Dudley Time Portal

Items tagged: Poem
Provision.docx
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Provision I invite you to stand in my shoes In the space between dark and light To imagine a room laid bare Where you sleep in the bath In the clothes you wear every day Because you don’t have a bed or Even a mattress on the floor To rest your tired frame. You are in crisis Slipped through the cracks It doesn’t matter how or why Just that you are here Needing help Needing compassion Practical support To get back on your feet To feel cared for Provided for Prayers answered. I sit here listening to Blur On the CD player I have just bought from Provision House A beacon-topped Aladdin’s cave of treasures That occupies a space right opposite It’s higher calling Old Co-op Old shoe shop New lease of life For this art-deco giant Three floors of stepping back in time Down history rich stairs Through formica inlaid doors Its belly stuffed with Furniture and bedding Tables and lamps Wardrobes and kitchenware The things that we take for granted Destined for those that have nothing Absolutely nothing A lifeline. In the shop I can still buy a pair of shoes Anything an old department store may well have stocked Ironic I feel. They save the sleeping bags To hand to homeless folk Health-packs and new socks Whatever helps. The Food Club caters for those That need to feed themselves Their families On budgets stretched to breaking They mind the gap that governments should fill By remembering that everybody counts Black Country rules. Kim chats to a woman Buying sticker-books for her granddaughter Laughter slips through this conversation Two books for a pound and you know The girl will have a fun filled afternoon. I ask about the future Plans for expansion Rooms to hire Office space Training programmes on their way Perhaps a life for the room upstairs and I see progress New from old Right from wrong. So, step through this door and lend a hand To those that need it more than You and I will ever understand.
Poem Connection Conversation Gift Light Imagination Invitations Shelter Care Sounds Old New Architecture Big Things Past Memory Consumption Kindness Food Funny Future Change
A More-Than-Human Story of Dudley High Street This story is a collective outcome after utilising completed Street Detectorism maps, and More-Than-Human findings to create of 'A More-Than-Human Story of Dudley High Street'. As part of a dissertation study, this workshop invited participants to share their imagination and develop stories from the previous findings on Dudley High Street. This story creatively archives nature on Dudley High Street, with emphasis for the value of storytelling and nature at the forefront of this task. - A More-Than-Human Story of Dudley High Street (08_12_2021).jpg
A More-Than-Human Story of Dudley High Street This story is a collective outcome after utilising completed Street Detectorism maps, and More-Than-Human findings to create of 'A More-Than-Human Story of Dudley High Street'. As part of a dissertation study, this workshop invited participants to share their imagination and develop stories from the previous findings on Dudley High Street. This story creatively archives nature on Dudley High Street, with emphasis for the value of storytelling and nature at the forefront of this task.
Collage Drawing Observation Imagining Story Poem Beauty Colour Creativity Creatures Decay Growing Imagination Light Making Memory Nature Plantlife Sounds Stories Tiny Things Weathered Words
Caffe Min.docx
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Caffe Min Breakfast Lunch Meal deal Everything you would expect Fresh from the takeaway menu Ham baguette With a little bit of mayonnaise Jacket potato Hot cup of coffee Bacon sarnie Brown sauce Not red Tikka mint mayo panini Something you might not expect Sunglasses! I sit on a long bench Listening to Tainted Love Over the radio Reading one of the many signs About coffee and good vibes Jayne and Mustafa Serve the steady flow of regulars Some sit outside most of the day Watching Chatting Taking it all in There’s always a spot for them As others come and go Mustafa hopes that more regulars Will return From offices When they can The future seems uncertain Until normality returns Since West Brom 27 years ago Jayne and Mustafa Have been working together She says she “has a thick skin to have put up with him for so long” He says “she’s the second woman in his life” Cheerful banter From a lifetime of serving Cooking Cleaning Managing This is their third café in Dudley 23 years and still going Opposite the Full Moon Tables and chairs on the pavement Watching the comings and goings I end up chatting to Kath Over a cup of tea As she gets a sausage baguette For the lady she volunteers with Kath comes every Friday For breakfast with her friends and I see how this all takes shape Regular Reliable Dependable I say goodbye Head back up the town As Magic FM fades in the distance I think I’ll probably pop in again For a cup of tea
Poem Connection Conversation Gift Food Consumption Familiar Colour Unfamiliar Surprise Sounds Words Happiness Interacting Lingering Future Memory Stories Stillness
Golden Touch.docx
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Golden Touch It’s my wedding anniversary Ari is cutting my hair “To make you look younger” He says We guess each other’s age A trick he’s pretty good at We talk about daughters Sons Families How he goes back every year When he can To northern Iran But really his family’s here now Round the houses in Brum From a young age Now his home is Dudley Four years in the shop Cutting Blending Trimming The heat from the hair dryer Beats the sweepings to the floor and I escape for twenty minutes In the stories In the swift hands The mirrors Posters from a bygone age Product on the shelves The smell of wax and leather Scissors sweep over the comb and I learn that the skills are hard taught From the first time with the razor To the years later Efficient Precise Art in my eyes Soon his brother will join him From Manchester Where he’s currently learning To catch up The future is all about the family and I hope the shop is still here For when his son Picks up the scissors For the first time Thanks for the haircut Ari It took years off me
Poem Connection Conversation Gift New Friendliness Memory Interacting Craft Stillness Stories Smell Moving Creativity Future
211028 Poetry of Place Map v2.pdf
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Poetry of Place was an experiment in sharing, gifting poems to shopkeepers in exchange for their stories...
