when your mind is a shattered scatter of a mind / a patter of marbles lost in a car park / when your heart is a sputtering valve that’s been struck by an anchor & flutters so much that you float

when your body is a boat getting lost in a storm / washing up on some very distant unsure

here’s what you have to do:

sit up / settle into the moment

brain dump

ditch your brain quickly like your brain is a mattress & this moment is some convenient alley

straighten your back / don’t be a sloucher / be present / a good present though, not a voucher

be aware of your body (if you have one)

be aware this place you call home / shout down the high street / make it your own / decorate this
world with your voice & your kindness

share everything that’s yours / set store in the stories of the people next door / you will find them as
ordinary as they are unordinary

trust the young / they’re the future & the now / when they say help you say how

settle into this moment / float in the bath / watch couples come dine with me / it’s a right laugh

give your nose to the past & mix petals / find a busker & lend him your ears / when you walk down
the high street hand out your organs to accordion players & puppeteers

dump your mind &
if all else fails

spread your wings &
fly like the whales

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Artists Biography

Chris is a poet, performer, multiple slam winner & submerging artist based in Exeter, who performs his work regularly at spoken-word nights and festivals from Latitude to Tongue Fu. He's created several theatre shows including Moist Moist Moist which received a 2021 Pleasance Partnership Award. He's the founder and host of Spork! Poetry and produces events, workshops and artist support across Exeter and the South West. In his silly, surreal way he often talks about queerness, identity and ducks.

You can find Chris on twitter at @ChrisEwhite

Commissioned by Poet in the City