Writing about traditional farming methods has helped a local writer place the Isle of Man firmly on the map.
’Places of Poetry’, a poetical map featuring poetic tributes to many regions and areas around the British Isles, has included a defiant tribute about a traditional hay meadow in the north of the island.
Local writer ’Boakesey’, the pen name of Liz Boakes, submitted her poem, ’The Battle Hymn of a Pastoralist’ to the project, with no expectations, only to hear earlier in the year that her poem was one of 200 selected to form the poetry map.
Boakesey said that she originally wrote the poem while attending a series of writing workshops run by local author and poet Janet Lees at the Jurby and northern community centre.
It was originally intended for a similar poetry project to create a poetry map of the Isle of Man.
However, her poem eventually ended up on the national map and Boakesey confesses that she was blown away to hear of its inclusion.
’At the time I lived in Jurby and just up the road from me was a rather special hay meadow, which I always called "John Dog’s Meadow" after the man who looks after it, maintaining it in a traditional way, without any pesticides or any chemicals of any sort.
’The poem I wrote initially started off at Janet’s workshop and when it was finished I submitted it to the Isle of Man poetry map.
’I then found something called the "Places of Poetry" project, which was a similar thing but on a much bigger scale, covering the whole of the British Isles.
’They were inviting people to submit poems about special places and I thought "Why not? What have I got to lose?"
’I submitted my poem under its official title, "The Battle Hymn of the Manx Pastoralist".
’I called it that because the words can be sung along with the American Battle Hymn.’
She submitted the poem and promptly forgot about the project, until she was contacted by organisers the University of Exeter, who told her that, out of more than 7,500 entries, hers was one of 200 selected for the final book.
’I was completely blown away,’ she said.
’I honestly just thought it was a bit of fun and nothing more.
’Although there are several Manx poems entered on he website, I’m the only poet from the Isle of Man included in the book, so I am really pleased!
’They did have to bend the rules a bit and pretend that the Isle of Man is part of north west England, as the book is really a map of the UK, but at least the Isle of Man is in the book and on the map.’
The book was released last Thursday, to coincide with National Poetry Day.
by Mike Wade
Twitter:@iomnewspapers