Poetry in the Park

The Community Arts Society of Norfolk Island's 10th Poetry in the Park was held today at beautiful Camelot Gardens on Rooty Hill Road.

The MC for this years event was Nicola Kennedy, who introduced 17 poets and over 20 poems, many performed in the Norf'k language.  The poems will be compiled into a blogsite in the coming weeks for you to read and enjoy - so keep an eye out for that!

Nicola introduced the evening by saying:

"Good evening, welkam and watawieh Ladies and Gentlemen.

Poetry is 'language concentrate'.  The rules are bent to allow the words to saturate our senses. 

A poem can make us laugh, make us cry, rally us to causes, make us swoon.  No other language form is as potent.

So prepare yourselves for a short evening of potent sense saturation!

Ten years ago Community Arts member Dean Johnson's vision for a community poetry evening was realised and it is continuing to delight us all still.

I think it is only appropriate to open proceedings with one simple stanza from one of the poems from that very first Poetry in the Park.  And I think you'll agree that in the light of what I've just said about poetry and sens saturation; it's absolutely spot on.  Archie Bigg remined us:

'So my friends if you eat nanwi

Take some good avice from me

Eat it early for your breakfast

Don't eat nanwi for your tea!'"

Recently at BAUNTI we met a poet from Australia who came into our office in Burnt Pine and started to recite some of his poems.  His name was Mal Castledine (with wife left).  Nicola ended this year's event with one of his poems - and a very appropriate one it was given Poetry in the Park was held in a beautiful Norfolk garden.  Thank you Mal.

BEAUTIFUL THINGS .... CAN GROW IN GARDENS

There's a house and garden ... not far from here,

My memories of them are very clear.

Mrs Vidler lived there when I was small,

She planted some trees and now they're tall.

She fussed over roses, that I thought were dead,

But each summer they burst into blossom instead.

She laughed when I said, 'I hated their thorn',

She said 'You smell their perfume in the early morn.'

She was there each morning when I walked to school,

weeding the garden on her kneeling stool.

And in the afternoon when I'd walk by,

I'd complain about school and she'd give me some pie.

Birds and butterflies were always around,

When she planted some seeds or dug up the ground.

But she was never lonely ... when I think back and see ...

She had God,

She had garden,

and of course

She had me.