Woking Writers Circle member Greg Freeman has had a poem published in the April 23 edition of The New European newspaper. Titled ‘The Morning After’, Greg began writing it the day after the 2019 general election, which found him and his wife Gillian visiting their family in Marbella. Greg said: “We had listened to the election results the night before on the radio in Spain – but not for long. I wrote the poem over the few days that we were out there.
“I sent it to The New European almost as soon as I got home, heard nothing until mid-February, and now it has been published, when events have moved on somewhat, and Brexit doesn’t seem quite so important any more. The good news is that Kate, Alba and Fran will be allowed out of doors from Sunday, after a six-week lockdown in their flat. The swings and slides may still be out of bounds, but it’s a start.”
Greg added that one or two poetry friends had complimented him on a particular phrase in the poem – “the big dark” – which he said he “stole” from his granddaughter. “I may be in line for a £25 publication fee from The New European – which is rare in itself in poetry – so maybe Alba can expect a little something as a result of that in the future!”
The New European runs a weekly poetry column edited by Briony Bax, who also edits Ambit, a quarterly literary and art magazine. Greg said: “It’s a wonderful newspaper, written in a very even-handed way, if you support their point of view, or even if you don’t. It’s been a great discovery for me while waiting for my poem to be published. I’m now a regular subscriber.”
Woking Writers Circle 