The Dog Days of Summer

They say it's silly season – the dog days of August when the sun is high in the sky etc etc. Certainly silly season for me and think the sun has baked my brains as only just remembered (lucky break actually, was looking for some notes on another project) that I am supposed to be doing the blog for last week's very interesting and ideas filled circle!

Meeting opened with news about the next Open Mic at Chadwicks, Villa Martin on 13^th September; theme is War And/Or Peace. As it was also a theme for this week – several people wrote on the subject.

Jerry gave us a historical look at the inability to forswear conflict; there were suggestions that he might look at scanning and rhythm – poem was well received.

Cathy wrote about her war on an ant infestation, using an analogy of her actions with the ants as the atom bomb on innocents. Caused much discussion – does the end justify the means?

Mike is working on a novel, based on his original short story about the discovery of 'magic' stones that he read at a previous meeting. He read us Chapter 1 of his revised work; set in California – it began with a minor rock fall that has major consequences as we shall see. Meeting discussed extending the story to show not tell (writing with film in mind) and suggested adding dialogue. Note for Jane: Stones not Scones!

Brenda read a poem from a mother's pov she originally wrote during her son's posting in Afghanistan. Did not go down well with said son as he said not how the soldiers see it.

Avril wrote a poem relating her bomb shelter experiences as a child in the WW2. As we had extra time, she also read a poem War & Peace – about a Christmas shopping trip to a supermarket where a fight broke out a the checkout. Very amusing and visual – meeting suggested could use an edit to include substituting cliches.

Maureen gave us a review of J McGregor's 'Fairy Tales of an FAC'; did he actually do any work, the meeting wondered – but perhaps that's why he chose the title? Sounds a cracking read!

John gave us a 'mémoire' of his recent Barcelona trip. It struck him as an extremely curvaceous city – the architecture, the men, the art, the women – from Gaudi to Barca,The Blue Route, the micro brewery right on to the venue of Freddy and Montserrat's Olympic triumph and now the venue for Bon Jovi. Oh – and lots of queuing!

Ian gave us a bucolic piece 'Love In the Haystacks' with a heart-breaking ending.

Brenda wrapped it up with a short poem about love – it being 'A Many Splendoured Thing' – more about love lost really and prompted a rude joke from Mike.

All very enjoyable – and almost all poems this week; is that a result of the silly season or how the muse is striking at the moment? Next week's theme is a letter/rant to a newspaper.

Oh – and was going to include Ian's poem but guess the dog days got him too!

Look forward to Wednesday. Lisa.