Our final poem chosen by Jane Burn for her 'Surviving Trauma' series is by Fran Lock. Fran Lock is a sometime itinerant dog-whisperer and the author of seven poetry collections, most recently the pamphlet Raptures and Captures (Culture Matters, 2019) in collaboration with collage artist Steev Burgess, and Contains Mild Peril (Out-Spoken Press, 2019). She is an associate … Continue reading Mania from Caoin by Fran Lock
Tag: Jane Burn
Everywhere is always full of holes by Denni Turp
Please welcome Denni to the blog, with a poem that speaks simply and eloquently of how normal is forever altered by trauma and loss. Everywhere is always full of holes The pier at Southwold with the water clock we watched so long to see the hour, the amusements, and the beach huts bright and neat … Continue reading Everywhere is always full of holes by Denni Turp
Why She Fell In Love With Doors by Helen Kay
Why she fell in love with doors is a poem that brilliantly works the idea of an eternity of opening and closing. Living with trauma is an eternity and though we might feel it more or less strongly on certain days, it remains there, like the poem’s wolf, lurking behind our everyday life. ‘She must … Continue reading Why She Fell In Love With Doors by Helen Kay
Outdoor Sex by Natalie Crick
"This poem scared the heck out of me - this is a poem of fairy-tale horrors, of quiet, claustrophobic menace, of fear that refuses to remain hidden. It is not a graphic depiction of sex ‘You part my lips with them, shut/my mouth with them,’ made me feel like the very trees were closing over … Continue reading Outdoor Sex by Natalie Crick
All Prepared, Not Prepared by Rob Walton
This poem is very real and raw. It breaks down the barriers of how frightening it can be to actually talk about illness and the inevitable deaths that may come - but talk we must. It runs breathlessly, without punctuation which helps convey the panic and terror hidden behind the ‘gallows humour’. Imagine selecting your … Continue reading All Prepared, Not Prepared by Rob Walton
Fire by Steve May
This poem captures the sadness of feeling as if you have to maintain that ‘stiff upper lip’ and keep everything locked inside yourself. We are very lucky if we have never had to witness the effects and cruelties of war first hand and can never really imagine what it is like for those who have. … Continue reading Fire by Steve May
A poem by Bethany Rutt
Give me a grave I can weep by. Give me a shrine to the girl that I was and the girl who came after. Give me a patch in the garden something I can dig my fists into to get to the root of it. Give me a map and a timeline. Point me to … Continue reading A poem by Bethany Rutt
Disaster by Miriam Calleja
This piece dismantles the actual word ‘disaster’ and manages to subvert the dark moments with an idea of heaven, a sort of afterlife feel. Its deconstruction leaves a lot of room for the reader’s own interpretation. The poem ends upon thoughts of ‘a star’. Perhaps an idea that we do not entirely disappear. - Jane … Continue reading Disaster by Miriam Calleja
Luminol by Pippa Little
Pippa Little’s poem ‘Luminol’ uses the image of the actual crime-scene chemical to great effect - haunts her poem with its visual luminescence and the stains you know are there but can never truly remove. - Jane Burn, guest editor. Luminol reveals the secret you don’t even know you know until years afterwards like an … Continue reading Luminol by Pippa Little
In Situ by Mel Eaton
Mel Eaton’s poem ‘In Situ’ is a poem of snapshots - of trying to make sense of being cast adrift in a world of medical jargon by becoming absorbed in watching raindrops on a window. It is a poem of sinking and sadness, of passing that endless time spent waiting. It is a poem of … Continue reading In Situ by Mel Eaton
Howls by Ann Cuthbert
In Ann Cuthbert’s poem ‘Howls’, we see how terror and tragedy can hide in the utter-ness of the everyday. It is not always loud or visible. This is the crumbling of an individual amongst the mundane and it is so much more effective for that. When she gets a chance to be alone, she howls. … Continue reading Howls by Ann Cuthbert
Birth Trauma (PTSD) by Rachel Bower
I feel that this poem will be one that so many of us will identify with. Nothing can prepare you for the realities of childbirth and none of us can predict its effects upon us. The trauma is real and has lasting consequences. This poem leaves many questions unanswered and throughout maintains a sense of … Continue reading Birth Trauma (PTSD) by Rachel Bower
Celebrating Change 