I Love Poetry: Shore Poets Love Poetry

Brighde Caimbeul

Love poetry is the only poetry that exists.

Love poetry that speaks of people, places and times.

Love poetry that speaks of loss, malevolence and libido.

Love poetry that unites poets who love poetry enough to celebrate the muse.

The 20th Anniversary of the Shore Poets encompassed riotous rhyme and rhythm.

A veritable feast of words, music and song was had by the congregated poets and poetry lovers.

Outstanding Scottish Love Poets

Huge Scottish love poets were there, ranging from Christine de Luca, Stewart Conn, Brian McCabe, Ian McDonough, Jane McKie, Ken Cockburn, Angus Peter Campbell, Margaret Christie, Stephanie Green, Gavin Jones, Paula Jennings, Tony Lawrence, Jim C Wilson, Gael Turnbull, Angela McSeveney, Ken Cockburn, Brian Johnstone and Nancy Somerville.

Music was the palate cleanser between the words. Spectacular musicians like Minnow, The Kitchen Stools and Jim Glenn used rhythm, harmonies, soul and lyrical poetry to engage and entertain. And little Brighde Caimbeul breathed love and life into giant squaling pipes.

As the Chinese Proverb goes: We’re all fools whether we dance or not. So let’s dance.

A word dance proceeded throughout the poetry feast with love poetry making fools of us all.

Notes from the Love Poetry Notebook

The love poetry was too enormous to quote. I can only give murmurs of phrases that fell on poetry love’s ears.

Breezes in Highland cadences

Dancing is like dreaming with your feet

Ken a’ they things ye never kent

Jim C Wilson, and the C stands for no nonsense

Shore Poets is like the Hotel California – you can check out any time you like but you can, never leave.

Quantitative Easing – love poetry for bankers

Looking Across the Firth from the Pig Farm

The Sharks of Whigtown Bay

The Child of Brecken Sands

The Lewis man loved his wife so much … he almost told her

In Uist, nothing falls down

My son’s Archipelago

When We Have Nothing To Concern Us

The Enormous Lion

Love Poetry to Finish

A sample of the poetry of love, life and loss to finish, from Angus Peter Campbell …

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