Jan’s Tea Towel Story

I first met Jan when I joined a Creative Writing Group in 2017.  Jan was an experienced writer, a poet and I was a Blogger, world’s apart.  What I liked about Jan was that her poetry was easy to relate to, not pretentious and she was very supportive.  Even better was the Welsh lilt to her voice which took me back so many years, to my time in Swansea.

I asked Jan if she would like to be a Guest Tea Towel and she agreed; I knew that the ‘problem’ with Jan is that she is a perfectionist, she always thinks that her work could be tweaked, and made better, so I knew it wouldn’t come speedily but I knew it would come eventually.

Our paths diverged last year, as we went to different groups but Social Media helps maintain contact.  It has been fascinating to watch, via Instagram, the way Jan is developing her garden. And it is from this love of gardening that her poem emerged.  I had always promised that I had a tea towel that would meet this brief.

I love Found Poetry, that is taking an existing piece of writing and repurposing the words to create a different piece of writing.  For some time, I have been writing Found Poetry from the words on the side of logistic lorries; Jan’s poem has repurposed the words from David Austin’s website descriptions (the rose grower) and I love it.

For All the Women that Flourish Unpruned

Gertrude Jekyll, perfectly balanced,

upright, fragrant, vigorous,

Emma Hamilton, rather unusual, useful

for a little fragrant excitement

flourishes in all soils.

Most wonderful,

Desdemona hints at almond blossom,

chalice white, blushes pink,

captivating, virtuous,

requires full sun.

Thank you, Jan for sharing your poem with Readers and I hope you approve of the Tea Towel I have chosen but sorry it doesn’t have Gertrude Jekyll.