James Garratt – A life lived and recorded in ink since 1992
My name is James and this personal website is an attempt to archive my writing which predominately is (under a loose banner) poetry
I started writing things down at the age of 17 in 1992, initially with no other idea of plan then to keep a record of my thoughts and feelings. Given my growing up experiences it felt like the perfect way to apply some self help therapy
i float –
towards later years
the slides
the swings
the youthful eyes
and the things they bring
the broken little boy
his trauma
writ large across his little face
we need hope to stand tall
for compassion,
to tear down hateful walls
but we have are cruel powerful white men
and lame duck fools
and,
for a moment
i glimpsed how others saw me
i balanced glibly –
on the mirror –
of polished vanity
i cannot glide,
free falling in a parachute slide
i cannot crack eggs
and feel such damage inside
they have stove pipe values
puffing away like a steam train
yet, in their own church –
they never own the blame
people telling me about things –
that professionally that i trained for –
studied for and have done for years
they are scrabbling around to be the best
to signal their greatness
hoping we will not notice
the heap of their own fake mess
so when did finding s voice –
just become about exerting power
when all this change –
should such division continue to flower?
my fear is,
that this becomes –
a gender debate
but not informed
simply, who do you hate
