Wednesday, 18 October 2017

'Here Be Dragons' EP 4 'Watling Street' podcast out today...





🎧 Good Morning!

Why not start your day today by exploring the wonderful world of Watling Street with John Higgs ‘Here Be Dragons’ Ep 4 of Watling Street podcast up now on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com 

This series of 4 programmes features great conversations, history, geography, myths, magic, poetry and story telling from John Higgs, David Bramwell, Cerys Matthews, Alan Moore, Iain Sinclair, DJ Greg Wilson and many, many more. I've been commissioned to write a poem for this podcast and you’ll find me in Ep 4. Go to iTunes now and seek it out, it’s got to be good for your soul to start the day with connections to our dreams and histories...











WATLING STREET

Poem for John Higgs - 'Pessimism Is For Lightweights' 


Think of those that marched Watling Street before
And those that will tread here in years to come
The road in shadow and the road in the sun
The road before us and the road all done
History is watching us and what will we become

This road is of flags and milestones
Immigrant blood and sweat and tears
Built these cities, built this country and
Made Watling Street last all these years

Watling Street is made of protest
And those not permitted to vote
The people that are still fighting to speak
With a boot stamping on their throat

Pessimism is for lightweights
Watling Street is not clear nor straight
But I believe living is about living true
and love will conquer hate

When you lose something
You retrace your steps until you find it again
And Watling Street is older than history
Times of gods and witches and dragons and noblemen

We live in a time of building walls
But the language has always been the same
Them and us and us and them
Burning bridges in shame and in God's name

But if there is one thing Watling Street teaches us
It's the same cycle with the same blatant flaw
That the rich can only stay rich
By keeping the poor, poor

Every king and queen knows this
All the kings soldiers and all the kings men
But the ghosts of slavery rise up and shout
never say never again

Watling street is paved with blood and conflict
Sometimes just because people wanna scrap
Tearing lives apart, creating division
By drawing borders on a map

We can choose the stories we tell
And the page of history we share
The way we want to be remembered
And if we were dreaming or we were really there

Pessimism is for lightweights
This road is never a straight white line
It's the bumps and curves and obstacles
That make Watling Street yours and mine

Pessimism is for lightweights
We're under fire, bombarded like hail stones
Every morning more negativity
Buzz buzz buzzing in our iPhones

Ah yes, the future is so bleak
There is no point marching to Downing Street
But they want you to feel powerless
So get up and out and on your feet

Pessimism is for lightweights
Watling street is not easy or straight
But living is all about living alive
and love will conquer hate

But there so much magic in having optimism
To have faith and to stay true to you
Because if you can look in the mirror
And have belief and promise you

Will share wonder in living things
Beauty, dreams, books and art
Love your neighbour and be kind
And have an open heart

Then you're already winning at living
You speak up, you show up and stand tall
It is silence that is complicit
It's apathy that hurts us all

Pessimism is for lightweights
Don't eat low-hanging bitter fruit
Pessimism is for lightweights
Put all that doubt on mute

Pessimism is what pessimism does
Feeds all the negatives because
As long as you're feeding ignorance and fear
There's no need to imagine a better world dear

To believe in love takes balls and heart and guts
If you can keep your head, whilst the rest of the world goes nuts
Shoulder to shoulder we fight the same fights as all our parents yesterday
And they didn't silence them and they won't silence us today

Pessimism is for lightweights
Watling Street is not a straight white line
It's the bumps and curves and obstacles
That make Watling Street yours and mine

You must believe in more
Believe love will conquer hate
To sing it loud and clear
Pessimism is for lightweights
Pessimism is for lightweights
Pessimism is for lightweights
Pessimism is for lightweights
Pessimism is for lightweights

Watling Street was never easy and straight
And living is all about living alive and lively
And love will conquer hate





(c) Salena Godden / London 2017
Poem written for John Higgs, 'Watling Street' - First draft 'Pessimism is for lightweights' performed at Corbyn 'For the Many' Gig, Kentish Town Forum July 2017 - This version for broadcast on the Watling Street Podcast.









... COMING UP ...


OCT 18: LONDON, SPEAKY SPOKEY, COLIN GRANT & AFUA HIRSCH


OCT 21: HEBDEN BRIDGE, RACONTEURS DELIGHT 



NOV 19: CHESTER LIT FESTIVAL 

NOV 20: BRISTOL, BLAH BLAH BLAH, WARDROBE THEATRE

NOV 25: LONDON, MASCARA BAR, RISING ZINE LAUNCH



DEC 16: LONDON, CONWAY HALL, ROBIN INCE & FRIENDS













No comments:

Post a Comment