Poem Connection Conversation Gift
Ramsey's.docx
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Ramsey’s Wedged between G P Footwear and the Dental Surgery Set back in the shadows under the circular cross Behind the overspill of colour and dazzle You will find Ramsey’s shop Cornucopia of ladies fashion Shoes Handbags and Accessories Born out of West Brom clearance Been six years grafting Stretching a profit Out of lycra and cotton Cheaper than the exact same jeans You will find in River Island or H&M But people still like to haggle for A pound off here A fiver there Ramsey is waiting Waiting for the people to return Waiting for Covid to subside Waiting for the coats to fly The joggers to shift gear Blouses to find a new lease of life So that the drive from Oldbury Six days a week Means more than just petrol in the tank Wasted hours Asking him about the future Brings no sugar coating Of what needs to change More advertising please Less traffic down the road More foot-flow up this end Where Ramsey offers Cheap and cheerful In all the colours of the rainbow His rails rally already Outside the shop Where he would like to see A revolution People stop to pass the time though To talk around it Time for a change One way or another Time for a change Sooner rather than later While Ramsey soldiers on Filling the street with colour The sun glinting off A nicely priced Must have
Poem Connection Conversation Gift Consumption Colour Interacting Change New Waste Future Traffic Moving
Nationwide.docx
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Nationwide Millions of members strong Building society Nationwide Staffordshire Portman Nationwide Since ’67 in Dudley town Nearly sixty years serving a community People love a building society don’t they Not quite a bank More like a club They come clutching blue passports A steady trickle Popping in to do their financials There’s bunting over the office door Radio through the speakers Comfy chairs to rest awhile Friendly Homely Familiar Certificates recognise commitment From one to thirty years Ashleigh, Sarah, Isla Lisa, Samantha Displayed on shelves alongside photographs Pride of place The buzzer brings a rush for the door Scurrying footsteps on laminate floor Jangle of keys on a lanyard Always a thank you and a kind welcome As chat starts up About Covid Hearing aids Lost keys Shopping up the town Holidays Pulled back muscles Schools going back Family The drive to Cornwall The cash machine whirs in the background Dispensing spendies for the Full Moon next door As an old couple In matching purple fleeces Shuffle up to the counter together I look at the Community Board Wonder if my wife is up for knitting Bonnets and booties For Russells Hall Or if I know a charity that Might benefit from the community fund Or if I have some spare tins For the food bank There’s a lot going on A lot to support I see stability Even though the future of the High Street Is hard to call Not sure where it’s going Without investment in the shops Which they watch come and go Having looked out the window for six decades Seen it all In all its glory This place is about people Conversation Continuity Permanence In a world that’s shifting fast Leaving some behind Who come here To remember what helpful feels like Connection Belonging Inclusion The couple are at the door now Saying their goodbyes See you next week Take care of yourselves Tarabit As they link arms and Waltz out into the sunshine
Poem Connection Conversation Gift Big Things Consumption Colour Sounds Friendliness Familiar Invitations Kindness Missing Health Old Moving Community People Change
Bake 'n' Butty.docx
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Bake ‘n’ Butty Fairy lights all year round Three clocks working triple time More seating at the rear and Above the sound of something frying in a pan Laughter The scrape of cutlery on finished plates Stacked and cleared Two cappuccinos Two toasted teacakes Footsteps on the lino floor The hum of radio from somewhere The clash of a saucepan lid Tea, milk, two sugars The tapping of a spoon on a plastic bowl Fishfinger sandwich to take away Do you need a receipt? It won’t be long, alright? Chips sizzling in the deep fat Steam escaping the coffee machine There’s your knife and fork Musical buttons singing from the till No sugar, I’m sweet enough A message left on the answering machine Phone rings How can I help you? Mobile notification Chatter Printing There’s your change I’ll bring your coffee over Sausage, egg and chips Large breakfast, no beans Two lattes Milk delivery Grated cheese in a bag Butter balanced in the crock of an arm Is there enough money in the till? Bacon and egg sandwich to go Cappuccino Cheers love It was lovely, thank you All this is seen and heard as I am joined at my table To talk through Covid Cars Past lives Old homes Acceptance Cooking Gender Pubs Health and Putting the world back together My tea is done I pop my mug back on the counter All this for the prices of a cuppa I think Stepping out past the flashing fairy lights
Poem Connection Conversation Gift Light Sounds Funny Food Interacting Consumption Happiness Vehicle Past Old Homes Health Stillness
A day out in Dudley Time inside passes slow, So we went out for the day, My favourite place to go, The high street in Dudley I'm sure that you'd agree It's not like any other town, There is lots to do and see And there's space to run around There's a playground there Just in the middle of the street And fruit growing everywhere The strawberries taste so sweet There's lots of places for grown-ups Where they like to chat and sit They say 'hello ya right bab?' And then Tarra a bit. There is no need to in When it's black over bill's mother Because should the rain begin The canopy is the perfect cover The grown-ups pick the veggies And call come get some grub We jump down from our climbing trees And head over to the food hub We get the buz back home for tea And get it down our wazzin I look back on the day with glee My Dudley town is bostin. - 1_lR0vzbG74UXCjHggkLA9Xg.png
A day out in Dudley Time inside passes slow, So we went out for the day, My favourite place to go, The high street in Dudley I'm sure that you'd agree It's not like any other town, There is lots to do and see And there's space to run around There's a playground there Just in the middle of the street And fruit growing everywhere The strawberries taste so sweet There's lots of places for grown-ups Where they like to chat and sit They say 'hello ya right bab?' And then Tarra a bit. There is no need to in When it's black over bill's mother Because should the rain begin The canopy is the perfect cover The grown-ups pick the veggies And call come get some grub We jump down from our climbing trees And head over to the food hub We get the buz back home for tea And get it down our wazzin I look back on the day with glee My Dudley town is bostin.
