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Rodney Wood

Updated: Sat, 5 May 2018 06:43 pm

rodneytwood@googlemail.com

www.facebook.com/rodneytwood

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Biography

"I think you should take poetry seriously but never yourself."I was the founder member of the Open University Poets last century, ran the Westy Poets in 2008/09 in Aldershot, did front of house work there (2007-2015), lead Woking Stanza, look after granddaughters, and spend a lot of time reading/writing/performing/watching all types of poetry as well as writing a draft of a novel called THE POET ASSASSIN. A pamphlet was shortlisted in the Poetry School/Pighog competition and I was a poet of the week on PSH. Recently I've been running (with Greg Freeman) WOL Woking which meets monthly and a short run of poetry at the West End Centre Aldershot in 2017. In 2017 a pamphlet, Dante Called You Beatrice, was published with The Red Ceilings Press and there were good reviews from The Journal, Magma and London Grip. Poems have been published in magazines incl: Envoi (6), Magma (where I was the selected poet of the Deaf issue), the Reater, South, The Interpreter's House, Stride, Seam, Other Poetry, Prole, Tears in The Fence, well you get the general idea; anthologies incl Star Trek, Return To Sender, Split Screen, Double Bill, the Robin Hood Book and The Poet's Quest For God. I even had one poem broadcast on Poetry Please.

Samples

MUDDY WATERS in Reading 4 April 1968 During the daytime the room was used as an underground café but in the evening it was transformed once the Formica tables and plastic chairs had been pushed against the lemon painted walls leaving a space next to a poster of someone's head covered in bandages. All this for Muddy Waters and his band from Chicago to play the blues - Mannish Boy, Can't Be Satisfied, I'm Ready and Got My Mojo Working. To me it was a history lesson, a dream, like the Second Coming, watching Muddy Waters and his band from Chicago playing the blues. There was one table and one chair left untouched on the opposite side of the room under a frosted window and out of date price list. I sat there watching men and women jump and shout at sounds from electric guitars, harmonica, drums, and a voice moaning through the amps. It was Muddy Waters and his band from Chicago playing the blues - Mannish Boy, Can't Be Satisfied, I'm Ready and Got My Mojo Working. To me it was a history lesson, a dream, like the Second Coming, watching Muddy Waters and his band from Chicago playing the blues. I silently tapped my shoes on the lino, my fingertips plucked invisible strings. I was five yards away from the action watching men and women jump and shout and I puffed a menthol cigarette to appear cool, at ease and invisible as smoke. I was the only white kid in the room the day Martin Luther King had been shot and I was watching Muddy Waters and his band from Chicago playing the blues - Mannish Boy, Can't Be Satisfied, I'm Ready and Got My Mojo Working. To me it was a history lesson, a dream, like the Second Coming, watching Muddy Waters and his band from Chicago playing the blues and I was the only white kid in the room the day Martin Luther King had been shot. THE GHOST OF A THOUSAND Ruby Revenge counts the days before her fav band appear in Aldershot. She's just 15 and can't fucking wait. When the hour finally comes and after Rolo Tomassi and Casino Brawl have displayed their hairless armpits, The Ghost of a Thousand take over the scaffold and Tom screams into the mic, Mem has a drumkit for a throne, Gaz is a lumberjack chainsawing his bass through Left For Dead and Blackday Number and Andy and Jag thrash their guitars bringing them to life through the flickering silver, gold and black of Matchless amps. During As They Breed They Swarm headbanging fans become a shoal of fish around Ruby Revenge who keeps a curtain of hair over her face showing her refusal to conform, her sense of isolation, her feeling she's only cool wearing the merch and that now she's just 15 and can't fucking wait. WHAT THE HOROSCOPE SAYS it says carrier bags make me nervous it says I dream of birdseed hanging above gnomes and a lake of roses it says the breakdown won't help it says I'm waiting for something better to come along, like another day it says love is a valley of dead things it says I can withstand high winds and am not afraid of grotesque stones it says I strain myself in a bad way it says soles are worn and slip easily but my feet want to dance out the door it says I will be involved in replacement it says the new moon makes me flexible and it says someone will weep for me “BILLET-DOUX” She pushed a note saying “I love you” through my letterbox . It was printed on A4 using Good Times font and a bold typeface. I sent my reply by email, recipe, Facebook, text, newsletter, blackberry, motor bike courier, by paper airplane, Instant Message, choral work, my grandmother’s spirit, by diplomatic bag, telephone, Morse, Parcelforce, blog, videotape, Twitter, by a frame in the credits of her favourite film, “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”, by whistling, semaphore, walkie-talkie, short story, billboard outside her house, by voice mail, photo, satellite, cable, fossil, card with two hearts on the cover, by ouija board, automatic writing, florescent sign, cave painting, spam, seance, by voucher, snail mail, PDF file, mobile app, flag, notice in Tesco's, prayer, by classified ad, wrist band, finger spelling, fax, sonnet, loud-hailer, telepathy, by talking dog, radio, aliens (illegal and space), Wikipedia, cloud, teleportation, by ringtone, bottle, sky writing, guardian angel, the Mayor of Stockton-on-tees, by substitution cipher, etched on a diamond, game, knotted string, carrier pigeon, by a song from Erica (the extended mix version), smoke signal, balloon, picture, by radio announcement, mirror writing, business card, mathematical notation, by a TV show that displays texts on screen, drums, perfume, Braille, metaphor, by dance, canzone, YouTube, pony express, bunch of flowers, Royal invitation as well as by pushing through her letterbox my reply which was scrawled beneath her note and consisted of the single word ditto.

