Silk Bookmark of line from my poem Two for Dad
The wonderful company Sumptuosity have offered to use my words on their bookmarks, with the likes of William Shakespeare, Jane Austen and Robert Burns.
This is the poem the above one is from:
Two for Dad
Blackberry…
In it together:
conspiring against bramble,
holding down a spray
of beauties for me to pick,
showing how leaves
hide choicest fruit.
Finding docks to cool
nettled flesh, stained,
battlescarred, spoils dangling
in baskets, on handlebars,
we ride our triumph home.
…Pies
We dare not go through the kitchen
when you bake. There is
deftness, artistry at work.
The pies are crammed
with blackberries, plump
with pleasure at being picked.
a line of flour on your jumper
from rolling out.
The pinched edges of pastry
seal the boozy juice.
You cut large slices
to offer me.
The second one is from this poem:
From The Wendy House
Peter Pan: The Opera House, Manchester 1988
“Cramful of adventures” he’d promised, but this place
is packed with scruffy boys who can’t stop
walking planks and smoking peace pipes –
games they think too rough for me, their Wendy-bird.
They want me for Mother, darning socks, sewing pockets,
worrying what to cook them for their tea.
Peter doesn’t really want to hear of Cinderella’s bliss,
would have her picking over lentils,
peeling spuds forever, never find her Prince.
It wouldn’t be so bad if he’d play with me
but he wants to be one of the boys, not prepared
for Fatherhood. Why is it me that must grow up?
Yanking me from a warm nursery for this!
Whizzing my head with dazzling words, making me
feel light enough to soar between the stars.
Lines from From the Wendy House
I am delighted and hope the project is beneficial for both parties. I will be selling these at readings alongside my books. They do a range of different colours and lots of different items such as lavender bags, groovy notebooks, and the cutest range of brooches I have ever seen. Their goods can be bought here:
http://www.sumptuosity.net/home
I have been a customer for a while now and everyone comments when I wear one of their brooches. Lucky me – that’s two textile artists I work with now, Sumptuosity and Maria Walker. Maria and I are currently putting together exhibition proposals for the work on the lost Lightfoot Letters. Exciting times.
Angela Topping 