The rare writing on the Cornish slate
is older than the notion of England,
as it sits now in Tintagel Castle,
a display for the excited
and the learned to ponder over,
it’s meaning lost in Latin and ancient script,
but it must be gleaned in this land of legends,
of old Dumnonia and the last King of Dungarth,
that the script must only contain one message;
Do not put carrots in the pasties.
Ian D. Hall 2018
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
Arguably Cornwall is a county that is only attached to England by two miles of land, a shared sense of love for the seas that surround the British Isles and the high water mark of the River Tamar. The people are proud of their heritage as being seen as part of a Celtic tribe and for many the county has for too long been asleep, like some land expanse dressed in the finery of the princess Sleeping Beauty, only now really starting to have its voice heard as national debate inscribes itself deep in the heart of memory and long forgotten secrets.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
The poet is always looking for new things to write about, new boundaries in which to cross, divide and focus a pin prick in time upon; for to challenge the muse is perhaps the main reason for getting up in the morning and putting the best possible foot forward. This can be quite a challenge when placed against the sometimes firm, sometimes loose under the weight of introspection, of testing yourself against walking from Minehead to Land’s End and doing a poetry performance every night along the way; there surely are better muses than making sure you don’t walk into something unsightly in Devon.