October: Brendan Hawthorne

Birmingham Lit Fest Presents….

This month's piece is written by singer songwriter and Wednesbury Poet Laureate Brendan Hawthorne, reflecting on the changing seasons and the cosiness of autumn as the leaves and weather change around us.

Take a look at the rest of this year's digital programme on our website: https://www.birminghamliteraturefestival.org/.
For more information on Writing West Midlands, visit https://writingwestmidlands.org/

Follow the festival on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook @BhamLitFest

Credits

Curator: Shantel Edwards (Festival director)
Production: 11C/ Birmingham Podcast Studios for Writing West Midlands

TRANSCRIPT

October: Brendan Hawthorne

Intro

Welcome to the Birmingham Lit Fest Presents…podcast and our new series of commissioned writing about 2021. Each month we are commissioning a new writer to reflect on the month that has passed, offering us moments of connection through great writing and the opportunity to reflect about what we have collectively experienced at the end of the year.

We will be bringing you a new short episode at the start of each month, with each piece read by our guest writers. You can read the pieces on our website, where you will also find information about our upcoming digital events.

Reading

Hello my name is Brendan Hawthorne, I’m a singer song writer, poet, playwright and I’ve written the blog for October for Birmingham Literature Festival.

October has become a signpost month in many ways for me. New directions and opportunities have presented themselves. New challenges to keep the old mind alert and the heart full.

Creatively I have had the script of a play published, a new collection of work readied for publication and signed new commission contracts. I am also recording songs with Kerry, my musical partner, for our new CD. Written pre-lockdown, it’s only now being given performance form and life. A photographer friend has offered to take a series of Autumnal photographic portraits of me for promotional use and I’ve bought Lynn, my wife’s, Christmas present.

All good I hear you say, but, as October signals a seasonal change …

I realise the world has changed

from the world I once knew

Changed into one that appears

to be more guarded and tentative

mindful of the tragic consequences in retaining

liberty, democracy and relative freedom

Many things are now ‘considered’

The atlas shrinks again

through traffic light travel changes

to a greater global awareness

I personally love to feel the chill in the night air of the country of my birth. The way …

our homeward journey is streetlight lit

by autumnal sunsets directing

us to log burner warmth

Witness the magic of flickering shadows

that tell different stories

each time planet saving briquettes are ignited

Smokiness taints the air with comfort

atmospherically blending

with the smell of tomato soup

heated on a dancing gas ring

accompanied by warm crusty bread

fresh from the oven

Then I wonder if the cost of gas will become more than the cost of tinned soup, but for now the concept is too great to stem the flow of intoxicating relaxation.

My mom is 87 this month…

She was 27 when she brought me into the world

with the help of the NHS

A system of healthcare

that has cradled many since birth

but I wonder for how much longer?

Stories of elderly people falling

and having to wait for 6 to 10 hours

for ambulances to attend because

there aren’t enough vehicles freed up

by corridor queues in overcrowded A & E’s

With all these cuts, I wonder why queues aren’t included?

I spoke to a young police officer yesterday who told me he had thought he’d found his dream job by helping people feel ‘safe and secure’. He told me of attending drunken injuries taking 6 hours out of his shift to sit with someone waiting for medical attention. I felt his pain, his frustration and career dislocation.

I do, however, laugh at the things I’ve said to myself, expecting answers that never come. With age, does the skill of asking yourself questions become more important? I’ll let you know.

On the news today I saw a

polar bear clinging for dear life

to a tiny ice flow berg

Hugging the chill to its bones

it appeared to cry out in anguish

at its predicament

They know the importance of existence

I thought

Why don’t we?

Outro

Thank you for listening to this week’s episode of the Birmingham Lit Fest presents…podcast. Follow us on Instagram, twitter and Facebook @bhamlitfest. All information about the festival and upcoming events can be found on our website www.birminghamliteraturefestival.org. The Birmingham Lit Fest Presents... podcast is produced by 11C and Birmingham Podcast Studios for Writing West Midlands.