An appointment with the Emergency Poet

[Català/English] No sóc de grans aventures o tirar el carro pel pedregal, però aquest estiu passat vam fer una cosa que, per mi, seria una (petita) bogeria. Travessar Anglaterra fent més de tres hores en cotxe (i tres de tornada) per tenir una trobada amb l’Emergency Poet!

Fa un parell d’anys vam descobrir qui era la Emergency Poet (Deborah Alma) quan mon germà ens va regalar un recopilació de poemes que ella havia preparat. Poemes que poden ajudar-te davant dels problemes de la vida. Vam investigar i vam descobrir que té una ambulància antiga, adaptada, i va a fires literàries i altres esdeveniments on la gent pot tenir una consultació amb ella. A traves d’una petita conversa, que pot ser més lleugera o més profunda, ella et recepta certes poemes que et poden ajudar amb el que li has explicat. Tant poden ser casos de problemes de solitud, el típic ‘la vida em passa i em faig gran’, tristesa, canvis, falta de canvis, el que sigui... o també pot fer consultes més divertides i fins i tot per xiquets ja que també visita escoles.

En fi, vam fer hores i hores d’autopista per acabar en un poble de conte, amb l’ambulància de la Emergency Poet aparcat amb saviesa al parking d’un pub. Ens vam presentar (bé, ja havíem parlat per email per concretar l’hora de la consulta), i després la Silvia i jo vam entrar individualment per la nostra visita. Va ser molt, però molt, interessant, i ens van receptar 3 poemes cada u. Al final del post, posaré un dels que em va donar. Després, com que ens intriga l’idea del que fa i en volíem saber més, vam passar al pub i amb una pinta de cervesa vam parlar amb la poeta per una hora llarga més, de poemes, literatura, la vida... un dia esplèndid!

Aquí teniu el web de la Emergency Poet, Deborah Alma, i també la podeu trobar a Twitter o Facebook.
Actualització: Deborah ara vol obrir una Farmacia Poetica! Ho explica tot aquí. 

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Not one for mad adventures, especially if it involves driving for miles and miles, but last summer I made an exception and ended up driving three hours from one side of England to the other (and three hours back) for an appointment with the Emergency Poet (Deborah Alma)!

We first found out about Deborah through one of the poetry compilations she has put together; a selection of poems grouped into sections for different problems or issues you may be facing in life. On further investigation, we discovered this is actually what she does – holds appointments in the back of her old converted ambulance with ‘patients’ to see what poems may be suitable to help out. People take their serious life problems – sadness, loneliness, missing something etc. – and she listens and chats with you until she decides which poems to prescribe. Or you can go in for an appointment on a lighter note, not everything has to be ground-shattering; or she even holds sessions with school pupils coming up with funny poems they might like. After following her on social media and requesting an appointment in the fairytale town of Bishop’s Castle where she currently lives (we have never managed to coincide at any of the book fairs or literature events she is at, so we eventually decided to drive three hours and go there), last August we stocked the car with sandwiches, tea, and a desire to enjoy the experience and off we went.

After presenting ourselves, we went to the ambulance, usefully parked in a pub car park, and both Silvia and myself had our appointments. It was great fun and highly recommendable. You should definitely check her out if she comes to an event near you. Afterwards, we went into the pub and continued chatting about how and why she’d had this idea, how it works, poetry, literature, life...

All in all, a grand day out. You can read more at her website or check her out on Twitter and Facebook. Finally, here are some photos and one of the poems I was prescribed.

UPDATE April 2019: Deborah is now setting up a Poetry Pharmacy in Bishop's Castle. It sounds wonderful and is explained here at the Kickstarter link where you can actually help bring this project to life!

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The Word – Tony Hoagland

Down near the bottom
of the crossed-out list
of things you have to do today,

between “green thread”
and “broccoli” you find
that you have penciled “sunlight.”

Resting on the page, the word
is beautiful, it touches you
as if you had a friend

and sunlight were a present
he had sent you from some place distant
as this morning—to cheer you up,

and to remind you that,
among your duties, pleasure
is a thing

that also needs accomplishing.
Do you remember?
that time and light are kinds

of love, and love
is no less practical
than a coffee grinder

or a safe spare tire?
Tomorrow you may be utterly
without a clue

but today you get a telegram,
from the heart in exile
proclaiming that the kingdom

still exists,
the king and queen alive,
still speaking to their children,

—to any one among them
who can find the time,
to sit out in the sun and listen.