About Me

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Bristol , United Kingdom
I'm co-director of the Leaping Word Poetry Consultancy, which provides advice for poets on writing, editing and publishing, as well as qualified counselling support for those exploring personal issues in their work - https://theleapingword.com. My fifth poetry collection, Learning Finity, is now available from Indigo Dreams or directly from me.

Thursday 6 October 2011

A Poem for National Poetry Day 2011

For this year's National Poetry Day, I'm posting a poem about poetry - British Sign Language Poetry, to be exact. It's also about being a hearing, non-signing person in a Deaf environment.



Mute

                                                                  
for Jo G

The room is rapt, in silence,
unless the shepherding of air
makes a sound I cannot hear,
like the gasp of leaves in free-fall,
the shrill of flowers
as they are picked.

Words that filled my mouth
with their flavour
wither to husks,
stick in my throat. 
I am mute
in this place of poems,

plucked from nothing
and given form
with a clap like a dove
starting into flight,
while my hands hang,
dumb lumps of meat.

In time
I might trace
that shimmer of purple,
conjure voice from empty space,
sign the infinite shape  
the word poetry makes.


© Deborah Harvey 2011


My first poetry collection, Communion, is published by Indigo Dreams and now available to buy from their website, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com, and good independent bookshops



A launch for Communion will be held on 4th November 2011 at the Halo Café Bar, 141 Gloucester Road, Bristol BS7 8BA, with singer-songwriter Reg Meuross, and guest poets Alana Farrell and John Terry.  Entrance is free.  All welcome!


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