I Wrote a Song in My First Song Writing Class

 I Wrote a Complete Song in My First Songwriting Class

I never knew I had it in me, until I wrote a poem years ago about the Fire at Alexandra Palace. It had a chorus, and was very repetative, and people at my poetry group said it had the makings of a good song, and I ought to get it set to music. Of course I never did, and it languished as an unrecognized lyric.



However, a few days ago a friend asked me if I would like to go to a free songwriting class at our local library, and, ever-curious, I went.


First we were asked to do some physical loosening up exercises as a prelude to singing a song.  I was a bit disconcerted, as I consider myself as being useless at singing - one of the reasons I never bothered to continue guitar lessons was because it didn't seem much good if I couldn't sing along to my own strumming.
Anyway, I did the arms above head and down to the ground, wriggle around, blow through your lips like a sperm whale and so forth.


Then we were given an explanation writing a simple song using AAA format. This is, basically, three similar verses or stanzas, no chorus, no complications.


We were shown a song by Bette Midler, "The Rose", which was in this AAA form. Then we sang it, reading the words from the song sheet.  A bit tricky for me really, as I didn't know the tune. However it was pretty easy to pick up, and, although I merely droned without proper singing, I didn't disgrace myself more than averagely.


Then we talked a bit about travelling and were asked to write something ourselves, in class, something personal, maybe about a journey, using some rhymes.


The man next to me (whose name shall not be revealed here) is already a seasoned musician and song writer, but he said he couldn't possibly write something there and then, and preferred to write something at night.  That left five of us, including our teacher, ready to get writing. 


I had something down on paper quick as a flash. I'm used to doing this in poetry group (which I no longer attend) and at home - you get something down in writing, anything, and then you can always go back and polish it up - indeed revision is an essential part of writing poetry.


The man who wasn't writing was chattering away, and said something about throwing a line. This got incorporated into my poem. I was only marginally bothered by this diversion, but my friend, who is also in the poetry group, was well put off, and asked him to desist, as she couldn't concentrate.


I wrote quickly, and finished quarter of an hour before everyone else. Surprisingly, I was the only person to write a complete poem, the others having varying success. Inspiration just came without much head-scratching.  One man could only think of  two lines, another wrote a lot of very existential philosophical stuff, which was clearly going to be the best one of all once he found the words to finish it off, and my friend and the teacher wrote competently but needed to take their pieces home and do work on them.


So that was a good experience.  I managed to find suitable rhymes, and although one or two of the rhymes were rubbish and had to be revised at home, I was reasonably happy with the result. This is what I wrote:

                Travelling to Dover

      As I travelled on the train one rainy morning

      Tired and wet, I couldn’t stop my yawning

      Looked up and saw what surely was a warning

      Hooded eyes that set my heart a-warming

      I turned away and stared into the mist

      But all the while I held a secret wish

      That I’d put out a line and catch this fish

      And he’d be mine forever on a dish

      He moved to sit by me and I moved over

      I sensed that one day soon he’d be my lover

      And give me hell because he was a rover.

           I caught him as the train pulled in to Dover

© Diana Grant                       16^th November 2011

Creepy Poem for Halloween - "Subway"

In a large city like London, in many places where there are underground stations or busy main roads, you will find interlinked passageways.

When they are deserted, they can be very eerie, disturbing places, and you wouldn't want to linger there.

This is my poem about one such subway.

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1cnho

Pumpkin Pie: A Halloween Love Poem

Halloween poem about the lovely and desirable Pumpkin Pie

You will also find here a popular nursery rhyme, "Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater", and some blogs

A Grinning Carved Pumpkin - Warm and comforting but by no means ordinary.

That toothy grin, those staring eyes all lit up by a candle.

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1ci97

Halloween Poem - London Darkness

A Creepy Psychological Thriller about Night Time in London - a Poem for Halloween

There is artificial light everywhere, the night-time sky is tinged with yellow.

Sitting on a bus travelling through London, you can see in to people's windows, you get a fleeting glimpse of their life, but not enough to make sense of it.

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1cg5y

Halloween Creepy Poems and Pictures

Nasty things which go bump in the night - take a look!

