Doctor Atomic

On Wednesday 13th October, poet Dominic Berry held a poetry workshop in Oldham Library. Our exercise was to pair up, interview each other on life experiences and write a poem based on what your partner tells you. The timed interviews and writing exercises, I think, helped to bring the best out of us all. Lynn Myint-Maung told me of a stunning orchestral performance she'd been to see the night before. So Lynn, this one's for you.

Doctor Atomic

“Doctor Atomic”, the guide-book says.
The Houston Symphonic sit in tuxedoes,
a well-structured flock of armed penguins,
wielding powerful instruments.
The music blasts and blows,
slamming into the walls
of Manchester's Bridgewater Hall.
The orchestra, planet-large,
performs worldwide,
dropping audio bombs on shell-shocked, dazzled punters.
The piece ends sudden, like the lifting of a record player's needle
like life after the bomb hits the ground.

Life re-emerges in the second half.
“Planet Suite” expands through the auditorium,
the musicians a silhouetted army,
standing guard before a giant projection.
An orange haze, swirling textures.
Zoom out: the planet's curved edges appear
we're staring at Jupiter's storm,
a colossal blemish.
A hundred classical fans convert
they are new-found astronomers now,
voyaging to Jupiter itself.

So what did Lynn write about me? Stay tuned...