
Creative age workshop
within a sheltered living scheme
residents oldish
some younger than me
most yoked to challenges –
me blessedly free
for now at least
I fretted to select poems
didn’t want to swamp
lovely folk with hard words
dense works I couldn’t
make them sad lost
in miscomprehension
I did my normal thing – I’ll read
unless I have a volunteer
expecting no-one then
your quiet cracked voice said
I will your wife stared at you
soft through dementia’s mist alerted
by your gentle confidence
and you read Frost’s A Time to Talk
with your whole deep-timbred heart
claimed its meaning read friendship’s
rhythm in rich-seamed Geordie tones
Ceinwen lives near Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, and writes short stories and poetry. She has been widely published in web magazines and in print anthologies. She has an MA in Creative Writing [Newcastle 2017]. She believes everyone’s voice counts.