Dog Days Done
Summer lifts her skirt
revealing a glimmer of
amber, light and yellow.
Summer takes her time
to pack her belongings,
her weary butterflies
and thirsty bees.
And somewhere
in a distant field
August writes
goodbye letters
in gold on hay
and corn and
chestnut and you.
The morning after
the first thunderstorm
you’ll open the window
and smell it changed,
wafts of smoke,
and rain and past.
This ending
is a beginning.
Make hay
and make love,
gather bilberries
and blackberries.
Dog days done,
Sirius is south,
the last burst of roses,
apples and cider,
the Lughnasadh feast,
the tomato harvest,
the fruits so red and ripe
in September’s hands,
summer feeding
autumn’s mouth.
(c) Salena Godden / 2024
'Dog Days Done' is published in 'With Love, Grief and Fury' by Canongate Books
Thank you so much for reading, listening, supporting my writing adventures. Keep on keeping on, change is here, change is now, keep on keeping on and on…
See you here, see you there,
Xxsg
Autumn 2024
August 30: The Verb live at OutSpoken on BBC R4
September 21: Hastings Book Festival with Anita Rani
September 25: Octavia Butler, Foyles, Charing X
October 3: Paper Dress Vintage, with Gemma Rogers
October 11 + 12: Cheltenham Lit Festival
October 13: Words For Gaza, Bristol
October 17: Manningtree Arts with Ruth Ivo
October 29: Boozy Book Club - Online
November 11: Cold War Steve Book Launch, Bristol
November 18: My Life In Beer, Book Launch, The Social, London
November 20: Newham Festival Of Stories
November 22: Radical Book Fair, Edinburgh
November 23 + 24: Push The Boat Out Festival, Edinburgh
November 27: Stop The War, Palestine Fundraiser, Seven Dials, London
November 28: Coronet Theatre, Notting Hill, with Ella Frears
December 6: Toast Poetry, Norwich Playhouse
For more writing, my Substack page is 'With Love, Grief and Fury' I have been sharing film, audio, notes, poetry, tour diaries and work in progress on there, you can follow and subscribe for FREE here:
https://salenagodden.substack.com/
Poetry. Books. Gigs.
Out now: With Love, Grief and Fury
Out now: Springfield Road
Out now: Pessimism is for Lightweights
Out now: Mrs Death Misses Death
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/salenagodden
Roaring 20s Radio Book Recommendations:Roaring 20s Radio Show & Podcast:THE VERB ON BBC RADIO 4 -
This was a magic night and I'm so happy it was recorded and broadcast on the BBC. Tune in to hear some pieces I haven't performed before like the gentle and surreal 'Umbilical' and a beautiful sharing of 'My Heart Is A Boat' - my lovely mum and sister and friends and family were in the audience for this and I love this memory. Thank you to The Verb and Outspoken crew and the generous Southbank audience. Loved this, thank you Xx
Inspiring words that connect us in difficult times; three outstanding poets take to the stage at Outspoken, one of the most exciting and innovative poetry nights in the world.
Imtiaz Dharker, poet, film-maker and national treasure is on first. She is a recipient of the Queen's Gold Medal and reads new poems from her collection 'Shadow Reader' - some of which explore the uncanny experience of having her 'shadow' read in order to predict her life-span.
Rachael Allen is a legendary poetry editor as well as a poet; she shares poems of scrupulous attention to a relationship breaking down. Her readings come from the narrative poem in her new book 'God Complex'.
Salena Godden's new book 'With Love Grief and Fury' is full of love poems for people and for the planet. She is a poet, memoirist and fiction writer. Her debut novel 'Mrs Death Misses Death' won the Indie Book Award for Fiction and the People’s Book Prize and was shortlisted for the British Book Awards and Gordon Burn Prize.
Outspoken was recorded at Southbank in London, May 2024.
The Adverb at OutSpoken, BBC Radio 4: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0022cqc
ARTISTS FOR GAZA -POETRY AND ART RAFFLEThousands of displaced families are still trapped inside camps in northern Gaza - facing constant assault without daily necessities. Apparently this is one of the most difficult times so far, in an entire year of horror. Please take notice. Don't let saturation numb your humanity. You can help and donate money by entering this draw - helping artists to help everyday people who need food and medical care. By doing so, you can also win one of many amazing prizes; including bespoke work written for you by eminent writers, or professional coaching for your own writing or performance. There are some fabulous book bundles ready to be signed and inscribed - and all for as little as £2 a ticket. We can make a difference with Art.Thankyou so much for not giving up, getting bored, turning away...
