Silence and the page turn
By Tim Sinclair
Published 19 October 2023
Siren scream and entry shouts the boy noise only boys can noise as they storm
the library all smothered in bluster and covered in fighting and biting and combat
and fall on the offering the carcass the box the books dragged out by magician librarians who know the one thing to placate the lions and I blink and it is shredded and I blink and it is gone devoured the kids the students the ravenous boys all instantly burrowing diving and gone and I blink again and find myself
immersed in holy silence.
And the silence grows
and I am left in awe.
And I am honoured by silence
as each and every
becomes themselves
in the world of another.
Becoming being
through the words of another.
They are being.
Celebrated poet Tim Sinclair led a three-day poetry residency at Canterbury Boys' High School on 27th May, 3rd June and 10th June, 2014. Students in Years 7 and 8 participated in two intensive workshops inspired by the Toilet Doors learning resource. The boys not only learnt about Tim's work and writing processes, but in creating 'parkour poetry' they also created, collaged and chalked their own poems around the school. This workshop was followed by one more session in which the students focussed on editing their poetry.