Gaskell House Blogs

Poems from the House by Lynn Tammadge

Participants who attended the Rommi Smith poetry workshop on 22 June 2018 were invited to share their work via the House blog. We thank all those who attended and Rommi herself. It was a beautiful and inspirational day. These poems were written by Lynn Tammadge.

Entrance

The bell summons ghosts, the slap
of a skirt, the squeeze of finger between
starched collar and neck.

This hallway is vast, the air
still, like underground air, laden
with memories.

I feel invited to fill the space, but,
I am under-dressed.

 

Elizabeth Gaskell’s Garden

In amongst the sweet peas, which
climb impossibly straight branches,
there exists the notion of her.

Her footsteps pad softly under my own,
dug over, raked through, weeded
and re-seeded.

The scratching of her quill blends
with the crimson of the pelargonium,
a perfume of words.

Dig over your own stories, plunge your forks
through top soil, allow your clematis to curl
questions about straight poles.

 

Drinking A Glass of Water in Mrs Gaskell’s Garden
    After May Sarton

 I pause and consider the coolness, at odds
with the sun on my face. The relief of the shade
echoes the refreshment, the prickled green etches
hieroglyphs into skin. Here, I taste the scent
of the dog rose, a sweetness at the back of my throat,
soured by the intrusion of traffic.

All written by Lynn Tammadge