Python

A poem for World Poetry Day 2023

Good day, readers!

Yes, it’s a Spring surprise! I’m publishing on a fortnightly schedule, but now and again I’m going to sprinkle in shorter posts.

The Equinox has just passed, and today is World Poetry Day!

To mark the occasion, I recorded myself reading my poem ‘Python’, which I wrote back in April 2021. It’s very much an earthy Spring poem and seemed appropriate for the season.¹

I write poetry when no other medium can unlock what I need to express. There are periods when when I labour over it a great deal and other times when I don’t have the urge. There’s little fame or fortune to be earned from the practice, so for me it is free of base pressures about earning its keep. It is a terrific way to work on precise word flow and evocation in as few characters as possible. Small shifts can deliver wonderful revelations.

Huge thanks to my husband Martin, who composed the musical ‘sting’ that begins the recording. He designed it specifically for this Substack, based on a handful of terms I gave him. In some ways it’s a type of musical poem, as it suggests much, concisely. Finally, he mixed the entire piece together. I’m lucky to have such expert help at hand.

I wish you all a poetic day!

1. For clarity, I’m referring to the Greek primordial power, Python, and not the coding language or the family of non-venomous snakes.