Vision – National Poetry Day 2020
National Poetry Day is a day of celebrating and taking part in all things poetry, this year it is on the 1st of October 2020 and there are lots and lots of virtual events taking place, readings, write-ins and so on.
This years National Poetry Day is a little different to previous years where I’ve trekked out to events or run online chat groups and so on. This year no one is going anywhere thanks to the virus and I am too ill to really take part in much at all even remotely and on line.
However this years theme is actually very relevant to me as since the fever in March I have been having hallucinations – visions if you like and vivid story like dreams which I have been attempting to capture in sketches and writings. I have also had server eye problems due to side effects of the covid and the resulting graves disease (an autoimmune system disease) which has affected my sight – my actual vision. This too is taking some adjustments but I think I am getting there.
Then of course we are looking at the much wider definition of vision – that of the future and the world – this is particularly pertinent at the moment thanks to the political situations in various large powers, our own political mess (and it is a mess what ever political leaning you are – it is a mess!) and the climate chaos that has descended upon us. This year the world has literally been on fire!
Other things I am personally going to be thinking about for the day are: ancient petitions and soothsaying, the visions of shaman and holy practitioners. Thanks to the Gloucester History Festival I have recently learned about an interesting Nun who’s visions look similar from her drawings to what I have been suffering with.
Poets like Shelly where obvious plagued with fever dreams and opium stupors.
And then there is just my own “vision” of the future and myself – what do I want? What wishes do I hope for?
On the day if I am well enough I will share some writing prompts and poems on various platforms:
Posted: Wednesday, September 23rd, 2020 @ 9:48 am
Categories: About Poetry, Festivals and Events, WoPoWriMo.
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