Guest blog: Mr St Helier experiences poetry and...

Yesterday we had a blog post from Mr St Helier explaining just how much he hates poetry and why it annoys him.

We felt the only thing to do with someone who hates poetry is to send him to a special one man show come poetry reading at the Jersey Arts Centre.

The previous post generated a number of responses including one from Tonytheprof suggesting Wayne reads more poetic greats.

And on the L'Office du Jèrriais blog, Geraint Jennings posted J'avons bliodgi eune rêponse.

Here are Wayne's thoughts on the show

I'll admit, knowing my first blog entry was out there for all poets to read, I was nervous about showing up at the Arts Centre this evening. I half expected to be smacked round the ears with a moleskin as soon as I arrived.

I approached the venue like I was going to war, like going home ready for an argument only to be greeted with a warm hug.

The attending crowd was nothing close to the clichés I'd had in mind (corduroys and not a shade brighter than olive green).

Despite there being only a handful of people it was clear that every individual wanted to be there, I was on my own.

Luke Wright came onto stage with every bit of charm that you'd hope for from an Essex lad in a suit. It was clear from the start, poetry aside, that Luke was an excellent entertainer.

I did, at first, wonder if he really wanted to be a stand-up comedian but shied away from the obligation to make people laugh.

He swung around on the mic-stand like a rock star, perhaps too much for my liking. I felt Luke clearly had the projection to have performed just as well without the hindrance of a microphone.

The delivery was sometimes muffled and Luke tripped over his words occasionally, but this was an endearing quality.

From what I can tell Luke didn't stray to far from the basic formula of poetry, or break any "rules" that I'd touched on about previously.

In a way this was a bit of let down, but not the fault of Luke, of my own expectation. I was hoping to be challenged.

A highlight for me was "Luke's Got a Joke", a humorous gibe at his own desire to be the entertainer in any social circumstance, perhaps something I can relate to.

Then just when I thought he had peaked too soon he unveils a piece about the break-up between two fish bar owners, Chris and Ann.

When I was ready to laugh some more, he delivered the story with delicate fish bar break-up cathartic analogies, which, dare I say, moved me.

I feel like I have been told off, but Luke was not angry, just disappointed. He took me by the hand and without a hint of self-righteousness he tore apart my preconceptions.

I enjoyed it, I really enjoyed. I even bought his book.

Carrie Cooper (of the BBC) coaxed me into this outing, and dressed it up as a challenge, like a dog owner feeding her pet medicine disguised in a steak.

What started out as a challenge turned into a very enlightening evening, and for that I'd like to thank her.

Luke Wright is an incredibly talented writer and performer; he deserves every bit of praise. My only disappointment is that there were not more people there to enjoy, what I now believe to be a well-crafted art.