Finally! Here is a recording of my winning performance at the Isle of Man Manx litfest Poetry Slam contest earlier this month. As you might be able to tell, the poem was perhaps a little too challenging for some of the people in the audience! The poem itself is a dark flirtation with the taboo that comes in the form of a scavenging Raven - well poetry doesn't always have to be funny lol :) It was inspired partly by the ravens I regularly see in the hills on the many rehabilitative walks I have been taking these last few months, after the autoimmune Seronegative arthritis I developed four and a half years ago went to my hips and lower spine at the beginning of 2016. This left me completely incapacitated for 18 months and I still struggle everyday. The worst thing was I had only just got on top of the first flare and had been doing absolutely brilliantly! - even managed a 75 kilometre mountain bike race. I work very intensely on natural healing and in general- and relatively speaking, I am doing brilliantly, but I have never walked with ease since first falling ill in 2013. My knees are a mess and incredibly painful to walk on. I began writing when I first fell ill because I could do very little else and I was lonely and grieving and scared for my mental health. It was therefore a huge deal to me to win this contest - there were 24 people in the competition and the standard was ridiculously good! It also gave my charity a good bit of publicity, especially as I had organised a spoken word fundraising event which we just had at the weekend. It was mind-blowingly good and I will upload some highlights on another blog. Anyway, enjoy!
