A Short Break
Weekly Newsletter - 19th May 2024
I’ll be taking a break next week from any Substack posts for a number of reasons. Firstly, I’ll be making my way to Hay-on-Wye and spending almost a week working the HowTheLightGetsIn festival. My main reason to sign up for this above anything else is really just to have conversations with others who are interested in societal issues. I may not expect to find myself agreeing with absolutely everyone I meet, and, in some ways, I’m actually more looking forward to seeing where I disagree with others and how I am able to navigate that situation. And, more than any of those things, I hope to connect with the human *being* that holds those ideas.
This is becoming a big thing that I’m spending a lot of my attention working with - connecting with the person rather than the facts, figures, politics, ideologies and so forth that they hold. I have some more thoughts on this topic that I’ll be sharing in my first week back.
As such, feel free to go back through and explore some of my older poems and writings that you may have missed at the time of their original publication. And, if you’re really craving something fresh, you can always pick up either a digital or physical copy of my poetry book if you feel inclined.
Aside from those, I’ll also be making some preparations for travelling around the UK over the next few months, as well as to make some accelerated progress with re-translating Metropolis - more than enough things to be occupying my time. If you’d like to help keep me fed and fuelled with tea as I work my way through these things, I’d be incredibly grateful for your support.
From Poets Past
I recorded a group podcast last week as part of my work with Over To The Youth (which should be available soon!), and at one point, one of the other participants commented how great it was that me, as a poet, am interested in what makes an effective leader. I was flattered by the thought, and since then I’ve been thinking and exploring the leaders and statesmen of history that have been poets.
Some of the obvious names that might come to mind include Pablo Neruda, John Milton and Václav Havel. In exploring this rabbit-hole, this expanded into “thought leaders” and philosophers who have written poetry alongside more well-known works, and in doing so I discovered that a political philosopher I find very well-spoken, Sir Roger Scruton, actually wrote a book of poetry in the late 1990s.
I ordered myself a copy, which arrived this week, and read the entire book in one sitting. They are not as direct to the questions around aesthetics, tradition and politics that characterise most of his work, but there are some great gems in here. One poem I particularly enjoyed was “Heap”, exploring some of the absurdities that can happen when we try to over-rationalise life. I’ve included it here for your pleasure.
Take a grain of sand, then take another, Another grain, and yet another still, Pile grain on grain on grain together Add more and more and more, until Your hand and arm and back are aching, Your throat is dry, your fingers numb, Your brain is half asleep, half waking, And every grain's a pain in the bum, You'll make no heap of sand - no never, Thus Greek philosophers have shown By reasoning so very clever The answer to it's still unknown. For take some arbitrary number And call it 'n' (since that's what's done): If n is not a heap, the sombre Thought must be: nor's n + 1. For is one grain of sand enough To make what's not a heap a heap? Of course not! Reasoning, however tough, Will reach this point, go on the bleep And stay there. The paradox is deep As soul is, or the Trinity: Since 1's no heap, then nor is 2, Nor any number to infinity: The world is heapless - and the same is true Of everything we've hoped for and are due.
Heap - A Poem by Sir Roger Scruton
From Poets Present
Seeing as I had a call earlier this week with
earlier this week as part of her “Poetic Library” sessions that she’s running over Zoom, it feels fitting to include one of her poems in the section of the newsletter this week. There seems to be a running theme of late, with poems relating to fish, mouth, lips, tongues, or a combination of those. Perhaps the one that caught my interest the most is “Salmon Skin”, which I read something in to about the envy of not being able to pass through life as un-phased by events and happenings as others - something that last week’s inclusion from Giacomo Leopardi also explores. Let me know what you make of the poem below:Sometimes, I just want salmon skin. I want to go into the sun and have scales That rainbow into water's light. I want to place it over my own And have a second layer - The first is too filamental Elemental, it slips away from me Weathering without exception. But then, though My salmon skin Would stick to me As I lay down, I would stand And it would slip off. And I would try to sow it To my own But the needle would bend And buckle And the salmon skin would tear. Sometimes, I just want salmon skin. I want to slip through the water Without a ripple. I want to swim as others do Without my skin coming off too. I went to the fishmarket. And saw a dead salmon Mucous eyes slipped into my vision And stiff tails. I bought a small one - Took it home - Sliced, diced Attempted to entice cold skin Onto warm. I placed the skin on my own The sun shuttered through the window - The skin slid from my cheek And slapped the tile next to my feet.
Salmon Skin - A Poem by Saffron Morter-Laing
From Me
New Poems
To mark the 3-month anniversary of the book’s release, I made the title poem of the book, “Born Anew” available to all this week. There’s a reason why the title of my first poetry book comes from this poem. Read it using the link below to see why:
And, in case you missed it, there’s still time left to be in with a chance of winning a signed copy of my poetry book that this poem is included in and lends its name to. Simply re-stack the poem above or share it elsewhere on social media, making sure to tag me (or find some way of letting me know!) so I can be sure to enter your name in to the draw. I originally said that the draw would happen for next week’s newsletter, forgetting there would be no newsletter next week! As such, I’ll keep this open until the 2nd June, when the next newsletter will be.
Reading List
Here’s something I’ve been wanting to create for a while now, and this week I finally got round to making it a reality. I’ve published a reading list of books which have left - and are leaving - a profound impact on the way I view the world. It’s a mix of fiction and non-fiction, and I’ll be adding new entries over time.
I’ve opted to keep this as a paid-subscriber only item as a recognition of the support they give me. My aim is to be able to take my poetry on the road and read it to people in-person. Many people have told me that, even reading poems over Zoom, the feel of these poems hits just that little bit harder when it comes from my mouth, and I’ve had many people tell me they’ve been incredibly grateful to hear my poems live.
Travelling, however, does not come cheap, especially with the cost of fuel in the UK. So if you’d like to help me bring my poetry to more people, please consider becoming a paid subscriber, or buying a book or print from my shop. Alternatively, if you know of any opportunities for me to be able to share my poetry at events or elsewhere, please get in touch over at my website.
And Finally
Thank you for continuing to follow my progress. It's incredibly heartwarming to know you are here and believe in the work I'm doing, and I can't wait to be able to share more with you and the rest of the world soon.
With gratitude,
Tom
I’ll be there too - I produce the debates hahaha