(Lines written in The Lord Mayor’s Chapel, Bristol, on the afternoon of the 10th of November 2018, at a concert to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War.)
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High in the glowing stained-glass above the altar, I saw the shadows of newly arrived birds outside on the ancient tracery; And I thought that it was as if in their freedom they had come to listen to the songs and poems commemorating the fallen. Like dark winged spirits they had come; And how still they were now as those bitter psalms echoed in the consecrated air.
Paul, a poet following the tradition of the land of his birth, was born and raised in the small village of Caerau, in the beautiful Lynfi valley of South Wales, and is now resident in Bristol, England. He has enjoyed a variety of different ‘careers’, including working on archaeological excavations, and for many years earning his living as a professional artist. He has travelled extensively in Europe, with an especial love for the cities of Paris, Florence and Venice, and has a great interest in philosophy, literature, history and the arts, which is reflected in his work. Paul says that he searched for years to find the right medium to truly express his ideas, and at last found the answer in poetry, something he has read and enjoyed all his life. In his own words, ‘When I started writing verse, I felt like a prodigal son being welcomed back to the home I left, many years, and many choices ago.’
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Paul Carpenter - Poet 