All poems are copyright of the originating author. Permission must be obtained before using or performing others' poems.

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Comments

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Cynthia Buell Thomas

Sat 17th Dec 2016 13:10

Look at all the fab former names listed here. Wow! I'll try to catch up with some more reading, but short on time now.

Regards, and Happy Christmas,

Cynthia

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alisonsmiles68@gmail.com

Wed 8th Jun 2011 10:31

heheh, boots have popularity! My uncle does commissioned murals on people's walls of footwear. Ballet shoes in little girls bedrooms, football boots for little boys, that kind of thing!

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kath hewitt

Wed 8th Jun 2011 10:10

'Pound's going in fear of abstractions'

What exactly does that mean?
Your last comment makes no sense to me at all.

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alisonsmiles68@gmail.com

Wed 8th Jun 2011 08:52

Hiya, many thanks for comments on my old boots poem. Gave me much useful thinking. Normally when I start a poem I seem to begin with a really strong first line, a good idea of the middle bit and flounder into a weak ending (well, that's how it always seems in my head). This one was a little bit of a departure, and the verse now at the start was originally the second verse.

It's really useful seeing your thoughts on this because although to me it tells a story in the sequence it happened, it doesn't always convey itself to the reader, and it's done me good having a good old think about this. The reason I shifted that verse is because the whole poem relates to getting rid of the old footwear of the deceased, and the first pair to go are the boots chosen to quite literally go to the grave.

Again, many thanks, you really have me pondering!

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John Coopey

Tue 7th Jun 2011 09:50

Thanks for your thoughts on Prestatyn, Rod.
Commenting gave me the chance to look at your stuff.
Your Muddy Waters poem reminded me of a gig I went to as a younger man to see 2 old blokes, one blind, one lame (bit like the bible parable) with a combined age of 146. Best concert I've ever been to - Sonny Terry and Brownie McGee.

C Byrne

Mon 6th Jun 2011 15:30

Thanks for the feedback Rodney.

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Tommy Carroll

Fri 31st Dec 2010 19:15

Rodney, I'm a tad confused by your latest post on my site. You open with: 'I don't know' you don't know what Rod? And following: '...overshadowed...' would you explain please?
Thanx
Tommy
:o)

<Deleted User> (5593)

Fri 27th Aug 2010 18:15

Thanks for your comment on "Untitled - you bastard".

<Deleted User> (7482)

Fri 7th May 2010 17:25

Hello rodney thanks for your feedback , lol

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Nash

Fri 7th May 2010 16:23

Thanks Rodney...love 'horoscopes'!

<Deleted User> (7164)

Tue 16th Mar 2010 18:02

Hi Rodney, thanks for the feedback on my comment. I'm never too sure about giving what others think of as constructive comment. I agree with Jane now, it's quite funny. :-)

Maybe the wife just wanted someone to stay home with her sometimes eh.
and there's just no pleasing some either.

