Our poet of the day on Tuesday was Kristina England whose 'Another day, another shooting' reflections on yet another shooting, this time at Santa Barbara and wonders 'why this sickness is spreading' and 'if there's something we've missed'. Thanks, Kristina for putting into words something of what many of us feel in the face of these repeated tragedies.
Wednesday's poem, 'Hillsborough Revisited' came from David Subacchi. It is a piece which brings our attention back, in my opinion, quite rightly to the long and bitter struggle for justice that has been the lot of all those families touched by that tragedy. We sincerely hope that they are on their way to finding some closure.
Thursday's poem was another powerful and moving piece, 'A Young Girl Cries' by Sue Norton. Sue draws our attention to the horrific cruelty that is female genital mutilation. I remember seeing a television documentary on this subject nearly two decades ago. At the time I thought - I was younger, less cynical - that the response must be outrage and that the practice surely must be eradicated. There was no such response, no eradication. This time, we must do something. This time we must act.
We ended the week on Friday with David Mellor and his poem 'Sleep Walking'. David reminds us of the dangers we are currently facing here in the UK.
'Who can sleep
When we are sleep walking
Into hell'.
And this week we also said farewell to a woman who was inspirational both as a poet and as a woman. She was, as Toni Morrison has pointed out, 'a real original'.
Have a peaceful and productive week. Abigail Wyatt