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1c94a

War on Slugs

A Miscellany about slugs and snails - poetry, humor, photos, gardening, a poll, and facts -

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a17i6k

Here are some photographs from the web page War on Slugs:

The first is Slugs and beans

The second is slug in grass

And the third is my cabbage eaten by slugs

The fourth is what happened to the slugs when I caught the culprits.

And here's the link again - Poem: War on Slugs - The Arena of War

Letter of Complaint to Parking Control - Poem

Do you ever despair and think the Parking Wardens are out to get you?

This is one of a series of letters I wished I'd sent. As I never did send it, I felt free to put it in poetic form. A bit over the top? Moi?? NEVER!!

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a151in
 By the way, if you ever feel that a parking ticket was unjustified, and you have a reasonable reason for what you did and where you parked, it is always worth objecting, because, even if your reason doesn't fall within a category specified on the parking notice, the local authorities have discretion to waive the fine. Of course they don't usually use this discretion, but you need to know that it is available, and that you do have a little leeway to appeal.
 Just remember, the local authority has a financial interest in issuing parking tickets and insisting on payment. They are not acting as independent arbiters of your case.

What normally happens is that the Local Authority rejects your objection and continues to insist that you must pay your fine.  They then send you a formal Notice, and you are given  a specified time in which to pay up or appeal in writing to the local Independent Parking Offence Tribunal.  You may feel that it is pointless to persist with your appeal if the Local Authority have rejected it, but this is not the case - provided that you can produce the evidence appropriate to your circumstances (e.g. a photograph, badge or whatever) and set out your reasons logically in a written statement or letter, you stand a reasonable chance of having your appeal accepted by the Tribunal.  If it is still rejected, they must notify you that you have a right to appeal to the Appeal Tribunal.  A date is then set for you to present your case in writing or in person.  You don't have to take a day off work, because it can all be done in writing.
 A very high proportion of Appeals are accepted.

Poem - Empty Swimming Pool

I wrote this poem after my holiday in Bulgaria. We stayed in a pretty coastal resort on the Black Sea, called St Konstantin.

Standing on our hotel balcony in the early morning before it got really hot, I would watch the swimming pool cleaners going about their daily business. This poem is the result.

There's a poll, poetry videos and a poetry quiz as well.

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a14qit

Poem: The Fire at Alexandra Palace

I saw the Palace burning,

Burning, burning,

I saw the Palace burning

Lighting up the sky 

 

A smoke-grey finger swirling
Swirling, swirling
Just glimpsed between the houses
Pointing to the sky

Then crowds of people surging
Surging, surging
To see the flames go licking
Up towards the sky

And scarlet engines racing
Racing, racing
With firebells loudly ringing,

Their clanging filled the sky

Like ants appeared the firemen,

Firemen, firemen

Swarming round the building

Dark forms against the sky

And children rushing forward,

Forward, forward

While policemen barred their progress

As they looked up to the sky

And beams and ashes falling

Falling, falling

Made everyone step backwards

As they watched the darkening sky

And now the wind was blowing

Blowing, blowing

And flames and smoke now billowed

In their race to meet the sky

And fiercely sprayed the water,

Water, water

As the firemen turned their hoses

Up towards the sky

Then home we turned, exhausted,

Exhausted, exhausted

The fire raged ever fiercer

And lit the dusky sky

The blaze was like a beacon

Beacon, beacon

All London saw it burning

Till dawn suffused the sky
       Then Lloyds paid out eight million                                   £8,000,000

       Eight million, eight million

       And the Owners were so happy                                     

       Their insurance was sky high                                   

Diana Grant


                 (c)

And if you would like to see more of my photographs of the fire at Alexandra Palace on 10th July 1980 and my comments, try this link "The Fire at Alexandra Palace"

Copenhagen - Candlelit Vigil Across the World

       Copenhagen



Let your candles burn tonight
The world needs our support


Let your candles shine so bright
Our leaders need support


It’s our job to spread the light
The world’s poor need support


Keep your candles glowing white
Our children need support

Add your voice to the climate fight
Our wildlife needs support


Hope and pray with all your might
The world will give support


As people round the world unite
And join in their support

Hold the ideal in your sight
Hold your intention really tight
And as our candles burn tonight
Light up the world with gentle light


.....Copenhagen








Wendy Beauchamp-Ward             12 December 2009