Janet.x

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Dave D Poet Rhumour

Thu 25th Feb 2010 22:29

Thanks for the suggestion about the pulpit, though I will of course continue to write on diverse themes as I have these past 40 odd years - it's all in the mood of the moment :) Best wishes, Dave

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winston plowes

Tue 2nd Feb 2010 13:52

Hi Rodney... Thanks for reading and commenting on 'Pelt'. Glad you liked it. Ihave just got back from a weekend away on 'The Dinosaur coast' In a village called Staithes(Near Whitby) I have also changed the pic on the blog entry to one of mine which shows the view from the holiday cottage 2 nights ago. A stunning place. win

<Deleted User> (7164)

Sun 31st Jan 2010 13:39

Hi Rodney,
thanks for reading and commenting on my poem Mr. Skoulikaris.
Incidentally, i feel you are probably right about soulmate not being quite right so duly editing.

Janet.x

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Rachel McGladdery

Sat 30th Jan 2010 16:48

Thanks for the comment on my purple cow!Much appreciated.
Rach
x

<Deleted User> (6895)

Sat 23rd Jan 2010 21:12

Good evening Rodney.Thank you for comments on my poem-The cord severed.-all duly noted and most certainly considered-or as my old teacher would write in school reports(and I,m sure you know whats coming)must try harder! cheers-Stefan.

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Isobel

Wed 30th Dec 2009 23:26

So your wife spent up in the sales then...

<Deleted User> (7140)

Tue 8th Dec 2009 17:36

Hi Rodney

Thanks for your kind comments for the poem 'The First Kiss'. Take your point about 'not being sure the songs having solos to die for'. I had to think of some (popular) songs that clearly had Harmonica solos in them.

Thanks for reading.

Joseph

ps. - Muddy Waters song? "Baby please don't go"?

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Bernadette Herbertson

Sun 22nd Nov 2009 11:38

Thanks Rodney for your comment on my blog entry ..Hopeful Recovery..I am a novice so welcome comments. Bernadette Herbertson

<Deleted User> (7073)

Wed 18th Nov 2009 23:17

Hi Rodney, thanks for the rap ;-) ha ha took me a while to figure it out, pretty cool though when I did cheers ;-))

<Deleted User> (6327)

Sat 24th Oct 2009 10:51

hi there rodney thanks for your comments i'm sure am still alive and well :) ref: memories poem :)
enjoy reading your poems :)

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Tommy Carroll

Sat 17th Oct 2009 16:16

Rodney your a bless.

steve mellor

Sat 17th Oct 2009 13:42

Hi Rodney
That's a decent idea.
It may be a difficult thing to do without blowing your own trumpet.
(that's another thing I can't do)
I did have the thought that it could be something that could be extended when I get my mind working

<Deleted User> (6510)

Wed 16th Sep 2009 19:21

Hey Rodney I took out the moral, you are right, it speaks for itself, I think that I tried to reinforce it when it was strong enough -- thank you for the comment, I believe it is now a stronger poem.

<Deleted User> (6484)

Sun 13th Sep 2009 20:43

Thanks Rodney for your comments on "Them Downstairs"
Bernie

<Deleted User> (5973)

Fri 11th Sep 2009 10:44

Thank You for your comment on my poem 'the list'. I am glad you liked it.I think I will give it the 'harder' edge by taking off the moral at the end- after all it's a strong piece and the original ending softens it too much.

I like your work ,it has strong images to it.
Thanks
Spencer

<Deleted User> (5646)

Sat 5th Sep 2009 10:45

Hi Rodney, thanks for the comment on Kinsella.
I kind of agree with you about that line but placed it in brackets to make it less necessary to the poem. I just felt the ''distortion'' of the tune needed to be prominent.
I don't know if you read the first parts but you will find it in the August blogs if you'd like to catch up.

Janet.x

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garside

Wed 26th Aug 2009 22:27

Hi Rod,

I know the West End Centre - i once helped promote Courtney Pine and got free tickets for mi labour

there was also a bookshop within the shopping centre - i bought and read most of the work of the french masters there and some of Chekov's stuff

steve

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garside

Sat 22nd Aug 2009 18:31

Hi Rodney

thanks for taking the time to read and make comment

spent many an hour on hospital hill

i know the town well

steve

<Deleted User> (6484)

Thu 20th Aug 2009 12:57

Thanks Rodney for your comments.
Bernie

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