Collage Poem Story Text Imagining Abundance Actions Care Community Connection Conversation Culture Emotion Expression Familiar Favourite Things Food Friendliness Funny Future Gift Growing Happiness Imagination Interacting Invitations Joy Kindness Life Moving Nature People Plantlife Play Potential Relaxing Safety Shelter Speeds Stories Taste Voice Words
Subway.docx
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Subway Here, it’s all about the brand. Green and yellow Flashes of black As staff move quickly to Make subs 6 inch Foot long In the lunchtime rush It’s all go, go, go. Here, it’s all about the image. New York subways Map the walls Alongside Legends Heroes Iconics Classics Not names I would associate With sandwiches But to be fair I am not the target here Too old by a country mile. Here, it’s all about immediacy Driven by technology Attractive to young minds Thumbs scroll over phones To place orders To make payments To text their mate, who’s Sat right next to them Phones, phones, phones As the Deliveroo driver Double parks across the street To pick up a meal deal As ovens ping and Cookies slide off trays and A student picks and goes No desire to sit in or Wait a while. Here, it’s all about speed and It is busy. A boy in a boiler suit Made for a man Jokes with his mate He can’t decide what to order There’s too much choice He doesn’t know what he wants He needs inspiration and The counter guy offers him help Bread style Filling Extra cheese Drink and a cookie. His mate ribs him For getting double Jalapenos But he doesn’t care. Here, it’s all about the future Contactless A space in which a new generation move Transactional The model of a brave new world Phone app ordering Because this is what some people want Safe Easy Quick Convenient Just because it’s not for me Doesn’t make it wrong and Judging by the queue at the door They’re obviously doing something right. I leave as another delivery Heads out the door. Boilersuit boy is making his way down the High Street Back to college. I’m sure he’ll be back tomorrow Grateful for the help with his order.
Poem Connection Conversation Gift Colour Moving Speeds Consumption Food Old Technology Vehicle Lingering Interacting Future New
Caribbean One Stop.docx
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Caribbean One Stop The sign above the door Shows a tropical island But in Dudley Town There’s a chill in the air As Earl runs nine miles Before jam and toast and A cup of tea with nine sugars To recharge batteries. He’s not getting any younger but Age is just a mindset. When you’ve worked forty years On the wholesale markets Grafting and providing Your perspective shifts To what is really important. We talk family Community Among plantain and yams We talk heritage Education Among chopped hake and Jamaican pears. Gloria can’t find any mangos Because Earl has stashed them Behind the counter Too soft and sweet for handling. When he gets a ripe breadfruit Earl thinks of Gloria “Know your customers” He tells me “Know a little bit about everything”. I ask Gloria about Triple Blue Cross She tells me about white shirts Bed linen Drying under a Jamaican sun This shop is an education If you just ask the right questions. Earl’s father came in 1954 Bloodlines stretched Across continents Across boundaries Nigeria Scotland Jamaica Germany A mix Earl’s grown into Via Handsworth Birmingham England. He knows a Bristol accent When he hears one They talk about Montpelier Meat markets in Newport Veg markets in St Pauls She comes from Tipton each month To get the things she needs It’s personal She likes personal. The freezer is full of Chicken feet Ox tail Turkey neck Cow foot Flavour is the thing Even water gets spiced For mash Earl tells me As he trims Ghanian yam With a very sharp knife To just the right size. There is barely anything I recognise in this shop But I’m drawn to the colours The stories The journey The difference Halfway around the world or Baked up the road For customers who bang on the window and wave Who stand in the doorway Giving back the banter Who leave with the Caribbean In a blue plastic bag. I leave with a bag of Zoomers Earl tells me “That once I taste Jamaica I’ll be back” I stand in the High Street Cheesy snacks in hand Reminding myself To buy two packets next time.
Poem Connection Conversation Gift Moving Food Change Community Past Colour Memory Stories Water Taste Difference Friendliness