Poems come from where they have always come from, they dance in themselves as
they always have, they sing to us as
they always will and we will not need to be told what we feel or which way our
inclinations lean ...we will dance and sing.
- A R
Ammons
[Quotation
from a postcard produced by the New Zealand Poetry Society]
Looking at the reverse of the above postcard I see I wrote ‘scanner’ on the back and I am reminded of a time when I had to have a card sitting in front of me before I could begin any writing activity. I had a number of laminated cards showing different scenes or with quotes in a pile on my desk and would prop up the relevant one when I sat down to work. Now I just start. I am fortunate to have a lovely oak writing desk which belonged to my mother and a sea view out the window. The desk is at right angles to the window so I am not too distracted though I did see the Kaitaki hit the wharf during the high winds the other day. Can you imagine what it’s going to be like at Clifford Bay? Yesterday I was told a story by an ex-drover that he couldn’t sit on his horse in the strong winds they get down there because he would have been blown off. He had to dismount and lead the horse.
Poetry
We had such a good poetry meeting on Wednesday morning. The convenor had been sent a small reddish pink stamp by a friend in Australia, postmarked Picton, NZ, 1894. Our task over the last four weeks was to write a poem based around the stamp. What a variety of poems, humour, travel, history, genealogy, family. We are all so talented! Our convenor wants to send a copy of all the poems to her friend. I would like someone to make a small booklet by scanning the stamp to put on the cover and include all the poems just for ourselves. Last night at our Marlborough Writers’ meeting I was shown a slim booklet published by Cold Hub Press, they call the format ‘poetry chapbooks’. Talk about serendipity, that’s exactly what I had in mind.
Sadly the poetry workshop with James Norcliffe has been cancelled though he will offer one in Nelson in June. Having received only one registration (from me), and a query the organisers wondered: ‘Where were all the Marlborough poets?’ Let’s hope it doesn’t put people off organising future workshops. We had a very successful two day workshop with poet, James Brown a few years ago. I still treasure a syllable poem I wrote as a pre-course exercise he set, based on the theme: ‘My First Home’.
Picton Foreshore management plan
The Marlborough District Council is suggesting there should be a management plan for the Picton Foreshore. A discussion document will be available later this month and people can make submissions. This is a good idea as I don’t want to see a proliferation of memorial seats. I would quite like to see the wall where the murals are made into a memorial wall where families could purchase plaques from an engraving company. I admired the one by the Cathedral in Christchurch and this gave me the idea. Past well known individuals could also be remembered like Arthur Penrose Seymour whose name used to grace the Foreshore entrance where the wishing well used to be in the 1970s. The sign was removed at a certain point because the area was more commonly referred to as the Picton Foreshore rather than Seymour Gardens. Also novelist Nelle Scanlan was delighted to have a memorial to her in the form of an oak tree planted on the Foreshore in the 1930s. The seedling came from the Seymour’s garden. She said in her autobiography that it was her ‘only living memorial’. I have searched for this tree over the years, enquired at the Picton Museum and can find no evidence of it. It’s a bit disconcerting how heritage can be forgotten. That’s probably why I spent so much time writing the Chronology of Picton and Queen Charlotte Sound, (Volume 1), available from the Picton Museum @ $25. A plaque for Nelle Scanlan would be fitting.
The foreshore is so attractive now with the promenade, the wide open spaces and the planting and the view of the harbour. Let’s hope no-one suggests moving the palms like they did in Blenheim to make way for the new theatre. They weren’t even transplanted to another site like Grove Road which would have improved Blenheim’s main entrance. They were just removed. Another thing I don’t want to see is an apartment block in Wellington Street. This was part of the original plan. I think it was fortunate that the recession came along because Council had to work to a much tighter budget and guarantee a return on their investment so we got open space which is good for the soul. And even though the toilet block is very visible it’s OK. I think the signs are what redeem the building. I wonder what will happen to the old brick ‘Penny-in-the-slot toilets’ near the museum built in 1874 for the first railway station. There is such potential there, a fernery, a hot salt water spa, or simply a historical curiosity with a plaque. Last time I peered through the bars of the iron gate there was an unsavoury looking old mattress and piles of rubbish inside. Hopefully visitors never venture anywhere near that eastern corner of the museum.
Katherine Mansfield Sculpture
As I mentioned in my last blog the sculpture of Katherine Mansfield was unveiled recently in Wellington. I would love to have been there. I emailed a friend of mine who fortuitously was in Wellington visiting relatives. She and her husband took a bus to Midland Park on Lambton Quay and she said a young child was holding Katherine Mansfield's hand. Here is a review written by Wellington author and KM tour guide Kevin Boon who attended the opening.
Mansfield Unveiled
The statue of
Katherine Mansfield ‘Woman of Words’ was unveiled at Midland Park, shortly
after six p.m. on the evening of Wednesday, May 8th. It is a
magnificent monument to New Zealand’s most acclaimed author and arguably, one
of the best modern sculptures in the world.
Despite the
chilly evening, a large crowd gathered to celebrate the occasion and they were
addressed by representatives from the Wellington Sculpture Trust, the Wellington
City Council, the Katherine Mansfield Society, the Birthplace Society and other
organizations that had supported the project. All were proud that this memorial
to one of Wellington’s most celebrated and cherished citizens now stands on the
corner of our busiest street, where Katherine Mansfield frequently walked. The sculptor, Virginia King, then described the philosophy behind the sculpture and some of the frustrations and difficulties its creation presented. It is constructed from steel and perforated with samples of writing from a wide variety of Katherine Mansfield’s stories and diaries. The face is a mask, in keeping with a statement Mansfield once made and the hair is formed from one of her shopping lists, but it is Mansfield and modernist in every sense.
Cathy Downes provided an excellent performance of The Dolls House, which was greatly appreciated by the audience. The unveiling was led by the mayor, Celia Wade-Brown, although all hands were required before the 3.3 metre statue was revealed. Illuminated from within it was admired and applauded by all present. Finally, many of those present adjourned to the Astoria Café where this historic occasion was convivially celebrated.
© Kevin Boon,
2013
