On The Plum Tree Features: Sue Lobo & Beverley Ann Hoyles in Song Of Sahel

These features are such a pleasure. This week’s feature is dedicated to two of Plum Tree’s most prolific and exciting poets. 

Beverley writes from the heart. Compassion is the mucilage that ties her poetic themes together. Sue is a wordsmith. She plays with words, reorganising them in ways that astound.

Here are two of the poems they submitted to Song Of Sahel. the wonderful poetry, music, art project that I did last year to raise money for SOS Sahel.

Bread
by Sue Lobo

Earth dug under sun & cloud,
Water, weeded, hoed & ploughed,
Seeds sown deep in dark quiet sod,
Each in its tiny skin-bed pod.

Green shoots tender & new,
Growing tall under morning dew,
Harvested & threshed into silken flour,
By men, beasts & machines of power.

Packed in sacks, baskets, boxes & bags,
Globally sent to the rich, & to those in rags,
Mixed with blenders in first-world lands,
Kneaded with love by third-world hands.

Simple flour given by earth,
Man’s staple food given birth,
Maintaining life all over the world,
For every man, woman, boy & girl.

Dough baked in ashes, ovens, homes & shops,
Roasted, or in dollops into hot fat drops,
Chapatti, baguette, loaf, naan or roll,
All from nature’s own mixing bowl.

Sprinkled with sugar, nuts, seeds or salt,
Others with herbs & added milk or malt,
Most just flour & water plain,
To relieve the world’s hungry unending pain.

Maligned by beauties trying to slim,
Manna to the child of just bone & skin,
Let us give, & let us share,
Daily bread with our neighbors everywhere.

Fragrance of baked, hot new breads,
Like new mown grass & coffee, go to our heads,
But to the world I live in, I must implore,
Please let us give more daily bread to the poor.

From seed to mill, – from silo to table,
Destiny, be mud pot, or supermarket label,
Staple to both man & swine,
Sating hunger of both theirs & mine.

https://www.facebook.com/sue.lobo.5

Hope of Sahel
by Beverley Ann Hoyles

where
is the root
of this dry land
what is the reason
for famine expand

once
i had rich earth and seed
long term neighbors
fun and smiles agreed
with my brood

dream
of inventions
remarkable
that makes farming
less barren dimensions

tis
true i live in poverty
i live in affliction
i’m still standing without
poverty of spirit infliction

hope
i have plenty
someday a harvest
you will see security
and good news harness

challenge
to the merciful
for time and substance
no longer empty-handed
continued affection prayer abundance

www.feetfirst-book.com

Thank you both of you for your wonderful submissions.

 

About Dr Niamh

When I was a little girl (a very, very long time ago), I used to love learning new, really big words like ‘discombobulate’. As I grew, my love of words grew too, until I loved them so much, I could not stop writing them down. One day, as I was scribbling a particular word, a very peculiar thing happened. The word shouted at me, “Stop! Don’t put me there!” As you can imagine, I was shocked and nearly fell off my chair. When I recovered somewhat, I said to the word, “Could you stop shouting, please? I am not used to it.” Can you guess what happened next? No! I thought not. The word said, “I might be small, but I will misbehave if you do not use me properly. I will not tell the story you would like me to tell. I will say something entirely different!” I dropped my pen. I hoped that by dropping my pen, the word would stop talking. Alas! It did not. It carried on chitterchobbling, even after the ink had dried. I was in a pickle. I could not allow my words to run away with my story, now could I? I don’t know about you, but when this sort of thing happens, there is only one thing left to do if you prefer not to spend your time arguing. “Very well,” said I. “I will do as you ask if you will just be quiet and allow me to concentrate.” Since that day, I have been paying special attention to every word I invite into my stories. After all, a story should say exactly what it means to say and not be led astray. With love from Dr. Niamh, Ph.D in Learning Through The Imagination and Founder of Dr Niamh Children's Books. www.drniamhchildrensbooks.com

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