Only by breaking the links
Of racism and discrimination
Can we truly appreciate
The beauty of our fellow man
And finally accept
That we are but one people!
Poem only © Copyright Lynn Gerrard
Sunday, 6 December 2015
Wednesday, 19 August 2015
The Devil's Tree...
In the Devils Tree
They placed their trust
Foolish slaves
To loveless lust
Poem only © Copyright Lynn Gerrard
Thursday, 14 May 2015
Darkness & Decadence
Signed copies of Darkness & Decadence - the début poetry collection by Lynn Gerrard priced at £5.99 are available (priced inclusive of postage below) by clicking on the Paypal BUY NOW button for your area.
The book is also available unsigned on Amazon in paperback and of course there is a Kindle version too.
Please note that the prices below include postage to seperate regions. Please only use the BUY NOW button relevant to where you live (e.g. France - the European Delivery button or America - the International Delivery button).
UK Delivery: £8.99 P&P Inclusive.
European Delivery: £9.99 P&P Inclusive.
International Delivery: £11.99 P&P Inclusive.
A full review of Lynn's Live Spoken Word Show of 'Darkness & Decadence' can be found on the online blog ralphslife.co.uk
Amazon review by: Bodica
"When I found out this long-awaited collection was out at last I bought it straight away and wasn't disappointed. I loved this collection of dark gargoylian grumblings from the poetress Lynn Gerrard. Lynn takes humankind and lays open every hidden emotion. She made me laugh, made me sad and then made me laugh again. A fabulous collection of emotive prose which can be read again and again to find new depths."
Amazon review by: sagababe
"This is the long awaited debut volume of the poet's work. I have been a fan of her poems for several years, but they have only been available to read on her blog. It is rare to find a poet comfortable in so many formats: tiny exquisite micro-poems glitter like jewels. Descriptive poems paint pictures in your head that linger well after you have closed the book. Longer 'political' or social poems have you nodding in agreement. This is a volume to read at leisure, or to devour in one sitting. But however you choose to access her work, you will return to re read and savour it. Recommended."
Amazon review by: Peter Davey
What struck me first about Lynn Gerrard’s wonderful collection of poems ‘Darkness and Decadence’ is that it’s unlike anything I’ve seen before. So many contemporary poets just sound like different versions of each other, with their studied, self-consciously poetic language and desperate, gimmicky strivings after originality. Lynn Gerrard just tells it how it is, straight from the shoulder, without a hint of poetic posturing – and thus her poems are accessible to everyone. In many of them, she does what she has already become notorious for on social media – taking our deepest and darkest childhood nightmares and blasting them with her humour.
One of my favourites is ‘An Appointment with Death’ where the Grim Reaper comes into the doctor’s surgery to pick up his anti-depressants. If Death can be seen as a ridiculous figure we all recognise, why should we fear him? Other poems, such as ‘How Quiet the Grave’, handle similar themes but always in a tone that, however macabre, is faintly tongue-in-cheek. God may not be able to redeem us, she seems to say (I don’t think she has much time for God) but humour can. Others poems, such as ‘The Lovers’, are wry comments on everyday life.
Others are beautiful and poignant reflections on things we all share and recognise – relationships, separation, betrayal, creativity and the fragility of human love. Then there’s the hypocrisy of politics, religion and materialism – nothing escapes Lynn Gerrard’s pen. One of the most poignant – ‘A Dragon and a Gargoyle’ - mourns the popularity of the old storybooks that used to fire children’s imaginations. Despite the huge canvas, Lynn’s voice throughout is one of honesty, compassion and humanity as well as her irresistible humour.
She also has a considerable talent for performing her own work – so far I’ve only seen her on YouTube but would love to see her live one day. I can thoroughly recommend this beautiful collection and can’t wait to see how her work, and her career, develop.
Friday, 3 April 2015
A Flash Too Far!....**BLOG POST**
In my life thus far...I have unintentionally flashed my bits on 3 cringe worthy occasions...
FLASH ONE
Many years ago, as I knelt in front of a mirror in the living room one evening drying my hair after a hot bath, wearing nothing more than a battered old dressing gown...the parish priest called around unannounced, as they tended to back then...( you know, collecting protection money...checking on gang members an' stuff! )...
Anyway, he walked straight into the room, I jumped up in surprise, caught my foot on the belt of my dressing gown and instantly exposed myself to him! The most uncomfortable thing about that experience was the prolonged eye contact and my inability to move as he slowly began to make noises of mass repulsion!
I didn't see much of him after that...although he'd seen enough of me!
FLASH TWO
Years later, once again, I found myself wearing nothing other than a well worn but comfy old dressing gown (not the same as in my previous flash...that one didn't survive the exorcism) after having had a luxurious bath, before sitting down, in the living room, to enjoy a frothy coffee and several chunks of chocolate.
That's when my little old dog, Sam, started to do that undulative, dry heave thing that dogs do as a prelude to a mega-puke.
Wanting to avoid the clean-up campaign in the lounge, I quickly jumped up and ran to the door at the front of the house, 'cos it was closer to the outside than the back door was, and urged Sam to follow...which he did...BUT...
...as I opened the door Sam's tried to rush out at exactly the same time as his stomach contents have decided to evacuate his little furry body, resulting in the produce of his projectile offering grand slamming against the door, which instantly catapulted the mess up the wall in the hall, eventually allowing a kaleidoscopic arrangement of slimy chunks to slide gracefully into a glutinous blob, upon the carpet!
Emptied of his discharge, Sam then proceeded to go beyond the front door, where I stood numbed by the unfolding events, and out into the front garden where he dropped to the floor in a dead faint!
