Writing in a literary form, be it haiku or sonnet, may look difficult or appear to be too much of a constraint. In fact it’s often something you can learn, and get better at with practice. And something magical happens In the process of writing in a poetic form: while the writer concentrates on structural matters like rhyme, or syllable count (which in itself can be a good distraction from mental health problems), the creative unconscious is freed to come up with all sorts of interesting phrases and ideas.
Alex came to the group for the first time this week, with a published book of poetry to his name, and several notebooks full of work he’d recently written, including his first ever sonnet:
Summer Air
How do I find my way from here
seeking and searching for the light
far from this never-ending fight?
I retire to the bar and have a beer.
My brain‘s awash with useless fear.
I walk like a refugee of the night
looking for an oasis of delight.
The poet’s pen writes words of fear.
A song floats in the summer air.
I rise and sing the chorus line.
The sun shines brightly on this song,
makes you stand up from your chair.
I drink your health with glass of wine.
Time will come, it won’t be long.
Alexander Shand Hudson
The song is another literary form. Alex wrote this one on the morning of the workshop, and we look forward to hearing the guitar accompaniment he composed.
The Sun Shone Down My Way
The days were long and lonesome
the nights were cold and grey
my life felt oh so loathsome
then the sun shone down my way.
My heart was full of grieving
it found no place to stay
my thoughts were all for leaving
then the sun shone down my way.
And the light shines down so brightly
all through the cold stone clay
the truth is felt so clearly and the
sun shines down my way.
Through heaven, hell and slumber
and nights that blow away
through stormy days of thunder
the sun shines down my way.
I walk through this world in silence
my thoughts are far away
no need for hate or violence
the sun shines down my way.
Alexander Shand Hudson