Members of Write Out Loud Stockport have published A Marble Ascent, an anthology that includes poems written about their threatened venue, Stockport art gallery, and “collage” poems produced after each meeting by selecting lines from members’ individual contributions.

John Keane, who put together the anthology, said: “The collage poems begin in November 2011, so the anthology represents a year and a half of work by the group. Most of the other poems were produced within the same timescale. The homages to the art gallery are the work of five individual poets. The collage poems represent the work of the entire group, including guests from other WOL groups and people who never visited us again.”

John added: “There are many fine poems in the collection. However, my own favourite is The Flame by Meshach Brencher, a homage to the art gallery itself, written in protest at the proposed gallery closure.”

The Flame

If you keep my candle lit
you'll see all I have to show
the future of a blazing light
casting its mark and leaving a shadow
a row of bright flames
keeping all memories warm and golden
with a continuation of them
if many days are allowed to come

they can give a chance
to reflect and project
signalling their voices
and their outlet
which helped the flame grow
and ignite the clouds of smoke
dancing around the room

Without it lit
the past days spent
would have sunk
into melted wax
leaving mist not clouds
but smoke fading the hot into cold
and every night would be extinguished 
and you would only be left
to gaze into darkness
for what was once so bright
is filled with complete blackness
as the candle lights would fade
one after the other

Meshach Brencher

You can read Stockport Write Out Loud's latest collage poem here. Details of how to buy the anthology are here.