Whilst gawping at my beloved mutt, prostrate upon the floor with an attack of the vapours, my peripheral vision alerted me to my neighbours returning home from an evening out.
In a snap-shot our eyes locked over the surreal scene and that's when my dressing gown seized the opportunity to fling itself open to reveal the numb and naked figure which quivered beneath, upon the unwanted attentions of my jaw-dropped neighbours!
Once again, uncomfortable nano-seconds of eye contact remained
Unbelievably, all I could do was remain pinned to the spot as my neighbours looked on bemused, at which point Sam, having recovered from his attack of the vapours, suddenly stood up, looked me up and down with a critical eye and casually walked back into the house unaffected by the whole experience, leaving me locked in an awkward smile as the neighbours began to side shuffle off in escape!!
FLASH THREE (The Final Flash-down)
My most recent flash occurred not too long ago as I sauntered into the bedroom one morning having enjoyed a particularly refreshing shower. This time my tired old dressing gown had been replaced by an equally old and tired nightie that, having suffered a mishap in the wash, was considerably shorter than when originally purchased.
Still, this was of no consequence as no one would see me, which would have been an accurate assumption had I not switched to auto-pilot mode and drifted over to the window to close the blinds without a thought given to the fact that when I reached up for the cord my ragged and reduced apparel would ride up revealing to the street below, albeit briefly, a sight even my own eyes are reluctant to behold!
This personal moment of unmasking the monster wouldn't have been so bad had I not lived on a main road close to traffic lights which, in their job of prompting vehicles to stop, had inadvertently supplied me with a captive audience!!!
Unsurprisingly, there was no applause but no doubt it's only a matter of time before the first invoice for counselling sessions slips through the post!!!
Anyway, must dash! I'm off to invest in a Onesie.......it's a matter of public safety!
Many years ago, as I knelt in front of a mirror in the living room one evening drying my hair after a hot bath, wearing nothing more than a battered old dressing gown...the parish priest called around unannounced, as they tended to back then...( you know, collecting protection money...checking on gang members an' stuff! )...
Anyway, he walked straight into the room, I jumped up in surprise, caught my foot on the belt of my dressing gown and instantly exposed myself to him! The most uncomfortable thing about that experience was the prolonged eye contact and my inability to move as he slowly began to make noises of mass repulsion!
I didn't see much of him after that...although he'd seen enough of me!
FLASH TWO
Years later, once again, I found myself wearing nothing other than a well worn but comfy old dressing gown (not the same as in my previous flash...that one didn't survive the exorcism) after having had a luxurious bath, before sitting down, in the living room, to enjoy a frothy coffee and several chunks of chocolate.
That's when my little old dog, Sam, started to do that undulative, dry heave thing that dogs do as a prelude to a mega-puke.
Wanting to avoid the clean-up campaign in the lounge, I quickly jumped up and ran to the door at the front of the house, 'cos it was closer to the outside than the back door was, and urged Sam to follow...which he did...BUT...
...as I opened the door Sam's tried to rush out at exactly the same time as his stomach contents have decided to evacuate his little furry body, resulting in the produce of his projectile offering grand slamming against the door, which instantly catapulted the mess up the wall in the hall, eventually allowing a kaleidoscopic arrangement of slimy chunks to slide gracefully into a glutinous blob, upon the carpet!
Emptied of his discharge, Sam then proceeded to go beyond the front door, where I stood numbed by the unfolding events, and out into the front garden where he dropped to the floor in a dead faint!Whilst gawping at my beloved mutt, prostrate upon the floor with an attack of the vapours, my peripheral vision alerted me to my neighbours returning home from an evening out.
In a snap-shot our eyes locked over the surreal scene and that's when my dressing gown seized the opportunity to fling itself open to reveal the numb and naked figure which quivered beneath, upon the unwanted attentions of my jaw-dropped neighbours!
Once again, uncomfortable nano-seconds of eye contact remained
Unbelievably, all I could do was remain pinned to the spot as my neighbours looked on bemused, at which point Sam, having recovered from his attack of the vapours, suddenly stood up, looked me up and down with a critical eye and casually walked back into the house unaffected by the whole experience, leaving me locked in an awkward smile as the neighbours began to side shuffle off in escape!!
FLASH THREE (The Final Flash-down)
My most recent flash occurred not too long ago as I sauntered into the bedroom one morning having enjoyed a particularly refreshing shower. This time my tired old dressing gown had been replaced by an equally old and tired nightie that, having suffered a mishap in the wash, was considerably shorter than when originally purchased.
Still, this was of no consequence as no one would see me, which would have been an accurate assumption had I not switched to auto-pilot mode and drifted over to the window to close the blinds without a thought given to the fact that when I reached up for the cord my ragged and reduced apparel would ride up revealing to the street below, albeit briefly, a sight even my own eyes are reluctant to behold!
This personal moment of unmasking the monster wouldn't have been so bad had I not lived on a main road close to traffic lights which, in their job of prompting vehicles to stop, had inadvertently supplied me with a captive audience!!!
Unsurprisingly, there was no applause but no doubt it's only a matter of time before the first invoice for counselling sessions slips through the post!!!
Anyway, must dash! I'm off to invest in a Onesie.......it's a matter of public safety!
© Copyright Lynn Gerrard
Sunday, 8 March 2015
Where Lies the Monster...
Born of man
Can you not see?
The Monster lies
In you not me
Poem only © Copyright Lynn Gerrard
Poem only © Copyright Lynn Gerrard
Sunday, 22 February 2015
Lick Your Wounds...
"Lick your wounds
And move along"
May work for some
But not for all
Sometimes the hurt
Can't be undone
And the pain goes on
Forever
Poem only © Copyright Lynn Gerrard
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