Looking back over the summer

It's been over a week since my last post - the paid stuff has got in the way a bit, 'tis true, though I've been editing and consolidating what I've written over a busy summer of showcases, open mics and other events. New work is sat next to me waiting to be typed up and maybe lightly polished, but until then, here's a rare bit of video of me performing - this one's at the Archimedes Screw showcase featuring Susan Richardson.

Trying to avoid excessive use of superlatives

Inspired by yesterday's amazing ascent of the Shard by Greenpeace volunteers.

#iceclimb

One giant shard of city crystal,
six ants,
all queens,
skip security,
slowly swarm up
a thousand sheer-slab feet of protest,
an urban berg,
to fly the Arctic flag in clear skies where
actions
provoke a Twitter-storm,
hashtag, retweet, share
and feelings of vicarious adrenaline.

Outflanked,
Shell fume silently at the Trendmap,
suits, tie-tongued, mutter nothings about safety,
shuffle off to sign
more soulless polar drilling deals,
words
ringing in their shell-likes, change waiting on lines one, two, three…
after fifteen hours of hard-won history,
damn,
but it was beautiful to see.