Devonian On Air

~ E D Clarke ~ Leave a comment

By all accounts I’ve heard/read that is, my appearance on Marlow FM radio on the 9th January did not lead to an exodus of listeners – my thanks to all who kindly took the time to get in touch and tuned their ears to my Devonian accent – an accent I’d thought little of since I’d left my childhood Devon home at 18 in 1970 – but there it was on playback – just goes to show how little I’ve listened to myself!

To hear for yourself go to https://www.marlowfm.co.uk/listen-again/ and choose Good Morning Marlow as the programme and Fri 09-01-2026 10:00 as the episode and slide from 0 to 1:17:08 for the start of a half an hour of chat.

This conversation with the Good Morning Marlow ‘Arts Club’ show host, Serena Spencer-Jones took in my transition from scientist to writer – and how unknown to me until pointed out by an early reader my prose read as poetry – and so my take on poetry began – from six word lines to six words into verse to short poems which became a book ‘Three to Eight – a take on short poetry’ published in September 2025 – it’s still on discount by the way for just one more week if you feel you’d like to read:


http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FPX7P892
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FPX7P892

And, as Serena chose them, and I read them on her show, here are four for now:

Haberdashery

A pulled thread/a stretched seam/eased sewn buttons/blushed pink released

Imagining

She wouldn’t/he couldn’t/imagining/they did

Smallness

Thing that bothered her/the smallness of his mind/not its entirety/more the bit he chose to use

Mind

If you don’t mind/I’ll use yours/rearrange a bit/hide my flaws

December 1974

~ E D Clarke ~ 5 Comments 
I remember the day I met you
yet in truth I couldn’t tell,
the night we first danced
a different story, that is in time
and place, less so the detail
of what said, how long we were in hold,
a kiss, did we meet up the next day
I’ll ask you, you’ll know, you’re still dancing
my feet kind of moving, much as before.

Pages from ‘Three to Eight – a take on short poetry’

~ E D Clarke ~ Leave a comment 
Hand (p5)

The hand it always is
the wave the shake
the touch the hold
the reaching out
the letting go

Old Ground (p10)
False dawn before the clock change
within darkness comes his fall
holes dug laid out before him
loose words piled high ignored
heavy hands of time push back
let him swallow on his lies
her tears wet over
raked old ground subsides

Night Notes (p15)

Shuttered eyes open
touching what he feels
words laid out marauding
captured light reveals

Three to Eight
a take on short poetry
paperback a gift on 
Amazon.co.uk & .com
at ~£5 & ~$7 only

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FPX7P892
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FPX7P892

A take on poetry series – a linked verse poem for book 2

~ E D Clarke ~ 3 Comments

I’m selecting poems for a second book in the take on poetry series. These will still be short poems, but longer than in the the first book, all will fit to one page though. It’s the way my mind works when it comes to poetic words, with poetry I like to see what’s coming, its lines and spaces, begining to its end.

The very short poems of the first book, ‘Three to Eight – a take on short poetry’ published in September 2025 were written between early 2017 and late 2019. The poems for book two will come from those written between early 2020 and late 2023. Here I post an example from 2021, it’s what I call a linked verse poem – three single verse poems combined to read as one, as yet without a title – what would come to your mind?

Can’t be doing
with do if you do
don’t like that way
yes, I see you’re cute
I read you, every word
~
It happens, most times
you know, just scroll by
your picture, your pitch
eyes linger, minds read
damn you’re real, good
~
So we emailed
bared a bit, then
we didn’t, well I wish
you, still here, well
you know, as I you

Unreal

~ E D Clarke ~ 2 Comments

Not of light nor darkness
eyes closed seen not being
eyes open memory clinging
unreal still believed

A poem from Three to Eight – a take on short poetry’

available to gift on Amazon at £0.99 for the e-book and £4.99 for the paperback

Straight from the head…

~ E D Clarke ~ 1 Comment

Wednesday evening saw the last monthly Marlow Writers’ Society meeting of the year – a mix of short seasonal readings, nibbles, Quality Street, mulled wine and the odd glass of fizz. My, live, as then, unwritten and untitled straight from the head contribution, now committed to the page:

He pulled a cracker once
she toyed with his emotions
placed a paper crown upon his head
told all the joke’s on him
she as holly pricked
as ivy clung tightly
he sees both sides now
yes… it’s love actually

What of this …

~ E D Clarke ~ 10 Comments 
What of this
 this lull
this episodic pause

this ease of mood
this atmospheric shift
an approaching equilibrium
 
of time, indeterminate
yet defined to end
remembrance of a hurt

a querying of love
call it being human, let’s not
eye the storm, be calm