The Noisy River

I do not confess to be a blogger as such, but when something important happens and that I think people would like to know, well you just gotta tell, haven't you.

A few weeks ago now, whilst on a day trip to Barmouth (Wales) I received an email from the BBC, they wanted to use one of my poems in an episode of The Countryfile programme. So I was dead chuffed and excited and amazed that out of all the poems on the Places of Poetry website, my little Noisy River was liked.

So it was time for the programme (8th September 2019) and I was still unsure if it was going to be used or not, three segments of the poems chosen were read out by the creator of the Places of Poetry and yes my poem was the third one to be read, happy to have my five seconds of fame and blessed that someone out there likes my writing, if my English teacher could see me now! They used the last stanza in the programme, so go out and find it on the map of Places of Poetry and go to the BBCi Player for the Countryfile snippet, approximately 27 minutes into the show. the poem is about the River Clyweddog that runs through Wrexham, which when translated to English means Noisy River.

The Noisy River

Listen to the water, trickle

down the hillside, dribble

past lush farmers fields, wriggle

away from busy town folk, hurriedly

going about their day... Noisily.

Listen to the water, helping

mills to mill their corn, tempting

fish to find the net, limping

past walkers along its banks, drinking

The clean fresh water... Noisily.

Listen to the water, when

rolling over the rocks, again

as it slaps the muddy bank, strain

to hear nature's call, complain

when it spills into the Dee, maintain

it's Welsh history... The Noisy River.