Poet
The Singing StreamContents: Three poetic cycles:
19.8cm x 12.8 cm 83 pages "You create such vivid images with your writing. You have inspired me to want to write poems too. My favourite poems are Le Quartier des Marins - vivid imagery of the flowers; William of Normandy - such strength of intent comes across; The Market - puts myself in the experience. Please keep writing poems - your talent is obvious.” |
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St. Bride’s Bay On a cool spring morn The sea as grey as the sky. And yet, there is a lightness upon the sea A flow of light over wave and wave and wave A muffled light of silver-grey Across the wide, wide sea To faint horizon’s curve.
St. Valery-sur-Somme, située à la Baie de Somme, where wide flowing river meets the sea. St. Valery-sur-Somme, high on the hill with the castle ramparts old and still. St. Valery-sur-Somme, once home to the sailors, bringing back their catch from the sea. St. Valery-sur-Somme, walkway, Port-way, steam-train railway, bustling with pleasure in the summer sun.
I felt as a pilgrim, that autumn morning, The day we went to St Michael’s Mount Excited, and urgent – eager to get there All other considerations flung away. |
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'The Singing Stream' is a book about places – three particular places, in Wales, Cornwall and France. In each place, I was on holiday; walking, exploring, visiting churches and other buildings, immersing myself in the history and in local preoccupations, both past and present. My poems are of seascapes and townscapes; they explore the natural world, historical figures and myth. There are religious and artistic connections; and of course, my responses to all these things.
Each of the three cycles has its own particular atmosphere. The sea plays a great part – in Wales, we stayed on the Pembrokeshire coast, and in Cornwall, not far from Land’s End. St Valery-sur-Somme in France, is on the Picardy coast. In each place, we saw the sea every day. I don’t recall any mention of the 1st World War while in St Valery, or in Le Crotoy, the town on the other side of the Bay; but they are rich in references to earlier history. One of my poems is about William of Normandy (‘Soon Conqueror to be’!) and another about Joan of Arc. In her own time, Joan was known either as Joan the Maid or The Maid of Orleans – Jehanne la Pucelle or La Pucelle d’Orleans. I have performed my poem (entitled Jehanne la Pucelle) a number of times, and write more about it here: Jehanne la Pucelle |
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Contents
View from my Window I Tui The Wind The Rain and I Kereru Cloud Shadow verses Rain Winter Dawn Rain White Bird Cruise Ship Crossing View from my Window II Southern Cross Moon Dawn Mahina Bay A6 format, 17 pages |
"Kereru" (extract) "Cruise Ship Crossing" (extract) |
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‘I feel Ingrid's poetry to be transformative. As I read or hear the words it is as though they are painting pictures in my mind so that I am seeing what she sees and feeling what she feels.’ - Helen Prosser |
‘Thank you for the beautiful poems. What a talented lady is Ingrid! |
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Rona Wharf (extract)
The roaring of the wind on Rona Wharf The ceaseless waves, washing, washing, washing the shore Bathing Party (extract) Wings arise, and flap, flap, flap and gulls descend moment to moment anew, hurrying to join the party in the evening light. The White Heart (extract) Crimson are the tongues of men who lie in splendour; And burnt to dust the hearts of their womenfolk Or marched away as though to war and lost in muddy mire or pool along the way. |
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Contents Bathing Party Spring Rona Wharf This wet, green May White Bird Whitebeam At Mythe Pool The Flame Light Obscured The Light of the Autumn Deo Gracias Winter Moon The White Heart Winter Peace |
“An amazing little book, it holds healing qualities only the natural world can bring. The flow and shift of the words carry life's heartbeat.” Maureen Hawley |
“Thanks so much for the book, it’s fantastic, can I get another for my friend?” Karen Burne |
Purchase a copy of Love on a Hey Day
- $11 including postage and packaging for NZ orders. Contact me to order copies (and for international postage prices). |
“You are a master – no, mistress! – of description.” Geoff Booth “Your poems give me such a good feeling. Beautiful words and imagery.” Wendy Hansen |
View From My Window
All the poems in ‘View From My Window’ are inspired by the natural world and our interaction with it, specifically during our two year sojourn in Wellington’s Mahina Bay (situated on the opposite side of the harbour from the central city). Here, we were tucked away on the hillside amongst the ferns and trees, surrounded by tui and kereru, grey warblers and bellbirds (and mosquitos, of course!).
Our triangle view of the sea presented us with a constant parade of boats – yachts and ferries and freighters, and gleaming white cruise liners. The sunsets over the sea were often spectacular.
I wrote numerous poems while in Mahina Bay; the poems in this collection are all about things I saw and/or heard through the windows or while in the garden.
‘Kereru’ was recorded as part of our Piano & Poetry DVD filming project in 2020 (funded by Creative New Zealand) – it’s in Programme 3.
Our triangle view of the sea presented us with a constant parade of boats – yachts and ferries and freighters, and gleaming white cruise liners. The sunsets over the sea were often spectacular.
I wrote numerous poems while in Mahina Bay; the poems in this collection are all about things I saw and/or heard through the windows or while in the garden.
‘Kereru’ was recorded as part of our Piano & Poetry DVD filming project in 2020 (funded by Creative New Zealand) – it’s in Programme 3.
Bathing Party |
Love on a Hey Day |
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As in my first collection of poetry (‘Love on a Hey Day’), the majority of the poems in ‘Bathing Party’ are inspired by the natural world; some written while I was living in Gloucestershire, in the UK, and some written since arriving to live in Wellington, NZ (dubbed ‘the coolest little capital in the world’ by Lonely Planet!). The remaining poems in the collection are responses to certain experiences & emotions; with themes including spirituality and history, religion and music.
‘Deo Gracias’ was inspired by a performance in Gloucester Cathedral of Benjamin Britten’s ‘A Ceremony of Carols’. My long poem ‘Light Obscured’ is about the events of a very long day: – A journey to London (from Gloucestershire), and a performance at the Greenwich Theatre of ‘Souvenir d’Anne Frank’, the theatre work based on my husband’s Piano Trio for Anne Frank, and in which he played the piano in the onstage trio. 'White Bird' and 'Winter Peace' have been recorded for our Piano & Poetry DVDs, respectively in Programmes 3 and 1. |
My primary poetic inspiration comes from the natural world, and
I was fortunate to spend several years living and walking in the beautiful Cotswolds, in Gloucestershire, Britain. Most of the nine poems in this small first collection were inspired by such walks. The poems overall reflect a wider theme of love - love of nature, of course; and also human love, Divine love (if I may so essay), and the love that is at the heart of generous giving. The poem "Love on a hey day" was written for a wedding - in fact my own! My husband and I were each looking for a poem to be read in our marriage ceremony, and Colin cleverly commandeered for his choice one of my favourites - "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love", by Christopher Marlowe (1564–1593). After some time of futile searching, I realised that the Marlowe poem was the only suitable poem in existence, and if I wanted another one, I would have to write it myself. I am very happy with the result, which wonderfully accurately describes what did happen, on a very beautiful, special day. The poem "St. Nicholas" has already appeared in print - in New View magazine (a journal supporting spiritual renewal in our times, inspired by Anthroposophy), in the Winter 2013/14 edition (issue 70). Recordings of "The Grey Sentinels" and "Winter Stars" have been included in our Piano & Poetry DVDs, respectively in Programmes 2 and 1. |
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