16/05/2026
We had no formal theme for May’s open mic, which meant our wonderful poets brought a rich variety of styles and themes for us to enjoy.
S. Penny Smith opened the first half with her poem ‘I Hope You Step on a Lego’, which was written for a previous Platform theme, Plastic Fantastic. In Abby’s absence, S. Penny Smith shared Abby’s recent poem ‘Magic Me To My Bed’.
Platform-regular Rob told us he doesn’t do poignant poems and shared his intentionally unpretentious poems; ‘Inspiration,’ ‘On Reflection’ and ‘Dinner Date.’ His reflections on how BBC television programming has changed since the 1970s got us giggling! That’s just ‘The Trouble with Society Today.’
Up next, Phoenix took the mic and dazzled us with his trademark vivid imagery centred around identity. His three poems, ‘Beneath the Celestial Moon,’ ‘Ballad of the Moonlit Stag,’ and ‘Beneath the God Moon,’ empowered each of us to embrace who we are.
Theo treated us to some of his musings about spring – mostly, when does it actually start? His next poem was a recently penned piece about the divine nature of love entitled ‘Demeter’s Daughter’.
Newcomer Barbara shared her hilariously nonsensical poem ‘Emily and the Prawn’ with us at the end of the first half.
C.W Blackburn brought us back for the second half with his mental-health themed poem, ‘Brave Face’. No brave faces needed for the second half though, as all our performers were fantastic!
Newcomer Daniel shared a recently penned poem inspired by a prompt from Abby G’s poetry breakfast during last month's Bournemouth Writing Festival. His second poem, ‘Time’, combined ethereal imagery with political themes.
Tim Heywood returned to The Platform with a shape poem inspired by another Bournemouth Writing Festival prompt, this time courtesy of C.W. Blackburn. He ended his performance with a triumvirate of haiku with the themes rise, rebuild, and restore.
Next to take the mic was Daphne, a Platform newcomer and established member of Poole Poetry Collective. She shared a range of captivating pieces, including a monologue of advice for her daughter entitled ‘Honour Thy Mother,’ a relatable take on getting old called ‘Granny’s Bucket List’, and ‘Spilt Milk, ’ which was previously shortlisted for the Yeovil Literary Prize.
Ivan blew us away with his debut performance at The Platform, which was also his first ever public performance! His first poem, ‘Moths’, told us why moths are the real heroes over butterflies, before giving us a taste of Norfolk colour in ‘Two From the Oven.’
Hip-hop lyricist Fraser disproved the popular myth ‘Nothing Rhymes with Purple,’ and mused about the connection between innovation and human creativity. The final line of the night left us pondering, ‘Your thoughts have wings. Be careful what you think about, because your thoughts become things.’
Ivan won the raffle for this month’s mystery poetry book, a hardback collection of nature poetry handpicked and carefully wrapped by C.W. Blackburn.
We hope to see you next month on 4th June for our next open mic, same time, same place!
