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Who Am I, What Am I, Why Am I Here?

— an excerpt, by Rupert Wallis





Click play above to hear Rupert reading the excerpt.

In an ancient forest on a certain night
When trees cast shadows by the moon’s white light,
The ground will shudder and start giving birth
To tiny men, all full of mirth.

For years they’ve lain beneath the earth
Snuggled down deep in the warm brown turf
Waiting for now, when the moment’s right,
To pop through the soil on a moonlit night.

And amongst those men who emerge from the ground
Is one, especially, not making a sound,
For he’s seen an owl up above in the trees
Staring straight down from amongst the leaves,

And our hero gulps, his name is Jim,
As he sees the bird set sail on the wing.
With its talons flashing, and eyes shining death

Jim dives for cover and holds his breath,
But the owl glides down, passing right by,
And instead takes a man who tries to say “hi.”

And Jim swallows hard and thinks a thought
As soon as he sees this greeting means naught,
The world isn’t safe for a man like me

With a head the size of a small green pea,
But I’ve hatched for a reason and so it must be
That I find out why to understand me.

It’s cold as a breeze slices clean through the trees
And hundreds of men rise up from their knees
For all of them fell when the owl took flight,
Their hearts almost stopping with sheer white fright.

Some of them vanish alone in the night,
Others make groups and agree to stick tight,
And Jim thinks numbers the safest bet
And makes up a foursome with men he’s met…

 

 

Why Choose Rupert Wallis?


"Port Eliot is very much a family oriented festival with tents and events for all ages. Therefore, I would like the chance to read out my poem, which is written for children and adults and will fit the ethos of the festival. Appealing to an audience of all ages my poem should help promote Telltales as an event for everyone, in keeping with Port Eliot itself. Beer, Pimms, burgers and a poem about giants and existential crises – what more could any festival-goer want?"

Responses

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  1. Gordon Galsworthy says:

    June 9th, 2011 at 4:22 pm (#)

    Lovely words enjoyed very much

  2. Joanna Blair says:

    June 11th, 2011 at 7:35 pm (#)

    I like it…the words and rhythm just carry you along into the ‘story’…

  3. Julia Ball says:

    June 22nd, 2011 at 6:20 pm (#)

    Rupert has a way with words that compel you to read on….he deserves to be heard by a wider audience.

  4. SK Smith says:

    June 24th, 2011 at 6:05 am (#)

    Giants and existential crises indeed. I loved reading, yet was also perfect to read for my son.

  5. Philip Blair says:

    June 25th, 2011 at 11:00 am (#)

    It immediately appealed – it swings along, wonderfully imaginative.

  6. Samantha Holmes says:

    June 30th, 2011 at 9:48 pm (#)

    Beer, Pimms, burgers and a poem about giants and existential crises. Sounds like my kind of festival!

Leave a Response

Telltales at Port Eliot Festival 2011:
See, Change


We, the people, want democracy. We want our voice to be heard. To choose what inspires us, what to listen to, how we’re entertained. The time for Revolution is now.

We’ve shortlisted eight writers but we want you to decide who performs as part of the Telltales set at Port Eliot Festival 2011. Read their pleas, check out extracts of the work they want to read out and cast your vote.

Votes will be counted and the final set announced on the 4 July 2011. So what are you waiting for? The power is in your hands.



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