands and satisfactions of involvement in the public domain via paid employment and/or community involvement and activism, including our activities as poets in the community. We believe we have a crucial, creative role to play as women in that public domain, as well as on the home front.

As women and as poets, we scrutinise abuse and exploitation;

we evoke the healing processes of conversation, community and creativity; and assert art, love and humour over the dead hands of fear and guilt.

We are the sum of our parts.