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Collaborative Poetry Across Borders

It's no secret we are living in a challenging time. But during challenges, we rise to the occasion. Poetic Bridges is a new project from Local Gems Press aiming to show international solidarity through poetry and creativity across borders. The project aims to put together several collaborative collections of verse by poets from America and other countries. 

Collaborative Poems


  • written by 2 separate poets, one writes the first verse the other writes the second. 
  • 2 stanzas of up to 6 lines each, with each set of poets writing a beginning verse and then a response to their partner's. 
  • written in the spirit of good will and collaboration across borders. 
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How To Participate

Each poet will be paired with another poet from the alternative country. Everyone will be writing 2 verses of a poem. 

Step 1:
Write the first verse of a poem, up to 6 lines and enter it in the form below along with all the other requested information. 

Step 2:
You will get an email with the first verse of a poem from your partner poet.
​Write the second stanza of their poem, also up to 6 lines--they will do the same with your poem. 
​
Step 3: 
After step 2, we should have 2 completed collaborative poems, and we all get to enjoy the results. 

Please Fill Out The Form On The Right

In the comment section please include:
1: What Country you are from. 
2: Your first verse of the poem (up to 6 lines.)

Deadline To Enter: April 30th
​

    Poetic Bridges Sign-Up

Submit

Poetic Bridges Progress

Leading up to the completed anthology, we will be posting some examples of the completed collaborations below! We've had some great work come in, and we are expecting a lot more! 

The sun engulfs us in a night with no end,
Spring beauty wasted.
No lambs slaughtered,
nor a shepherd in sight.
Blood trickles like a compass,
I guess that’s why they call it a crown.

And yet the flowers are still blooming
the birds are still flying, and singing
the animals are still going about their business
life goes on
and like a pheonix from the ashes
we will be reborn. 

~ Ushiku Crisafulli  Manchester, UK. 
& James P. Wagner (Ishwa) , NY, USA
 


In the depth of distance
I've become familiar once again
with myself
one who I, in some ways had lost touch with,
now remembering, the things I would do
if there weren't so many things, I had to do...

​If you can remember your triumphs 
one may channel the energy
of what was 
to inform what is.
What will you be...
when you remember? 

~ James P. Wagner (Ishwa) , NY, USA ​
​ & Ushiku Crisafulli  Manchester, UK. 
 ​

 When the rains came the streets were flooded
There were no customers at all.
Sam laid a path across the square
Tables and chairs from her cafe.
Her neighbour could now reach the doctor.
Children could get to school. The baker stayed open.  

​The waters came and went
But her actions were remembered
More visitors to her cafe
Neighbors stopping in to return a stray chair that went
​missing in the flood
Indulging in some extra pastries with their cuppa
Building their bridge with her as the foundation

~ Rose Cullen, UK & Marc Rosen, USA
Silent city streets
Every road devoid of life
Stay the hell at home
Toilet paper gone
Food gone from grocery shelves
Food banks emptied too

Locked down in fear
The door dead bolted
This could be the end
Or a chance to re-begin?
No man an island
Reach out - Help

~ Marc Rosen, USA & Rosie Cullen, UK

Provocative genres in conspired agendas...
The taste of old mix tapes lingering along the lips of all lovers, synched up...
kiss by kiss...
Thinking: we can do this...
Like Sparks of the heart that one cant miss  
 
reminders of feet moving at the school hall hop
catches of glances as we crossed the floor
caught under moonbeams of a disco light
as we danced under falling
starlight
 
-  Damien Bettinger, USA  &  Brian F Kirkham, UK
​Like an old classroom photo 
a collection of palm trees gather together 
by the sands overlooking a blue sea 
overhead tropical birds fly 
now looking for a place to nest  
  
a fish on a bike, climbing up towards the sky
gets swung from a kite,  back into the seafoam tides
at home, all across the ocean, with ease and no line left besides,
choppy waves, become sloppy bodies, made of stone,
catching a rise.

~ Brian F. Kirkman, UK & Damien Bettinger, USA

The whole world has a broken heart,
a pain we all must bear,
and so we reach across the seas
to ease our shared despair;
to bring, through words, some comfort
as we say to all, “Take care.”
 
And you must bear your brokenness,
And I must bear mine, too:
Your brokenness, to you, unique,
And mine, too. Truth I speak:
Shared empathy, sweet and rare:
Healing wrought, on wings of prayer.

~ Sharon Anderson, USA & Dorinda MacDowell , UK
And was it only yesterday,
outdoors, I saw the children play,
the sun so bright, the sky so clear,
no sign of dark and crippling fear?

How tenuous, this thing called life,
how fleeting is our joy.
How quickly does disaster strike,
and fearfulness deploy.

~  Dorinda MacDowell , UK & Sharon Anderson, USA

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