Posted on November 25, 2009 by ryangps
Each month the GPS team will help sharpen your poetic eye by suggesting themes for your GPS posts. This month’s theme is inspired by Ed Ruscha and the 50-year retrospective of his work that is now on show in the Hayward Gallery.

Ed Ruscha: OOF, 1962 (reworked 1963)
Ed Ruscha’s paintings explore the range of associations that come with how a word looks or sounds, and the ambiguous responses that everyday words can evoke. Just as Ed Ruscha began to see common typography as art, so you can begin to see found words as poetry. Familiar or seemingly innocuous words can sometimes appear abstract, with some unintended or mystical meaning. These are the words that form this month’s GPS theme. So find them, map them, and share them!
Here are some GPS posts to help get you in the mood…
Lost: Poster or Poem found by The Scottish Poetry Library’s Ryan Van Winkle
Please Play found by GPS’s Lucy
Abandon Ship found by Tom Chivers
Survival Cache found by Kathleen M. Heideman
The GPS team hope to feature content that catches their eye, so think eye-catching! Often it is the context of the word that is striking or strangely associative. Words in a text sit in context with other words, but a cluster of isolated words can be a ’text’ in itself, and the environment it inhabits becomes its context.
GPS connects these isolated incidents on an online map, and allows photographs of poetry to be uploaded, creating a new kind of virtual text exhibition. Look out for the exhibits!
Global Poetry System is a user generated world map of poetry in partnership with these orgainsations.
Filed under: Global Poetry System | Tagged: Global Poetry System | 1 Comment »
Posted on November 25, 2009 by Joseph
I sit opposite an ironing board
A black and white ironing board
A female, zebra
Plastic covered ironing board
With hands
Gesturing unmarried hands
Dancing a language in fingers
A syntax of creases.
www.poetryjoe.com
www.inbetweenwriting.wordpress.com
Twiiter: poetryjoe
Filed under: Misc | Leave a Comment »
Posted on November 25, 2009 by Joseph
A sole shoe
Upturned in rush hour
Was it’s owner running?
Frightened ?
Hurried?
Does she sit now
On her way to upminster
One shoe’d
Avoiding the gaze
Of shoo’d souls
Praying her feet don’t smell
Wondering about rain and broken Bottles.
www.poetryjoe.com
www.inbetweenwriting.wordpress.com
Twiiter: poetryjoe
Filed under: Misc | Leave a Comment »
Posted on November 18, 2009 by ryangps
Posted on November 17, 2009 by amitgps
Alan Bennett has written a new play called “The Habit of Art”. It’s a play about poetry, music, theatre, creativity and inspiration. It’s now on at the National Theatre. I’m sure that’s enough information to induce those who are sensible to immediately procure themselves a ticket.
Hold your horses. The play is sold out until 24 January. Shame .
But all is not yet lost. Here are some useful bits of information brought to you by your friendly GPS Team:
1) You can get day seats by queuing up at the box office on the day of each performance. You’ll just need to wake up early and get yourself there in time. The value of theatre is worth such an imposition.
2) The tickets for the performances after the 24 January, go on sale on 2 December. You’ll still need to get yourself up early and be amongst the first to book. But it’s again worth it. Bagging two tickets in the stalls will make for the perfect thing to look forward to, during the bleak and depressing days formally known as January.
Good luck!
The GPS Team
Filed under: Global Poetry System | Tagged: Alan Bennett, Benjamin Britten, GPS, The Habit of Art, The National Theatre, W H Auden | Leave a Comment »
Posted on November 15, 2009 by Joseph
“His voice was like a stiletto”
A high heeled stab to my ear
Coated in red sickliness
Clattering against my reason.
Why can’t he speak in kitten heels?
That would whisper a tinkle.
Or better yet discuss in the reassuring patter of workmans boots
Even the shout of steel toe caps
Would be preferable
to the point and stutter
Of a voice always on the edge of tottering
Damaging all it walks on
With it’s sharp unbalance.
Inspired on the Victorian line
Filed under: Misc | Leave a Comment »
Posted on November 13, 2009 by Joseph
“It’s exciting isn’t it not knowing when you’ll get another job”
They had both feet in adulthood
Still testing the waters
Still enthralled by freedom
Remembering that first shop without the folks
When favourite foods filled the trolley
Enjoying the mess and the squalor
Making up for nineteen years of room tidying
Homework doing
Girlfriend hiding
Rule following
Unemployment is exciting
When you can bound buildings
Throw caution to the wind
And catch it before it spins.
www.poetryjoe.com
www.inbetweenwriting.wordpress.com
Twiiter: poetryjoe
Filed under: Misc | Leave a Comment »
Posted on November 13, 2009 by Joseph
“I like him he taps he’s good”
He stutters
He toes up the carriages
Citing his wisdom
His mantra of peace and pennies
Tapping out the same tune
With the same half sung lyrics
Moving through the rush hours
Dancing over suits and skirts
Speaking aloud
Speaking loud enough to be heard
But not to be listened to.
Rythms clatter and bleed
Into the chug chug of trains
Embarrased smiles fester on our lips
He leaves and the silence
Unbearable.
Filed under: Misc | 1 Comment »
Posted on November 13, 2009 by Joseph
“She’s younger than my parents”
Creases have not kissed her eyes
Grey has not touched her scalp
She’s more critical than my teachers
Yet wiser
Eyeing us with a raised eyebrow
Everytime our actions threaten to offend.
She’s more fearful than pain
Waking us in the early hours
Sprinkling regret like seeds.
11:05
piccadilly line
www.poetryjoe.com
www.inbetweenwriting.wordpress.com
Twiiter: poetryjoe
Filed under: Misc | Leave a Comment »
Posted on November 13, 2009 by Joseph
“See you soon with baby clothes and stripy tights”
With caps spurting propellers
With scraped knees and snotty noses
With sweetie necklaces and sticky fingers
I’ll see you when I close my eyes
Reminscing the playground
The swings we thought would swing forever.
The childhood we thought would never end.
22:48
London bridge station
www.poetryjoe.com
www.inbetweenwriting.wordpress.com
Twiiter: poetryjoe
Filed under: Misc | Leave a Comment »