The Tall Lighthouse

Poets: Abdul Jamal |  Abi Curtis |  Adam O'Riordan | Andy Brown |  Aoife Mannix  |  Baden Prince |  Brendan Cleary  |  Camellia Stafford |  Cathy Ryan |  Ebele  |  Gareth Jones |  Graham Buchan |  Heather Taylor | Helen Mort |  James Bell | Janice Fixter |  Jay Bernard |  John Clarke | John McCullough | Keith Please |  Ken Champion | Kim Lasky |  Lisa Dart  |  Maggie Sullivan |  Marc Swan | Miriam Gamble | Nii Parkes |  Pierre Ringwald | Retta Bowen | Rhian Edwards | Ronnie McGrath |  Wendy French

Nii Parkes

Nii Parkes poetry is influenced by West African speech patterns and jazz rhythms. He performs regularly in England America, Europe and Africa and was poet-in-residence at the Poetry Café in 2003. He is also the host of Aroma poetry in London and organises numerous events both in the UK and abroad.

publications:
M is for Madrigal

If Nii's potato poetry is anything to go by - go buy

                                                                                      John Hegley

 

‘round midnight from m is for madrigal

‘round midnight

stars continue to push

through holes in

the nights black net

 

‘round midnight

the sun whispers distractions to the moon

tries to get her to come to bed early

but she turns him down

like a dimmer switch

 

‘round midnight

winds become secrets

sprinkled over silent seas

to evoke waves of excitement

 

‘round midnight

speech sheds its skin

to reveal raw rhythms;

rises and falls

of chests and breasts,

gurgles and giggles

subtext and riddles;

breath – slow and sure

                         

‘round midnight

the earth rises in heat

from its bed of aphrodisiac plants

reaches out with tree arms

to embrace the skies

damp with longing

to make the universe one

 

‘round midnight

the world becomes poetry

and I dare not sleep

‘round midnight